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Creates a HUD waiver program that lets counties in mountain areas choose a smaller geography (a ZIP Code or a group of adjacent counties) to calculate area median income (AMI) for certain HUD and USDA housing programs. It also requires HUD to study alternative AMI methods and other affordability measures for low‑income and seasonal workers in mountain communities and to report findings to Congress within two years.
The bill increases local flexibility and could expand housing assistance for low-income residents in high-cost and rural/mountain areas, but it risks stretching limited housing funds, creating administrative complexity and uncertainty for program administrators and housing providers.
Low-income renters and households in high-cost pockets (mountain, rural, tribal, seasonal-worker, and some ZIP-code-level areas) could qualify for more housing assistance because AMI can be calculated using smaller or contiguous geographies that better reflect local costs.
Local and state governments gain greater flexibility and, in some places, clearer HUD guidance to choose AMI geography that better targets housing assistance to local needs, improving program targeting and administrative alignment with local cost realities.
HUD must produce a publicly available, evidence-based report (within two years) analyzing high-cost mountain jurisdictions, the effect of counting roommates/household composition, and impacts on tax-subsidized units, giving Congress and agencies concrete data to design targeted policy or regulatory changes.
Low-income households and renters could face reduced benefit amounts or longer waiting lists because broader eligibility from smaller-area AMI calculations may sharply increase demand while overall funding remains limited.
Raising income limits in high-cost areas may allow higher-income households to qualify for subsidies, diluting targeting of scarce housing dollars away from the lowest-income households.
Different AMI calculations across neighboring ZIP codes or counties could create administrative complexity and applicant confusion, increasing burdens on local program administrators and making eligibility less predictable for families.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Joseph Neguse · Last progress September 30, 2025