Sponsors (3)
The bill funds sensor pilots and support to improve indoor temperature compliance and lower installation costs in federally assisted housing, trading off meaningful privacy, equity, connectivity, and budget risks for potential health and cost benefits.
Residents of federally assisted housing (renters, low-income individuals) would see better compliance with indoor temperature standards, reducing exposure to extreme heat and cold.
Public housing agencies, owners, and renters may face lower installation and implementation costs because grants and technical assistance reduce the financial burden of deploying sensors.
HUD and local governments will gain data-driven evidence on which sensor technologies, costs, and barriers work best, informing future housing policy and investments.
Renters and low-income residents could have indoor temperature and presence data collected and retained, creating privacy and surveillance risks if safeguards fail.
Tenants—including seniors and people with disabilities—could experience pressure to give written permission or face unequal participation, leaving some residents unmonitored and potentially unprotected.
Renters in rural or low-connectivity areas could be excluded or face added costs because internet-capable sensors require reliable broadband.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes a 3-year HUD pilot to fund internet-capable temperature sensors in covered federally assisted rental units and requires interim and final evaluations.
Creates a three-year HUD Temperature Sensor Pilot Program to fund installation and testing of internet-capable ambient air temperature sensors in covered federally assisted rental dwelling units and public housing. HUD must set eligibility and privacy rules within 180 days, retain sensor data for the pilot, and produce an interim report at 12 months and a final evaluation after the pilot that compares complaint counts, sensor technologies, costs, and barriers such as broadband access and tenant participation. HUD may spend “such sums as may be necessary.”
Official title: To require owners of covered federally assisted rental dwelling units to install temperature sensors in such units, and for other purposes.
Introduced January 22, 2025 by Ritchie Torres · Last progress January 22, 2025