1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Prevent Evictions Act of 2019 . 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) Covered grant The term covered grant means an implementation grant or program expansion grant. (2) Eligible entity The term eligible entity means a State or a court thereof, a political subdivision of a State or a court thereof, a Tribal government, or any other appropriate public or nonprofit entity as determined by the Secretary, that is formulating or carrying out a program that primarily involves meditation between landlords and tenants. (3) Implementation grant The term implementation grant means a grant awarded under section 5(b). (4) Program expansion grant The term program expansion grant means a grant awarded under section 5(c). (5) Secretary The term Secretary means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. (6) Small-dollar eviction The term small-dollar eviction means an eviction resulting from an eviction case brought against a tenant for nonpayment of rent in which the unpaid amount is less than 1 month's rent. 3. Findings Congress finds the following: (1) Landlords often make their largest profit margins in low-income neighborhoods. This is in part due to the difference between the perceived risk of low-income tenants defaulting on their rent and the actual risk. (2) A significant proportion of eviction money judgments—in some jurisdictions, potentially more than 40 percent—are for less than 1 month’s rent, based on median rent per census tract. (3) According to the book Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond, families and individuals who are evicted are more likely to experience a decline in mental and physical health, have poor attendance in school, and have more trouble holding a job. 4. Sense of Congress It is the sense of Congress that— (1) landlord-tenant mediation is a valuable and cost-effective way to keep tenants in their homes, and more investment in that type of mediation is warranted