On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of Members of Congress introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to enhance and strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) program. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) of 2025 builds on the success of the Housing Credit, which is a proven public-private partnership that has leveraged private capital to create or preserve more than 4 million affordable homes nationwide. 

Introduced by Reps. Darin LaHood (R-IL) and Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and cosponsored by 117 Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, the AHCIA of 2025 would take several concrete steps to improve the Housing Credit program. It is estimated that the measures in this bill would create or preserve more than 1.6 million affordable homes across the country. 

“The communities we serve— from rural to urban areas — are united by the urgent need to address the high cost of housing,” said Chris Neary, Cinnaire’s SVP for Policy, Research and Advocacy. “To solve the housing affordability crisis, we need to focus on effective, bipartisan solutions like the Housing Credit that will increase the supply of affordable homes. The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act will help the communities we serve meet their housing needs while supporting veterans, seniors, and individuals battling opioid addiction. We are grateful to the many Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle who recognize the need to take bipartisan action on housing through the Housing Credit.”  

Cinnaire extends its gratitude to Members of Congress representing communities in our footprint for cosponsoring the AHCIA, including Reps. LaHood (R-IL), Huizenga (R-MI), Moolenaar (R-MI), Bergman (R-MI), Walberg (R-MI), Dingell (D-MI), Tlaib (D-MI), Thanedar (D-MI), Yakym (R-IN), Houchin (R-IN), Mrvan (D-IN), Moore (D-WI), McBride (D-DE), and several others. 

The AHCIA of 2025 would take several steps to enhance and improve the Housing Credit, including: 

• Increase Housing Credit allocations by restoring the 12.5 percent cap increase that expired in 2021 and further increasing resources by 50 percent to help meet the vast and growing need for affordable housing.
• Allow states to maximize affordable housing production and preservation by lowering the threshold of Private Activity Bond financing — from 50 to 25 percent — required to trigger the maximum amount of 4 Percent Housing Credits available to individual properties.
• Enable the Housing Credit to better serve hard-to-reach communities including rural, Native American, high-poverty, and high-cost communities, as well as extremely low-income and formerly homeless tenants. 
• Streamline and simplify program rules to align the Housing Credit with other affordable housing programs and remove administrative inefficiencies.