First in Punchbowl News. A bipartisan group of lawmakers will introduce a major piece of legislation today to overhaul federal rules around tribal housing development.
The effort — led by Rep. Troy Downing (R-Mont.) and Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) — is designed to ease housing construction regulations for sovereign tribal governments across the United States. Rep. Janelle Bynum (D-Ore.) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) are the lead Democratic sponsors.
Read the 47-page bill, dubbed the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act, along with the section-by-section breakdown.
Congress has been working to advance another major housing bill with a similar approach. That legislation would target outdated regulations and other barriers that prevent the rapid construction of new houses, while modernizing key federal programs.
Tribal communities would benefit from a number of changes inside those housing bills, but the Downing-Murkowski effort targets a wider universe of programs that are specifically tailored to tribal governments.
Among the changes, the tribal housing overhaul effort would:
— Simplify the number of environmental approvals required for homes funded primarily by HUD
— Exempt federally funded tribal housing projects from Build America, Buy America requirements
— Expand the areas covered by the Section 184 Indian Loan Home Guarantee Program and clarify community development financial institutions’ ability to participate in the program
— Expand the length of time federal trust land can be leased for housing from 50 years to 99 years.
Looking ahead. Backers don’t expect this bill to hitch a ride on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which is already a bit of a dumpster fire. But it could make a promising candidate for year-end defense packages, which is where the Senate has traditionally advanced tribal housing modernization efforts.
