H.R. 891 — Pro-Housing Act of 2025

This section establishes a Local Housing Policy Grant and Loan Pilot Program under which the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development awards competitive planning grants to eligible entities (e.g., States or political subdivisions) for developing and evaluating housing policy plans and competitive implementation grants and direct loans for implementing such plans, with awards and loans beginning no later than 120 days after enactment. The section requires the Secretary to allocate at least 20% of funds to rural or exurban areas (as determined in consultation with the Census Bureau Director); gives priority in awards to applicants with plans that increase housing supply and affordability, reduce development barriers, promote transit-oriented and job-proximate development, leverage other funds, rehabilitate existing properties, pursue regional coordination, or represent coalitions of States or localities; and bases priority degree on a Secretary-established scoring system. For grants, the section imposes tiered non-Federal matching requirements of 15% (populations of 15,000 or fewer), 25% ($15,001-$30,000), 35% ($30,001-$40,000), or 45% (over 40,000), which the Secretary may reduce based on applicant resources and which may incorporate matches from other non-this-section Federal programs; requires a portion of grant and loan funds be used for statutorily required reporting; and subjects direct loans to Secretary-determined terms, including interest rates below comparable Treasury yields to provide low-cost credit.

This section establishes a five-year pilot program requiring the Administrator of General Services to transfer, within 120 days of enactment, unused federal real property—first received from executive agencies—to eligible state or local housing and urban development planning entities for development of mixed-use neighborhoods or affordable housing. Affordable housing is defined under section 215 of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12745) (i.e., rental housing with rents not exceeding the lesser of fair market rent or 30% of adjusted income at 65% of area median income; at least 20% of units occupied by very low-income families paying no more than 30% of adjusted income or with low-income housing tax credit rents; occupied only by low-income families; and subject to long-term affordability commitments).