This bill, known as the Post-Disaster Protection Act, extends the time limit for appealing federal disaster assistance decisions from 60 to 90 days. It directly affects individuals and communities seeking aid after natural disasters by amending the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. The change provides applicants with additional time to contest decisions regarding their eligibility or the amount of assistance they receive. This adjustment aims to give affected parties more time to review and challenge assistance determinations without rushing the appeals process.
The Housing Regulatory Clarity Act of 2026 prohibits the Department of Housing and Urban Development from considering disparate impact when making any decisions. This provision directly affects the agency's ability to evaluate housing policies by removing a specific legal standard from its review process. By disallowing this type of analysis, the bill aims to provide clearer guidelines for how the department conducts its actions. The change limits the scope of factors the Secretary can weigh when implementing housing regulations.
This resolution directs the House to agree to a Senate amendment for a comprehensive housing bill that updates federal programs to increase housing supply, improve affordability, and modernize regulations. The legislation directly affects homeowners, renters, local governments, financial institutions, and federal agencies by establishing new grant programs, revising loan limits, and streamlining environmental reviews for construction projects. Key provisions include creating incentives for small-dollar mortgages, expanding funding for affordable housing and rural development, updating standards for manufactured and modular homes, and enhancing oversight of housing regulators and community banks. Additionally, the bill introduces specific measures to address homelessness, support veterans, and improve the efficiency of interagency coordination among HUD, USDA, and VA.
This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to prepare a report for Congress. The report must evaluate the feasibility of creating a program that would allow first-time homebuyers who are first responders or school teachers to obtain FHA mortgage insurance without a down payment. HUD must consult with the Department of Veterans Affairs and analyze various aspects, including the program's costs, solvency, and impact on these specific homebuyers.
This bill, the Original Additional Credit FHA Pilot Program Authorization Act, establishes a pilot program within the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to allow prospective mortgage borrowers to voluntarily opt into a new credit scoring model. This model uses "additional data" beyond traditional credit reports to assess creditworthiness, aiming to help individuals with limited or no conventional credit history qualify for FHA-insured loans. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) will select these new credit models and require lenders to inform borrowers about their options and how the pilot model differs. The program specifically prohibits its use for refinancing existing loans on the same property and mandates detailed reports to Congress on its effectiveness, demographic impact, and financial implications for the FHA's insurance fund.
The Rural Area Population Act aims to update and standardize the definition of "rural area" used across various federal programs, including those for rural development, electrification, and housing. The bill modifies the existing definition, primarily by changing the term "urbanized" to "urban," which could broaden the eligibility for communities seeking federal assistance. It also grants the Secretary of Agriculture new authority to designate areas as rural, even if they are located within an urban area, if they demonstrate persistent poverty, a high concentration of farmworker households, or significant infrastructure gaps. Additionally, the bill requires the Secretary to prioritize certain "high-need rural pockets" - small, isolated settlements within urban areas that lack services and have high poverty rates - for rural designation, while ensuring current rural designations remain valid until 2030.
HRES 1207 is a House Resolution that expresses support for protecting Americans from the perceived harmful effects of private equity firms, particularly in essential sectors like housing, child care, healthcare, energy, and nursing homes. The resolution recognizes the need for a comprehensive plan to address these issues. This plan includes raising staffing, safety, and pay standards in care industries, ending taxpayer subsidies for institutional investors buying homes, and guaranteeing legal counsel for tenants. It also calls for greater transparency of private equity ownership, strengthened antitrust reviews, and support for alternative, non-private equity providers in these critical sectors.
The "Take Your Rate Act of 2026" directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency to jointly conduct a study. This study will examine the feasibility and potential impacts of allowing homeowners to transfer their existing interest rate on federally backed mortgages to a new home, a concept known as mortgage portability. It requires an analysis of administrative feasibility, effects on the housing market, benefits to current borrowers, budgetary impacts, and potential regulatory or statutory changes needed. Within 180 days, the agencies must submit a report to Congress detailing their findings, policy recommendations, and an assessment of risks and benefits.
This resolution expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that stable housing is a fundamental human right that keeps families together, regardless of immigration status. It condemns a past administration's proposal to ban mixed-immigration status families from receiving prorated federal housing assistance and calls on the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to withdraw any such rule. The resolution also urges Congress to increase funding for federal housing programs and calls for a Government Accountability Office report on the impact of such proposals on family separation and homelessness.
The Freedom to Build Act establishes a voluntary federal designation for local governments that address housing affordability and supply. Localities can qualify by either adopting specific regulatory reforms to streamline construction and protect property rights, or by demonstrating sustained housing supply growth that meets an affordability-adjusted target. This designation directly affects participating localities by prioritizing them for competitive housing and community development grants administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Other federal agencies are also encouraged to consider this designation when awarding related grants.
