PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Congressional Research Service
No official summary is available in the imported record yet.
People & committees
Rep. Lawler, Michael [R-NY-17] · R–NY
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 6, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-08-13 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
This bill would create a temporary, bipartisan task force to study how a lack of affordable housing affects people’s lives and the costs of government programs. It would recommend changes to Congress, invite public comments, and publish a final report. The bill would also define affordable housing and state that the definition applies to federal, state, and local affordable-housing programs, including some housing where eligible households pay more than 30 percent of income. It would authorize future funding for the task force’s work, without itself providing that funding.
There is established a bipartisan task force to be known as the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis.
(1) evaluate and quantify the impact that a lack of affordable housing has on other areas of life and life outcomes; (2) evaluate and quantify the costs incurred by other Federal, State, and local programs due to a lack of affordable housing; and (3) make recommendations to Congress on how to use affordable housing to improve the effectiveness of other Federal programs and improve life outcomes.
(ii) housing— (I) for which the household pays more than 30 percent of the household income for gross housing costs, including utilities, where such income is less than or equal to the area median income for the municipality in which the housing is located, as determined by the Secretary; and (II) that is assisted or considered affordable by the Department of Housing and Urban Development
(B) Application The definition in subparagraph (A) shall apply to Federal, State, and local affordable housing programs.
The Task Force shall publish in the Federal Register a notice for a public comment period of 90 days on the purpose and activities of the Task Force.
and make publicly available a final report
The Task Force shall terminate not later than 2 years after the date on which all members of the Task Force are appointed under section 4.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.
The bill’s affordable-housing definition would include housing whose required gross housing costs, including utilities, do not exceed 30 percent of household income, when that income is at or below the area median income for the municipality as determined by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
housing for which the household is required to pay not more than 30 percent of the household income for gross housing costs, including utilities, where such income is less than or equal to the area median income for the municipality in which the housing is located, as determined by the Secretary
The term Secretary means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
The definition would also include housing costing more than 30 percent of household income, including utilities, if the household meets the same income ceiling and the housing is assisted or considered affordable by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Listed examples include public housing, housing assisted under Section 8(o), and housing receiving the low-income housing credit under Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code. The list also includes housing assisted under other federal or local housing programs that serve households with incomes at or below 80 percent of area median income or provide services or amenities that will primarily be used by low-income housing.
(ii) housing— (I) for which the household pays more than 30 percent of the household income for gross housing costs, including utilities, where such income is less than or equal to the area median income for the municipality in which the housing is located, as determined by the Secretary; and (II) that is assisted or considered affordable by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, including— (aa) public housing; (bb) housing assisted under section 8(o) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1437f(o)); (cc) housing receiving the low-income housing credit under section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code; and (dd) housing assisted under other Federal or local housing programs serving households with incomes at or below 80 percent of the area median income or providing services or amenities that will primarily be used by low-income housing.
Section 3 says its affordable-housing definition would apply to federal, state, and local affordable-housing programs. It also adopts existing statutory definitions of low-income housing and public housing, without reproducing them. The supplied text does not establish how the affordable-housing definition would interact with existing program requirements.
(B) Application The definition in subparagraph (A) shall apply to Federal, State, and local affordable housing programs.
The terms low-income housing and public housing have the meanings given those terms in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)).
The task force would have 18 members. The Senate majority leader and House speaker would jointly appoint one co-chair; the two chambers’ minority leaders would jointly appoint the other. Each of those four congressional leaders would also appoint four members.
The Task Force shall be composed of 18 members, of whom— (A) 1 member shall be appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall serve as co-chair of the Task Force; (B) 1 member shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate and the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, who shall serve as co-chair of the Task Force; (C) 4 members shall be appointed by the Majority Leader of the Senate; (D) 4 members shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; (E) 4 members shall be appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives; and (F) 4 members shall be appointed by the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives.
Members would have to be academic researchers, experts in a relevant field or policy area, or people with experience in relevant government programs. The co-chairs could hire additional staff and set their pay.
Each member of the Task Force shall be an academic researcher, an expert in a field or policy area related to the purpose of the Task Force, or an individual who has experience with government programs related to the purpose of the Task Force.
The co-chairs of the Task Force may appoint and fix the pay of additional staff to the Task Force.
Federal employees could be temporarily assigned to the task force without reimbursement from it, while retaining their regular employment rights, status, and privileges. Members could receive authorized travel expenses, including daily allowances for living expenses, while away from home or their regular workplace on task force business.
