HUD Data Privacy Act of 2026

119th Congress Introduced by Salud Carbajal and 11 co-sponsors

Prohibits HUD from sharing housing aid recipients’ immigration status beyond eligibility or determination, limiting use and enabling deidentified data for research.

Introduced in House

Executive summary

Bill: HUD Data Privacy Act of 2026 (H.R. 8814)

Purpose: Prohibits the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from authorizing the exchange of information about the immigration status of individuals receiving housing assistance, with a focus on protecting privacy and limiting use to benefit determination/eligibility.

Status: Introduced May 14, 2026; referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. Co-sponsors include several House members.

What the bill does

Prohibition on information exchange:

HUD must establish a policy that information collected from individuals receiving housing assistance may only be exchanged with another agency or a third-party entity to verify:
(1) benefit eligibility, or
(2) benefit determination.

Limits on recipients’ use:

Agencies or third-party entities that receive HUD-provided information may not use it for purposes beyond the two listed (eligibility or determination).

Exceptions:

Deidentified data exchanges for statistical or research purposes are permitted.
Data sharing as part of an ongoing criminal investigation or to prevent an imminent threat to life is allowed.

Definitions:

“Housing assistance” includes:
Federal financial assistance under section 9 of the U.S. Housing Act of 1937, and
Tenant-based or project-based rental assistance under section 8 of the same Act.

Construction/limitations:

The bill does not authorize sharing information to civilly enforce immigration laws (i.e., it cannot be used to civilly enforce immigration status).

Who/what is affected

HUD programs and beneficiaries:

Individuals receiving federal housing assistance (e.g., public housing, section 8 rental assistance).

HUD and partner entities:

HUD may not authorize or facilitate broader sharing of immigration-status information.
Other agencies or third-party entities that receive HUD information must limit use to eligibility or determination, subject to allowed exceptions.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Introduction and referral:

Introduced May 14, 2026 by Rep. Goldman (with a bipartisan set of co-sponsors).
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services the same day.

No floor passage or committee reports described in the provided text; action would proceed under the committee’s schedule if the bill advances.

Potential impact and considerations

Privacy and civil rights:

The bill strengthens privacy protections for housing assistance recipients by restricting the sharing and use of immigration-status information.

Immigration enforcement impact:

Reduces HUD’s role in facilitating immigration-status data exchanges, and reduces potential data-sharing channels that could be used for immigration enforcement purposes, except where explicitly allowed (e.g., criminal investigations or imminent threats).

Data governance:

Emphasizes deidentified data sharing for research, potentially enabling statistical analysis without compromising individual privacy.

Implementation considerations:

HUD would need to implement or codify the stated policy and ensure third-party data recipients comply with the restricted use framework.
Clarification may be needed on how “exchange” is operationalized across HUD programs and contracted partners.