rental assistance program; appropriation

Plain English Breakdown

The bill text states the appropriation is for Fiscal Year 2026-2027, but does not specify an exact start date for applications.

HB2682: Rental Assistance Program for Families with Children

This bill creates a state program that provides up to $5,000 or two months of rent to eligible families facing temporary financial emergencies.

What This Bill Does

• Creates the Rental Assistance Program and directs the Department of Economic Security (DES) to run it.
• Sets rules for who can apply, including requirements about having children living in the home and proof of income.
• Requires DES to decide on applications within five business days and send written notice to both tenants and landlords.
• Limits help to one payment every 12 months of up to $5,000 or two months of rent, whichever is less.
• Pays the landlord directly unless they refuse, in which case DES may pay the tenant instead.
• Requires a free financial literacy class for tenants requesting assistance.

Who It Names or Affects

• Tenants with at least one child under age 18 living in their rental home who have lived there for at least 12 months and are facing a temporary emergency.
• Landlords of eligible tenants who receive payments from the program.
• The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), which administers the funds and rules.

Terms To Know

Rental Assistance Program

A new state-funded plan that pays rent for eligible families facing temporary money problems.

Delinquent on Rent

Being behind in paying the monthly cost to live in a rental home. Applicants do not need to be delinquent to apply, but cannot be more than two months behind.

Financial Literacy Class

A free lesson that teaches people how to manage money and budget for rent.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not say when the program will start accepting applications.
• It is unclear if there are enough funds in the $5 million appropriation to help all eligible families who apply.
• Specific details on how tenants prove their income or financial emergency are left for future rules.

Official Summary Text

HB2682 - 572R - House Bill Summary

ARIZONA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

57th
Legislature, 2nd Regular Session

Majority Research Staff

HB
2682
: rental assistance program; appropriation

Sponsor:
Representative Hernandez A, LD 20

Committee
on Commerce

Overview

Establishes
the Rental Assistance Program (Program) and appropriates $5,000,000 from the
General Fund (GF) in Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 to the Arizona Department of
Economic Security (DES) for the purposes of the Program.

History

Administered by DES, the
Arizona Rental Assistance Program

(Program) provided financial support to eligible low-income households to help
cover rental arrears, future rent, and rent late fees and penalties. The
Program was funded by State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds as administered by
the U.S. Department of the Treasury and DES as a part of the American Rescue
Plan Act. The Program officially ceased accepting new applications on August
31, 2024. �

Provisions

Rental
Assistance Program

1.

Directs DES
to establish and administer the Program, including adopt rules that govern the
Program's process and criteria. (Sec. 1)

2.

Outlines the
Program's eligibility requirements. (Sec. 1)

3.

Specifies
the tenant is not required to be delinquent on rent to apply for the Program.

4.

Instructs
DES to approve or deny a Program application within five business days after
receiving an application. (Sec. 1)

5.

Require DES
to send written notice of its decision to the tenant and the landlord, and if
approved include the amount granted and specific months the rental assistance
payments will cover. (Sec. 1)

6.

Limits the
rental assistance that a tenant may receive only once every 12 months to the
lesser of up to 2 months or $5,000. (Sec.1)

7.

Requires the
rental assistance payment be paid directly to the landlord. (Sec. 1)

8.

Stipulates
DES may issue the payment directly to the tenant and notify the landlord of the
payment if the landlord refuses to accept direct payment. (Sec. 1)

9.

Allows rental
assistance to cover upcoming rental payments. (Sec. 1)

10.

Requires any
prospective rental assistance payments be delineated in DES's written notice of
approval to the tenant and the landlord. (Sec. 1)

11.

Stipules the
landlord, for tenants that are delinquent on rent, must verify with DES the
balance that is due. (Sec. 1)

12.

Directs the
tenant, for landlords that refuse to provide information on the balance, to
provide DES the details regarding the balance. (Sec. 1)

13.

Instructs
DES to establish, or contract with a provider to establish, a free financial
literacy class for tenants requesting rental assistance. (Sec. 1)

14.

