Congress quietly strips federal eviction protections, returns power to landlords

What it does

This bill removes a federal requirement from the CARES Act that landlords provide notice before evicting tenants during the COVID-19 pandemic. It returns eviction rules to state and local control, allowing states to set their own notice periods and eviction procedures without the federal 30-day notice mandate.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is the removal of a federal eviction-notice mandate, returning housing law to state control. This is functionally a deregulation of landlord obligations and a reduction in tenant protections, despite the title's framing of 'respecting state laws.'

What the text implies

• The title 'Respect State Housing Laws Act' frames the change as federalism, but the practical effect is removal of a pandemic-era tenant protection that was itself a federal floor—not a state override. States retain authority to impose stricter notice requirements, but the bill eliminates the federal minimum.
• CARES Act § 4024(c) was a temporary pandemic measure; its expiration date may have already passed or be imminent. If the subsection is already expired or set to expire, striking it may be largely symbolic—but the bill's intent appears to be permanent removal, not acknowledgment of expiration.
• Removal of the notice requirement does not affect other CARES Act protections (e.g., eviction moratoriums if still in effect elsewhere in § 4024), but it eliminates one specific tenant safeguard and may signal legislative intent to unwind pandemic-era tenant protections more broadly.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

Tenants lose a federal floor of protection (30-day notice before eviction) and are now subject only to state laws, many of which permit shorter notice periods or faster evictions. This shifts power toward landlords and increases eviction risk for renters, particularly low-income households.

Who stands to gain

• residential landlords and property management companies
• real estate investment trusts (REITs)
• institutional investors in rental housing

Named in the bill

CARES Act (Public Law 116–136), Section 4024, Subsection (c), House Committee on Financial Services

Where it stands

58 cosponsors: 56 Republicans, 2 Democrats.

• Feb 6, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 6, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Financial Services · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services”
• Dec 16, 2025 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”
• Dec 17, 2025 — Reported out of committee · Congress.gov: “Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 29 - 22”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

5 lobbying clients named this bill on 8 disclosure filings across 2 quarters, Dec 2025 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $20,070,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 11 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 78% of bills with at least one filing.

Barry Loudermilk, the sponsor, reported $166,750 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• National Association of Realtors — $14,580,000 on 1 filing
• National Multifamily Housing Council Inc — $3,890,000 on 2 filings
• National Apartment Association — $1,450,000 on 2 filings
• National Apartment Association — $100,000 on 2 filings
• Monarch Investments — $50,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.