YourVoice.Now Summary
Civil LibertiesTransparency & AccountabilityNew homes built with federal help would need one floor people with disabilities can visit — backed by lawsuits
Civil Liberties
Houses, townhouses, and small buildings built with federal grants, loans, tax credits, or mortgage help would need one floor that meets a national visitable-home standard. It applies to homes first lived in one year or more after the bill becomes law.
A person harmed could sue anyone who designed or built the home. The 5-year clock would not start until the problem is fixed. Courts could order repairs and award damages, including punitive damages.
Transparency & Accountability
If a local office approved plans that break the rule and the builder followed them, the office would be held liable, not the builder. Towns that skip these plan checks could also lose federal housing aid.
More about this bill
New houses and townhouses built with federal help would need at least one floor that people with disabilities can visit. The rule covers homes first lived in at least one year after the bill becomes law. Federal help counts broadly. It includes grants, loans, tax credits, and mortgage guarantees or insurance. Modular homes and ground-floor units in buildings with three or fewer homes count too. That floor must meet a national design standard for visitable homes, known as ANSI Type C. Local building offices would check the plans. They would hold back move-in approval until a home meets the rule. Towns whose offices skip these checks could lose aid from three federal departments: Housing and Urban Development, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs. A person harmed could sue within 5 years, and the clock would not start until the problem is fixed. The Attorney General could also sue. Courts could order repairs, award damages, and grant lawyer fees. If a local office approved faulty plans and the builder followed them, the office would be held liable instead.
Congressional Summary
Eleanor Smith Inclusive Home Design Act of 2026 This bill requires certain newly constructed, federally assisted housing, including single-family homes and town houses, to contain at least one level that complies with specified minimum standards of accessibility for individuals with disabilities. The standards include an accessible unit entrance, wheelchair accessible doorways, at least one wheelchair accessible bathroom, and light switches and outlets at reachable heights. An aggrieved person may commence a civil action with respect to a violation of this requirement.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Senate
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in Senate
- Action Date
- 2026-07-23
- Date Added
- 2026-10-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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