Prohibits a
landlord who accepts rental assistance payments from DES or the tenant from
evicting the tenant for nonpayment of rent for the months covered by the rental
assistance payments. (Sec. 1)

Appropriations

15.

Appropriates
$5,000,000 from the GF in FY 2027 to DES for the Program. (Sec. 2)

16.

Exempts the
appropriation from lapsing. (Sec. 2)

17.

18.

19.

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FOOTER ---------

20.

Initials PB���������������������� HB
2682

21.

1/29/2026� Page 0 Commerce

22.

23.

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FOOTER ---------

Current Bill Text

HB2682 - 572R - I Ver

REFERENCE TITLE:
rental assistance program;
appropriation

State of Arizona

House of Representatives

Fifty-seventh Legislature

Second Regular Session

2026

HB 2682

Introduced by

Representatives
Hernandez A: Hernandez C, Hernandez L, Luna-N�jera, Pe�a, Rivero, Volk,
Wilmeth;� Senator Gonzales

AN
ACT

AMENDING TITLE 41, CHAPTER 14, ARTICLE 1,
ARIZONA REVISED STATUTES, BY ADDING SECTION 41-1971; Appropriating
monies; RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ECONOMIC SECURITY.

(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Title 41, chapter 14, article 1,
Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended by adding section 41-1971, to read:

START_STATUTE
41-1971.

Rental assistance program; rules; requirements; notice

A. The department shall establish and
administer THE RENTAL assistance program. The department shall adopt
rules governing the forms, process and criteria for the program and shall make
all forms available on the department's website for tenants in this state to
apply.

B. To be eligible to apply for the
rental assistance program pursuant to this section, a tenant must meet all of
the following requirements:

1. Have AT LEAST ONE CHILD UNDER THE
AGE OF EIGHTEEN living IN THE RENTAL HOME.

2. Have been living in the RENTAL
HOME FOR AT LEAST TWELVE MONTHS.

3. Not be MORE THAN TWO MONTHS BEHIND
IN RENT.

4. Not accept RENTAL ASSISTANCE FROM
any other SOURCE.

5. SHOW PROOF OF INCOME TO PAY THE
RENT GOING FORWARD after the rental assistance.

6. Be facing an UNEXPECTED AND
TEMPORARY FINANCIAL EMERGENCY.

C. The department shall approve or
deny an application for the rental assistance program within five business days
after receiving the tenant's application and send written notice of its
decision to the tenant and the landlord. A written notice of approval
shall include the total amount of rental assistance granted and an accounting
of the specific months the rental assistance payments will cover.

D. Rental assistance may be granted
to a tenant only ONCE every twelve months. Tenants are eligible to
RECEIVE rental ASSISTANCE for up to two months or of $5,000, which ever is
less. If approved, the rental ASSISTANCE payment shall be paid
directly to the landlord. If the landlord refuses to directly accept
the rental assistance payment from the department, the department may issue the
payment directly to the tenant and shall NOTIFY the landlord of the payment.

E. A tenant is not required to be
DELINQUENT on rent to apply for the program. Rental assistance may
cover upcoming rental payments. Any prospective rental payments included in the
rental assistance shall be delineated in the written notice of approval to the
tenant and the landlord pursuant to subsection C of this section.

F. If a tenant is DELINQUENT on rent,
the landlord shall verify with the department the balance that is
due. If the landlord refuses to provide to the department any
information regarding the balance, the tenant shall provide to the department
the details regarding the balance.

G. The department shall establish or
contract with a provider in this state to establish a free financial literacy
class for tenants requesting rental assistance.

H. Notwithstanding any other law, a
landlord that accepts rental ASSISTANCE payments from the department or the
tenant may not evict the tenant for nonpayment of rent for the months that are
covered by the rental ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS.

END_STATUTE

Sec. 2.
Appropriation;
department of economic security; exemption

A. The sum of $5,000,000 is
appropriated from the state general fund in fiscal year 2026-2027 to the
department of economic security for the purposes of the rental assistance
program established by section 41-1971, Arizona Revised Statutes, as
added by this act.

B. The appropriation made
in subsection A of this section is exempt from the provisions of section
35-190, Arizona Revised Statutes, relating to lapsing of appropriations.