H.R. 2840

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2840 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2840

To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, to 
publish guidelines and best practices for State zoning and local zoning 
frameworks, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

April 10, 2025

Mr. Flood (for himself and Ms. Pettersen) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, acting 
through the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, to 
publish guidelines and best practices for State zoning and local zoning 
frameworks, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Housing Supply Frameworks Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the followings:
(1) As of 2022 in the United States, there was an estimated 
housing shortage of 3,850,000 homes. This housing supply 
shortage has resulted in a record number of cost-burdened 
households across regions and spanning the large and small 
cities, towns, and coastal and rural communities of the United 
States.
(2) Several factors contribute to the undersupply of 
housing in the United States, particularly workforce housing, 
including rising costs of construction, a shortage of labor, 
supply chain disruptions, and a lack of reliable funding 
sources.
(3) Regulatory barriers at the State and local levels, such 
as zoning and land use regulations, also inhibit the creation 
of new housing to meet local and regional housing needs.
(4) State and local governments are proactively exploring 
solutions for reforming regulatory barriers, but additional 
resources, data, and models can help adequately address these 
challenges.
(5) While land use regulation is the responsibility of 
State and local governments, there is Federal support for 
necessary reforms, and there is an opportunity for the Federal 
Government to provide support and assistance to State and local 
governments that wish to undertake necessary reforms in a 
manner that fits their communities' needs.
(6) Therefore, zoning ordinances or systems of land use 
regulation that have the intent or effect of restricting 
housing opportunities based on economic status or income 
without interests that are substantial, legitimate, 
nondiscriminatory and that outweigh the regional need for 
housing are contrary to the regional and national interest.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

In this Act:
(1) Affordable housing.--The term ``affordable housing'' 
means housing in which the occupant is paying no more than 30 
percent of gross income for housing costs.
(2) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
means the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and 
Research of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(3) Framework-related terms.--
(A) Local zoning framework.--The term ``local 
zoning framework'' means the local zoning codes and 
other ordinances, procedures, and policies governing 
zoning and land-use at the local level.
(B) State zoning framework.--The term ``State 
zoning framework'' means the State legislation or State 
agency and department procedures, or such legislation 
or procedures in an insular area of the United States, 
enabling local planning and zoning authorities and 
establishing and guiding related policies and programs.
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
of Housing and Urban Development.

SEC. 4. GUIDELINES ON STATE AND LOCAL ZONING FRAMEWORKS.

