[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7792 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7792
To amend title I of the National Housing Act to increase the loan
limits and clarify that property improvement loans may be used for
construction of accessory dwelling units.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 4, 2026
Mr. Himes (for himself, Mr. Pappas, Mr. Harder of California, and Mr.
Liccardo) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title I of the National Housing Act to increase the loan
limits and clarify that property improvement loans may be used for
construction of accessory dwelling units.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Property Improvement and
Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act of 2026''.
SEC. 2. NATIONAL HOUSING ACT AMENDMENTS.
(a) In General.--Section 2 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C.
1703) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ``construction of
additional or accessory dwelling units, as defined by the
Secretary,'' after ``improvements,''; and
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (1)--
(i) by striking subparagraph (A) and
inserting the following new subparagraph:
``(A) $75,000 if made for the purpose of financing
alterations, repairs and improvements upon or in connection
with an existing single-family structure, including a
manufactured home;'';
(ii) in subparagraph (B)--
(I) by striking ``$60,000'' and
inserting ``$150,000'';
(II) by striking ``$12,000'' and
inserting ``$37,500''; and
(III) by striking ``an apartment
house or'';
(iii) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D)
and inserting the following:
``(C)(i) $106,405 if made for the purpose of financing the
purchase of a single-section manufactured home; and
``(ii) $195,322 if made for the purpose of financing the
purchase of a multi-section manufactured home;
``(D)(i) $149,782 if made for the purpose of financing the
purchase of a single-section manufactured home and a suitably
developed lot on which to place the home; and
``(ii) $238,699 if made for the purpose of financing the
purchase of a multi-section manufactured home and a suitably
developed lot on which to place the home;'';
(iv) in subparagraph (E)--
(I) by striking ``$23,226'' and
inserting ``$43,377''; and
(II) by striking the period at the
end and inserting a semicolon;
(v) in subparagraph (F), by striking
``and'' at the end;
(vi) in subparagraph (G), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(vii) by inserting after subparagraph (G)
the following:
``(H) such principal amount as the Secretary may prescribe
if made for the purpose of financing the construction of an
accessory dwelling unit.''; and
(viii) in the matter preceding paragraph
(2)--
(I) by striking ``regulation'' and
inserting ``notice'';
(II) by striking ``increase'' and
inserting ``set'';
(III) by striking ``(ii), (C), (D),
and (E)'' and inserting ``through
(H)'';
(IV) by inserting ``, or as
necessary to achieve the goals of the
Federal Housing Administration,
periodically reset the dollar amount
limitations in subparagraphs (A)
through (H) based on justification and
methodology set forth in advance by
regulation'' before the period at the
end; and
(V) by adjusting the margins
appropriately;
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ``exceeds--'' and
all that follows through the period at the end and
inserting ``exceeds such period of time as determined
by the Secretary, not to exceed 30 years.'';
(C) by striking paragraph (9) and inserting the
following:
``(9) Annual Indexing of Certain Dollar Amount Limitations.--The
Secretary shall develop or choose 1 or more methods of indexing in
order to annually set the loan limits established in paragraph (1),
based on data the Secretary determines is appropriate for purposes of
this section.''; and
(D) in paragraph (11), by striking ``lease--'' and
all that follows through the period at the end and
inserting ``unless such lease meets the terms and
conditions established by the Secretary''.
(b) Deadline for Development or Choice of New Index; Interim
Index.--
(1) Deadline for development or choice of new index.--Not
later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall develop or
choose 1 or more methods of indexing as required under section
2(b)(9) of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1703(b)(9)), as
amended by subsection (a) of this section.
(2) Interim index.--During the period beginning on the date
of enactment of this Act and ending on the date on which the
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development develops or chooses
1 or more methods of indexing as required under section 2(b)(9)
of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1703(b)(9)), as amended
by subsection (a) of this section, the method of indexing
established by the Secretary under that section before the date
of enactment of this Act shall apply.
SEC. 3. HUD STUDY OF OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Off-site construction housing.--The term ``off-site
construction housing'' includes manufactured homes and modular
homes.
(2) Manufactured home.--The term ``manufactured home''
means any home constructed in accordance with the construction
and safety standards established under the National
Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act of
1974 (42 U.S.C. 5401 et seq.).
(3) Modular home.--The term ``modular home'' means a home
that is constructed in a factory in 1 or more modules, each of
which meets applicable State and local building codes of the
area in which the home will be located, and that are
transported to the home building site, installed on
foundations, and completed.
(b) Study.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall
conduct a study and submit to Congress a report on the cost
effectiveness of off-site construction housing, that includes--
(1) an analysis of the advantages and the impact of
centralization in a factory and transportation to a
construction site on cost, precision, and materials waste;
(2) the extent to which off-site construction housing meets
housing quality standards under the National Standards for the
Physical Inspection of Real Estate, or other standards as the
Secretary may prescribe, compared to the extent for site-built
homes, for such standards;
(3) the expected replacement and maintenance costs over the
first 40 years of life of off-site construction homes compared
to those costs for site-built homes; and
(4) opportunities for use beyond single-family housing,
such as applications in accessory dwelling units, two- to four-
unit housing, and large multifamily housing.
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