Bill · H.R. 8185· House(119-HR-8185)
HELP Act of 2026
- Introduced
- 4/2/2026
- Last activity
- 4/2/2026 — Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- Sponsored by
- Ayanna Pressley
- Cosponsors
- - 5 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The HELP Act of 2026 aims to address housing instability by creating a national database of eviction information. It requires state and local entities receiving housing assistance to report eviction details to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. The bill establishes a grant program to provide free legal assistance to low-income tenants facing eviction. Additionally, it amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prevent eviction information and rent arrears from appearing in consumer reports. The Act also requires owners of assisted dwellings to provide tenants with written information regarding their rights and creates a dedicated hotline for assistance.
Yes· 3 of 12
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+8
The bill provides free legal counsel and credit protection specifically targeted at low-income tenants.
Does this give people more protection from unfair business practices?+7
The bill protects consumer credit by prohibiting eviction and rent arrearage information from appearing in consumer reports.
Would people with disabilities be better off under this?+6
The bill provides legal aid support and requires accessible assistance through its hotline.
The opposite
Does this give people more control over their personal data?-3
While the bill mandates privacy protections, it requires the collection of sensitive personal information for a national database.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Free Legal Help: The bill establishes a grant program to fund no-cost legal assistance for low-income tenants facing eviction, covering everything from pretrial to post-trial activities (Section 3).
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Credit Protection: By amending the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the bill prevents eviction records and rent or utility arrears from being included in consumer reports (Section 4).
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Improved Information Access: Owners of federally assisted rental units must provide tenants with annual written information regarding eviction rights and local resources (Section 5).
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Support Hotline: The Secretary is required to establish a hotline to help tenants understand their rights and connect them with available resources like legal aid (Section 5).
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Data-Driven Solutions: The creation of an eviction database allows academic institutions to research the causes of and solutions to evictions (Section 2).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Data Collection of Sensitive Information: The database requires the collection of sensitive personal details, including annual income, disability status, mental illness, physical health problems, and criminal records (Section 2).
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Privacy Risks: While the bill mandates privacy protections and redaction of names, it involves the collection of personally identifiable information for the purpose of reporting (Section 2).
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Researcher Access to Unredacted Data: The Secretary is authorized to provide full and unredacted information to academic institutions for research purposes (Section 2).
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+8Good For People With Disabilities+6Good For African Americans+5Good For Children+4Good For Rural Residents+4Good For Urban Residents+4
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Affordable Housing+6Reduces Homelessness+6Improves Disability Rights+5Improves Poverty Reduction+5
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+7
- Governance And Ideology
- Improves Government Transparency+4
- Education And Technology
- Improves Data Privacy-3
- 4/2/2026
- Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
Rosa DeLauroDemocrat · Connecticut
Jimmy GomezDemocrat · California
Pramila JayapalDemocrat · Washington
Eleanor NortonDemocrat · District of Columbia
Rashida TlaibDemocrat · Michigan