Congress·In Committee·H.R. 7765

Rep. Frost Introduces Fair Future Act to End Housing Bans for Past Drug Convictions

Fair Future Act

16 days ago·View on Congress.gov

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

This bill, introduced by Rep. Frost, would change the Fair Housing Act by removing a specific provision (the "Thurmond amendment") that currently allows landlords and property owners to deny housing to people convicted of manufacturing or distributing illegal drugs.
From policy text
“To amend the Fair Housing Act to repeal the Thurmond amendment.”
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The bill works by striking paragraph (4) from Section 807(b) of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3607(b)), which is the legal provision that exempts drug conviction-based housing denials from fair housing protections.
From policy text
“Section 807(b) of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3607(b)) is amended-- (1) by striking paragraph (4); and (2) by redesignating paragraph (5) as paragraph (4).”
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If passed, people with past drug manufacturing or distribution convictions would gain the same fair housing protections as everyone else, meaning landlords could no longer use those convictions as an automatic legal basis to deny someone a home.
The bill was referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary and has bipartisan co-sponsorship from Rep. Frost and Rep. Mackenzie.
From policy text
“Mr. Frost (for himself and Mr. Mackenzie) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary”
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HousingCivil RightsCriminal Justice

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Mar 3, 2026House

Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Mar 3, 2026

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Upon enactment

If enacted, the Thurmond amendment exemption is immediately removed from the Fair Housing Act

Landlords would no longer have a legal safe harbor for denying housing based solely on drug manufacturing or distribution convictions. People with these records could file fair housing complaints if denied housing on that basis.

Related News

2 articles

Marijuana Moment·6 days ago

New Bipartisan Congressional Bill Would Prevent Housing Discrimination Against People Convicted Of Marijuana And Other Drug Offenses

Reps. Maxwell Frost and Ryan Mackenzie filed the Fair Future Act to strike a section of the 1988 Fair Housing Amendments Act. The measure would prevent the permanent denial of rental housing to over nine million Americans with prior drug convictions regardless of the offense's severity.

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Florida Politics·13 days ago

Delegation for 3.6.26: Noem out — drug origins — disasters — historic speech — remember the Alamo

Rep. Maxwell Frost introduced the bipartisan Fair Future Act (HR 7765) to repeal a 1988 rule allowing landlords to deny housing based on past drug convictions. The bill aims to help those who have served their time find stable homes and reduce recidivism.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Fair Future Act

Bill NumberHR 7765

Congress119th Congress

ChamberHouse of Representatives

Latest ActionReferred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.

Sponsor

Cosponsors

(1)

R: 1

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.