This Senate resolution recognizes the importance of independent living and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with disabilities, emphasizing their right to live in their own homes and communities. It calls on the Department of Justice to rescind a recent opinion that the Senate views as undermining the legal requirement to provide community-based services instead of institutional care. The document also urges various federal agencies to improve funding for home and community-based services, increase accessible housing and transportation, and promote competitive employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Additionally, the resolution pledges bipartisan efforts to address barriers faced by individuals with disabilities, including those of color, and opposes cuts to the Medicaid program that could limit access to essential support services.
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Medicaid
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People with Disabilities
The Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2026 strengthens the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure individuals with long-term service and support needs have a federally protected right to live in their communities rather than institutions. It requires states and insurance providers to offer community-based services that allow people to maintain independence, control their own care, and access affordable, integrated housing. The bill mandates that public entities and insurers create enforceable transition plans to move people out of institutions, conduct self-evaluations to identify barriers, and establish clear grievance procedures for resolving complaints. Enforcement is handled by the Department of Justice, which can investigate violations, while individuals may also file civil lawsuits to seek damages or court orders preventing institutionalization.
The Latonya Reeves Freedom Act of 2026 strengthens the Americans with Disabilities Act to ensure individuals with long-term care needs have a federally protected right to live in their own homes or integrated community settings rather than institutions. It mandates that states and insurance providers offer community-based services, provide maximum control over care choices to individuals, and establish enforceable plans to transition people out of institutional facilities. The bill also creates new enforcement mechanisms, including a task force to study barriers to community living, requirements for public participation in planning, and the ability for individuals to sue for damages if they are denied these community-based options.
The YouthBuild for the Future Act expands the YouthBuild program, which helps young people gain job skills through construction training and education, by directing a larger share of funding to rural areas and tribal communities. It updates program rules to better support participants by allowing grant funds to cover matching financial requirements, providing food assistance, and offering specific support services for individuals with disabilities. The bill also introduces new grants to help program partners form alliances with local employers to create more relevant job training opportunities and requires the government to consult regularly with program operators to set realistic performance goals. Additionally, the legislation increases the total amount of money available for the program over the next six years and establishes a new specific fund to support these employer partnerships.
This bill establishes a new funding program to support community land trusts and shared equity homeownership models, which are nonprofit approaches designed to keep housing permanently affordable for low- and moderate-income families. It creates a $100 million fund to provide low-interest construction loans to local governments and nonprofits, while also authorizing $500 million over five years for grants to purchase land and develop affordable housing. The legislation defines specific requirements for these projects, including 99-year affordability restrictions and resale formulas that limit future sale prices to ensure homes remain accessible to households earning up to 120 percent of the area median income. Additionally, the bill directs the Treasury and Housing and Urban Development departments to conduct research on best practices and launch public awareness campaigns about these housing models. It also amends federal surplus land laws to allow the government to transfer unused properties to community land trusts at a 75 percent discount from market value.
This bill, known as the Housing Supply and Affordability Act, creates a federal grant program to help states, cities, counties, and regional planning agencies develop and implement plans to increase housing supply and affordability. The program provides competitive grants that can be used for activities such as updating zoning codes, improving housing strategies, reducing development barriers, and coordinating with transportation agencies, but cannot be used for construction or repairs. Local governments receiving funds must limit administrative costs to no more than 10 percent of the grant amount and must coordinate with federal transit authorities where possible. The authority to award these grants is limited to a five-year period, after which the program will end.
This bill, titled the Housing Tariff Exclusion Act, creates a formal process for U.S. companies to request that certain building materials used in home construction be exempt from specific tariffs. The legislation requires the Secretary of Commerce to establish a system where entities can apply for duty exclusions on products classified as critical homebuilding materials or other items whose tariffs would increase home construction costs. The bill mandates that exclusion requests for critical products be decided within 15 days and other requests within 60 days, with results published online and quarterly reports submitted to Congress. Additionally, it allows for retroactive refunds on duties paid for entries made before exclusions were issued, provided requests are filed within 180 days of the exclusion decision.
This bill amends the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 1994 to require the Treasury Secretary to testify annually before Congress about the Fund's operations. It also strengthens the CDFI Bond Guarantee Program by adjusting guarantee limits and extending the program's authorization period. Additionally, the bill expands capital assistance options for community development financial institutions and creates a new lending program specifically for Native community development financial institutions to support homeownership in Tribal and Native communities.
This bill, titled the Rental Housing Investment Act, would allow property owners to claim an immediate tax deduction for long-term residential rental buildings they place in service after enactment. The measure directly affects taxpayers who own or develop rental housing with at least two dwelling units, enabling them to deduct up to 100% of the building's value in the first year rather than spreading deductions over multiple years. Owners of affordable housing projects that meet specific requirements would receive an increased deduction limit of $250,000 per unit instead of the standard $150,000. The bill includes rules requiring properties to remain in rental use for 10 years to retain the full deduction, with a 15-year requirement for affordable housing, and prohibits revoking the election once made.
The Brownfields Reauthorization Act of 2025 reauthorizes and updates the federal program for cleaning up contaminated properties (brownfields), directly affecting small communities, disadvantaged areas, and Alaska Native tribes. Key provisions include increasing grant funding to $1 million per site (up from $500,000), requiring applicants to demonstrate community engagement plans, and extending the program through 2030 with annual funding increases for state programs (from $50 million to $75 million by 2030). The bill also mandates an EPA report to simplify applications and expands eligibility for Alaska Native Regional/Village Corporations to access funding. These changes aim to make cleanup grants more accessible while ensuring community involvement in revitalization projects.
