The Housing Is a Human Right Act of 2025 creates new federal programs to address homelessness and housing instability. It establishes a CDBG Plus program to fund permanent affordable housing, supportive services, and basic infrastructure like public bathrooms and rest areas for homeless individuals. The bill prohibits criminalizing homelessness (such as sleeping in public) and requires jurisdictions to adopt "Housing First" approaches that connect people to housing without preconditions like sobriety requirements. It also creates new taxes on luxury real estate sales and large landlords to fund these programs, and includes provisions to help homeless people vote by removing barriers like ID requirements. The bill directly affects people experiencing homelessness, housing instability, and those who are cost-burdened (spending over 22% of income on housing), as well as local governments and housing providers.
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 streamlines environmental reviews for certain housing projects under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). It reclassifies HUD-funded housing activities into three categories: some (like tenant assistance) become fully exempt from review, others (like rehabbing small buildings) get simplified "categorical exclusion" status if they don’t alter environmental conditions, and infill projects (new construction on previously disturbed urban land surrounded by development) receive streamlined review. The bill directly affects HUD housing programs, developers of infill projects, and local governments managing housing approvals. It aims to reduce review times and administrative costs, with HUD required to report annually on these impacts, particularly for affordable housing.
HR 3126, the Promoting Submetering for Affordable Housing Act, increases tax credits for affordable housing projects that implement water submetering. It adds a 5% credit increase to the eligible basis for buildings with four or more units that use submeters for individual tenant billing and provide tenants access to meter readings within 72 hours of a request. This applies to projects receiving housing credit allocations after the bill's enactment. The law directly affects affordable housing developers and property owners who build or renovate qualifying properties to meet these submetering requirements.
The MAHA Act of 2026 creates a new $5,000 federal tax credit (doubling to $10,000 for joint filers) for first-time homebuyers who purchase a principal residence during the tax year. It directly affects eligible individuals who haven’t claimed this credit in the prior four years, with the credit phasing out for those earning above $250,000 (individual) or $500,000 (joint) in modified adjusted gross income. The credit reduces tax liability by a fixed amount, not a percentage, and applies to taxable years beginning after the bill’s enactment. This is a tax incentive, not direct housing assistance, aimed at reducing the cost of homeownership for qualifying buyers.
This bill amends federal housing law to apply the same poverty standards used in the contiguous U.S. to Puerto Rico, ending a previous distinction that treated Puerto Rico differently for housing assistance eligibility. It requires a report from the Comptroller General assessing how HUD and Puerto Rico's housing agency identify needs for extremely low-income families, use disaster recovery funds for housing after events like hurricanes, and improve program effectiveness. The report will evaluate efforts to connect low-income families in Puerto Rico with housing assistance and affordable units under existing federal programs. This directly affects extremely low-income families in Puerto Rico by standardizing eligibility rules and mandating a review of current housing support. Key mechanisms include revising poverty guidelines in the Housing Act and establishing a formal assessment of housing program performance.
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.
The HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act of 2025 reauthorizes the HOME program through fiscal year 2029 with annual funding increasing from $5 billion in 2025 to over $6 billion in 2029. The bill makes several key changes including increasing administrative resources from 10% to 15% of funds, eliminating a commitment deadline for using funds, and creating new provisions for small-scale housing (up to 4 rental units) to qualify as affordable housing. It also establishes a new home loan guarantee program with a $2 billion cap for fiscal year 2025, designed to help finance affordable housing development and preservation. These changes directly affect state and local governments administering the HOME program, as well as developers and residents of affordable housing properties.
The HOME Reform Act of 2025 updates the HOME Investment Partnerships Program to improve affordable housing access. It redefines eligibility by requiring household income to not exceed 100% of the area median family income (replacing vague "low-income" terms), expands infrastructure funding for nonentitlement areas to support housing-related utilities, and adds new definitions for "infill housing projects" (e.g., projects on previously disturbed land within developed areas). Key provisions include exceptions for military members and heirs of deceased homeowners to maintain affordability, streamlined environmental reviews for certain projects, and removal of a 24-month deadline for unused funds. The bill directly affects low-income families, housing developers, and local jurisdictions administering HOME funds.
The Eviction Right to Counsel Act of 2025 establishes a $100 million annual federal fund (2026-2030) to support legal representation for low-income tenants facing eviction. It directly affects tenants with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty line in eviction cases or housing subsidy terminations. The bill provides grants to states, localities, or tribal governments that already have laws guaranteeing free legal counsel for these tenants, prioritizing jurisdictions with additional tenant protections like longer eviction notice periods or emergency rental assistance. Funds can cover attorney training and implementation costs but do not require new federal mandates - eligibility depends on pre-existing state/local "right to counsel" laws.
