Copyright: Bennian
On June 16, Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the top Republican on the House Financial Services Committee, introduced the Renter Protection Act. The legislation would consolidate the $46 billion in Emergency Rental Assistance Programs (ERA 1 and ERA 2) into one unified program with one set of rules.
In December 2020, the Consolidated Appropriations Act was signed into law and included $25 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA 1). The March 2021 American Rescue Plan Act further supplemented these funds with an additional $21.6 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA 2). Treasury administers both programs under different sets of criteria. Full details on the programs can be found within NMHC’s Rental Assistance FAQ.
The Renter Protection Act would transfer all remaining March 2021 ERA 2 program funds into the ERA 1 program and requires all cities or states with unused ERAP money after July 1 to use those funds to exclusively pay off the back-rent debts of COVID-impacted eligible households. In addition, the measure requires all ERAP funds to be administered by December 31, 2021, further encouraging the states to distribute ERAP funds in a timely manner.
NMHC has continued to advocate for additional measures to streamline the disbursement of ERAP funds. The emergency rental assistance program was designed to assist residents and housing providers impacted by the pandemic. We encourage program grantees to focus on the repayment of rental arrears and the expeditious disbursement of ERAP funds, which stabilizes renters and housing providers alike. For additional details on NMHC’s advocacy work in this space, please visit our COVID-19 advocacy page.
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