Sponsor
Sylvia Garcia
Representative · D-TX
Representative · D-TX
The bill directs a rapid, mixed-methods evaluation to give HUD, Congress, and residents evidence and perspectives on MTW work requirements, but that benefit depends on HUD's discretionary approval and risks diverting agency resources if not funded separately.
Low-income families and public-housing residents will get timely empirical evidence on how Moving to Work (MTW) work requirements affect homelessness, poverty, earnings, and job retention, enabling better-targeted program design and services.
HUD and Congress will receive a required report within one year to guide policy decisions and oversight of MTW work requirements, improving accountability and enabling faster legislative or administrative responses.
Participants and resident councils will be interviewed so resident perspectives and administrative challenges not captured by quantitative data are documented, improving the relevance and completeness of the evaluation.
Low-income families and renters (and policymakers) may receive no useful evidence if HUD determines there are not enough participating agencies or that the study would harm families, because HUD's discretion could delay or prevent the evaluation.
HUD staff time and resources could be consumed by implementing the study, potentially diverting capacity from direct services or program oversight if the study is not separately funded.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires HUD to study MTW public housing agency work requirements and report initial findings to relevant congressional committees within one year, subject to feasibility and no-harm conditions.
Official title: To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct a study on the implementation of work requirements by public housing agencies, and for other purposes.
Introduced May 19, 2026 by Sylvia Garcia · Last progress May 19, 2026
Directs HUD to study how Moving to Work (MTW) public housing agencies that adopted work requirements have implemented those requirements and what effects they produce. The study must assess short-, medium-, and long-term benefits and challenges for agencies and participants and produce an initial findings report to two congressional committees within one year, but only if HUD determines there are enough agencies for a rigorous evaluation and that the study would not harm assisted families. The study must use quantitative and qualitative evidence, include interviews with participants and resident councils, and evaluate outcomes like homelessness, poverty, asset building, earnings, job attainment/retention, and administrative capacity.