Congress·In Committee·S. 4361

Pets Belong with Families Act

Public Housing: Pet Ownership Rules

Apr 21·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

This bill is one vehicle in a longer effort. See the full story across every version.View effort →

Next up: A senate committee

This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. No further actions are scheduled at this time, and the bill is considered active as it waits for committee consideration.

Legislative Progress

Senate

House

President

Law

Unlikely to pass

Most bills introduced in the Senate do not become law. This bill would change how local housing offices operate, which often leads to debate and delays.

How we got here

This bill’s path across every version that has carried it.

Reintroduced
Reintroduced from H.R. 3989 (118th), which died when its Congress ended.
H.R. 3989 (118th) →

Key Points

This bill stops public housing agencies from banning pets based on their breed, size, or weight. This means families in government-funded housing could keep dogs that are often restricted by local rules.
It limits how much a housing agency can charge for a pet deposit. The deposit cannot be more than 10 percent of the tenant's monthly rent. If rent is 500 dollars, the pet deposit cannot be more than 50 dollars.
The bill makes it easier for families to pay the pet deposit by letting them spread the cost over at least three months. Agencies must also return any unused deposit money within 30 days after a tenant moves out.
Housing agencies cannot use pet deposits to pay for normal wear and tear or damage that was not caused by the animal.
Agencies can still limit the total number of pets in a unit based on its size. They can also ban specific animals if a court decides that individual animal is a danger to the public.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Apr 21, 2026Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Sent to a congressional committee for expert review. The committee decides whether this bill moves forward.

Apr 21, 2026

Introduced in Senate

The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.

No votes or news coverage recorded for this bill yet.

Source Information

Document Type

Congressional Bill

Official Title

Pets Belong with Families Act

Bill NumberS 4361

Congress119th Congress

ChamberSenate

Latest ActionRead twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.

Data Sources

Congress.gov

Official legislative information

Read Full Bill Text

Sponsor

Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.