Senator Warren (D-MA) and Representative Waters (D-CA) Introduce Bill to Restore Fair Housing Protections
May 19, 2025
Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA) introduced the “Restoring Fair Housing Protections Eliminated by Trump Act,” (S.1621/H.R.3086) which, if enacted, would require HUD Secretary Scott Turner to repeal the recently enacted Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) Interim Final Rule and replace it with the AFFH Interim Final Rule enacted in 2021. The recent Interim Final Rule took effect on April 2, 2025 and merely requires HUD grantees to self-attest to their commitment to fair housing (see Memo, 3/3). NLIHC endorsed the bill.
The legislation would require Secretary Turner to replace the weakened AFFH Interim Final Rule with a final rule that adopts the AFFH definition from HUD’s 2021 Interim Final Rule. The legislation also requires HUD to create a public database of fair housing complaints filed under both the “Fair Housing Act” (a component of the “Civil Rights Act of 1968”) and the “Violence Against Women Act” on a quarterly basis. Lastly, the bill requires HUD to issue a report to Congress regarding complaints related to digital platforms and artificial intelligence systems used for tenant screening, rent setting, real estate listings, and more.
Read the press release here.