HELPER Act of 2025

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2094 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2094

  To amend the National Housing Act to establish a mortgage insurance
         program for first responders, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 14, 2025

 Mr. Rutherford (for himself, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Mr. Garbarino, and
 Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the following bill; which was referred to
                  the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To amend the National Housing Act to establish a mortgage insurance
         program for first responders, 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 ``Homes for Every Local Protector,
Educator, and Responder Act of 2025'' or the ``HELPER Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FHA MORTGAGE INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR MORTGAGES FOR FIRST
              RESPONDERS.

    Section 203 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 1709) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
    ``(z) FHA Mortgage Insurance Program for Mortgages for First
Responders.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
                    ``(A) First responder.--The term `first responder'
                means an individual who is, as attested by the
                individual--
                            ``(i)(I) employed full-time by a law
                        enforcement agency of the Federal Government, a
                        State, a Tribal government, or a unit of
                        general local government; and
                            ``(II) in carrying out such full-time
                        employment, sworn to uphold, and make arrests
                        for violations of, Federal, State, county,
                        township, municipal, or Tribal laws, or
                        authorized by law to supervise sentenced
                        criminal offenders or individuals with pending
                        criminal charges;
                            ``(ii) employed full-time as a firefighter,
                        paramedic, or emergency medical technician by a
                        fire department or emergency medical services
                        responder unit of the Federal Government, a
                        State, a Tribal government, or a unit of
                        general local government; or
                            ``(iii) employed as a full-time teacher by
                        a State-accredited public school or private
                        school that provides direct services to
                        students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12.
                    ``(B) First-time homebuyer.--The term `first-time
                homebuyer' has the meaning given the term in section
                104 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable
                Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12704).
                    ``(C) State.--The term `State' has the meaning
                given the term in section 201.
                    ``(D) Tribal government.--The term `Tribal
                government' means the recognized governing body of any
                Indian or Alaska Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo,
                village, community, component band, or component
                reservation, individually identified (including
                parenthetically) in the list published most recently
                pursuant to section 104 of the Federally Recognized
                Indian Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).
            ``(2) Authority.--The Secretary may, upon application by a
        mortgagee, insure any mortgage eligible for insurance under
        this subsection to an eligible mortgagor and, upon such terms
        and conditions as the Secretary may prescribe, make commitments
        for the insurance of such mortgages prior to the date of their
        execution or disbursement.
            ``(3) Mortgage terms; mortgage insurance premium.--
                    ``(A) Terms.--
                            ``(i) In general.--A mortgage insured under
                        this subsection shall--
                                    ``(I) be made to an eligible
                                mortgagor;
                                    ``(II) comply with the requirements
                                established under paragraphs (1)
                                through (7) of subsection (b); and
                                    ``(III) be used only to--
                                            ``(aa) purchase or repair a
                                        1-family residence, including a
                                        1-family dwelling unit in a
                                        condominium project, to serve
                                        as a principal residence of the
                                        mortgagor, as attested by the
                                        mortgagor; or
                                            ``(bb) purchase a principal
                                        residence of the mortgagor, as
                                        attested by the mortgagor,
                                        which is--

                                                    ``(AA) a
                                                manufactured home to be
                                                permanently affixed to
                                                a lot that is owned by
                                                the mortgagor and
                                                titled as real
                                                property; or

                                                    ``(BB) a
                                                manufactured home and a
                                                lot to which the home
                                                will be permanently
                                                affixed that is titled
                                                as real property.

                            ``(ii) No down payment.--Notwithstanding
                        any provision to the contrary in the matter
                        following subsection (b)(2)(B) with respect to
                        first-time homebuyers--
                                    ``(I) the Secretary may insure any
                                mortgage that involves an original
                                principal obligation (including
                                allowable charges and fees and the
                                premium pursuant to subparagraph (B) of
                                this paragraph) in an amount not to
                                exceed 100 percent of the appraised
                                value of the property involved; and
                                    ``(II) the mortgagor of a mortgage
                                described in subclause (I) shall not be
                                required to pay any amount, in cash or
                                its equivalent, on account of the
                                property.
                    ``(B) Mortgage insurance premium.--
                            ``(i) Up-front premium.--The Secretary
                        shall establish and collect an insurance
                        premium in connection with mortgages insured
                        under this subsection that is a percentage of
                        the original insured principal obligation of
                        the mortgage amount, which shall be collected
                        at the time and in the manner provided under
                        subsection (c)(2)(A), except that the premiums
                        collected under this subparagraph--
                                    ``(I) may be in an amount that
                                exceeds 3 percent of the amount of the
                                original insured principal obligation
                                of the mortgage; and
                                    ``(II) may be adjusted by the
                                Secretary from time to time by
                                increasing or decreasing such
                                percentages as the Secretary considers
                                necessary, based on the performance of
                                mortgages insured under this subsection
                                and market conditions.
                            ``(ii) Prohibition of monthly premiums.--A
                        mortgage insured under this subsection shall
                        not be subject to a monthly insurance premium,
                        including a premium under subsection (c)(2)(B).
            ``(4) Eligible mortgagors.--The mortgagor for a mortgage
        insured under this subsection shall, at the time the mortgage
        is executed--
                    ``(A) be a first-time homebuyer;
                    ``(B) have completed a program of housing
                counseling provided through a housing counseling agency
                approved by the Secretary;
                    ``(C) as attested by the mortgagor--
                            ``(i) be employed as a first responder;
                            ``(ii) have been--
                                    ``(I) employed as a first responder
                                for not less than 4 of the 5 years
                                preceding the date on which the
                                mortgagor submitted an application to
                                insure the mortgage under this section;
                                or
                                    ``(II) released from employment as
                                a first responder due to an occupation-
                                connected disability resulting from
                                such duty or employment;
                            ``(iii) be in good standing as a first
                        responder and not on probation or under
                        investigation for conduct that, if determined
                        to have occurred, is grounds for termination of
                        employment;
                            ``(iv) in good faith intend to continue as
                        a first responder for not less than 1 year
                        following the date of closing on the mortgage;
                        and
                            ``(v) have previously never been the
                        mortgagor under a mortgage insured under this
                        subsection;
                    ``(D) meet such requirements as the Secretary shall
                establish to ensure that insurance of the mortgage
                represents an acceptable risk to the Mutual Mortgage
                Insurance Fund; and
                    ``(E) meet such underwriting requirements as the
                Secretary shall establish to meet actuarial objectives
                identified by the Secretary, which may include avoiding
                a positive subsidy rate or complying with the capital
                ratio requirement under section 205(f)(2).
            ``(5) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
        to be appropriated to carry out the program under this
        subsection--
                    ``(A) $660,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain
                available until expended; and
                    ``(B) $160,000 for each of fiscal years 2027
                through 2032, to remain available until expended.
            ``(6) Reauthorization required.--The authority to enter
        into new commitments to insure mortgages under this subsection
        shall expire on the date that is 5 years after the date on
        which the Secretary first makes available insurance for
        mortgages under this subsection.''.
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