Affordable Housing and Area Median Income Fairness Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9014 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9014

To increase the supply of, and lower rents for, affordable housing and
 to assess calculations of area median income for purposes of Federal
         low-income housing assistance, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 22, 2026

Ms. Clarke of New York (for herself, Ms. Tlaib, Mrs. McIver, Ms. Kelly
of Illinois, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Ms. Schakowsky, Mrs. Ramirez, Ms.
 Norton, Mr. Neguse, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Ms. Pressley, Mr. Nadler,
Mr. Lieu, Mrs. Watson Coleman, and Mr. Goldman of New York) introduced
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
                                Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

To increase the supply of, and lower rents for, affordable housing and
 to assess calculations of area median income for purposes of Federal
         low-income housing assistance, 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 ``Affordable Housing and Area Median
Income Fairness Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. URGENT SUPPORT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING INFRASTRUCTURE.

    (a) Home Investment Partnerships Program.--
            (1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
        to be appropriated to carry out title II of the Cranston-
        Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 1721 et
        seq.) $5,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through
        2035.
            (2) Limitation.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to
        paragraph (1) shall be used only for assistance for any area
        within a jurisdiction for which the Secretary has applied a
        high housing cost adjustment.
    (b)  Community Development Block Grants.--
            (1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
        to be appropriated for community development block grant
        assistance under section 106 of the Housing and Community
        Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5306) $5,000,000,000 for
        each of fiscal years 2026 through 2035.
            (2) Limitation.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to
        paragraph (1) shall be used only for assistance for any area
        within a jurisdiction for which the Secretary has applied a
        high housing cost adjustment.
    (c)  Housing Trust Fund.--
            (1) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
        to be appropriated to the Housing Trust Fund established under
        section 1338(a) of the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial
        Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4568(a))
        $5,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2035.
            (2) Limitation.--Any amounts appropriated pursuant to
        paragraph (1) shall be used only for assistance for any area
        within a jurisdiction for which the Secretary has applied a
        high housing cost adjustment.

SEC. 3. ASSESSMENT REGARDING OPTIMIZING USE OF AREA MEDIAN INCOME TO
              SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN URBAN AREAS.

    (a) Assessment of Alternative Calculation Methods.--Not later than
180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary
shall commence an assessment of alternative methods for calculating
area median income, and the use of alternative metrics, for programs
administered by the Secretary that would make housing more affordable
for low-income families residing in urban areas nationwide, which shall
include analysis of the topics identified in subsection (b).
    (b) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, and make publicly
available, a report setting forth the results of the assessment
conducted pursuant to subsection (a), which shall include--
            (1) a review and summarization of significant findings and
        recommendations from any related previous reports regarding
        area median income;
            (2) an assessment of the extent and impacts of the
        affordable housing crisis in urban areas nationwide,
        particularly within jurisdictions for which the Secretary has
        applied a high housing cost adjustment, including a comparison
        of rent burdens for very low-income households in jurisdictions
        with and without high housing cost adjustments;
            (3) an analysis and assessment of the effects that high
        housing cost adjustments have had on income limits and rent
        prices in jurisdictions for which the Secretary has applied
        such an adjustment, including any effects on maximum rents
        allowed under sections 42 and 142 of the Internal Revenue Code
        of 1986 for tax-subsidized units;
            (4) an updated assessment of the potential impacts to
        affordable housing, particularly on income limits and rent
        prices, of calculating area median income on a ZIP Code level
        basis and using other localized methodologies;
            (5) a process through which State housing authorities may
        designate area median income jurisdictions within that State;
            (6) an assessment of alternative metrics to area median
        income for the purposes of setting income levels and related
        thresholds for affordable housing programs administered by the
        Secretary;
            (7) recommendations for how the Secretary could reform or
        eliminate use of area median income for the purposes of making
        housing more affordable for low-income and middle class
        families in urban areas;
            (8) any further recommendations for how the Secretary could
        use existing authorities to make housing more affordable for
        low-income and middle class families in urban areas,
        particularly for such families for which the Secretary has
        applied a high housing cost adjustment; and
            (9) an assessment of the impacts that Westchester and
        Rockland Counties in New York State have on the City of New
        York's area median income, related metrics, and affordable
        housing supply, including on income limits and maximum rent
        prices for affordable housing units within the jurisdiction of
        the City of New York.
    (c) Methodology.--Not later than 45 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit a report to the
Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate
describing the methodology that will be used to conduct the assessment
under this section.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
            (1) Area median income.--The term ``area median income''
        means median income for an area, as such term is used in
        section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42
        U.S.C. 1437a(b)), median family income, and any other
        substantively similar metric that the Secretary uses to refer
        to the median income level for a given area or jurisdiction for
        purposes of any program administered by the Secretary.
            (2) High housing cost adjustment.--The term ``high housing
        cost adjustment'' means an adjustment for high housing costs or
        high construction costs, or any substantively similar
        adjustment that the Secretary may use to increase income limits
        for areas where the cost of housing is abnormally high compared
        to the median income for such area, for purposes of any program
        administered by the Secretary.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of Housing and Urban Development.
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