,i #aahth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cifc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,june #i1 #bjbc,mr4 ,evans 7for himself and ,mr4 ,fitzpatrick7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,ways and ,means ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf to improve the low-income housing credit4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,visitable ,inclusive ,tax ,credits for ,accessible ,living 7,,vital7 ,act4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purposes of this ,act are to-- 7#a7 increase low-income housing tax credits to increase the stock of disability-accessible and affordable housing2 7#b7 ensure that ,states are using the ,federal tax credits to construct housing that will meet the needs of an aging population and currently underserved populations such as households with people with disabilities2 7#c7 encourage ,states to make sure older adults and underserved populations are integrated into their community and can fully participate in society2 and 7#d7 increase technical assistance1 awareness1 knowledge1 and understanding of the low-income housing credit program and the housing needs of older adults and people with disabilities4 #c4 ,findings ,congress makes the following findings3 7#a7 ,by #bjcj1 #a in every #e ,americans will be over age #fe1 and currently1 #b in #e adults over age #fe have a disability4 ,as people age1 they need structurally safe and functional housing that accommodates people with disabilities4 7#b7 ,approximately #bf percent of people in the ,united ,states have a disability1 yet less than #f percent of the national housing supply is designed to be even rudimentarily accessible4 7#c7 ,an accessible home offers specific features or technologies such as lowered kitchen counters and sinks1 widened doorways1 and zero-step showers4 7#d7 ,a lack of affordable and accessible housing can relegate people with disabilities to living in institutional settings when they would prefer to live in a community setting4 7#e7 ,older adults and people with disabilities prefer to remain in their homes for as long as possible4 ,more than #hi percent of adults age #fe and over hope to stay in their homes as they age4 7#f7 ,older adults and people with disabilities must be able to run errands1 work1 visit family and friends1 and keep doctor appointments1 while not always being able to drive4 ,accessible and affordable public transit options and walkable and roll-able neighborhoods allow older adults to remain independent and active in their communities4 7#g7 ,many older adults and people with disabilities are experiencing an affordability crisis4 ,approximately #d1hjj1jjj non-institutionalized people with disabilities who depend on ,federal monthly ,supplemental ,security ,income have incomes averaging only about #i1aef per year1 low enough to be priced out of every rental housing market in the nation4 #d4 ,increases in ,state allocations 7a7 ,in general ,clause 7ii7 of section #db7;h77#c77;,c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7#a7 by striking #a4ge in subclause 7,i7 and inserting #d4dg1 and 7#b7 by striking #b1jjj1jjj in subclause 7,,ii7 and inserting #e1aed1ife 4 7b7 ,cost-of-,living adjustment ,subparagraph 7,h7 of section #db7;h77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended-- 7#a7 by striking #bjjb in clause 7i7 and inserting #bjbc1 7#b7 by striking the #b1jjj1jjj and #a4ge amounts in subparagraph 7,c7 in clause 7i7 and inserting the #e1aed1ife and #d4dg amounts in subparagraph 7,c71 7#c7 by striking #bjja in clause 7i77,,ii7 and inserting #bjbb1 7#d7 by striking #b1jjj1jjj amount in clause 7ii77,i7 and inserting #e1aed1ife1 and 7#e7 by striking #a4ge amount in clause 7ii77,,ii7 and inserting #d4dg4 7c7 ,effective date ,the amendments made by this section shall apply to calendar years beginning after ,december #ca1 #bjbc4 #e4 ,tax-exempt bond financing requirement 7a7 ,in general ,subparagraph 7,b7 of section #db7;h77#d7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by adding at the end the following3 ,in the case of buildings financed by an obligation first taken into account under section #adf in calendar years beginning after #bjbc1 the preceding sentence shall be applied by substituting #be percent for #ej percent44 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by this section shall apply to buildings placed in service in taxable years beginning after ,december #ca1 #bjbc4 #f4 ,increase in credit for projects designated to serve households with people with disabilities 7a7 ,in general ,paragraph 7#e7 of section #db7;d7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,c7 ,increase in credit for projects designated to serve households with people with disabilities 7i7 ,in general ,in the case of any building-- 7,i7 #ej percent or more of the low-income units in the building are units designated by the taxpayer to meet the applicable design standards for occupancy by persons with mental1 physical1 sensory1 or developmental disabilities1 7,,ii7 which is located in a census block group designated by the ,environmental ,protection ,agency as being-- 7aa7 above average or better in terms of walkability1 or 7bb7 adjacent to #b or more census tracts described in item 7aa71 and 7,,iii7 which is designated by the housing credit agency as requiring the increase in credit under this subparagraph in order for such building to be financially feasible as part of a qualified low-income housing project1 subparagraph 7,b7 shall not apply to the portion of such building which is comprised of such units1 and the eligible basis of such portion of the building shall be #acj percent of such basis determined without regard to this subparagraph4 7ii7 ,design standards ,for purposes of clause 7i77,i71 the term applicable design standards means the principles and standards of adaptable design as detailed in the ,uniform ,federal ,accessibility ,standards1 or any successor standard designated by the ,secretary4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by this section shall apply to buildings which receive allocations of housing credit dollar amount or1 in the case of projects financed by tax-exempt obligations as described in section #db7;h77#d7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf1 which are first taken into account under section #adf of such ,code1 after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #g4 ,requirement for projects designated to serve households with people with disabilities 7a7 ,in general ,paragraph 7#a7 of section #db7m7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph3 7,e7 ,projects designated to serve households with people with