PATH Act

This Act may be cited as the Pathways to a Thriving Household Act or the PATH Act.
Section 16 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437n) is amended by adding at the end the following:
A public housing agency, in the case of public housing, tenant-based assistance (as defined in section 8(f)), or project-based voucher assistance under section 8(o)(13) or an owner, in the case of project-based assistance (as defined in section 8(f)) excluding project-based voucher assistance under section 8(o)(13), may establish minimum work requirements for individuals or families, which—
shall specify a maximum 40 hour per week work requirement; and
shall not apply to—
an individual under 18 years of age or over 62 years of age;
an individual with a disability;
a pregnant woman;
the primary parent or caretaker of a dependent child under 6 years of age or for an individual that is temporarily incapacitated;
the primary parent or caretaker of a dependent with a serious medical condition or disability, as determined by the State agency established or designated to administer or supervise the administration of the State plan;
an individual who is enrolled as a student in an institution of higher education, as defined in section 102 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).
A public housing agency or owner under this Act shall determine whether an individual meets the criteria for exemption from the work requirements established under this subsection.
Participation by an individual family member in the following activities shall be considered to fulfill minimum work requirements under paragraph (1), as determined by the public housing agency or owner:
Unsubsidized employment.
Subsidized private sector employment.
Subsidized public sector employment.
Work experience (including work associated with the refurbishing of publicly assisted housing) if sufficient private sector employment is not available.
On-the-job training.
Job search and job readiness assistance.
Community service programs.
Vocational educational training.
Job skills training directly related to employment.
Education directly related to employment, in the case of a recipient who has not received a high school diploma or a certificate of high school equivalency, or satisfactory attendance at secondary school or in a course of study leading to a certificate of general equivalence, in the case of a recipient who has not completed secondary school or received such a certificate.
The provision of child care services to an individual who is participating in a community service program.
A public housing agency or owner that establishes minimum work requirements for individuals or families under paragraph (1) shall—
offer supportive services to assist those individuals and families with obtaining employment or otherwise engaging in work activities described in paragraph (3);
maintain uniform minimum work requirements for all applicable tenants within a particular assistance program;
include the minimum work requirements policy—
in the case of assistance provided under section 9, in the admission and continued occupancy policy of the public housing agency; and
in the case of assistance provided under section 8, in the administrative plan of the public housing agency and the tenant selection plan of the public housing agency or owner, as applicable;
make a copy of the minimum work requirements policy available to all applicants, tenants, and resident organizations, including—
to tenants at the time a new lease is executed and annually at the time of lease renewal; and
written notice of the policy not later than 3 months before implementation of the policy; and
implement a written policy for determining when the work requirement constitutes a hardship for the assisted individual or family and allow for exceptions or exemptions from the work requirement if a hardship determination is made, which shall—
apply to—
work-eligible adults seeking a determination of disability status;
work-eligible adults who are temporarily relocated due to a disaster; and
work-eligible adults who are actively trying to comply with the work requirement but are having difficulty finding work or engaging in work activity; and
include information on how to request a hearing for review of denied hardship requests.
The requirements under this section shall apply to—
in the case of public housing, tenant-based assistance, or project-based assistance, a public housing agency that is not in receivership or designated as a troubled performer under the public housing assessment system, the section 8 management assessment program, or the small rural public housing agency assessment; and
in the case of project-based assistance, an owner that is not in default of the rental assistance contract and has a current satisfactory management and occupancy review.
A public housing agency or owner that chooses to implement work requirements shall be responsible for verification and enforcement, which—
shall be performed not less frequently than annually; and
may terminate program assistance to a covered family or family member to whom the work requirement policies apply, if the family member does not comply.
Any termination of assistance described in subparagraph (A)(ii) shall comply with the requirements of subpart L of part 982 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations.
The amendment made by this section shall take effect on January 1, 2027.