Ocasio-Cortez introduces housing right to counsel bill
09/25/2019, Legislation, Housing - Evictions
A bill by U.S. House Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The Place to Prosper Act, would fund states that establish or or pursue a right to counsel for tenants facing eviction. Specifically, the bill would "Provide money for the HUD Secretary to establish a grant program to fund state and local programs that would offer a right to counsel in tenant eviction proceedings, at a level of $6.5 billion annually for fiscal years 2021 through 2030." The proposal is part of a larger "Home to Thrive Campaign" joined by other U.S. House reps and the Center for Popular Democracy, and the bill language mirrors similar language in a number of the presidential candidates' housing plans.