Volunteer First Responder Housing Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8789 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8789

   To expand eligibility for certain housing programs for qualified
                      volunteer first responders.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 2026

Mr. Garbarino introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
                    Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

   To expand eligibility for certain housing programs for qualified
                      volunteer first responders.

    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 ``Volunteer First Responder Housing
Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Bona fide volunteer; eligible employer; qualified
        services.--The terms ``bona fide volunteer'', ``eligible
        employer'', and ``qualified services'' have the meanings given
        those terms in section 457(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of
        1986.
            (2) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
        meaning given the term ``Indian tribe'' in section 501(b) of
        the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471(b)).
            (3) Qualified volunteer first responder.--The term
        ``qualified volunteer first responder'' means any individual
        who--
                    (A) is a bona fide volunteer performing qualified
                services for an eligible employer;
                    (B) continuously served as a volunteer for the
                eligible employer during the 2-year period preceding
                the date on which the individual submits a verification
                letter under section 3(b) or 4(b);
                    (C) during each of the 2 years described in
                subparagraph (B)--
                            (i) met the minimum requirements for active
                        membership established by the eligible
                        employer; or
                            (ii) if the eligible employer did not
                        establish minimum requirements, volunteered for
                        not less than 200 hours; and
                    (D) is certified as a firefighter or other first
                responder in the State, political subdivision of a
                State, or jurisdiction of an Indian Tribe in which the
                individual is serving as volunteer.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SINGLE FAMILY HOUSING GUARANTEED LOAN
              PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--A qualified volunteer first responder who submits
to the Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this section as the
``Secretary'') a verification letter in accordance with subsection (b)
shall be eligible for a deduction in annual income under section
3555.152(c) of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor
regulation), in the amount of $18,000.
    (b) Verification Letter.--To be eligible for a deduction under
subsection (a), a qualified volunteer first responder shall submit to
the Secretary a verification letter from the head of the eligible
employer for which the qualified volunteer first responder volunteers,
which shall--
            (1) include the date on which the qualified volunteer first
        responder joined the eligible employer as a volunteer;
            (2) attest to the Secretary that the qualified volunteer
        first responder meets the requirements under subparagraphs (B)
        and (C) of section 2(3); and
            (3) include a copy of the certification described in
        section 2(3)(D).

SEC. 4. GOOD NEIGHBOR NEXT DOOR SALES PROGRAM AND SIMILAR PROGRAMS.

    (a) Eligibility.--A qualified volunteer first responder who submits
to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (referred to in this
section as the ``Secretary'') a verification letter in accordance with
subsection (b) shall qualify as a firefighter or emergency medical
technician for purposes of any single family property disposition
program carried out by the Secretary by regulation under section 204(g)
of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1710(g)) that offers discounted
home prices to firefighters or emergency medical technicians.
    (b) Verification Letter.--To qualify to purchase a home under a
single family property disposition program referred to in subsection
(a), a qualified first responder shall submit to the Secretary a
verification letter from the head of the eligible employer for which
the qualified volunteer first responder volunteers, which shall--
            (1) include the date on which the qualified volunteer first
        responder joined the eligible employer as a volunteer;
            (2) attest to the Secretary that the qualified volunteer
        first responder meets the requirements under subparagraphs (B)
        and (C) of section 2(3);
            (3) include a copy of the certification described in
        section 2(3)(D); and
            (4) include a certification from the qualified volunteer
        first responder of the responder's good faith intention to
        continue serving as a volunteer for the eligible employer for
        not less than 1 year following the date of closing.
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