“A bill to require a process for the exclusion of certain articles used in home constructions from certain duties, and for other purposes.”
No CRS summary available for this bill.
This section expresses the sense of Congress that the United States faces a severe housing affordability crisis driven by a shortage of 3 million to 5 million housing units, with the median price of a single-family home exceeding five times the median household income; that overcoming the crisis requires significant investment in home construction; and that insufficient domestic production capacity for key building materials (e.g., lumber, cement, electrical and plumbing fixtures) combined with tariffs on such materials will add billions of dollars to construction costs, thereby reducing home construction and increasing costs for buyers and renters.
This section establishes a process by which the Secretary of Commerce must grant requests from U.S. entities or associations to exclude covered articles—products, materials, or inputs used in constructing or furnishing single-family homes or multi-family residential buildings—from covered duties, defined as duties exceeding the rate in effect on January 19, 2025 (excluding antidumping or countervailing duties and duties under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974, 19 U.S.C. 2251). Exclusions are mandatory (1) for critical homebuilding products, identified by specified Harmonized Tariff Schedule headings and subheadings (e.g., 4407.13.00.00 for pine wood sawn lengthwise), or (2) if the Secretary determines the duty would increase home construction costs, as measured by an increase in the BLS Handbook of Methods Appendix 1 to chapter 17 for the covered article, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection can administer the exclusion. The Secretary must adjudicate requests within 15 days for critical homebuilding products and 60 days for others; publish results online within 15 days; and submit quarterly reports to congressional committees explaining all adjudications, including denials. Entries of covered articles made after enactment, after duty imposition, and before exclusion issuance are eligible for retroactive liquidation or reliquidation at the lower duty rate upon request within 180 days of exclusion issuance, with any refunds paid without interest within 90 days.