disabilities 7i7 ,in general ,the qualified allocation plan shall ensure that1 with respect to any #c-year period1 the applicable percentage is not less than #dj percent4 7ii7 ,applicable percentage ,for purposes of this subparagraph1 the applicable percentage is the ratio 7expressed as a percentage7 of-- 7,i7 the number of low-income units in all projects receiving an allocation of the housing credit dollar amount during such period which meet the requirements of subclause 7,i7 of subsection 7d77#e77;,c77i71 to 7,,ii7 the aggregate number of all low-income units in all projects receiving an allocation of the housing credit dollar amount during such period4 7iii7 ,special rule ,for purposes of clause 7ii77,i71 any low-income unit which is part of a project which meets the requirements of both subclause 7,i7 and subclause 7,,ii7 of subsection 7d77#e77;,c77i7 shall be counted twice4 4 7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment made by this section shall apply to buildings which receive allocations of housing credit dollar amount or1 in the case of projects financed by tax-exempt obligations as described in section #db7;h77#d7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf1 which are first taken into account under section #adf of such ,code1 after the date of the enactment of this ,act4 #h4 ,resource ,centers for the ,low-,income ,housing ,tax ,credit ,program 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,center ,the term ,center means a ,resource ,center established under subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,program ,the term ,program means a program established for allocating amount under section #db7;h7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7b7 ,establishment ,each ,state housing finance agency shall establish and operate a ,resource ,center for the ,low-,income ,housing ,tax ,credit ,program to support new applicants and recipients for the ,program in the ,state by-- 7#a7 providing potential applicants and recipients with information and technical assistance to effectively prepare and submit a ,program application2 7#b7 ensuring that all interested and eligible entities have the tools to apply for the ,program2 7#c7 prioritizing providing assistance to nonprofit and first-time developers applying for the ,program2 7#d7 identifying potential barriers to preparing and submitting a successful application for the ,program2 and 7#e7 proposing streamlined solutions to those barriers that the ,state and each locality within the ,state can adopt4 7c7 ,operating standards and reporting requirements ,each ,state housing finance agency shall develop and issue operating standards and reporting requirements for the ,center established by the agency4 7d7 ,set aside ,there is authorized to be appropriated #h1bej1jjj for fiscal year #bjbd and each fiscal year thereafter to carry out this section1 of which #aej1jjj shall be allocated each fiscal year to each ,state housing finance agency located in-- 7#a7 a ,state of the ,united ,states2 7#b7 the ,district of ,columbia2 or 7#c7 a territory of the ,united ,states4 #i4 ,national low-income housing tax credit advisory council 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,council ,the term ,council means the ,national ,low-,income ,housing ,tax ,credit ,advisory ,council established under subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,covered property ,the term covered property means a building receiving an allocation of credit under section #db of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7b7 ,establishment ,there is established a ,national ,low-,income ,housing ,tax ,credit ,advisory ,council4 7c7 ,membership 7#a7 ,selection2 chair ,the ,council shall be comprised of members selected by a designee jointly selected by the ,secretary of ,housing and ,urban ,development and the ,secretary of the ,treasury1 who shall serve as chair of the ,council4 7#b7 ,members ,the ,council shall be composed of not less than #a representative from each of the following groups3 7,a7 ,community-based organizations that support individuals with disabilities living in covered properties4 7,b7 ,community-based organizations that support older adults living in covered properties4 7,c7 ,community-based organizations that support veterans living in covered properties4 7,d7 ,community-based organizations that support families and children living in covered properties4 7,e7 ,a multi-,state not-for-profit housing developer4 7,f7 ,a multi-,state for-profit housing developer4 7,g7 ,investors or syndicators of funds to which credits allocated under section #db of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf are sold4 7,h7 ,the research community4 7,i7 ,state housing finance agencies4 7#c7 ,qualifications ,the members of the ,council shall-- 7,a7 have a lived experience as part of the group they represent2 and 7,b7 represent a diversity of-- 7i7 educational and professional backgrounds2 7ii7 racial1 ethnic1 gender1 and linguistic identities2 7iii7 disabilities1 including intellectual disabilities2 7iv7 ages2 and 7v7 geographic locations4 7#d7 ,duration ,each member of the ,council shall be appointed for a period of #c years and may be re-appointed for an additional term4 7d7 ,duties ,the ,council shall provide best practice recommendations and resources to ,state housing finance agencies1 developers1 investors1 and consumers related to national trends in the development of affordable housing under section #db of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf4 7e7 ,report 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,council shall submit to each ,state housing finance agency and the ,secretary of ,housing and ,urban ,development a report1 which shall be submitted not less frequently than once every #c years1 with final recommendations on best practices to-- 7,a7 fulfill the mission of the credits allocated under section #db of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf2 7,b7 serve the needs of individuals with disabilities and older adults2 and 7,c7 study the effects of factors such as zoning1 land use requirements1 location1 and cost of affordable housing developments4 7#b7 ,public availability ,upon receiving a report submitted under paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary of ,housing and ,urban ,development shall make the report available to the public4 7f7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated #ae1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbd and each fiscal year thereafter to carry out this section1 which amounts shall be provided to the ,council to cover the costs of travel and the necessary operations of the ,council4