Tagged: department of housing and urban development

Landlord Accountability Act of 2025This bill prohibits housing discrimination based on income, provides protections to tenants of certain federally assisted housing, and establishes a low-income housing maintenance tax credit for eligible landlords.Specifically, the bill prohibits discrimination in rental housing and residential real estate transactions based on an individual's source of income and provides for penalties. Protected income sources includehousing vouchers and rental assistance,rental and homeownership subsidies,Social Security and disability income assistance, andspousal and child support.Additionally, landlords are prohibited from taking or failing to take certain actions with the intent to make a unit ineligible to receive Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) assistance. Landlords that violate this prohibition are subject to penalties and may be sued by harmed tenants. The bill further prohibits property owners of certain multifamily housing projects from intentionally leaving a unit vacant for more than 60 days. Property owners that violate this prohibition are subject to penalties.The bill also provides protections to tenants of multifamily housing projects, which includes requiring HUD to increase the staffing level for the Multifamily Housing Complaint Line and create a Multifamily Housing Complaint Resolution Program.In addition, HUD may provide grants to develop, expand, and assist tenant harassment prevention programs.Finally, the bill establishes a tax credit for qualifying landlords that is equal to the landlord's annual low-income housing maintenance expenses. To qualify, a landlord must have addressed within 30 days any relevant complaints filed under the complaint resolution program.

Keeping Aid for Municipalities And Localities Accountable Act or the KAMALA ActThis bill prohibits the use of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding to assist non-U.S. nationals (aliens under federal law) who are not lawfully admitted permanent residents. The CDBG program is administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and provides states, local governments, and Indian tribes with funds for economic and community development.The bill also specifically prohibits HUD from making a CDBG grant to any state, local government, or Indian tribe that carries out a housing or community development program that assists such individuals. 

Veterans, Women, Families with Children, Race, and Persons with Disabilities Housing Fairness Act of 2025 or the Housing Fairness Act of 2025This bill expands efforts to detect and address housing discrimination.Specifically, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) must conduct a nationwide testing program to (1) detect and document differences in the treatment of prospective renters, homebuyers, or mortgage borrowers; (2) measure patterns of adverse treatment because of the race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability status, or national origin of a renter, homebuyer, or borrower; and (3) measure the prevalence of such discriminatory practices across housing and mortgage lending markets.The bill also reauthorizes through FY2028 the Fair Housing Initiatives Program, which supports organizations that provide direct assistance to individuals who have been victims of housing discrimination.Additionally, HUD must implement a grant program to assist public and private nonprofit organizations in (1) conducting comprehensive studies on the causes or effects of housing discrimination and segregation, and (2) implementing pilot projects that test solutions to help prevent or alleviate housing discrimination and segregation.

Helping Owners with Unaffordable Shoddy Edicts Act of 2025 or the HOUSE Act of 2025This bill directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to withdraw the final determination titled Adoption of Energy Efficiency Standards for New Construction of HUD- and USDA-Financed Housing and published on April 26, 2024.The determination adopted updated minimum energy efficiency standards for newly built homes (except manufactured housing) financed through certain HUD and USDA programs. Specifically, it adopted the (1) 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC), which applies to single family homes and multifamily low-rise buildings up to three stories; and (2) 2019 American National Standards Institute/American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers/Illuminating Electrical Society (ANSI/ASHRAE/IES) Standard 90.1, which applies to multifamily residential buildings with four or more stories. HUD and USDA must also revert to using the energy efficiency standards required before the determination.In addition, the bill prohibits HUD, USDA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs from taking actions or using federal funds to implement or enforce the determination or any substantially similar determination. It also prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency from finalizing, implementing, or enforcing a determination or rule relating to energy efficiency standards for single and multifamily housing.Finally, the bill prohibits HUD and USDA from adopting updates to the IECC or ANSI/ASHRAE/IES Standard 90.1 in certain circumstances unless at least 26 states have adopted codes or standards that meet or exceed the update's requirements.