WASHINGTON, D.C – U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, joined her colleagues on a bipartisan, bicameral bill to provide resources to help communities rehaul their zoning and land use regulations. The Housing Supply Frameworks Act would provide a new framework to assist states and localities in breaking down barriers and increasing the supply of affordable housing across income levels. The federal government first laid the foundation for zoning in the 1920s with the Standard State Zoning Enabling Act, a model law for states to enable zoning regulations in their jurisdictions. This legislation provides a similar conceptual framework that will help states and localities move toward the regulatory structure needed for the housing industry of the 21st century. The bill is led by Senators (Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-MD), John Fetterman (D-PA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Tom Tillis (R-NC), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN).
“We have to tackle our housing crisis at every level of government. Boosting the supply of housing is necessary to drive down costs, and that takes federal, state, local and private-sector coordination,” said Senator Smith. “This bill would empower local communities to reform overly restrictive zoning regulations, cutting red tape will make it easier to build more homes that are affordable. This will help more communities expand access to affordable homeownership and rental opportunities.”
“From major cities to rural communities, the impacts of America’s housing crisis are being felt by everyone. In the wealthiest country in the world, a housing crisis of this magnitude is simply unacceptable,” said Sen. Blunt Rochester. “Everyone deserves a safe, comfortable, and affordable place to call home. The Housing Supply Frameworks Act reduces some of the regulatory barriers that make it too expensive and too time-consuming to build new, affordable housing. By removing red tape, we can facilitate a housing boom that meets the needs of our communities across the country.”
“We are currently facing a housing crisis in Pennsylvania and across the country. We must increase our housing supply to meet Americans’ needs – but excessive regulatory red tape and restrictive zoning requirements are getting in the way,” said Sen. Fetterman. “The Housing Supply Frameworks Act will help address this crisis by providing assistance to states and localities to enact zoning reforms. I’m glad to work with Senators Blunt Rochester, Crapo, and Tillis, and our partners in the House, Representatives Flood and Pettersen, to introduce this important bipartisan legislation. I hope to see it passed this Congress.”
“The affordable housing crisis is squeezing too many Americans out of the dream of homeownership. Equipping cities and states with tools to change their zoning and land use policies to accommodate increasing the available supply of housing is a good place to start in mitigating this crisis,” said Sen. Crapo. “This bill contains no federal mandate, but would empower municipalities to choose zoning reforms uniquely tailored to the needs of their local communities.”
“This bipartisan legislation gives local communities the tools they need to modernize zoning and land use policies to make housing more affordable and accessible for North Carolinians,” said Sen. Tillis. “By equipping states and municipalities with the resources to streamline regulations and cut unnecessary red tape, we can expand affordable housing options for families across the nation.”
In Minnesota, there is a shortage of nearly 100,000 homes for rent and to buy. The shortage is especially acute for low-income families and in rural communities. Many cities and towns in Minnesota and across the country have tried to tackle this problem, and this bill would help by instructing HUD to provide guidance and resources for state and local governments to make it easier and more affordable to build homes.
Senator Smith has been a fierce advocate for affordable housing throughout her time in the Senate. She introduced the bipartisan Rural Housing Service Reform Act to improve federal rural housing programs and strengthen the supply of affordable housing in rural communities, and the Homes Act, to build and preserve over 1 million affordable homes in small towns, big cities, and rural communities nationwide. She has also introduced legislation, the Housing for All Veterans Act, that would end homelessness nationwide.
A one pager on the bill is available here. The full text is available here.
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