{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=64174B0C-678D-4F6B-9629-6F5F473406CB", "Bennet, Portman Introduce Major Proposal to Tackle the Eviction Crisis", "2019-12-12", "2019", "2019-12", "Democrat", "House", "CO", "Michael Bennet", "B001267", "www.bennet.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C. U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) today introduced the Eviction Crisis Act to address the national housing crisis crippling millions of Americans who are struggling to rise into the middle class. The new legislation will shed light on the root causes of the eviction crisis, reduce preventable evictions, and limit the devastation to families when eviction is unavoidable.\r\nToday in America, an unexpected illness, a car accident, or a family emergency can lead to a family being evicted from their home and falling into a cycle of poverty that lasts for years,said Bennet.The hardship caused by eviction is agonizing for the hundreds of thousands of American families evicted every year  and it's damaging to our communities. As a former school superintendent, I saw kids unable to stay awake in class because they didn't have a stable place to sleep the night before. And I've heard from many hard-working Coloradans about how one misstep led to their lives falling apart. Our Eviction Crisis Act will put in place bipartisan measures that both prevent eviction and limit the harm when it is unavoidable.\r\nStable housing is a vital part of getting people back on their feet. I've long worked on efforts to address homelessness and increase the supply of housing and I'm proud to partner with Senator Bennet on this new bipartisan initiative. This legislation will help prevent avoidable evictions, reduce homelessness, and make it easier for people to escape poverty by keeping a roof over their heads, said Portman.\r\nEvictions start with the loss of a home and often end with job loss, depression, and becoming further ingrained in the cycle of poverty. Indiana is home to three cities with some of the highest eviction rates in the United States and this legislation takes a number of important steps to work with and support tenants, landlords, and municipalities to help avoid the process of putting another family on the street, said U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), cosponsor of the Eviction Crisis Act.\r\nHome is the foundation of the rest of our lives: our family connections, our education, our work, and our health. The shortage of affordable housing and evictions tear at that foundation. The Eviction Crisis Act will give our communities new tools to prevent evictions and support vulnerable households,said U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), cosponsor of the Eviction Crisis Act.\r\n\r\nBackground\r\nAdjusting for inflation, the median rent payment has risen 61% since 1960 while median renter income grew only 5%. In 2016, 2.3 million eviction filings were made in courthouses across the United Statesa rate of four every minute. That same year, one in 50 renters was evicted from his or her home. This affordable housing crisis has crippled economic security for families and placed enormous costs on the nation's health care system, courts, schools, and local governments.\r\nIn Colorado, five cities ranked in the nation's 100 Top Evicting Areas by eviction rate in 2016 (i.e. the number of evictions per 100 renters): Aurora (ranked #33, with a 5.52% eviction rate), Thornton (#48, 4.64%), Colorado Springs (#64, 4.19%), Westminster (#93, 3.16%), and Lakewood (#94, 3.15%). In Denver eviction cases, 90% of landlords are represented by lawyers, compared to just 2% of tenantsconsistent with nationwide trends.\r\nIn Ohio, six cities also ranked in the nation's 100 Top Evicting Areas: Akron (ranked #24, with a 6.06% eviction rate), Dayton (#26, 5.94%), Toledo (#30, 5.63%), Cincinnati (#46, 4.7%), Columbus (#52, 4.55%), and Cleveland (#53, 4.53%).\r\nThe Eviction Crisis Act will:\r\nImprove Data and Analysis on Evictions\r\n \r\nCreates a national database to standardize data and track evictions, in order to better inform policy decisions.\r\nEstablishes a Federal Advisory Committee on Eviction Research to make recommendations related to data collection, as well as policies and practices that can prevent evictions or mitigate their consequences.\r\nAuthorizes funding for a comprehensive study to track evictions, analyze landlord-tenant law, and assess varying factors in urban, suburban, and rural areas.\r\n \r\n\r\nReduce Preventable Evictions and Mitigate Eviction-Related Consequences\r\nCo-invest in state and local government programs:\r\n \r\nCreates a program to fund state and local governments expanding the use of landlord-tenant community courts and increasing the presence of social services representatives for tenants, which help both tenants and landlords avoid the high cost of eviction.\r\nEstablishes an Emergency Assistance Fund to provide financial assistance and housing stability-related services to eviction-vulnerable tenants.\r\n \r\nSupport increased legal representation for tenants:\r\n \r\nExpresses support for substantially increasing funding for the Legal Services Corporation, a public-private partnership that provides legal services to low-income Americans.\r\n \r\n\r\nImprove Information on Tenant Screening Reports\r\n \r\nRequires consumer reporting agencies to provide consumers with tenant screening reports when they are requested as part of a rental application process, so tenants can contest and correct inaccurate or incomplete information.\r\nWhen a court rules in favor of a tenant in an eviction proceeding, requires those judgments and eviction filings related to that proceeding to be removed from tenant screening reports.