RTS ALERT: HB2682 Creates Rental Assistance Program
From our associates at the Arizona Housing Coalition:
“After reviewing HB2682 closely, we believe it merits support. It fills a very specific gap by providing short-term rental assistance for families with children who are facing a temporary financial shock but can remain stably housed after the crisis passes.”
What HB 2682 does (in brief):
Creates a Rental Assistance Program under the Department of Economic Security (DES).
Applies to families with at least one child under 18 in the home.
Provides up to 2 months of rent or $5,000 (whichever is less), once every 12 months.
Can be used before delinquency (prevents avoidable evictions).
Payments go to landlords; landlords who accept assistance cannot evict for nonpayment during covered months.
Requires a 5-business-day approval/denial notice to tenant and landlord.
Includes a financial literacy class requirement.
Appropriates $5M (FY 26–27), non-lapsing.
Things move swiftly down at the Capitol! This bill will have a hearing on Tuesday February 3 - and the bill sponsor is coordinating a press conference on that day in Phoenix to highlight the bill. The Arizona Housing Coalition has been asked to help identify organizations and individuals who are willing to attend and show support. Press conferences are where lawmakers assess whether there is visible, real-world support behind a bill. When practitioners, community groups, and service providers show up, it sends a clear signal that the problem is genuine, the solution is workable, and there is a constituency paying attention. That visibility helps the sponsoring lawmakers make the case within their caucuses, and it influences committee chairs, leadership, and media coverage — all of which shape whether a bill advances.
If you or someone from your organization would like to attend, please fill out this short form by this Friday so the Arizona Housing Coalition can provide time, location, and day-of instructions.
Please sign on in support of the bill! If you have an account with the AZ Legislature’s Request-to-Speak (RTS) system, the steps to sign-on in support are below. If you don’t have an RTS account, you can sign up for one here: https://lamaz.org/request-to-speak.
How to support our bill through the Request-to-Speak System
Sign into your RTS account at this link: https://apps.azleg.gov/Account/SignOn and click "Request to Speak."
Click on the "New Request" tab on the left.
In the “Search Phrase” bar, type HB2682, then hit search.
The bill should appear below: “HB2682 - rental assistance program; appropriation”
Click the blue "Add request" tab on the right.
FINALLY, you'll be able to click the green thumbs up button to indicate you are "for" the bill – hooray!
Select “No,” you do not wish to speak to the committee directly. You may add publicly-visible comments in the box if you wish, but it's not required.
Click submit and you're done.
THANK YOU!