Bill · H.R. 1696· House(119-HR-1696)
Puerto Rico Low-Income Housing Support Act
- Introduced
- 2/27/2025
- Last activity
- 2/27/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- Sponsored by
- Pablo Hernández
- Cosponsors
- - 1 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, titled the "Puerto Rico Low-Income Housing Support Act," aims to amend the United States Housing Act of 1937. It seeks to change the definition of extremely low-income families specifically regarding how it applies to Puerto Rico. The amendment would require that the same poverty guidelines used for the contiguous 48 States and the District of Columbia apply to public housing agencies and projects in Puerto Rico. Additionally, the bill mandates a report from the Comptroller General regarding housing assistance and affordable dwelling units in Puerto Rico. This report must assess how housing needs are identified and how disaster recovery funds are used to rebuild housing after natural disasters.
Yes· 3 of 6
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+7
The bill seeks to improve the identification and delivery of housing assistance to extremely low-income families in Puerto Rico.
Does this make housing cost less?+6
The bill standardizes poverty guidelines for Puerto Rico to better align with the contiguous U.S. and mandates a report to improve housing assistance and disaster recovery efforts.
Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this?+5
The bill provides targeted support and oversight for housing assistance for residents in Puerto Rico.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Standardized Poverty Guidelines: By applying the same poverty guidelines used in the contiguous 48 States and the District of Columbia to public housing agencies and projects in Puerto Rico, the bill changes how extremely low-income families are defined (Section 2).
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Increased Oversight of Housing Needs: The bill requires the Comptroller General to submit a report that assesses how HUD and the PRPHA identify and address the needs of extremely low-income families in Puerto Rico (Section 3(b)(1)).
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Disaster Recovery Assessment: The required report will include an assessment of how Federal disaster recovery funds are used to rebuild and expand low-income housing following hurricanes and earthquakes in Puerto Rico (Section 3(b)(2)).
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Program Improvements: The report is tasked with providing recommendations to improve the effectiveness of Federal and local housing programs serving extremely low-income families in Puerto Rico (Section 3(b)(3)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts or burdens are explicitly detailed within the text of the bill.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+7Good For Hispanic Americans+5Good For Urban Residents+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Affordable Housing+6Improves Poverty Reduction+4
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Improves Disaster Relief And F E M A+5
- 2/27/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- Introduced in House
Ritchie TorresDemocrat · New York