Looking for housing relief? Dont count on Congress.
The 115th Congress introduced just 115 housing-related bills in the last two years — and none passed, according to a new study by Apartment List.
Although state and local laws dictate most development and rental policies, Californias growing affordability crisis has not spurred members of Congress into action. “The 115th Congress is roughly batting zero for 115,” said Apartment List chief economist Igor Popov.
Just one state representative — Oakland Democrat Barbara Lee — ranked among the top 25 members sponsoring housing bills. Democratic Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris also proposed reform measures.
Housing has taken center stage in the state capital and in city halls throughout the state as officials grapple with a shortage of affordable homes, skyrocketing prices, growing traffic and a myriad of proposed solutions. In November, California voters will consider ballot measures to loosen restrictions on citys ability to impose rent control, and on a $4 billion bond package aimed at creating housing for military veterans and low-income residents. Not to mention dozens of local measures.
New state laws already have given developers more leverage over local officials to build affordable housing.
Federal agencies regulate mortgages, subsidize low-income housing, provide targeted development funds and enforce fair housing laws, among other responsibilities.
Apartment List reviewed 10,200 bills submitted by congressional members since January 2017. The proposals included policies covering apartments, home financing and ownership. The study did not consider revenue bills, such as tax reforms that passed last year, Popov said.
Those tax cuts changed the equation for homeowners in high cost, high tax states like California and New York. Mortgage interest rate deductions on new loans were capped at $750,000, and state and local property tax deductions were cut to $10,000. Taxpayers got a boost in the standard deduction, with married couples receiving a $24,000 exemption.
The Apartment List study considered sponsored and co-sponsored bills, mentions of housing policy made by members of Congress during floor speeches, and the amount of material on congressional websites.
About 70 percent of housing bills came from members of three congressional groups — the Black Caucus, Hispanic Caucus and the Asian Pacific American Caucus. The study found housing affordability in a district did not always correlate with a members interest in the issue.
Oaklands Lee led the local delegation on housing issues, sponsoring two housing-related bills and co-sponsoring four others. Lee gave 11 speeches addressing affordable housing on the floor of the House, according to Apartment List. Democrat Maxine Waters of Los Angles was the most active member, sponsoring six bills, co-sponsoring another three and delivering a dozen speeches on housing.
Local representatives, including Ro Khanna, D-Santa Clara, and Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, recently have addressed the housing crisis in district meetings with advocates and industry insiders.
“I dont want to live in the Silicon Valley that only has Facebook or Google engineers able to live here,” Khanna said in a March speech to housing advocates, policy experts and politicians in Santa Clara. He called for HUD and other agencies to support development around rail and bus lines.
And last week, Lofgren told members of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors that housing and traffic were among the top concerns of her constituents. The federal government, which supports financing of mortgages and affordable housing, has “dropped the ball” on promoting housing development. she said.
“We have a big problem. Its not entirely a federal problem, obviously,” Lofgren said. “State and localities, as well as the private sector, have a role to play. We are way behind on what we need to build.”
Lofgren opposed the Republican tax bill, saying it hurt coastal states with high costs of living. The issues need to be addressed for younger generations, she said. “Where are our sons and daughters going to live?”
Louis Hansen writes for the San Jose Mercury News, a division of the Bay Area News Group and a sister paper to the Southern California News Group.
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