H.R. 7701 – Public Housing Rent Reduction for First Responders Act

AI-Generated Summary

Updated March 14, 2026 at 3:51 AM UTC

The bill amends the United States Housing Act of 1937 to lower public‑housing rent for families that include police officers, firefighters, or emergency medical technicians. It creates a special rent formula that caps what these families pay, and it defines who qualifies as a first‑responder. The change would affect public‑housing tenants who are full‑time first‑responders and the housing agencies that manage those units.

Key Provisions

Adds a new occupancy category for police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians.
Sets rent for qualifying families at the higher of either 15% of the family’s monthly adjusted income or 5% of the family’s monthly income, rounded to the nearest dollar.
Provides specific definitions for “police officer,” “firefighter,” and “emergency medical technician” to determine eligibility.
Updates the existing exception language in the Act to include the new rent‑reduction provision.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

HouseIntro Referral Latest Action

Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Financial Services Committee

February 25, 2026

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HouseIntro Referral

Introduced in House

February 25, 2026

HouseIntro Referral

Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Financial Services Committee

February 25, 2026

Bill Text

Latest available legislative text

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Introduced in HouseIssued February 25, 2026

I

119th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 7701

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

February 25, 2026

Mr. Lawler introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

A BILL

To amend the United States Housing Act of 1937 to reduce rent in public housing for police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians.

1.

Short Title

This Act may be cited as the Public Housing Rent Reduction for First Responders Act.

2.

Supporting affordability and safety for public servants

Section 3(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(a)) is amended—

(1)

in paragraph (1), by striking Except as provided in paragraph (2) and inserting Except as provided in paragraphs (2) and (4); and

(2)

in paragraph (4)—

(A)

in the heading, by striking Occupancy by police officers and inserting, Occupancy by police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians;

(B)

by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (D);

(C)

by inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:

(C)

Rental payments

Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a family of which one or more members are a police officer, firefighter, or emergency medical technician shall pay as rent for a dwelling unit assisted under this Act the highest of the following amounts, rounded to the nearest dollar:

(i)

15 per centum of the family's monthly adjusted income; or

(ii)

5 per centum of the family's monthly income

; and

(D)

by amending subparagraph (D), as so redesignated, to read as follows:

(D)

Definitions

In this paragraph:

(i)

Police officer

The term police officer means any person determined by a public housing agency to be, during the period of residence of that person in public housing, employed on a full-time basis as a duly licensed professional police officer by a Federal, State, or local government or by any agency thereof (including a public housing agency having an accredited police force).

(ii)

Firefighter

The term firefighter means any person determined by a public housing agency to be, during the period of residence of that person in public housing, employed on a full-time basis as a firefighter by a fire department or emergency medical services responder unit of the Federal Government, a State, unit of general local government, or an Indian tribal government.

(iii)

Emergency medical technician

The term emergency medical technician means any person determined by a public housing agency to be, during the period of residence of that person in public housing, employed on a full-time basis as an emergency medical technician by a fire department or emergency medical services responder unit of the Federal Government, a State, unit of general local government, or an Indian tribal government.

.