H.R. 6345

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6345 Introduced in House (IH)]

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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 6345

To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 
Federal guidelines for point-access block buildings, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

December 1, 2025

Mr. Torres of New York (for himself and Mr. Lawler) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial 
Services

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 
Federal guidelines for point-access block buildings, 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 ``Point-Access Housing Guidelines Act 
of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FEDERAL GUIDELINES FOR POINT-ACCESS BLOCK BUILDINGS.

(a) In General.--Not later than 18 months after the date of 
enactment of this section, the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
Development shall issue guidelines to provide States, territories, 
Tribes, and localities with model code language, best practices, and 
technical guidance that could be used to facilitate the permitting of 
point-access block residential buildings.
(b) Contents.--When developing the guidelines under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall consider--
(1) fire safety considerations, including sprinkler 
coverage, smoke detection, ventilation, and building egress 
performance;
(2) construction costs and impacts on housing 
affordability, including the potential for increasing housing 
supply in high-cost jurisdictions;
(3) flexibility for diverse consumer needs, including 
family sizes, unit configurations, and accessibility;
(4) examples from jurisdictions that have adopted or 
considered single-stair codes, including States, cities, and 
relevant international standards;
(5) research and model language produced by organizations 
focused on point-access block building design and building-code 
reform;
(6) consultation with experts, including developers, 
architects, fire marshals, researchers, economists, housing 
authorities, and officials in States that have enacted or 
piloted single-stair reforms; and
(7) alternative methods of compliance, incorporating 
options that utilize additional passive or active safety 
features.
(c) Coordination With the International Code Council.--The 
Secretary shall coordinate with the International Code Council to 
encourage the incorporation of provisions about point-access block 
buildings into the International Building Code.
(d) Grants.--The Secretary may award competitive grants to eligible 
entities to implement pilot projects that evaluate, demonstrate, or 
validate the safety, feasibility, or cost-effectiveness of point-access 
block residential buildings.
(e) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be construed 
to preempt a State or local building code.
(f) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Point-access block building.--The term ``point-access 
block building'' means a Group R-2 occupancy residential 
structure, as such term is defined by the International 
Building Code, in which a single internal stairway provides 
access and egress for all dwelling units in a building that is 
not greater than five stories in height.
(2) Eligible entities.--The term ``eligible entity'' means 
a State, unit of local government, Tribal government, public 
housing agency, nonprofit housing or community development 
organization, private developer or construction firm, qualified 
design or engineering firm, academic or research institution, 
or any partnership or consortium composed of 2 or more such 
entities.
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