HR 68119th CongressIn Committee

Housing Fairness Act of 2025

Introduced: Jan 3, 2025

Standard Summary

Comprehensive overview in 1-2 paragraphs

H.R. 68, the Housing Fairness Act of 2025 (also titled the Veterans, Women, Families with Children, Race, and Persons with Disabilities Housing Fairness Act of 2025), would expand and formalize federal efforts to detect and address housing discrimination. Introduced January 3, 2025 by Rep. Green (TX) and referred to the House Committee on Financial Services, the bill would: (a) require HUD to run a nationwide testing program to uncover discriminatory practices in housing and mortgage lending based on protected characteristics (race, color, religion, sex, familial status, disability, or national origin); and (b) increase funding for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) to support private enforcement, education/outreach, and related activities. It also creates a grant program to study discrimination and pilot solutions, and it directs Congress to expect a stronger national education/outreach and fair housing obligations framework. The act emphasizes tester training standards, regular reporting to Congress, and limits on how funds can be used (no political activities). In short, the bill would boost monitoring, enforcement, and research on housing discrimination, with substantial new or expanded funding for testing, private enforcement, outreach, and studies—aimed at making housing markets fairer for veterans, women, families with children, and people with disabilities, among others.

Key Points

1Nationwide testing program to detect and document housing discrimination
2- HUD would conduct testing to identify differences in how people are treated when seeking housing, buying, renting, or obtaining/refinancing a mortgage, based on protected characteristics. It also aims to measure how widespread discriminatory practices are across housing and mortgage markets.
3- HUD would partner with qualified fair housing enforcement organizations to carry out the testing.
4Increased funding for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP)
5- FHIP funding would be set at $42.5 million per year (fiscal years 2024–2028), with at least 75% for private enforcement initiatives, up to 10% for education/outreach, and the remainder for other program activities.
6- The bill expands eligibility to include "private nonprofit fair housing enforcement organizations" and tweaks program authorities to emphasize nonprofit and private efforts.
7Tester training standards and regulation
8- HUD would issue regulations within 180 days establishing minimum training standards for testers and organizations conducting testing. These standards would be used to evaluate tester performance.
9National education and outreach emphasis
10- The bill declares a sense of Congress that HUD should maintain a centralized, national education/outreach program about fair housing rights, and that these education efforts should be funded from FHIP resources. It also calls for regulations to ensure recipients of federal housing funds meet fair housing obligations.
11Grants to study housing discrimination and pilot solutions
12- A new competitive matching grant program would fund public and private nonprofit organizations to study causes and effects of housing discrimination and to pilot solutions. Grants require 50% matching non-federal funds and may involve subcontracting with qualified fair housing enforcement organizations.
13Reporting requirements
14- The Secretary of HUD would report biennially on aggregate testing outcomes and annually on messages received by the Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity hotline, emails, and the website. Reports may be included in broader statutory reporting to Congress.
15Restrictions on fund use
16- Funds from this act cannot be used for political activities, lobbying, or related travel or tax-return advice, in line with nonprofit cost principles.
17Definitions and statutory context
18- The bill uses defined terms for disability status and familial status aligned with the Civil Rights Act of 1968, and it preserves the existing statutory relationship to other housing laws (e.g., not amending criminal law or Truth in Lending Act).

Impact Areas

Primary group/area affected- Renters, homebuyers, and mortgage borrowers who may experience discrimination, including veterans, women, families with children, and persons with disabilities.- Private and nonprofit fair housing enforcement organizations that would receive funding and engage in testing, enforcement, and outreach activities.Secondary group/area affected- Public housing and regulatory agencies working with HUD, as well as private lenders and real estate professionals involved in fair housing enforcement.- Organizations that conduct fair housing research, education, and outreach, especially those capable of applying for FHIP funding and matching-grant support.Additional impacts- Increased data on discrimination through testing could inform enforcement actions and policy debates.- Expanded training standards for testers may affect how testing programs are implemented and evaluated.- The emphasis on education/outreach and AFFH obligations could lead to broader compliance efforts by recipients of federal housing funds and more centralized consumer-facing information about fair housing rights.- Financial impacts include new or expanded federal funding streams (testing program, FHIP, and grants) with specific allocation rules and multi-year authorization (2024–2028).The bill’s stated sponsor is Rep. Green of Texas, and it was introduced in the House and referred to the Committee on Financial Services.The funding levels and program design reflect a shift toward robust testing and private enforcement, complemented by research grants and a stronger education/outreach framework, all while maintaining safeguards against political activity with federal funds.

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