U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) introduced the Access to Affordable Housing Act to increase the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) by 50% today.
“Making sure that every American has a safe and affordable place to call home is a moral imperative that we must address,” DelBene said in a statement. "To help lift families out of poverty and expand access to affordable housing, we need to increase the low-income housing tax credit. Washington has seen it firsthand. Housing options are not keeping pace with demand, and my legislation would help ensure more families can find stable, affordable housing.”
Reps. Adam Smith and Pramila Jayapal are co-sponsors of DelBene’s bill—all of whom represent Washington’s King County, where housing demand and costs have sky rocketed in recent years. In their state, nearly 400,000 households pay half their income in rent.
Earlier this year, Sens. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 (S. 548), which also seeks to increase the housing credit by 50% as well as make additional changes. The bipartisan bill has 20 co-sponsors.
A House bill (H.R. 1661) by Reps. Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) and Richard Neal (D-Mass.) also seeks to strengthen the LIHTC but does not include the 50% increase sought in the Senate proposal. It has amassed 116 co-sponsors.
DelBene serves on the House Ways and Means Committee, which has jurisdiction over tax issues. She is also a cosponsor of H.R. 1661.