\r\n \r\n\r\nResources\r\nThe following resources for the Eviction Crisis Act are available HERE and below:\r\n\r\n\r\nSupport\r\nThe following national organizations have endorsed the Eviction Crisis Act: Caracole, Children's HealthWatch/Boston Medical Center, Coalition on Human Needs, Community of Hope, Community Stabilization Project, Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Housing Task Force, Family Promise, First Focus Campaign for Children, Food Research & Action Center, Funders Together to End Homelessness, Habitat for Humanity International, Housing on Merit, JustLeadershipUSA, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Mayors and CEOs for US Housing Investment, Metropolitan Tenants Organization, NAACP, National Alliance on Mental Illness, National Alliance to End Homelessness, National Association for County Community and Economic Developments, National Association of Community Health Centers, National Association of Local Housing Finance Agencies, National Association of Social Workers, National Church Residences, National Coalition for Homeless Veterans, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Coalition for the Homeless, National Community Action Partnership, National Education Association, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, National Housing Law Project, National Housing Trust, National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty, National League of Cities, National Legal Aid & Defender Association, National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), National NeighborWorks Association, National Nurse-Led Care Consortium, National Resources Defense Council, National Women's Law Center, NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice, Opportunity Starts at Home Campaign, Prosperity Now, RESULTS, The Arc, Unity Health Care, and ZERO TO THREE.\r\nThe following state and local organizations have endorsed the Eviction Crisis Act: Chicago Area Fair Housing Alliance, Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio, Colorado Center on Law and Policy, Greater Syracuse Tenants Network, Housing Action Illinois, Legal Aid Association of California (LAAC), and Neighborhood Legal Services of Los Angeles County.\r\nEviction isn't just a consequence of poverty; it's a cause of poverty. Yet we allow millions of Americans to face the threat of eviction each year. Families with children are at particularly high risk of eviction. Many evicted families lose their home and possessions, often falling into homelessness. Research shows that eviction thwarts economic mobility and is linked to long-term negative health outcomes. Passing the Eviction Crisis Act would be a big step forward, deepening our understanding of the problem and preventing families from the devastating consequences of displacement. Everyone needs a safe and affordable home. I commend Senators Bennet and Portman for their efforts and look forward to working with them to pass this bill into law, said Matthew Desmond, author of Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City.\r\nI applaud Senators Michael Bennet and Rob Portman for their leadership in introducing legislation to create new tools to help end America's ongoing eviction epidemic, which most severely impacts the lowest-income seniors, people with disabilities, families with children, and other individuals. If enacted, the Eviction Crisis Act would create a new Emergency Housing Assistance Fund  a policy solution developed and advanced by NLIHC's Opportunity Starts at Home campaign  to extend an emergency cushion to families in crisis. Together [with the legislation's new data collection and outreach initiatives], the bill would help low-income renters avert the downward spiral of housing instability and homelessness. I urge Congress to quickly pass this bill, said Diane Yentel, President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition.\r\nThe Eviction Crisis Act is an historic response our country's eviction epidemic. Through comprehensive data collection and emergency rental assistance, the bill will combat the devastating impacts of evictions on families and children and create a foundation for more effective prevention in the future. We are grateful to Senators Bennet and Portman for addressing this crucial area of U.S. housing policy and working to save families from eviction and homelessness, said Shamus Roller, Executive Director, National Housing Law Project.\r\nColorado Center on Law and Policy applauds Senator Michael Bennet's legislation that addresses housing insecurity and the eviction crisis that is occurring in communities across the country. Tenants who are facing eviction are typically unable to access assistance. For tenants who must represent themselves in court, navigating the complex legal system of landlord-tenant laws can prove to be impossible. This major shortcoming in our justice system contributes to cycles of poverty and is especially harmful for families with children. An eviction can destabilize relationships, disrupt children's development and undermine community ties. Senator Bennet's legislation would provide support for emergency assistance, expand legal resources and enable comprehensive data collection. This legislation represents a monumental step forward in preventing evictions, and we encourage Members of Congress to lend their support, said Jack B. Regenbogen, Senior Attorney at Colorado Center on Law and Policy.\r\nThe Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio (COHHIO) enthusiastically endorses the Eviction Crisis Act and the creation of the Emergency Assistance Fund designed to prevent unnecessary evictions. Evictions in many Ohio cities are hitting record levels as housing costs are growing increasingly out of reach, especially for those with the lowest incomes. We all now understand that evictions are not only the result of  but also a cause of  deeper poverty leading to increasing homelessness. This legislation has the promise of helping to reverse that tide. We appreciate the leadership of Senators Rob Portman and Michael Bennet working together to tackle this stubborn problem, said Bill Faith, Executive Director of COHHIO and state partner of the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign.\r\nA full list of quotes from stakeholders is available HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.bennet.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?id=64174B0C-678D-4F6B-9629-6F5F473406CB"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.900123966857791, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}