Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - 2/9/2025… Today, Congressman Mike Lawler (NY-17) voted in favor of the bipartisan Housing for the 21st Century Act, a comprehensive housing affordability package that includes six bills authored by Congressman Lawler aimed at expanding housing supply and lowering costs for families. The measure passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, 390-9. 

“Families in my district and across the country have watched the cost of a home rise faster than their paychecks, their savings, and their sense of possibility. Young families are delaying milestones, seniors are struggling to stay rooted in their communities, and working families are getting squeezed by a market that simply does not build enough homes. That’s not acceptable. This bill modernizes outdated rules, cuts through the regulatory thicket that slows construction, and empowers communities to build the housing they actually need,” said Congressman Lawler, a member of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. 

“Owning a home has been the cornerstone achievement many Americans have equated with attaining the American Dream. Our Committee has been laser-focused on creating solutions and today, we delivered for the American people. The passage of the Housing for the 21^st Century Act includes real, bipartisan solutions to expanding supply, lowering costs, and providing families with more options. I commend Ranking Member Waters, Subcommittee Chair Flood, and Subcommittee Ranking Member Cleaver on collaborating on this legislation and I look forward to ultimately bringing a bicameral product to the President’s desk,” said Chairman French Hill.

This package includes language from bills Congressman Lawler authored, including:

• Community Investment and Prosperity Act to expand banks’ ability to make community investments that promote public welfare and local economic development.
• HUD Accountability Act of 2025 to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to testify before Congress on an annual basis and strengthen transparency and ensure HUD leadership is held accountable amid an ongoing housing affordability crisis.
• Housing for America’s Middle Class Act to direct the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study income parameters for “workforce housing” and make recommendations to Congress on how federal housing policy can better serve middle-income earners.
• Improving Public Housing Agency Accountability Act to require annual reports on key details of troubled public housing, such as NYCHA, including compliance with the law, the physical and financial state of the housing, and recommendations to restore these facilities. The bill will also ensure proper oversight is being conducted and that reforms are enacted for the residents of these housing authorities.
• Improving Housing Access Act to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study that identifies options to remove barriers and improve housing for persons who are elderly or disabled.
• Superfund Area Facts and Exposure Act to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study that identifies how many residential dwelling units, and how many dwelling units in public housing, are located within 1 mile of a Superfund site.

Additional key provisions of this package include: 

• Improving HUD’s Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV) to make participation easier, an effort the Rep. Lawler spearheaded with Rep Emmanuel Cleaver (MO-05). 
• Modernizing zoning and speeding construction by promoting best practices, pre-approved home designs, and innovative housing models.
• Streamlining environmental and federal reviews to reduce delays for housing projects while maintaining protections.
• Updating federal financing tools by modernizing FHA loan limits and expanding access to small-dollar mortgages and workforce housing financing.
• Reforming HUD, HOME, and CDBG programs to give communities greater flexibility, expand workforce housing eligibility, and cut red tape.
• Expanding manufactured and factory-built housing by updating definitions and standards to increase affordability and supply.
• Strengthening rural housing and regional planning through expanded repair programs, planning grants, and faster application timelines.
• Protecting veterans, seniors, and vulnerable families through improved benefit calculations, tenant protections, and savings pilot programs.
• Enhancing oversight and accountability by increasing transparency, strengthening monitoring of housing authorities, and improving federal coordination.

Endorsing organizations of the Housing for the 21st Century Act include: AARP, American Bankers Association (ABA), American Financial Services Association (AFSA), American Land Title Association (ALTA), American Seniors Housing Association, Appraisal Institute, Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International, Cavco Industries, Inc., Clayton Homes, Inc., Center for Responsible Lending, Champion Homes, Inc., Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Finance Council, Corporation for Supportive Housing (CSH), Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA), Defense Credit Union Council, Housing Partnership Network, Housing Policy Council, Institute of Real Estate Management, Kentucky Bankers Association, Leading Builders of America, Lincoln Avenue Communities, Nareit, National Affordable Housing Management Association, National Apartment Association, National Association of Housing Cooperatives, National Association of Residential Property Managers, National Bankers Association, National Community Development Association, National Leased Housing Association, Pew Charitable Trusts, Real Estate Roundtable, Western Alliance Bank, and Window & Door Manufacturers Association. 

Full text of the bill can be found HERE.

Congressman Lawler is one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and represents New York's 17th Congressional District, which is just north of New York City and contains all or parts of Rockland, Putnam, Dutchess, and Westchester Counties. He was rated the most effective freshman lawmaker in the 118th Congress, 8th overall, surpassing dozens of committee chairs.

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