The majority of the House of Representatives has cosponsored the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, H.R.3077, with a total of 221 members signed on to the bipartisan legislation. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) would strengthen and expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit), our nation’s most successful tool for building and preserving affordable housing.
The AHCIA was reintroduced in the House in June 2019 by Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA-1), Kenny Marchant (R-TX-24), Don Beyer (D-VA-8), and Jackie Walorski (R-IN-2). In the 115th Congress, the AHCIA was cosponsored by more than 40 percent of all members of Congress. This Congress, the AHCIA rapidly garnered bipartisan support and surpassed prior levels of cosponsorship, reflecting a growing consensus that communities nationwide need more affordable housing. The AHCIA has the most bipartisan support of any bill to build more affordable housing this Congress.
“The overwhelming support for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act shows that members of Congress across the country see the housing crisis we face. My bill would help create approximately 550,000 new affordable housing units nationwide in the next decade. Now that a majority in the House is on record in support of this legislation, it is time to pass it,” said Congresswoman DelBene. “The housing crisis gets worse every year, and this is an important step to helping people find an affordable place to call home. States like Washington cannot wait any longer.”
“Affordable housing is vital for keeping our communities strong, which is why I have been a strong supporter of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit,” said Congressman Marchant. “This credit will help developers bring more affordable housing options to market, and can even be used to build housing specifically for our veterans, who have given so much to our country. With more than half of all Representatives now signed on as co-sponsors, it is time to pass the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to expand and improve this credit and ensure that affordable housing is available for our vets and families of all kinds across the country.”
“Providing affordable housing is an enormous public policy challenge, and the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act would do so much to help,” said Congressman Beyer. “I recently toured Northern Virginia shelters and affordable housing organizations, and this is definitely an area of major need in our region and across the United States. I’m happy the bill is achieving so much bipartisan support, and hope we get a chance to vote for it on the House floor soon.”
“The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is an important tool to drive investment in affordable rental housing and provide stability for low-income Americans, including veterans, seniors, and those with special needs,” Congresswoman Walorski said. “I’m thrilled the bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act is now cosponsored by the majority of the House, and I’m grateful for the hard work of my colleagues and advocates across Indiana and the country who helped achieve this exciting milestone. I look forward to continuing our work together to modernize and streamline the affordable housing credit to make an already successful program even more effective and give workers and families a better opportunity to achieve the American Dream.”
A model public-private-partnership, the Housing Credit has financed 3.2 million affordable homes and served 7.4 million low-income households since the program’s inception in 1986. By strengthening and expanding the Housing Credit, the AHCIA would provide for more than half a million additional affordable homes nationwide over the next ten years.
The ACTION Campaign is a broad, national coalition calling on Congress to protect, expand, and strengthen the Housing Credit, and has proudly played a lead role in the advancement of the AHCIA. We thank the more than 2,300 national, state, and local organizations that are part of ACTION and have helped secure a record level of bipartisan cosponsors.
The ACTION Campaign calls on the remaining members of Congress to cosponsor the AHCIA, and for Congressional leadership to advance this bill and provide communities with the Housing Credit resources necessary to build and preserve more affordable housing.
ACTION’s strength is in our numbers, so if you are not yet a member of the ACTION Campaign, please join ACTION for free at www.rentalhousingaction.org/join.
