[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4856 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4856
To improve the safety of, affordability of, and access to housing.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 1, 2025
Mr. Lawler introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committees on
Ways and Means, Oversight and Government Reform, Energy and Commerce,
and Veterans' Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the safety of, affordability of, and access to housing.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Revitalizing
America's Housing Act''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as
follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; Table of contents.
TITLE I--PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY AND INCREASING SUPPLY
Sec. 101. Identification of regulatory barriers to affordable housing
in HUD annual report.
Sec. 102. Qualifying ordinary income added to special rules for
investments in opportunity zones.
Sec. 103. Relieving strain from shortages of transformers.
Sec. 104. Incentivizing zoning reform.
Sec. 105. Decreasing the equity penalty and incentivizing more long-
term owners to sell homes.
TITLE II--INCREASING ACCESS TO HOUSING AND ADDRESSING COST
Sec. 201. Expanding workforce and volunteer housing.
Sec. 202. Supporting affordability and safety for public servants.
Sec. 203. Expanding programs supporting homeownership for those serving
the community.
Sec. 204. Improving volunteer first responder housing.
Sec. 205. Improving access to housing for veterans.
Sec. 206. Supporting veteran families in need.
Sec. 207. Attracting private investment to build and rehabilitate
owner-occupied homes.
Sec. 208. Better utilizing and disposing of unused military and
government lands for housing.
Sec. 209. Energy conservation standards for manufactured housing.
Sec. 210. Rental assistance demonstration program.
Sec. 211. Creating incentives for small dollar loan originators.
Sec. 212. Small dollar mortgage points and fees.
Sec. 213. Removing Outdated Regulation for Manufactured Housing.
TITLE III--SERVING THE MOST VULNERABLE; HEALTH AND SAFETY
Sec. 301. GAO study to determine proximity of housing to Superfund
sites.
Sec. 302. Ensuring public housing agencies inspect each dwelling unit
each year.
Sec. 303. Incentivizing local solutions to homelessness.
Sec. 304. Improving mold and health standards.
Sec. 305. Improving Protection from Lead Hazards.
Sec. 306. Improving housing for the elderly and disabled.
TITLE IV--GOOD GOVERNANCE
Sec. 401. Requiring annual testimony and oversight from housing
regulators.
Sec. 402. Requiring annual testimony and oversight for government
guaranteed or insured mortgage programs.
Sec. 403. Testimony and report from United States Interagency Council
on Homelessness.
Sec. 404. Report detailing NYCHA compliance with and HUD oversight of
2019 agreement.
Sec. 405. FHA reporting requirements on safety and soundness.
Sec. 406. Combatting squatting.
Sec. 407. Reallocation of voucher funding.
TITLE V--REGULATORY FLEXIBILITY
Sec. 501. Authorization of Moving to Work Program.
Sec. 502. Rescission of Public and Indian Housing Notice 2021-18.
TITLE VI--IMPROVING FINANCIAL LITERACY REGARDING HOUSING
Sec. 601. Reforms to housing counseling and financial literacy
programs.
TITLE I--PROMOTING OPPORTUNITY AND INCREASING SUPPLY
SEC. 101. IDENTIFICATION OF REGULATORY BARRIERS TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING
IN HUD ANNUAL REPORT.
Section 8 of the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act
(42 U.S.C. 3536) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``Each
such annual report shall include an identification of significant
regulatory barriers to affordable housing, within the meaning of such
term as provided in the first sentence of section 1203 of the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705b), and a
discussion and analysis of how to reduce or remove such barriers.''.
SEC. 102. QUALIFYING ORDINARY INCOME ADDED TO SPECIAL RULES FOR
INVESTMENTS IN OPPORTUNITY ZONES.
