[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 109 (Friday, June 28, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H4429-H4430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           EMPOWERING TENANTS

  (Ms. PRESSLEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1

[[Page H4430]]

minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. PRESSLEY. Madam Speaker, I rise as vice chair of the Renters 
Caucus to introduce the Tenant Empowerment Act, alongside Ranking 
Member Maxine Waters and Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.
  For decades, tenants across the country, including in my district, 
the MA-7, have organized and mobilized to demand safe, stable, and 
affordable housing conditions.
  No hot water or heat during the winter, life-threatening black mold 
creeping up the walls, leaky roofs that let in rain and snow--these are 
the conditions that tenants are forced to endure with little to no 
recourse. How devastating and demoralizing.
  Our bill, the Tenant Empowerment Act, would change that. It would 
enable tenants to withhold paying rent if their home fails to meet 
quality housing standards, allow tenants to be present during building 
inspections, and extend tenants' rights to organize in federally 
assisted housing.
  This bill will empower renters with the tools they need to ensure 
that safe, stable, and affordable housing is not only a right but a 
reality for every person in America.
  As the daughter of a tenants' rights organizer, I am proud to put 
forward this necessary policy. Everyone deserves to turn the key and to 
have a place that feels safe, a place of belonging and refuge.
  On behalf of more than 44 million families living in rental units, 
Congress must take action.

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