Any Federal Government employee may be detailed to the Task Force without reimbursement from the Task Force, and the detailee shall retain the rights, status, and privileges of his or her regular employment without interruption.
Members of the Task Force may be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for employees of agencies under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of services for the Task Force.
Appointments would be due within 180 days after enactment. Members would serve for the task force’s lifetime. Vacancies would not reduce its legal powers and would be filled through the original appointment process.
Appointments to the Task Force shall be made not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
A member of the Task Force shall be appointed for the life of the Task Force.
Any vacancy in the Task Force— (A) shall not affect the powers of the Task Force; and (B) shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointment.
The first meeting would be required within 30 days after a majority of members had been appointed. Meetings would occur at the co-chairs’ call. A majority would constitute a quorum, although fewer members could hold hearings.
The Task Force shall meet not later than 30 days after the date on which a majority of the members of the Task Force have been appointed.
The Task Force shall meet at the call of the co-chairs of the Task Force.
A majority of the members of the Task Force shall constitute a quorum, but a lesser number of members may hold hearings.
The task force would use available survey and statistical data to assess and measure how a lack of affordable housing affects people living in the United States. Required topics would include education, employment, income, health, nutrition, transportation access, neighborhood poverty, regional economic growth, and neighborhood and rural community stability and revitalization, along with other relevant areas needed for a comprehensive report. These are questions the bill directs the task force to study, not established findings.
The Task Force shall utilize available survey and statistical data related to the purpose of the Task Force to complete a comprehensive report to— (1) evaluate and quantify the impact that a lack of affordable housing has on other areas of life and life outcomes for individuals living in the United States, including— (A) education; (B) employment; (C) income level; (D) health; (E) nutrition; (F) access to transportation; (G) the poverty level of the neighborhood in which individuals live; (H) regional economic growth; (I) neighborhood and rural community stability and revitalization; and (J) other areas of life and life outcomes related to the purpose of the Task Force necessary to complete a comprehensive report
The report would also assess and measure costs that a lack of affordable housing imposes on other federal, state, and local programs. It would recommend to Congress how affordable housing could improve other federal programs’ effectiveness and people’s life outcomes.
(2) evaluate and quantify the costs incurred by other Federal, State, and local programs due to a lack of affordable housing; and (3) make recommendations to Congress on how to use affordable housing to improve the effectiveness of other Federal programs and improve life outcomes for individuals living in the United States.
The task force would have to publish a notice in the Federal Register for a 90-day public comment period on its purpose and activities.
The Task Force shall publish in the Federal Register a notice for a public comment period of 90 days on the purpose and activities of the Task Force.
By its termination date, the task force would have to make its final report publicly available and submit it to four congressional committees: Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Senate Finance; House Financial Services; and House Ways and Means. The report would contain the required information, evaluations, and recommendations and bear every member’s signature.
Not later than the date on which the Task Force terminates, the Task Force shall submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs and the Committee on Finance of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Services and the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and make publicly available a final report that— (1) contains the information, evaluations, and recommendations described in subsection (a); and (2) is signed by each member of the Task Force.
The task force could hold hearings, take testimony, and receive evidence to carry out the bill. It could obtain information it considers necessary directly from federal departments and agencies; agency heads would be required to supply that information on the co-chairs’ request.
The Task Force may hold such hearings, take such testimony, and receive such evidence as the Task Force considers advisable to carry out this Act.
The Task Force may secure directly from any Federal department or agency such information as the Task Force considers necessary to carry out this Act.
On request of the co-chairs of the Task Force, the head of a Federal department or agency described in paragraph (1) shall furnish the information to the Task Force.
The task force could use the United States mail under the same conditions as other federal departments and agencies.
The Task Force may use the United States mails in the same manner and under the same conditions as other Federal departments and agencies.
The task force would have to end no later than two years after all its members were appointed. This deadline would run from completion of appointments, rather than directly from enactment.
The Task Force shall terminate not later than 2 years after the date on which all members of the Task Force are appointed under section 4.
The bill would authorize appropriations of whatever sums are necessary to carry it out for fiscal years 2027 through 2030. It specifies no dollar amount and does not itself appropriate money.
There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this Act for fiscal years 2027 through 2030.
The supplied official-actions snapshot, updated October 6, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Financial Services on August 13, 2026.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-06T08:05:32Z. 2026-08-13: Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services. 2026-08-13: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-08-13. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No unrelated provision or policy change attached to appropriations was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for particular recipients or places was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials. Formal earmark status cannot be established without the relevant disclosures and supporting materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential treatment was identified after reviewing the complete supplied introduced text. This conclusion applies only to that version and does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 6, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI