The Housing Fairness Act of 2025 requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to conduct nationwide testing to identify discrimination in housing rentals, home purchases, and mortgage lending based on race, religion, sex, disability, family status, or national origin. It increases annual funding for fair housing enforcement programs to $42.5 million (2024-2028) and allocates $5 million annually for grants to study housing discrimination causes and test solutions. The bill mandates biennial reports on testing results and study findings to inform future policy actions, while prohibiting fund use for political activities. These provisions directly affect renters, homebuyers, lenders, and fair housing enforcement organizations.
This bill (S 1621) reverses recent actions that weakened fair housing enforcement by requiring the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to repeal a March 2025 rule that eliminated mandatory fair housing compliance reviews. It mandates HUD to define "affirmatively furthering fair housing" to include actively addressing segregation and disparities, extending this duty to all housing programs. The bill also creates a public, quarterly-updated database tracking all fair housing complaints by protected class, type of housing, and resolution status, and requires a report on discrimination risks in digital housing platforms like rental apps and AI-driven mortgage tools. It directly affects HUD, fair housing enforcement agencies, and individuals experiencing housing discrimination based on protected characteristics.
HR 6132, the Housing Affordability Act, updates inflation-adjusted dollar limits for multifamily housing loans under the National Housing Act. It increases specific loan caps (e.g., raising the maximum for certain units from $38,025 to $167,310) using the Bureau of the Census' Price Deflator Index for multifamily construction, with adjustments calculated annually based on March-to-March data. These changes directly affect lenders and borrowers participating in federally backed multifamily housing programs by setting new maximum loan amounts. The bill makes technical adjustments to existing limits without creating new programs or altering eligibility rules.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and several related agencies. The bill provides appropriations to DOT for the Office of the Secretary, the Federal Aviation Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Railroad Administration, the Federal Transit Administration, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation, the Maritime Administration, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and the Office of Inspector General. The bill provides appropriations to HUD for Management and Administration, Public and Indian Housing, Community Planning and Development, Housing Programs, the Federal Housing Administration, the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae), Policy Development and Research, Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, the Office of Lead Hazard Control and Healthy Homes, and the Office of Inspector General. The bill also provides appropriations to several related agencies, including the Access Board, the Federal Maritime Commission, the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Office of Inspector General, the National Transportation Safety Board, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, the Surface Transportation Board, and The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness. Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
