Saving for a first home in Missouri is about to get a significant tax break – with a big if – provided the state Senate’s latest housing bill makes it through the House. Senate Bill 1001 passed the Senate this spring and now sits before a House committee. The bill includes a sweeping upgrade to […]
Missouri may expand its first-time homebuyer savings tax break Read More »
As North Carolina House Democrats take another swing at sweeping housing reform, a Democratic senator is seeking to streamline environmental reviews to accelerate construction. Sen. Woodson Bradley filed the “Let Them Build Act” on Thursday afternoon, days after House colleagues filed a bill titled “Relieving Housing Bottlenecks” to address the state’s affordable housing crisis. For
North Carolina Let Them Build Act targets environmental reviews Read More »
Last week, 76 members of Congress, specifically the Real Estate Caucus and the Build America Caucus, signed a bipartisan letter “expressing serious concerns” over section 901 of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. The letter, signed by 38 democrats and 38 republicans, urged House leadership to remove or substantially alter the highly contentious Section
With the Hill in limbo on ROAD Act, the toll on BTR projects climbs Read More »
A third go at trying to reboot starter-home construction in Minnesota is on life support at the state Legislature, with supporters scrambling to revive it before the session ends. High-profile zoning reform bills failed in a House committee and missed key Senate deadlines late last month, potentially dooming the effort as had happened over the
Minnesota zoning reform push for starter homes falters Read More »
The fight over Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s sweeping housing reform agenda is intensifying as both sides harden their positions. Supporters and detractors by the thousands delivered their opening arguments Thursday at the first major hearing on Pritzker’s six-bill package. Pritzker’s BUILD plan seeks to lower costs by making construction easier and faster statewide. It would
Pritzker’s honor: Illinois housing reform fight intensifies Read More »
A California home builder sought to build three additional houses on lots it had owned for more than two decades in a coastal county. That should have been easy. It had already built four nearby homes. But it wasn’t. Years of court hearings followed when a state agency overrode San Luis Obispo County’s authority and
California court curbs Coastal Commission on building permits Read More »
Michigan lawmakers returned from spring recess with housing affordability clearly in their sights. A bipartisan group shepherding a package of bills this week picked up strong support from a coalition of housing advocates and business groups, including the Home Builders Association of Michigan. That backing could help pass an initiative Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched earlier this
Support grows for Whitmer housing zoning reform bills in Michigan Read More »
Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger left in limbo legislation that would let faith-based organizations build affordable housing on their land without rezoning. Instead of vetoing or signing the Faith in Housing Act, Spanberger recommended changes. The recommendations keep the bill’s core intact but make targeted operational tweaks. The governor, who has only been in office since
Virginia governor’s amendments keep Faith in Housing Act in limbo Read More »
The U.S. housing market is chronically underbuilt, resulting in a decades-long shortage. Burdensome regulations take part of the blame, but they are not the only cause. A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis indicates that regulations are just one piece of the puzzle. Labor shortages, land constraints, and rising building, borrowing
America’s housing shortage stems from more than overregulation, Fed report finds Read More »
Republican lawmakers in Kentucky sought to put the state on the housing reform map with sweeping legislation to boost construction and curb rising costs. But the package collapsed in the final hours of the state’s legislative session this week, and housing advocates warn the state’s housing shortage will deepen without swift action. Kentucky’s failure shows
Kentucky housing reform bill collapses in final hours Read More »