Federal funding for tenant lawyers: who pays when evictions get defended?
S. 2463 — Eviction Right to Counsel Act of 2025 · Filed by Cory Booker (D-NJ) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jul 24, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
The Eviction Right to Counsel Act of 2025 creates a $100 million annual federal grant program (2026–2030) to help states and localities provide free legal representation to low-income tenants (earning ≤200% of the federal poverty line) facing eviction or housing subsidy termination. States and localities that enact 'right to counsel' laws—and those that also adopt tenant protections like 30-day notice requirements, limits on no-fault evictions, and eviction diversion programs—receive priority funding to train and hire attorneys for tenant representation.
Why we flagged it
This bill establishes a federal grant program to fund legal representation for low-income tenants in eviction proceedings. It is straightforward social-policy legislation designed to expand access to counsel for vulnerable populations.
What the text implies
- Mandatory legal representation for eviction proceedings may increase litigation costs and timelines, potentially reducing landlord incentive to pursue evictions and affecting rental market dynamics.
- The $100M annual appropriation (2026–2030) creates a new federal entitlement stream that states must match or implement, potentially shifting housing policy authority from local to federal level.
The full analysis lists 4 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
Legal services firms and law practices specializing in tenant representation; Non-profit legal aid organizations; State and local government agencies administering housing programs