Enforce Ban on Public Housing Benefits for Sex Offenders

I’m working to make sure federal public housing officials and Congress take action to prevent convicted sex offenders from receiving taxpayer-funded housing benefits. The law prohibits such benefits, but a 2009 report by the Inspector General for housing programs found 2,000 – 3,000 lifetime registered sex offenders living in federally subsidized housing. The law needs to be enforced and where it falls short, it needs to be fixed.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development responded to the Inspector General report by recommending that authorities do a better job of screening.  A recommendation isn’t enough.  Additional screening should be a requirement before giving out taxpayer money. The Inspector General also identified a loophole in the law that effectively grandfathers eligibility for sex offenders. 

I’ve asked the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to spell out what needs to be done legislatively to close this loophole.  And, I’ve asked him to report on everything that his department is doing to enforce the current law to the maximum extent by establishing zero-tolerance standards and procedures. Congress and the public deserve a full accounting.

A copy of my letter to HUD Secretary Donovan is available here.

A copy of the HUD inspector general’s report is available here.