Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act

This proposal aims to make housing more affordable by pushing local rules to be more flexible. Cities and counties that get federal community development grants would need to submit a simple plan, at least once every five years, showing which pro-housing policies they use now, which they plan to adopt, and how those changes would help residents. Examples include allowing duplexes and accessory dwelling units in single-family areas, speeding up permits, reducing parking mandates, and allowing apartments near transit or in former office or retail spaces. The plan is for tracking and learning; it doesn’t force any specific policy, and the information can’t be used to punish a community. The goal is to ease housing shortages and lower costs for families across urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Key points:

• Who is affected: Local governments that receive community development block grants.
• What changes: They must file a plan listing current or planned steps like allowing duplexes/ADUs, reducing lot sizes, cutting parking requirements, speeding up permitting, creating transit-oriented zones, and enabling office-to-apartment conversions.
• When: Starts one year after the law takes effect; plans are due at least every five years.
• Enforcement: Submitting a plan doesn’t control funding decisions, it isn’t an approval of local policies, and the data can’t be used for enforcement.

The bill cites a national housing shortage and says reducing red tape is one part of the solution, alongside investing in affordable housing.