119-hr2094

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2094 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2094

 To amend the National Housing Act to establish a mortgage insurance 
 program for first responders, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 14, 2025

 Mr. Rutherford (for himself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Garbarino, and 
 Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
 the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To amend the National Housing Act to establish a mortgage insurance 
 program for first responders, and for other purposes.

 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 ``Homes for Every Local Protector, 
Educator, and Responder Act of 2025'' or the ``HELPER Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FHA MORTGAGE INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR MORTGAGES FOR FIRST 
 RESPONDERS.

 

Section 203 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1709) is amended 
by adding at the end the following:
 ``

    (z) FHA Mortgage Insurance Program for Mortgages for First 
Responders.--
 ``

    (1) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) First responder.--The term `first responder' 
 means an individual who is, as attested by the 
 individual--
 ``
            (i) 
            (I) employed full-time by a law 
 enforcement agency of the Federal Government, a 
 State, a Tribal government, or a unit of 
 general local government; and
 ``
            (II) in carrying out such full-time 
 employment, sworn to uphold, and make arrests 
 for violations of, Federal, State, county, 
 township, municipal, or Tribal laws, or 
 authorized by law to supervise sentenced 
 criminal offenders or individuals with pending 
 criminal charges;
 ``
            (ii) employed full-time as a firefighter, 
 paramedic, or emergency medical technician by a 
 fire department or emergency medical services 
 responder unit of the Federal Government, a 
 State, a Tribal government, or a unit of 
 general local government; or
 ``
            (iii) employed as a full-time teacher by 
 a State-accredited public school or private 
 school that provides direct services to 
 students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.
 ``
        (B) First-time homebuyer.--The term `first-time 
 homebuyer' has the meaning given the term in 

section 104 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 
 Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12704).
 ``
            (C) State.--The term `State' has the meaning 
 given the term in 

section 201.
 ``
            (D) Tribal government.--The term `Tribal 
 government' means the recognized governing body of any 
 Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, 
 village, community, component band, or component 
 reservation, individually identified (including 
 parenthetically) in the list published most recently 
 pursuant to 

section 104 of the Federally Recognized 
 Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).
 ``

    (2) Authority.--The Secretary may, upon application by a 
 mortgagee, insure any mortgage eligible for insurance under 
 this subsection to an eligible mortgagor and, upon such terms 
 and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, make commitments 
 for the insurance of such mortgages prior to the date of their 
 execution or disbursement.
 ``

    (3) Mortgage terms; mortgage insurance premium.--
 ``
        (A) Terms.--
 ``
            (i) In general.--A mortgage insured under 
 this subsection shall--
 ``
            (I) be made to an eligible 
 mortgagor;
 ``
            (II) comply with the requirements 
 established under paragraphs

    (1) through

    (7) of subsection

    (b) ; and
 ``
            (III) be used only to--
 ``

    (aa) purchase or repair a 
 1-family residence, including a 
 1-family dwelling unit in a 
 condominium project, to serve 
 as a principal residence of the 
 mortgagor, as attested by the 
 mortgagor; or
 ``

    (bb) purchase a principal 
 residence of the mortgagor, as 
 attested by the mortgagor, 
 which is--

 ``

    (AA) a 
 manufactured home to be 
 permanently affixed to 
 a lot that is owned by 
 the mortgagor and 
 titled as real 
 property; or

 ``

    (BB) a 
 manufactured home and a 
 lot to which the home 
 will be permanently 
 affixed that is titled 
 as real property.

 ``
            (ii) No down payment.--Notwithstanding 
 any provision to the contrary in the matter 
 following subsection

    (b)

    (2)
        (B) with respect to 
 first-time homebuyers--
 ``
            (I) the Secretary may insure any 
 mortgage that involves an original 
 principal obligation (including 
 allowable charges and fees and the 
 premium pursuant to subparagraph
        (B) of 
 this paragraph) in an amount not to 
 exceed 100 percent of the appraised 
 value of the property involved; and
 ``
            (II) the mortgagor of a mortgage 
 described in subclause
            (I) shall not be 
 required to pay any amount, in cash or 
 its equivalent, on account of the 
 property.
 ``
        (B) Mortgage insurance premium.--
 ``
            (i) Up-front premium.--The Secretary 
 shall establish and collect an insurance 
 premium in connection with mortgages insured 
 under this subsection that is a percentage of 
 the original insured principal obligation of 
 the mortgage amount, which shall be collected 
 at the time and in the manner provided under 
 subsection
            (c) (2)
        (A) , except that the premiums 
 collected under this subparagraph--
 ``
            (I) may be in an amount that 
 exceeds 3 percent of the amount of the 
 original insured principal obligation 
 of the mortgage; and
 ``
            (II) may be adjusted by the 
 Secretary from time to time by 
 increasing or decreasing such 
 percentages as the Secretary considers 
 necessary, based on the performance of 
 mortgages insured under this subsection 
 and market conditions.
 ``
            (ii) Prohibition of monthly premiums.--A 
 mortgage insured under this subsection shall 
 not be subject to a monthly insurance premium, 
 including a premium under subsection
            (c) (2)
        (B) .
 ``

    (4) Eligible mortgagors.--The mortgagor for a mortgage 
 insured under this subsection shall, at the time the mortgage 
 is executed--
 ``
        (A) be a first-time homebuyer;
 ``
        (B) have completed a program of housing 
 counseling provided through a housing counseling agency 
 approved by the Secretary;
 ``
            (C) as attested by the mortgagor--
 ``
            (i) be employed as a first responder;
 ``
            (ii) have been--
 ``
            (I) employed as a first responder 
 for not less than 4 of the 5 years 
 preceding the date on which the 
 mortgagor submitted an application to 
 insure the mortgage under this section; 
 or
 ``
            (II) released from employment as 
 a first responder due to an occupation-
 connected disability resulting from 
 such duty or employment;
 ``
            (iii) be in good standing as a first 
 responder and not on probation or under 
 investigation for conduct that, if determined 
 to have occurred, is grounds for termination of 
 employment;
 ``
            (iv) in good faith intend to continue as 
 a first responder for not less than 1 year 
 following the date of closing on the mortgage; 
 and
 ``
            (v) have previously never been the 
 mortgagor under a mortgage insured under this 
 subsection;
 ``
            (D) meet such requirements as the Secretary shall 
 establish to ensure that insurance of the mortgage 
 represents an acceptable risk to the Mutual Mortgage 
 Insurance Fund; and
 ``
        (E) meet such underwriting requirements as the 
 Secretary shall establish to meet actuarial objectives 
 identified by the Secretary, which may include avoiding 
 a positive subsidy rate or complying with the capital 
 ratio requirement under 

section 205

    (f)

    (2) .
 ``

    (5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
 to be appropriated to carry out the program under this 
 subsection--
 ``
        (A) $660,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain 
 available until expended; and
 ``
        (B) $160,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 
 through 2032, to remain available until expended.
 ``

    (6) Reauthorization required.--The authority to enter 
 into new commitments to insure mortgages under this subsection 
 shall expire on the date that is 5 years after the date on 
 which the Secretary first makes available insurance for 
 mortgages under this subsection.''.
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