Sec. 2. Findings
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Congress finds the following: As of 2022 in the United States, there was an estimated housing shortage of 3,850,000 homes. This housing supply shortage has resulted in a record number of cost-burdened households across regions and spanning the large and small cities, towns, and coastal and rural communities of the United States. Several factors contribute to the undersupply of housing in the United States, particularly workforce housing, including rising costs of construction, a shortage of labor, supply chain disruptions, and a lack of reliable funding sources.
Regulatory barriers at the State and local levels, such as zoning and land use regulations, also inhibit the creation of new housing to meet local and regional housing needs. State and local governments are proactively exploring solutions for reforming regulatory barriers, but additional resources, data, and models can help adequately address these challenges. While land use regulation is the responsibility of State and local governments, there is Federal support for necessary reforms, and there is an opportunity for the Federal Government to provide support and assistance to State and local governments that wish to undertake necessary reforms in a manner that fits their communities’ needs.
Therefore, zoning ordinances or systems of land use regulation that have the intent or effect of restricting housing opportunities based on economic status or income without interests that are substantial, legitimate, nondiscriminatory and that outweigh the regional need for housing are contrary to the regional and national interest.