H.R. 2494 — To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to annually submit to the Congress a report that analyzes State and local strategies, activities, and plans that promote affordable housing, and for other purposes.

This section states congressional findings concerning the nationwide housing affordability crisis—including a shortage of millions of units, renters spending more than one-third of their income on housing, and a lack of affordable options for buyers affecting all states—and the potential federal use of the regulatory barriers clearinghouse (i.e., a national repository of state and local laws, regulations, and policies on affordable housing, their effects, and related state efforts currently geared toward state and local governments).

This section requires the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to submit an annual report to Congress analyzing information collected by the regulatory barriers clearinghouse (i.e., data on state and local laws, regulations, and policies affecting affordable housing development, maintenance, improvement, availability, or cost, as well as strategies to remove barriers thereto) and providing policy recommendations to support successful state and local affordable housing strategies.