HUD Data Privacy Act of 2026 in plain language
1: Short title
This section would let the Act be cited as the HUD Data Privacy Act of 2026.
Show official text
1. Short title This Act may be cited as the HUD Data Privacy Act of 2026 .
2: Limitation on exchange of information
This section would require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a policy, overriding any other law, that limits how HUD shares information collected from a person who receives housing assistance. Under that policy, HUD could exchange that information with another agency or a third-party entity only to verify the person's eligibility for benefits or a benefit determination. Any agency or third-party entity that receives this information from HUD could not use it for any purpose other than verifying that eligibility or determination. These limits would not apply to sharing deidentified information between HUD and other agencies or third-party entities for statistical or research purposes, or to sharing data as part of an ongoing criminal investigation or to prevent an imminent threat to life. Housing assistance would mean federal financial assistance under section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937, or tenant-based or project-based rental assistance under section 8 of that Act. Nothing in this section could be read to permit sharing information for the purpose of civil enforcement of the immigration laws, as that term is defined in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101).
Show official text
2. Limitation on exchange of information (a) In general Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall establish a policy providing that any information collected from an individual receiving housing assistance may only be exchanged with another agency or a third-party entity in order to verify that individual’s— (1) benefit eligibility; or (2) benefit determination. (b) Applicability to other agencies and third-Party entities Any agency or third-party entity that receives information described in subsection (a) from the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may not use the information for any purpose other than the purposes described in subsection (a). (c) Exceptions This section does not apply to— (1) the sharing of deidentified information between HUD and other agencies or third-party entities for statistical or research purposes; or (2) the sharing of data as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, or to prevent an imminent threat to life. (d) Definition For purposes of this section, the term housing assistance means— (1) Federal financial assistance under section 9 of the United States Housing Act of 1937; or (2) tenant-based or project-based rental assistance under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937. (e) Rule of construction Nothing in this section may be construed to permit the sharing of information for the purpose of civil enforcement of the immigration laws (as such term is defined in section 101 of the Immigration and Nationality Act ( 8 U.S.C. 1101 )).