Bill · H.R. 1981· House(119-HR-1981)
Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 3/10/2025
- Last activity
- 3/10/2025 — Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- Sponsored by
- Emanuel Cleaver
- Cosponsors
- - 4 - 4
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Choice in Affordable Housing Act of 2025 aims to increase the number of landlords participating in the Housing Choice Voucher program. It proposes one-time incentive payments to owners of eligible units located in low-poverty areas. The bill also provides for assistance with security deposit payments for tenants and bonus payments for public housing agencies that employ dedicated landlord liaisons. A new fund, the Herschel Lashkowitz Housing Partnership Fund, is established to finance these initiatives. Additionally, the bill seeks to streamline housing quality inspections and implement small area fair market rents.
Yes· 3 of 7
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+7
The bill provides security deposit assistance and increases housing choices for low-income families.
Does this make housing cost less?+7
The bill provides incentives for landlords and security deposit assistance to increase housing opportunities and stability.
Would business owners be better off under this?+5
Landlords can receive one-time incentive payments for participating in the program.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
-
Increased Housing Opportunities in Low-Poverty Areas: Landlords owning units in census tracts with a poverty rate of less than 20 percent can receive one-time incentive payments of up to 200 percent of the monthly housing assistance payment to encourage participation (Section 5(a)).
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Financial Assistance for Tenants: Public housing agencies can receive assistance to pay all or a substantial portion of a security deposit on behalf of a tenant (Section 5(b)).
-
Improved Landlord Support: Public housing agencies can receive bonus payments to employ dedicated landlord liaisons to handle outreach, recruitment, training, and question resolution (Section 5(c)).
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Streamlined Inspection Processes: Certain housing programs, such as those financed by the low-income housing tax credit or the HOME investment partnerships program, can satisfy inspection requirements through existing successful inspections, reducing administrative burdens (Section 6(a)).
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Greater Flexibility for New Landlords: New landlords can request an early inspection of a dwelling unit to determine if it meets quality standards before a tenant is selected (Section 6(b)).
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More Accurate Rental Standards: The Secretary will designate metropolitan areas to use small area fair market rent based on specific ZIP Codes, and existing higher payment standards will be protected for families currently receiving assistance (Section 7(a)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
-
Lease Commitments for Landlords: To receive a one-time incentive payment, a public housing agency may require a landlord to commit to leasing the unit to assisted tenants for more than one year (Section 5(a)).
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Limits on Incentive Payments: An owner of an eligible unit is restricted to receiving no more than one incentive payment, regardless of how many eligible units they own or how many agencies they work with (Section 5(a)).
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Tenant Responsibility for Damages: Owners of dwelling units may deduct money from the security deposit payment to cover damages caused by a tenant, household member, or guest that exceed normal wear and tear (Section 5(b)).
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Potential Payment Standard Decreases: While a "hold harmless" provision exists for current families in their current units, the move toward small area fair market rents is a change to the existing system (Section 7(a)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+7Good For Business Owners+5Good For Children+4Good For People With Disabilities+3
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Affordable Housing+7Improves Poverty Reduction+5Reduces Homelessness+5
- 8/10/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 9/9/2025
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- 3/10/2025
- Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Sean CastenDemocrat · Illinois
Juan CiscomaniRepublican · Arizona
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Lance GoodenRepublican · Texas
John LarsonDemocrat · Connecticut
Stephen LynchDemocrat · Massachusetts
Michael LawlerRepublican · New York
Debbie Wasserman SchultzDemocrat · Florida