Utilizing National Land for Opportunities and Community Key (UNLOCK) Housing Act
The UNLOCK Housing Act would authorize the use of federal lands for affordable housing by adding affordable housing as a recognized public purpose under the Recreation and Public Purposes Act. This broadens the types of land use considered appropriate for public housing development. The bill also creates a Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing, co-led by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of the Interior, charged with identifying underutilized federal land suitable for residential development, streamlining land transfers, promoting policies to expand affordable housing, and assessing the broader costs of not having adequate housing. The Task Force would report annually to Congress and would terminate 10 years after enactment. Overall, the measure seeks to accelerate federal land utilization for affordable housing and improve interagency coordination, with a built-in sunset.
Key Points
- 1Affordable housing as a public purpose: The bill amends the Recreation and Public Purposes Act to explicitly classify the development, operation, and maintenance of affordable housing for primarily extremely low-, very low-, or low-income families as a public purpose under the Act.
- 2Establishment of a Joint Task Force on Federal Land for Housing: Within 30 days of enactment, a task force co-chaired by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of the Interior would be created to oversee federal land-for-housing initiatives.
- 3Tasks of the Joint Task Force: Identify underutilized federal land suitable for residential development; streamline land transfer processes; promote policies to increase affordable housing; and evaluate costs incurred by other federal and state entities due to a lack of affordable housing.
- 4Annual reporting: The Task Force must submit a report to Congress each year detailing its activities and progress.
- 5Sunset provision: The Task Force is terminated 10 years after enactment, meaning the program is designed to be temporary unless reauthorized.