119-hr891

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 891 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 891

 To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the 
 Administrator of the General Services Administration to establish 
 programs for the development of affordable housing, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 January 31, 2025

 Mr. Ryan introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on 
 Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the 
 Administrator of the General Services Administration to establish 
 programs for the development of affordable housing, 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 ``Pro-Housing Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. LOCAL HOUSING POLICY GRANT AND LOAN PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Planning Grants.--Beginning not later than 120 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall award grants 
on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the purpose of 
developing and evaluating housing policy plans.

    (b) Implementation Grants.--Beginning not later than 120 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall award 
grants on a competitive basis to eligible entities for the purpose of 
implementing housing policy plans.
            (c) Direct Loans.--

    (1) In general.--Beginning not later than 120 days after 
 the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
 provide direct loans to eligible entities for the purpose of 
 implementing housing policy plans.

    (2) Terms and limitations.--
        (A) In general.--A direct loan provided under this 
 section shall be subject to such terms and conditions 
 as the Secretary determines appropriate.
        (B) Interest rate.--The interest rate on a direct 
 loan provided under this section shall be less than the 
 yield on United States Treasury obligations of a 
 similar maturity to the maturity of the direct loan on 
 the date of execution of the loan agreement, at a rate 
 determined by the Secretary, for the purpose of 
 providing low-cost credit to eligible entities.
            (d) Rural and Exurban Area Minimum.--The Secretary shall provide 
not less than 20 percent of the amounts awarded or loaned under this 
section to eligible entities that plan to use them to assist an area 
that is rural or exurban, as determined by the Secretary in 
consultation the Director of the United States Census Bureau.

    (e) Applications.--

    (1) In general.--An eligible entity seeking a planning 
 grant, implementation grant, or direct loan provided under this 
 section shall submit to the Secretary an application at such 
 time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
 Secretary may require.

    (2) Priority.--In awarding a planning grant, implementation 
 grant, or direct loan provided under this section, the 
 Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities that--
        (A) have developed or are likely to develop a 
 housing policy plan that will--
            (i) improve housing supply, affordability, 
 and accessibility for all individuals of every 
 race and income level;
            (ii) reduce barriers to affordable housing 
 development; and
            (iii) avoid the displacement of residents 
 by new housing developments in the area under 
 the jurisdiction of the eligible entity;
        (B) in developing or implementing a housing policy 
 plan, intend to leverage and efficiently use amounts 
 from--
            (i) another Federal, State, or local 
 assistance program relating to housing; or
            (ii) a private funding source;
            (C) intend to--
            (i) increase the supply and affordability 
 of housing that is located--
            (I) near local transit options; and
            (II) in areas in which a 
 significant or expanding supply of jobs 
 or demand for employment is 
 concentrated;
            (ii) coordinate with local transportation 
 and workforce agencies in accomplishing the 
 increase described in clause
            (i) ;
            (iii) leverage existing infrastructure by 
 rehabilitating or converting existing 
 properties when developing or implementing a 
 housing policy plan; and
            (iv) where appropriate, coordinate policy 
 development for, and analysis and 
 implementation of, the housing policy plan of 
 the eligible entity at a regional scale to 
 achieve a more equitable distribution of 
 affordable housing across jurisdictional 
 boundaries; or
            (D) are a coalition of States or political 
 subdivisions of States.

    (3) Scoring.--The Secretary shall base the degree of 
 priority given to an eligible entity that satisfies 1 or more 
 subparagraphs under paragraph

    (2) on a scoring system 
 established by the Secretary.

    (f) Matching Requirement for Grants.--

    (1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a 
 planning grant or implementation grant shall contribute non-
 Federal amounts for developing or implementing a housing policy 
 plan financed using amounts provided in such grant in the 
 following amounts:
        (A) If the area under the jurisdiction of an 
 eligible entity has a population of 15,000 or fewer, 
 the eligible entity shall provide non-Federal 
 contributions in an amount equal to 15 percent of the 
 amount of the grant.
        (B) If the area under the jurisdiction of an 
 eligible entity has a population between 15,001 and 
 30,000, the eligible entity shall provide non-Federal 
 contributions in an amount equal to 25 percent of the 
 amount of the grant.
            (C) If the area under the jurisdiction of an 
 eligible entity has a population between 30,001 and 
 40,000, the eligible entity shall provide non-Federal 
 contributions in an amount equal to 35 percent of the 
 amount of the grant.
            (D) If the area under the jurisdiction of an 
 eligible entity has a population between 40,001 and 
 70,000, the eligible entity shall provide non-Federal 
 contributions in an amount equal to 45 percent of the 
 amount of the grant.
        (E) If the area under the jurisdiction of an 
 eligible entity has a population of 70,001 or more, the 
 eligible entity shall provide non-Federal contributions 
 in an amount equal to 45 percent of the amount of the 
 grant.

