Housing Temperature Safety Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, on the morning of January 9, a fire broke out in the Twin Parks North West apartment building in the Bronx, New York. Seventeen lives were tragically lost that day, including eight children. Investigators later determined that the fire was caused by a defective space heater left on to warm an apartment that was too cold on that terrible January winter night.

H.R. 6528, ably written by my good friend from the Bronx, New York (Mr. Torres), would create a pilot program at the Department of Housing and Urban Development for building owners to voluntarily install temperature sensors in federally assisted buildings. The hope is that temperature sensors authorized by this pilot program will help monitor the conditions inside housing units to ensure that conditions are not too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.

Property owners who contract with HUD have a responsibility to maintain decent, safe, and sanitary housing, and this legislation might help to ensure that these homes have adequate heat during the winter so residents will not have to rely on space heaters to keep warm.

Representative Torres' idea will try to protect the welfare of renters in federally assisted housing and is a pilot program worth taking a look at to see if this can make a real difference.

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Mr. HILL. Madam Speaker, I want to commend my friend from New York (Mr. Torres) who has brought his exceptional service to the people of the Bronx to the people's House. He does what all Members do here which is take a great idea at a time of tragedy when he learned a better way to do something and bring that to the House, use it as an example from which all Americans can benefit.

So, again, Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 6528, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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