Congress·In Committee·H.R. 4659

Congress would tie some HUD grants to 5-year plans tracking zoning and permitting changes to boost housing supply

Identifying Regulatory Barriers to Housing Supply Act

8 months ago·View on Congress.gov

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Stalled

No legislative action in over 90 days.

Legislative Progress

House

Senate

President

Law

Key Points

Congress would require many cities and counties that get certain housing and community grants to file a housing land-use plan at least once every 5 years.
The plan must say whether the area has adopted certain pro-housing changes (like allowing duplexes, accessory units, or more apartments) and, if not, how it plans to do them and why they would help.
It lists many zoning and permitting changes to track, including faster permits, less required parking, smaller lot sizes, taller buildings, and converting offices into apartments.
Local governments would still choose their own rules; the plan is mainly a reporting and planning requirement tied to getting grant money, not a direct zoning mandate.
The bill says HUD can’t use the information in these plans as the basis for enforcement action, and the plan doesn’t control how the grant money is spent.

HousingInfrastructureEconomy

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

How this policy affects specific groups of people

Mixed Impacts(9)

Housing Assistance

Neutral

Renter

Neutral

Homeowner

Neutral

Retiree

Neutral

Small Business Owner

Neutral

Gig Worker

Neutral

Union Member

Neutral

Disability Benefits

Neutral

Federal Employee

Neutral

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Jul 23, 2025House

Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.

Jul 23, 2025

Introduced in House

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

Soon after the bill becomes law

HUD starts writing rules and a standardized plan form for grantees

Cities and counties won’t have the official template yet, but this is when the paperwork requirements begin to take shape.

1 year after the Act is enacted

New reporting requirement begins for certain CDBG grantees (1 year after enactment)

To receive covered CDBG grants in a fiscal year, recipients must have submitted a plan within the prior 5 years describing which housing-supply policies they’ve adopted and which they plan to adopt.

Leading up to the first grant cycle after the requirement takes effect

States and local governments prepare or update their first plan to stay eligible for covered grants

Residents may see local planning meetings and debates about zoning options like ADUs, duplexes, parking rules, and faster permitting—even if no rule changes happen right away.

After many jurisdictions submit plans using HUD’s standardized format

First round of submitted plans becomes public and comparable across places

Renters, homeowners, builders, and local advocates can more easily compare whether their community is choosing policies that allow more housing or keeping stricter rules.

At least once each 5-year period after a plan is filed

Every 5 years, recipients refresh the plan to keep it current

Housing rule changes (or lack of changes) get re-documented regularly, keeping ongoing pressure on local governments to explain their choices.