    (2) Eligible matching amounts.--If an eligible entity uses 
 amounts provided by the Federal Government not under this 
 section to develop or implement a housing policy plan for which 
 the eligible entity also receives a grant under this section, 
 any non-Federal contribution made by the eligible entity as 
 part of that Federal assistance program shall be counted 
 towards the requirements under paragraph

    (1) .

    (3) Reduced matching requirement.--Based on the available 
 resources of an eligible entity, the Secretary may, at the 
 discretion of the Secretary, reduce the amount of non-Federal 
 contributions required to be provided by the eligible entity 
 under paragraphs

    (1) and

    (2) .

    (g) Use of Funds.--

    (1) In general.--An eligible entity that receives a 
 planning grant, implementation grant, or direct loan provided 
 under this section shall use a portion of the amounts from such 
 grant or loan to submit the report required under subsection

    (j)

    (1) .

    (2) Planning grants.--An eligible entity that receives a 
 planning grant shall use amounts from such grant to finance 
 activities to develop and evaluate a housing policy plan for 
 the area under the jurisdiction of the eligible entity, 
 including--
        (A) quantifying existing and projected housing 
 needs for households of every income level, including 
 extremely low-income families, as defined in 

section 3

    (b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 
 U.S.C. 1437a

    (b) );
        (B) documenting the characteristics of--
            (i) the housing in the area;
            (ii) the households of the area, including 
 cost-burdened households; and
            (iii) housing underproduction in the area;
            (C) developing strategies to increase the housing 
 supply and the variety of housing types in the area to 
 satisfy the housing needs of the population of the 
 area;
            (D) analyzing population and employment trends in 
 the area and documenting projections of those trends;
        (E) considering strategies to minimize displacement 
 of low-income families, as defined in 

section 3

    (b) of 
 the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 
 1437a

    (b) ), as a result of redevelopment in the area;
        (F) providing for participation and input from 
 community members, community groups, local builders, 
 local realtors, nonprofit housing advocates, and local 
 religious groups; and
        (G) creating a schedule of programs and actions to 
 implement the recommendations of the housing policy 
 plan, including a plan for adopting actions through a 
 local implementing ordinance or another regulatory 
 process, such as a land use plan or a comprehensive 
 plan.

    (h) Housing Policy Plan Guidance.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
 the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall issue 
 guidance that includes recommended policies, strategies, and 
 reforms for eligible entities to adopt in housing policy plans 
 to--
        (A) improve the elasticity of housing supply;
        (B) expand the supply and affordability of housing;
            (C) reduce barriers to housing development; and
            (D) meaningfully reduce housing segregation by 
 income and race.

    (2) Policies.--The guidance issued under paragraph

    (1) shall include recommendations for policies, strategies, and 
 reforms to--
        (A) encourage and support the repurposing of land 
 or structures for housing development;
        (B) allow for a greater variety of housing types;
            (C) revise land use policies to allow for the 
 development of more housing;
            (D) streamline approval processes for housing 
 development;
        (E) provide financial incentives to support 
 affordable housing development; and
        (F) support inclusive engagement with community 
 members relating to reforms to expand housing supply.

    (3) Areas.--The guidance issued under paragraph

    (1) shall 
 include recommendations for policies, strategies, and reforms 
 for urban, suburban, exurban, and rural areas.
            (i) Learning Network.--

    (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
 which the Secretary awards the first planning grant, 
 implementation grant, or direct loan provided under this 
 section, the Secretary shall establish a learning network to--
        (A) facilitate problem solving relating to the 
 development and implementation of housing policy plans; 
 and
        (B) disseminate best practices and effective 
 strategies and policies to improve local housing supply 
 and affordability.

    (2) Accessibility.--The learning network established under 
 paragraph

    (1) shall be accessible to--
        (A) eligible entities that receive a grant or loan 
 under this section; and
        (B) eligible entities that submit an application 
 under subsection

    (e) .

    (j) Reports and Study.--

    (1) Grant and loan recipient reports.--Not later than 180 
 days after the date on which an eligible entity receives a 
 planning grant, implementation grant, or direct loan provided 
 under this section, and not less frequently than quarterly 
 thereafter for a 3-year period, the eligible entity shall 
 submit to the Secretary a report that includes--
        (A) a description of the expenditures the eligible 
 entity has made with amounts from such grant or loan;
        (B) for an eligible entity receiving a planning 
 grant, a summary of the progress of the eligibility 
 entity towards finalizing a housing policy plan; and
            (C) for an eligible entity receiving an 
 implementation grant, data relating to the success of 
 the implementation of the housing policy plan of the 
 eligible entity.

    (2) Secretary study and report.--
        (A) In general.--Not later than 5 years after the 
 date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary 
 shall conduct a study with respect to--
            (i) the impact of implementation grants, 
 planning grants, and direct loans provided 
 under this section on the areas under the 
 jurisdiction of eligible entities receiving 
 those grants or loans; and
            (ii) successful strategies from housing 
 policy plans that were impactful in--
            (I) expanding the housing supply; 
 and
            (II) increasing the quantity of 
 quality and affordable housing while 
 avoiding the displacement of the 
 residents of an area.
        (B) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
 on which the Secretary completes the study required 
 under subparagraph
        (A) , the Secretary shall submit to 
 the appropriate committees of the Congress a report on 
 the study.

