Volunteer First Responder Housing Act
Housing Benefits for Volunteer First Responders
This bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process and is being reviewed by the House Committee on Financial Services. It is actively moving forward, but no further votes or hearings have been scheduled yet. There is no companion bill mentioned at this time.
Legislative Progress
While supporting first responders is popular in both parties, specific housing bills often struggle to get a vote unless they are part of a much larger spending package.
Key Points
- This bill helps volunteer firefighters and emergency workers buy homes by giving them access to federal programs usually reserved for paid employees. It aims to help small towns keep their volunteers by making it more affordable for them to live in the communities they serve.
- To qualify for these benefits, a volunteer must have served for at least two years. They must also meet their department's minimum requirements or have volunteered for at least 200 hours during each of those years.
- The bill allows volunteers to take an $18,000 deduction from their annual income when applying for Department of Agriculture housing loans. This change helps them qualify for mortgages in rural areas more easily.
- Volunteers would also become eligible for the Good Neighbor Next Door program. This program offers 50 percent discounts on the price of certain homes to help emergency workers and teachers buy houses in specific neighborhoods.
- Qualified volunteers must provide a letter from their employer to prove their service. They must also promise to keep volunteering for at least one year after they buy their new home.
Impact Analysis
Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.
Milestones
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
Introduced in House
The bill was officially filed and given a number. It now enters the legislative queue.
Votes
No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.
News
No related news coverage found for this legislation yet.
Source Information
Document Type
Congressional Bill
Official Title
Volunteer First Responder Housing Act
Data Sources
Sponsor
Analysis generated by AI. Always verify with official sources.