House Passes Bipartisan Bill to Address Housing Affordability
Similar Articles
House Passes Homeland Security Funding, Ending Partial Shutdown
House Democrats Force Vote on Ukraine Aid and Russia Sanctions
House to Vote on Surveillance, Farm, and Border Funding Before Recess
House Legislative Agenda Stalls as FISA Deadline Looms
House Passes Farm Bill with Amendment Allowing SNAP Purchases of Rotisserie Chicken
The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bipartisan bill aimed at easing the nation's housing affordability crisis. The legislation, which passed with overwhelming support, includes measures to curb large-scale investor purchases of single-family homes and streamline the construction of new housing. The bill now returns to the Senate for final negotiations before it can be sent to the president.
Facts First
- The House passed a housing affordability bill with a vote of 396 to 13.
- The bill prohibits large investors from buying more single-family homes if they already own over 350.
- It aims to boost new home construction by deregulating factory-built homes and streamlining environmental reviews for infill projects.
- A grant program for preapproved housing designs is included, which has been shown to lower building costs and speed construction.
- The bill now returns to the Senate for final negotiations to reconcile differences with its earlier version.
What Happened
On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan bill intended to address the nation's housing affordability crisis. The vote was 396 to 13. The House bill is an amended version of legislation the Senate passed two months earlier. Key provisions in the House version prohibit any group owning more than 350 single-family homes from buying additional ones and remove several exceptions that would have allowed investors to purchase certain types of homes. The bill also includes deregulation for factory-built homes, aims to streamline environmental reviews for homes built in gaps between existing buildings, and creates a grant program for communities to develop preapproved housing designs.
Why this Matters to You
If you are looking to buy a home, this bill could help by potentially limiting competition from large corporate investors, who currently make up about 3% of the single-family rental market. The focus on boosting construction through streamlined processes and preapproved designs may help close the estimated 4 million-unit gap between housing supply and demand over time, which could ease upward pressure on prices. The grant program for 'pattern books' of designs may lead to quicker, more affordable construction in your community, as cities using such ready-to-go plans have seen lower costs and faster building.
What's Next
The bill must now return to the Senate for consideration. Both chambers must agree on a single, final version of the legislation before it can be sent to President Donald Trump for his signature. This process may involve negotiations to reconcile differences, such as the House's removal of a Senate provision that would have required large-scale landlords to sell certain rental homes to families after seven years.