Federal grants fund free lawyers for tenants facing eviction
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
This bill establishes a $100 million annual federal grant fund (2026–2030) to help state, local, and tribal governments pay for providing free legal representation to low-income tenants (earning ≤200% of federal poverty line) facing eviction or loss of housing subsidies. Grants go to jurisdictions that have enacted or are implementing right-to-counsel laws; priority is given to those with additional tenant protections (limits on eviction causes, 30-day notice requirements, rental assistance programs) or that use funds to train and recruit attorneys.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a federal grant program funding free legal counsel for low-income tenants in eviction proceedings. It is a straightforward public-benefit measure with no hidden provisions or narrow carve-outs.
What the text implies
- Grant prioritization for jurisdictions with eviction diversion programs and rental assistance may incentivize preventive housing interventions, reducing downstream homelessness costs.
- By funding attorney training and recruitment, the bill may expand the legal services market in underserved jurisdictions, creating employment for attorneys and paralegals.
- The $100M annual cap (2026–2030) is modest relative to national eviction volume (~3.7M filings annually pre-pandemic); full implementation will depend on state/local matching or supplemental funding.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Low-income tenants gain access to free legal representation in eviction proceedings, a critical protection that levels an asymmetric power dynamic (landlords typically have counsel; tenants do not). The bill incentivizes jurisdictions to adopt additional tenant protections (notice periods, eviction diversion, rental assistance), strengthening housing stability for vulnerable populations.
Who stands to gain
- State and local governments (grant recipients)
- Legal services organizations and law firms (contracted to provide representation)
- Attorneys and paralegals (employment in legal services expansion)
Named in the bill
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), State governments, Local governments, Indian Tribal governments, Low-income tenants (≤200% federal poverty line), Eviction Right to Counsel Fund
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 3 Democrats, 1 Independents.
- Jul 24, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in Senate”
- Jul 24, 2025 — Referred to Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs · Congress.gov: “Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (3,513 characters) on Apr 14, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Federal grants fund free lawyers for tenants facing eviction” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/s2463 Report an error
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