“To require owners of covered federally assisted rental dwelling units to install temperature sensors in such units, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section establishes a three-year pilot program administered by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under which HUD provides grants to public housing agencies and owners of covered federally assisted rental dwelling units—i.e., units assisted under public housing (42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.), Section 8 project-based rental assistance (42 U.S.C. 1437f), supportive housing for the elderly (Section 202 of the Housing Act of 1959, 12 U.S.C. 1701q), or supportive housing for persons with disabilities (Section 811, 42 U.S.C. 8013)—to install and test internet-capable temperature sensors (i.e., devices measuring ambient air temperature to the tenth degree Fahrenheit or Celsius) for ensuring compliance with temperature requirements. The Secretary must, within 180 days of enactment, establish (1) eligibility criteria ensuring diverse participants across geographic regions, climate regions, unit sizes, and housing types, as well as sensor functionality including internet connectivity; (2) definitions of temperature-related complaints and violations; and (3) standards protecting personally identifiable information. Grant recipients must obtain written resident permission before installing sensors, monitor sensor data, collect and retain complaint and violation records, and retain all data until HUD notifies them that pilot evaluation is complete. (Thus, the pilot tests sensor efficacy in monitoring temperatures for vulnerable very low-income residents, including elderly persons and those with disabilities.) HUD must submit to Congress and publicly release an interim report 12 months after program establishment—analyzing temperature-related complaints and violations before and after installation (disaggregated by sensor technology and climate region) and identifying barriers such as broadband access or tenant participation—and a final report 36 months after pilot conclusion that additionally compares sensor technologies by climate zone, cost, features, and other factors.