Housing across the country

HB 5813 amends Illinois eviction laws to establish strict deadlines for landlords and courts in non-payment cases. The bill requires that once a landlord files an eviction action, the tenant must be served with legal papers within five business days. Tenants are then given five business days to respond, after which the court must hold a hearing within ten business days. If the landlord wins the case, the judgment must be served on the tenant within five business days, and the tenant must vacate the property immediately upon receiving that service.

The Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act of 2026 requires owners of federally assisted housing to conduct comprehensive lead-based paint risk assessments within 15 days if a family with a child under age six is expected to reside there. If hazards are found, the owner must complete remediation and achieve clearance within 30 days, a deadline that cannot be extended, and must notify all affected residents in accessible formats. Families who remain in units where lead hazards have not been properly controlled gain the right to emergency relocation without penalties or waitlists to housing built after 1978 or other safe units. The bill authorizes necessary funding for these activities from fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

The Veteran Owner-Builders Rights Act establishes a five-year pilot program that allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide direct housing loans at a one percent interest rate to veterans in rural areas who wish to build their own primary residence. To participate, veterans must use specific blueprints developed by two designated members of Congress and construct the home using domestic lumber for structural framing and other wood products where practicable. The bill requires state and local governments to issue construction permits within 45 days if the approved blueprints are used, with the federal government covering the permit fees. Veterans must occupy the home for at least 24 months, as selling or leasing it earlier generally triggers immediate repayment of the loan balance unless an exception applies for military deployment or medical hardship.

The VETS Access Act allows the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to provide medical care, treatment, and rehabilitation services to veterans with serious mental illness or those who are homeless. This provision applies even if these veterans do not meet the standard eligibility requirements for hospital, nursing home, or domiciliary care under existing laws. The bill takes effect 90 days after its enactment.

This House resolution commemorates the 27th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., which established that states must offer people with disabilities the option to receive services in community-based settings rather than institutions. The bill highlights the legal history behind this requirement, tracing it back to the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act, and notes that many individuals have gained independence through home and community-based supports. It also points out that despite these laws, some people with disabilities still live in segregated facilities where they face restrictions on their freedoms. Finally, the resolution calls on federal, state, and local governments to expand access to employment, education, and community services to help individuals with disabilities achieve greater economic self-sufficiency.

The Supporting Small Affordable Housing Developers Act amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude specific income from the gross income of small businesses that develop or rehabilitate affordable housing. To qualify, a business must have annual gross receipts under $36 million, with an inflation adjustment starting in 2027, and operate in specific construction or real estate sectors. The bill allows these eligible taxpayers to receive government grants and cash from the sale of transferable tax credits without paying federal income tax on those amounts. Additionally, it permits the discharge of certain affordable housing loans to be excluded from taxable income, while prohibiting the buyer of a transferable tax credit from claiming a deduction for the purchase price.

The End Energy Hardship Act directs the Department of Energy to distribute $25 billion in competitive grants to electric and natural gas utilities to eliminate unpaid bills for residential customers. In the first phase, utilities must use these funds to clear customer arrears while prioritizing households with low incomes, seniors, disabled individuals, young children, or medical needs. Recipients are required to implement a Qualified Percentage of Income Payment Program that caps monthly energy costs at 6 percent of a household's gross income and prohibits service disconnections for enrolled customers who pay their capped bills on time. A second phase provides equal bill credits to all residential customers based on the number of people served by each utility, while additional funding supports technical assistance, data collection, and program administration.

The Affordable Housing Preservation and Protection Act of 2026 authorizes the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to provide capital assistance, including forgivable loans, to owners or approved purchasers of distressed multifamily housing projects. These funds are intended to finance necessary physical improvements that address safety, accessibility, or structural deficiencies threatening the long-term viability of affordable housing units. To qualify for this aid, recipients must agree to maintain the properties as affordable housing for 30 years and secure at least 20 percent of the total project costs from non-federal sources, though HUD may waive this matching requirement in specific circumstances. The legislation also allows HUD to modify existing loans held or insured by the department to facilitate these rehabilitation efforts.

This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to establish a three-year grant program that reimburses seven specific states for costs and damages attributed to federal immigration enforcement operations. The funding, totaling approximately $139.6 billion, is transferred from budgets allocated to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Eligible states must apply based on criteria such as lost economic activity and community harm, and they are required to distribute the grant funds to 501(c)(3) nonprofits and small businesses that were impacted by these operations. The bill also mandates a study by the Government Accountability Office to assess the total costs of these enforcement actions for each affected state.

The LIHEAP Act would allow states to use federal grant funds for fiscal year 2027 to provide heating, energy, and air conditioning assistance to households with incomes up to 75 percent of the state median income. This provision expands eligibility beyond the current limits set by the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Act of 1981. The bill directly affects low-income families by potentially increasing the number of households that can receive financial help for utility costs during the specified fiscal year.