Housing (Zoning)

This bill nullifies specific Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) rules and notices related to "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing," including the 2015 final rule, 2021 interim rule, and 2023 proposed rule, as well as a 2015 notice about housing disparity assessments. It prohibits federal funding for a geospatial database tracking racial disparities in housing access or community housing inequities. The bill requires HUD to consult with state, local, and public housing agency officials to develop recommendations for fair housing implementation, mandating consensus-based reporting and public comment periods. This directly affects local governments, state housing officials, and public housing agencies by limiting federal oversight of local zoning decisions and housing policy enforcement.

HR 891, the Pro-Housing Act of 2025, provides federal grants and low-cost loans to states, cities, and tribes to develop and implement local housing plans. It requires recipients to address housing supply, affordability, and accessibility for all income levels while avoiding displacement of current residents, with priority given to plans that improve transit-accessible housing near job centers. The bill allocates $200 million annually for 2026-2031, mandates 20% of funds for rural or exurban areas, and includes a pilot program to transfer unused federal property for affordable housing development. It also requires annual reports on progress and a 5-year study to evaluate the program's impact on housing supply and affordability.

This bill modifies federal transit funding rules to encourage housing development near transit hubs. It defines "pro-housing policies" (like removing parking minimums or streamlining approvals for multi-family housing) and allows projects demonstrating such policies to earn an extra point in funding evaluations. Transit projects applying for capital grants can receive higher funding priority if they show evidence of these policies in areas near transit. The policy directly affects cities, transit agencies, and developers seeking federal transit funding, without mandating new state or local laws. The bill focuses on incentivizing existing housing-friendly practices through grant scoring, not direct housing construction.

HR 6345, the Point-Access Housing Guidelines Act of 2025, requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to create federal guidelines for permitting residential buildings with a single internal stairway serving all units (up to five stories). These guidelines will cover fire safety, construction costs, accessibility, and include examples from existing jurisdictions and expert input. Local governments, developers, and housing authorities would use these model codes to more easily adopt such buildings, potentially increasing housing supply in high-cost areas without overriding local building codes. HUD may also fund pilot projects to test the safety and feasibility of these designs.