Summary#
This bill creates the United States Interagency Council on Housing Affordability and Preservation. The Council is an independent federal entity made up of the heads (or their designees) of 21 Federal departments and offices. The Council will elect a Chairperson and Vice Chairperson from among its members, rotating those positions annually, and must meet at least four times a year. The Council must appoint an Executive Director (paid up to Executive Schedule level V) and may hire staff, accept detailees, and receive administrative support from HUD.
The Council must develop a National Strategic Plan to Preserve Affordable Housing within 12 months and update it yearly. It will review federal programs related to public and affordable housing, monitor and recommend improvements, provide technical assistance through 5–10 regional coordinators, encourage State interagency councils and 10-year plans to end homelessness, collect and share information on federal resources, publish a bimonthly bulletin, hold regional workshops, convene stakeholder meetings, and prepare required reports. Federal agencies that are Council members must report to Congress and the Council within 90 days and annually about their affordable housing programs, recipients served, impediments to access, and efforts to increase housing opportunities.
The bill authorizes $4,800,000 per year for fiscal years 2027 through 2031 for carrying out the Act.
What it means for you#
- A new federal council will coordinate work across many agencies on preserving and expanding affordable housing and addressing barriers to access.
- Within a year the Council must publish a national strategic plan and then update it every year.
- Federal agencies on the Council must report program details and barriers to access within 90 days and every year after that.
- The Council will offer regional technical help through coordinators and hold regional workshops that state and local officials, nonprofits, and others can use to learn about federal resources and how to apply for them.
- Each State is asked to name a contact person and is encouraged to form its own State interagency council or lead agency to work with the federal Council.
Expenses#
- The bill authorizes $4,800,000 for each fiscal year from 2027 through 2031. Appropriated amounts remain available until expended.
- The Executive Director may be paid up to the rate for Executive Schedule level V.
- No publicly available information on total projected costs beyond the authorized annual amounts and the Director pay limit.
Proponents' View#
- The bill's text states the Council's mission is to preserve and increase affordable housing supply, increase fairness in the rental market, further fair housing principles, and create a national partnership among federal, State, local, and private actors. The Council’s duties and required planning, reporting, technical assistance, and coordination are presented in the bill as the means to achieve that mission.
Opponents' View#
- No publicly available information.