    (k) Appropriations.--

    (1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to 
 the Secretary $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 
 through 2031 to carry out this section.

    (2) Costs of direct loans.--The Secretary may use any 
 amounts made available under paragraph

    (1) to pay the costs of 
 providing direct loans under this section.
            (l) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Cost-burdened household.--The term ``cost-burdened 
 household'' means a household that spends not less than 30 
 percent of the income of the household on housing.

    (2) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
 Department of Housing and Urban Development.

    (3) Direct loan.--The term ``direct loan'' has the meaning 
 given the term in 

section 502 of the Federal Credit Reform Act 
 (2 U.S.C. 661a).

    (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
 State, a political subdivision of a State, a coalition of 
 States or political subdivisions of States, an Indian Tribe, or 
 a Native Hawaiian organization that--
        (A) demonstrates, with respect to the area under 
 the jurisdiction of the State, political subdivision, 
 coalition, Indian Tribe, or organization--
            (i) rising housing costs or a reasonable 
 expectation that housing costs will rise in the 
 area; and
            (ii) a housing supply shortage;
        (B) if applying for a planning grant--
            (i) intends to develop, or is in the 
 process of developing, a housing policy plan; 
 and
            (ii) demonstrates an intent to use a 
 portion of the planning grant to engage with 
 community stakeholders and housing 
 practitioners in developing a housing policy 
 plan; and
            (C) if applying for an implementation grant or 
 direct loan under this section--
            (i) has adopted and plans to implement, or 
 is in the process of implementing, a housing 
 policy plan; and
            (ii) demonstrates the engagement of 
 community stakeholders and housing 
 practitioners in developing the housing policy 
 plan.

    (5) Housing policy plan.--The term ``housing policy plan'' 
 means a comprehensive plan of an eligible entity to, with 
 respect to the area under the jurisdiction of the eligible 
 entity--
        (A) increase the housing supply in the area, while 
 avoiding the displacement of the residents of the area;
        (B) increase the affordability of housing in the 
 area; and
            (C) reduce barriers to housing development in the 
 area.

    (6) Implementation grant.--The term ``implementation 
 grant'' means a grant awarded under subsection

    (b) .

    (7) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the 
 meaning given the term in 

section 4 of the Indian Self-
 Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).

    (8) Native hawaiian organization.--The term ``Native 
 Hawaiian organization'' has the meaning given the term in 
 

section 2 of the Native American Graves Protection and 
 Repatriation Act (25 U.S.C. 3001).

    (9) Planning grant.--The term ``planning grant'' means a 
 grant awarded under subsection

    (a) .

    (10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Housing and Urban Development, acting through the Assistant 
 Secretary for Community Planning and Development, in 
 coordination with--
        (A) the Office of Economic Resilience of the Office 
 of Community Planning and Development of the 
 Department;
        (B) the Office of Policy Development and Research 
 of the Department;
            (C) the Office of Fair Housing and Equal 
 Opportunity of the Department;
            (D) the Office of Housing of the Department; and
        (E) the Office of Public and Indian Housing of the 
 Department.

    (11) State.--The term ``State'' means any State of the 
 United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of 
 Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the 
 Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and any 
 possession of the United States.

SEC. 3. TRANSFER OF UNUSED FEDERAL REAL PROPERTY TO STATE AND LOCAL 
 AUTHORITIES FOR DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Administrator of General Services shall 
establish a pilot program under which unused Federal real property is 
transferred in accordance with subsection

    (b)

    (2) to eligible entities 
for the development of mixed-use neighborhoods or affordable housing.

    (b) Transfer of Property.--

    (1) In general.--Any unused Federal real property shall be 
 transferred by the head of the agency concerned to the 
 Administrator.

    (2) Transfer to eligible entity.--The Administrator shall 
 transfer to eligible entities any unused Federal real property 
 transferred to the Administrator under paragraph

    (1) .
            (c) Sunset.--Any transfers of property described in subsection

    (b) shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date of the 
enactment of this section.
            (d) === Definitions. ===
-In this section:

    (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
 Administrator of the General Services.

    (2) Affordable housing.--The term ``affordable housing'' 
 means housing that qualifies as affordable housing under 
 

section 215 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable 
 Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12745).

    (3) Agency.--The term ``agency'' has the meaning given the 
 term ``Executive agency'' in 

section 105 of title 5, United 
 States Code.

    (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
 entity established under State or local law as responsible for 
 housing and urban development planning.

    (5) Unused federal real property.--The term ``unused 
 Federal real property'' means land or a building--
        (A) owned by the Federal Government; and
        (B) declared unused by the head of an agency.
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