A 2016 agreement between the county and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development requires the county executive to introduce the legislation until the bill is passed by the county council or Maryland General Assembly, or until the agreement is terminated. The settlement stems from a federal housing discrimination complaint brought by the local NAACP, housing advocates and three county residents. They accused the county of perpetuating segregated clusters of minority renters with government subsidies by failing to expand affordable options in more prosperous neighborhoods.