(a) In General.--Section 1400Z-2 of the Internal Revenue Code of
1986 is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``capital gains
invested'' and inserting ``investments'',
(2) in subsection (a)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) in the heading, by inserting
``qualifying ordinary income and'' after
``of'',
(ii) by inserting ``qualifying ordinary
income and'' after ``case of'',
(iii) by amending subparagraph (A) to read
as follows:
``(A) gross income for the taxable year shall not
include--
``(i) so much of such gain as does not
exceed the aggregate amount invested by the
taxpayer in a qualified opportunity fund during
the 180-day period beginning on the date of
such sale or exchange, and
``(ii) so much of such qualifying ordinary
income as does not exceed the aggregate amount
invested by the taxpayer in a qualified
opportunity fund during such taxable year,'',
and
(iv) in subparagraph (B), by inserting
``qualifying ordinary income and'' after
``amount of'',
(B) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``or''
at the end,
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``, or'', and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) with respect to qualified ordinary income
received in a taxable year beginning after December 31,
2026.'', and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
``(3) Qualifying ordinary income defined.--In this
subsection, the term `qualifying ordinary income' means
ordinary income other than income attributable to capital
gains.'',
(3) in subsection (b)--
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting
``Qualifying Ordinary Income and'' after ``Deferral
of'',
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Gain'' and
inserting ``Qualifying ordinary income and gain'', and
(C) in paragraph (2)--
(i) in subparagraph (A)--
(I) by inserting ``qualifying
ordinary income and'' after ``amount
of'', and
(II) in clause (i), by striking
``of gain'', and
(ii) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) in the clause (ii) heading, by
striking ``gain'' and inserting
``amount'', and
(II) by striking ``the amount of
gain'' each place it appears and
inserting ``the amount'', and
(4) in subsection (e)(1), by inserting ``qualifying
ordinary income and'' after ``investments of''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to amounts invested after the date of the enactment of this Act.
SEC. 103. RELIEVING STRAIN FROM SHORTAGES OF TRANSFORMERS.
Section 321(35) of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (42
U.S.C. 6291(35)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Efficiency level.--The Secretary shall not
finalize any rule under which the efficiency level of a
liquid-immersed type, low voltage dry type, or medium
voltage dry type distribution transformer is greater
than trial standard level 2 (as described in table V.1
in the proposed rule entitled `Energy Conservation
Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Distribution
Transformers' (88 Fed. Reg. 1722 (January 11, 2023))).
``(D) Effective date for certain rules.--Any rule
finalized by the Secretary under which the efficiency
level of a liquid-immersed type, low voltage dry type,
or medium voltage dry-type distribution transformer is
trial standard level 1 or 2 (as described in table V.1
in the proposed rule entitled `Energy Conservation
Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Distribution
Transformers' (88 Fed. Reg. 1722 (January 11, 2023)))
shall not take effect until 10 years after the date on
which the rule is finalized.''.
SEC. 104. INCENTIVIZING ZONING REFORM.
(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to discourage the use
of discriminatory land use policies and remove barriers to making
housing more affordable in order to further the original intent of the
Community Development Block Grant program.
(b) Land Use Plan.--
(1) In general.--Section 104 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
``(n) Plan To Track Discriminatory Land Use Policies.--
``(1) In general.--Prior to receipt in any fiscal year of a
grant from the Secretary under subsection (b), (d)(1), or
(d)(2)(B) of section 106, each recipient shall have prepared
and submitted, not less frequently than once during the
preceding 5-year period, in accordance with this subsection and
in such standardized form as the Secretary shall, by
regulation, prescribe, with respect to each land use policy
described in paragraph (2) that is applicable to the
jurisdiction served by the recipient, a description of--
``(A) whether the recipient has already adopted the
policy in the jurisdiction served by the recipient;
``(B) the plan of the recipient to implement the
policy in that jurisdiction; or
``(C) the ways in which adopting the policy will
benefit the jurisdiction.
``(2) Land use policies.--The policies described in this
paragraph are as follows:
``(A) Enacting high-density single-family and
multifamily zoning.
``(B) Expanding by-right multifamily zoned areas.
``(C) Allowing duplexes, triplexes, or fourplexes
in areas zoned primarily for single-family residential
homes.
``(D) Allowing manufactured homes in areas zoned
primarily for single-family residential homes.
``(E) Allowing multifamily development in retail,
office, and light manufacturing zones.
``(F) Allowing single-room occupancy development
wherever multifamily housing is allowed.
``(G) Reducing minimum lot size.
``(H) Ensuring historic preservation requirements
and other land use policies or requirements are
coordinated to encourage creation of housing in
historic buildings and historic districts.
``(I) Increasing the allowable floor area ratio in
multifamily housing areas.
``(J) Creating transit-oriented development zones.
``(K) Streamlining or shortening permitting
processes and timelines, including through one-stop and
parallel-process permitting.
``(L) Eliminating or reducing off-street parking
requirements.
