,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #fgi ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #aj1 #bjba,ms4 ,warren 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,sanders1 ,mr4 ,durbin1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,mr4 ,booker1 and ,ms4 ,smith7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,banking1 ,housing1 and ,urban ,affairs ,a ,,bill ,to authorize additional monies to the ,public ,housing ,capital ,fund of the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,public ,housing ,emergency ,response ,act4 #b4 ,findings ,the ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,housing is a foundational determinant of health and has been recognized as such since the early days of public health4 7#b7 ,poor housing conditions contribute to a broad range of infectious diseases1 chronic diseases1 injuries1 childhood development complications1 nutrition issues1 and mental health challenges4 7#c7 ,the ,united ,states ,housing ,act of #aicg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #adcg et seq47 charges the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development 7referred to in this section as ,,hud7 with providing individuals with a decent1 safe1 and affordable place to live1 including individuals who live in public housing4 7#d7 ,while public housing is a federally created program overseen by ,,hud1 the properties are owned and managed at the local level by quasi-governmental public housing authorities under contract with the ,federal ,government4 7#e7 ,thus1 the public housing program is governed in part by ,federal rules and regulations and in part by policies enacted at the local level4 7#f7 ,in enacting the ,united ,states ,housing ,act of #aicg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #adcg et seq471 ,congress sought to address the needs of low-income individuals through public housing4 ,at the time of enactment of that ,act1 the housing stock of the ,united ,states was of very poor quality4 ,public housing was a significant improvement for individuals who had access to it4 7#g7 ,however1 over the years the living conditions in public housing began to deteriorate as the operational needs of the units and costs necessary to remedy major capital deficiencies began to outpace the level of funding provided by the ,federal ,government and the rent contributions of residents4 7#h7 ,by #aiij1 no significant investment in housing affordable to the lowest-income individuals had been made by the ,federal ,government in more than #cj years4 7#i7 ,in #aiih1 the enactment of the ,quality ,housing and ,work ,responsibility ,act of #aiih 7title ,v of ,public ,law #aje-bgf2 #aab ,stat4 #beah7 prohibited public housing authorities from using any ,federal capital funding or operating funding to develop net new housing4 7#aj7 ,more than a decade after the enactment of the ,quality ,housing and ,work ,responsibility ,act of #aiih 7title ,v of ,public ,law #aje-bgf2 #aab ,stat4 #beah71 the number of public housing units in the ,united ,states began to steadily decline1 as more units were torn down than rebuilt4 7#aa7 ,with the exception of an infusion of funding from the economic stimulus legislation in #bjji--the ,american ,recovery and ,reinvestment ,act 7,public ,law #aaa-e2 #abc ,stat4 #aae7--;,federal capital funding has remained relatively level for more than a decade1 despite an increasing backlog in unmet capital needs4 7#ab7 ,today1 there are approximately #a1bjj1jjj units of public housing across the ,united ,states receiving ,federal funding4 ,the largest public housing authority in the ,united ,states1 the ,new ,york ,city ,housing ,authority1 houses approximately #cfb1jjj residents in #cjb developments across ,new ,york ,city4 7#ac7 ,the ,public ,housing ,capital ,fund of the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development remains the primary source of funding public housing authorities rely on to address necessary infrastructure upgrades and repairs4 7#ad7 ,as of ,october #bjai1 the national public housing capital repairs backlog was estimated to stand at more than #gj1jjj1jjj1jjj4 7#ae7 ,federal disinvestment in public housing has forced many residents to live in accelerating substandard living conditions4 ,for example1 the ,new ,york ,city ,housing ,authority has a capital repair backlog currently estimated at more than #dj1jjj1jjj1jjj4 ,new ,york ,city ,housing ,authority residents suffer from a consistent lack of hot water1 insufficient heat during the winter months1 rodent and insect infestations1 broken elevators1 and widespread and recurring lead and mold problems4 7#af7 ,substandard housing conditions1 such as poor ventilation1 pest infestations1 and water leaks1 are directly associated with the development and exacerbation of respiratory diseases like asthma4 7#ag7 ,the ,centers for ,disease ,control and ,prevention has made clear that no level of lead poisoning is safe4 ,lead poisoning can result in irreversible brain damage and affects every major bodily system4 ,at high levels1 lead poisoning can cause anemia1 multi-organ damage1 seizures1 coma1 and death in children4 ,even with the lowest levels of lead exposure1 children experience physical1 cognitive1 and neurobehavioral impairment1 as well as lower ,,iq levels1 lower class standing in high school1 greater absenteeism1 lower vocabulary and grammatical-reasoning scores1 and poorer hand-eye coordination relative to other children4 7#ah7 ,exposure to cold indoor temperatures is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease4 7#ai7 ,due to its aging infrastructure1 the living conditions in public housing are causing severe health consequences for public housing residents throughout the ,united ,states1 including asthma1 respiratory illness1 and elevated blood lead levels4 7#bj7 ,for example1 one leading study found that children living in public housing have higher odds of asthma than children living in all types of private housing1 even after adjusting for individual risk factors1 including ethnicity and race1 living in a low-income household1 and living in a low-income community4 7#ba7 ,the rise of the ,,covid-#ai pandemic has introduced a new level of risk into society in the ,united ,states4 7#bb7 ,poor housing conditions have been linked with worse health outcomes and infectious disease spread4 ,one leading study found that counties with a higher percentage of households with poor housing had a higher incidence of1 and mortality associated with1 ,,covid-#ai and recommended targeted health policies to support individuals living in poor housing conditions in order to mitigate adverse outcomes associated with ,,covid-#ai4 7#bc7 ,this is a fixable public health crisis4 ,federal disinvestment in public housing has consequences1 and aging infrastructure is1 in many cases1 the root cause of many of the health issues described in this section for residents4 7#bd7 ,therefore1 it is necessary to reinvest in public housing1 provide the money needed to fulfill outstanding capital needs1 and to again ensure that all people of the ,united ,states have a decent home and suitable living environment1 as is the charge of ,,hud4 #c4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there are authorized to be appropriated for assistance from the ,public ,housing ,capital ,fund under section #i7;d7 of the ,united ,states ,housing ,act of #aicg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #adcg;g7d77 #gj1jjj1jjj1jjj1 which-- 7#a7 shall remain available until expended2 and 7#b7 notwithstanding subsections 7c77#a7 and 7d77#b7 of such section #i1 shall be allocated to public housing agencies based on the extent of the capital needs of those public housing agencies1 as determined according to the most recent physical needs assessment required under section #ije4cjj7;a7 of title #bd1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 of each public housing agency4