(a) Establishment.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Assistant Secretary shall publish 
documents outlining guidelines and best practices to support production 
of adequate housing to meet the needs of communities and provide 
housing opportunities for individuals at every income level across 
communities with respect to--
(1) State zoning frameworks; and
(2) local zoning frameworks.
(b) Consultation; Public Comment.--During the 2 year period 
beginning on the date of enactment of this section, in developing the 
guidelines and best practices required under the previous subsection, 
the Assistant Secretary shall--
(1) publish draft guidelines in the Federal Register for 
public comment; and
(2) establish a task force for the purpose of providing 
consultation to draft guidelines published under the previous 
clause, the members of which shall include--
(A) planners and architects;
(B) advocates with experience in affordable 
housing, community development efforts, and fair 
housing;
(C) housing developers, including affordable and 
market-rate housing developers, manufactured housing 
developers, and other business interests;
(D) community engagement experts and community 
members impacted by zoning decisions;
(E) public housing authorities and transit 
authorities;
(F) members of local zoning and planning boards and 
local and regional transportation planning 
organizations;
(G) State officials responsible for housing or land 
use, including members of State zoning boards of 
appeals;
(H) academic researchers; and
(I) home builders.
(c) Contents.--The guidelines and best practices required under 
subsection (a) shall--
(1) with respect to State zoning frameworks, outline 
potential models for updated State enabling legislation or 
State agency and department procedures;
(2) include recommendations regarding--
(A) the reduction or elimination of parking 
minimums;
(B) the increase in maximum floor area ratio 
requirements and maximum building heights and the 
reduction in minimum lot sizes and set-back 
requirements;
(C) the elimination of restrictions against 
accessory dwelling units;
(D) increasing by-right uses, including duplex, 
triplex, or quadplex buildings, across cities or 
metropolitan areas, including mechanisms, such as 
proximity to transit, to determine the jurisdictional 
level for rezoning and ensures development that does 
not disproportionately burden residents of economically 
distressed areas;
(E) review of by-right development proposals to 
streamline review and reduce uncertainty, including--
(i) nondiscretionary, ministerial review; 
and
(ii) entitlement and design review 
processes;
(F) the reduction of obstacles to a range of 
housing types at all levels of affordability, including 
manufactured and modular housing;
(G) State model zoning regulations for directing 
local reforms, including mechanisms to encourage 
adoption;
(H) provisions to encourage transit-oriented 
development, including increased permissible units per 
structure and reduced minimum lot sizes near existing 
or planned public transit stations;
(I) potential reforms to the public engagement 
process, including--
(i) meaningful access for persons with 
limited English proficiency and effective 
communication improvements for persons with 
disabilities;
(ii) leveraging of virtual meeting 
technologies; and
(iii) proactive outreach in communities;
(J) reforms to protest petition statutes;
(K) the standardization, reduction, or elimination 
of impact fees;
(L) cost effective and appropriate building codes;
(M) models for community benefit agreements;
(N) mechanisms to preserve affordability, limit 
disruption of low-income communities, and prevent 
displacement of existing residents;
(O) with respect to State zoning frameworks, a 
model for a State zoning appeals process, which would--
(i) create a process for developers or 
builders requesting a variance, conditional 
use, or zoning district change or otherwise 
petitioning a local zoning or planning board 
for a project including a State-defined amount 
of affordable housing to appeal a rejection to 
a State body or regional body empowered by the 
State;
(ii) establish qualifications for 
communities to be exempted from the appeals 
process based on their available stock of 
affordable housing; and
(iii) establish a State zoning appeals 
board to consider appeals to a variance 
rejection and objectively evaluate petitions 
based on the potential for environmental damage 
and infrastructural capacity;
(P) with respect to State zoning frameworks, best 
practices on the disposition of land owned by State 
governments for affordable housing development;
(Q) with respect to local zoning frameworks--
(i) the simplification and standardization 
of existing zoning codes;
(ii) maximum review timelines;
(iii) differentiations between best 
practices for rural, suburban, and urban 
communities, and communities with different 
levels of density or population distribution; 
and
(iv) best practices for the disposition of 
land owned by local governments; and
(R) other land use measures that promote access to 
new housing opportunities identified by the Secretary; 
and
(3) consider--
(A) local housing needs, including ways to set and 
measure housing goals and targets;
(B) a range of affordability for rental units, with 
a prioritization of units attainable to extremely low-
income, low-income, and moderate income residents;
(C) a range of affordability for homeownership 
units attainable to low-income and moderate-income 
residents;
(D) with respect to State zoning frameworks, 
distinctions between States providing constitutional or 
statutory home rule authority to municipalities and 
States operating under the Dillon rule, as articulated 
in Hunter v. Pittsburgh (207 U.S. 161 (1907));
(E) accountability measures;
(F) the long-term cost to residents and businesses 
if more housing is not constructed;
(G) barriers to individuals seeking to access 
affordable housing in growing communities and 
communities with economic opportunity;
(H) consistency with respect to fair housing and 
civil rights requirements;
(I) effects of adopting any recommendations on 
eligibility for Federal discretionary grants under the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development, the 
Department of Transportation, and the Department of 
Agriculture, and tax credits for the purpose of housing 
or community development;
(J) coordination between infrastructure investments 
and housing planning;
(K) with respect to State zoning frameworks, 
statewide mechanisms to preserve existing affordability 
over the long term, including support for land banks 
and community land trusts;
(L) with respect to State zoning frameworks, 
guidance to States on collecting and maintaining 
proactive data on the current rental housing market and 
rental registries;
(M) public comments described in subsection (b)(1); 
and
(N) other considerations as identified by the 
Secretary.

SEC. 5. REPORTING.

Not later than 5 years after the date on which the Assistant 
Secretary publishes the guidelines and best practices for State and 
local zoning frameworks, the Assistant Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report describing--
(1) the States that have adopted recommendations from the 
guidelines and best practices, pursuant to section 4 of this 
Act;
(2) a summary of the localities that have adopted 
recommendations from the guidelines and best practices, 
pursuant to Section 4 of this Act;
(3) a list of States that adopted a State zoning framework;
(4) a summary of the modifications that each State has made 
in their State zoning framework; and
(5) a general summary of the types of updates localities 
have made to their local zoning framework.

SEC. 6. ABOLISHMENT OF REGULATORY BARRIERS CLEARINGHOUSE.

(a) In General.--The Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse established 
pursuant to section 1205 of the Housing and Community Development Act 
of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705d) is abolished.
(b) Repeal.--Section 1205 of the Housing and Community Development 
Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705d) is repealed.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Housing 
and Urban Development to carry out this Act $3,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2026 through 2030.
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