``(M) Ensuring impact and utility investment fees
accurately reflect required infrastructure needs and
related impacts on housing affordability are otherwise
mitigated.
``(N) Allowing prefabricated construction.
``(O) Reducing or eliminating minimum unit square
footage requirements.
``(P) Allowing the conversion of office units to
apartments.
``(Q) Allowing the subdivision of single-family
homes into duplexes.
``(R) Allowing accessory dwelling units, including
detached accessory dwelling units, on all lots with
single-family homes.
``(S) Establishing density bonuses.
``(T) Eliminating or relaxing residential property
height limitations.
``(U) Using property tax abatements to enable
higher density and mixed-income communities.
``(V) Donating vacant land for affordable housing
development.
``(3) Effect of submission.--A submission under this
subsection shall not be binding with respect to the use or
distribution of amounts received under section 106.
``(4) Acceptance or nonacceptance of plan.--The acceptance
or nonacceptance of any plan submitted under this subsection in
which the information required under this subsection is
provided is not an endorsement or approval of the plan,
policies, or methodologies, or lack thereof.''.
(2) Effective date.--The requirements under subsection (n)
of section 104 of the Housing and Community Development Act of
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5304), as added by paragraph (1), shall--
(A) take effect on the date that is 1 year after
the date of enactment of this Act; and
(B) apply to recipients of a grant under subsection
(b), (d)(1), or (d)(2)(B) of section 106 of the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5306)
before, on, and after such date.
SEC. 105. DECREASING THE EQUITY PENALTY AND INCENTIVIZING MORE LONG-
TERM OWNERS TO SELL HOMES.
(a) Increase of Exclusion of Gain From Sale of Principal
Residence.--Section 121(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is
amended--
(1) by striking ``$250,000'' and inserting ``$500,000''
each place it appears,
(2) by striking ``500,000'' and inserting ``$1,000,000''
each place it appears,
(3) in paragraph (2)(A), in the heading, by striking
``$500,000'' and inserting ``$1,000,000'', and
(4) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
``(5) Adjustment for inflation.--In the case of a taxable
year beginning after 2024, the $500,000 and $1,000,000 amounts
in paragraphs (1), (2), and (4) shall be increased by an amount
equal to--
``(A) such dollar amount, multiplied by
``(B) the cost-of-living adjustment determined
under section 1(f)(3) for the calendar year in which
the taxable year begins, determined by substituting
`2023' for `2016' in subparagraph (A)(ii) thereof.
If any increase under this clause is not a multiple of $100,
such increase shall be rounded to the next lowest multiple of
$100.''.
(b) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this section shall
apply to sales and exchanges after the date of the enactment of this
Act.
TITLE II--INCREASING ACCESS TO HOUSING AND ADDRESSING COST
SEC. 201. EXPANDING WORKFORCE AND VOLUNTEER HOUSING.
(a) Congressional Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) the lack of affordable housing in the United States is
an issue impacting millions of middle-class, working American
families;
(2) many of these families earn more annually than the
income limits for certain Federal housing financing and
benefits; and
(3) these families are often excluded from living in
neighborhoods near their places of work, schools, shopping, and
healthcare due to a lack of affordability.
(b) Report to Congress.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
the enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United States
shall submit to the Congress a report that--
(1) identifies issues with housing affordability for
America's middle-income homeowners and renters, including
identifying geographically where housing is the most
unaffordable for these populations;
(2) identifies Federal housing programs, including Federal
tax credits, grants, credit programs, and other programs that
currently benefit lower-income households, which are not
available to middle-income households;
(3) identifies any gaps in the inclusion of middle-income
households in Federal housing programs designed to promote
affordability;
(4) sets forth recommendations for a definition of
``workforce housing'' based on income parameters in order to
assist Federal agencies in including middle-income households
under existing Federal programs; and
(5) analyzes how such a definition could relate to
incentives for workforce housing development through Federal
programs, policies, and other initiatives.
SEC. 202. SUPPORTING AFFORDABILITY AND SAFETY FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS.
Section 3(a) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C.
1437a(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``Except as provided in
paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``Except as provided in
paragraphs (2) and (4)''; and
(2) in paragraph (4)--
(A) in the heading, by striking ``Occupancy by
police officers'' and inserting, ``Occupancy by police
officers, firefighters, and emerg