The House passed H.R. 2, the “Moving Forward Act,” by a vote of 233-188 on the afternoon of July 1. The Act was introduced by House Democrats on June 18 and included the “Housing is infrastructure Act,” introduced by Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and passed out of committee earlier this year. In addition to investing substantially in repairing the nation’s roads and bridges and improving broadband access, the bill proposes $100 billion to construct and preserve 1.8 million affordable homes, through $70 billion for public housing capital repairs and $5 billion for the national Housing Trust Fund, among other housing investments.
Upon passage of the bill, NLIHC president and CEO Diane Yentel issued a press statement, stating, “A comprehensive infrastructure package that invests in preserving and building deeply affordable rental homes for America’s poorest families is an important step to reducing homelessness and housing poverty in America.”
The bill would enact a permanent minimum 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC), lower the “50 percent text” for housing bond financing, and provide basis boosts for housing developments financed with LIHTC that serve extremely low-income households, and developments built in rural and tribal areas.
A package of amendments were offered en bloc and approved by the House. Representative Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) wrote an amendment to end the sunset date on the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness and establish a new advisory council composed of individuals currently and formerly experiencing homelessness and groups representing people experiencing homelessness. She also partnered with Representative Grace Meng (D-NY) to author an amendment requiring the GAO to issue a report on the infrastructure needs of populations at highest risk for homelessness. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) filed an amendment to repeal the Faircloth amendment, which prohibits the construction of new public housing. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) wrote an amendment requiring the secretary of HUD to conduct a study on the effect of criminal history or involvement on access to the private and assisted housing markets. Other amendments include assessments and improvements for current public housing, such as checks for lead pipes and implementation and improvement plans for high-speed internet access. The amendments were approved by a voice vote.
Read NLIHC’s press statement at: https://tinyurl.com/y7myvp64
View the full text of H.R. 2 at: https://tinyurl.com/y74prnfr
Read NLIHC’s previous Memo article on this bill here: https://tinyurl.com/y9cupxrp
Read a fact sheet on the bill at: https://tinyurl.com/y7ft3frx