Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) is calling for extended protections and rights for residents in Department of Housing and Urban Development programs who are living in substandard conditions, Bloomberg News reported. Pressley introduced the "Tenant Empowerment Act of 2021" in the U.S. House on Tuesday with House Financial Services Chair Maxine Waters of California and Representative Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. The measure would give tenants in public and assisted housing programs a range of new rights, including the ability to withhold their rent in escrow if HUD determines that their apartment is in “violation of safe housing standards.” The legislation would also provide for more transparency by allowing residents to look at the books on their buildings and promote tenant organizing efforts.
