PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in Senate · Aug 10, 2020
Rent Emergencies Leave Impacts on Evicted Families Act or the RELIEF Act
This bill generally revises housing protections established in response to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, including by expanding protections for renters and mortgage holders, providing consumer protections regarding credit reports and utility access, and increasing oversight regarding housing protections. Among other things, the bill
prohibits all evictions and foreclosures for one year;
prohibits increases in rent;
provides an 18-month grace period for missed rent payments;
prohibits landlords and mortgage servicers from reporting missed payments to credit reporting agencies;
establishes a credit facility to provide landlords with low-cost, long-term loans to compensate for losses due to reduction in rent payments;
establishes a program to assist low-income households in paying utility bills; and
provides congressional oversight regarding rental property assistance.
The bill also generally revises bankruptcy provisions, including by excluding COVID-19 aid from property subject to bankruptcy proceedings.
People & committees
Sen. Harris, Kamala D. [D-CA] · D–CA
Legislative record
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Introduced in Senate
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Jan 14, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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