Pets Belong with Families Act

Michael Lawler

Republican · NY · Representative

Source: Congress.gov · FEC

• Brian K. Fitzpatrick (R-PA-1)Original· 2026-04-20
• Dina Titus (D-NV-1)Original· 2026-04-20
• Jason Crow (D-CO-6)Original· 2026-04-20
• Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14)Original· 2026-04-20
• Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11)Original· 2026-04-20
• Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12)Original· 2026-04-20
• Sharice Davids (D-KS-3)· 2026-05-12

Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

2026-04-20

Source: Congress.gov

This bill would change the rules about what pet restrictions public housing authorities can enforce on residents who own pets. The legislation aims to make pet policies in government-subsidized housing more reasonable and flexible for low-income families and individuals who want to keep animals in their homes.

AI-assisted summary generated from the official bill metadata (title, subjects, actions) sourced from Congress.gov. Cached and reviewed. Always verify against the official text linked below.

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 8378 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 8378 To modify the reasonable requirements that may be imposed on pet owners living in public housing, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES April 20, 2026 Mr. Lawler (for himself, Mr. Crow, Ms. Titus, Mr. Fitzpatrick, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Malliotakis, and Ms. Underwood) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To modify the reasonable requirements that may be imposed on pet owners living in public housing, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Pets Belong with Families Act''. SEC. 2. PROHIBITION ON BREED RESTRICTIONS. Section 31 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437z-3) is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: ``(b) Reasonable Requirements.-- ``(1) In general.--The reasonable requirements referred to in subsection (a) may include-- ``(A) requiring payment of a pet deposit by a tenant owning or having pets, except that-- ``(i) the pet deposit-- ``(I) shall not exceed 10 percent of the tenant's monthly base rent; and ``(II) shall be amortized over not less than 3 months as part of a tenant's rental payments; and ``(ii) any amount of a pet deposit that is unused at the termination of the tenancy shall be reimbursed to the tenant within 30 days of vacating a dwelling unit; ``(B) limitations on the number of animals in a dwelling unit or building, based on unit size or other relevant conditions; ``(C) prohibitions on certain species of animals prohibited by State or local law; and ``(D) prohibitions on any individual animal that is declared a threat to public health and safety by a court of competent jurisdiction or whose ownership is otherwise prohibited by State or local law. ``(2) Prohibition on withholding.--A public housing agency may not withhold a pet deposit described in paragraph (1) for damage unrelated to the pet, including due to ordinary wear and tear. ``(3) Limitation.--The reasonable requirements described in subsection (a) shall not include any prohibition based on the breed, size, or weight of an animal.''. <all>

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