BUILD Housing Act
- Bill Number
- S. 2391
- Origin Chamber
- Senate
- Congress
- 119th Congress, Session 1
- Policy Area
- Housing and Community Development
- Status
- Introduced
- Latest Action
- 2025-07-23: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- Last Updated
- 2025-12-05T22:03:30Z
AI-Generated Summary
Summary of S. 2391: BUILD Housing Act
Purpose
This bill aims to streamline environmental reviews for certain housing assistance programs administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). It allows HUD to treat some assistance as "special project" funds, enabling states, local governments, and Indian Tribes to assume responsibility for environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). NEPA is a law that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental effects of their actions before making decisions.
Key Provisions
- Designation of Environmental Review Procedure (New Section 13 in the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act):
- HUD's Secretary can classify certain assistance programs as "special project" funds for NEPA compliance and related environmental laws.
- This allows for faster decision-making and actions on housing projects.
- Exception: This does not apply to assistance where environmental review procedures are already specified by other laws.
- Tribal Assumption of Environmental Review Obligations (Amendments to Section 305(c) of the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of 1994):
- Expands eligibility to include Indian Tribes (federally recognized tribes) alongside states and local governments to take over HUD's environmental review responsibilities.
- Tribes can certify their own review processes if they meet federal standards, potentially speeding up project approvals.
- Defines "Indian Tribe" by referencing the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act.
Significant Changes to Existing Law
- Introduces a new mechanism in the HUD Act to broadly apply the "special project" designation from the 1994 Reform Act to various HUD assistance programs, which previously was limited to multifamily housing dispositions.
- Adds Indian Tribes to the list of entities eligible to assume environmental reviews, promoting tribal self-determination in housing projects—a change not previously explicit in the 1994 Act.
- These amendments reduce federal-level reviews for qualifying projects, shifting more responsibility to non-federal entities.
Potential Impacts
- On Government Agencies: HUD may experience reduced administrative burdens and faster project timelines, allowing focus on other priorities. Local and tribal governments gain more control over reviews, potentially improving efficiency but requiring them to build capacity for compliance.
- On Citizens: Could accelerate affordable housing development, benefiting low-income communities by shortening delays in project approvals. However, it might raise concerns about consistent environmental protections if local reviews vary in rigor.
- On International Relations: No direct impacts, as the bill focuses on domestic housing and environmental processes.
Main Stakeholders Affected
- HUD and Federal Government: Primary administrator, with streamlined processes but retained oversight for exceptions.
- States, Local Governments, and Indian Tribes: Empowered to handle environmental reviews, affecting their role in housing development and tribal sovereignty.
- Housing Developers and Recipients: Including nonprofits, for-profit entities, and tribal housing authorities, who may see quicker access to funding and project starts.
- Environmental and Community Groups: Potentially influenced by shifts in review authority, which could affect public input on local projects.
Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications
- Legal: Enhances flexibility under NEPA by leveraging existing "special project" provisions, but maintains federal standards to ensure compliance and avoid lawsuits over inadequate reviews. The tribal inclusion aligns with federal trust responsibilities to tribes.
- Constitutional: Supports principles of federalism by delegating authority to states and locals, and tribal self-governance under treaties and laws like the Indian Self-Determination Act, without altering core constitutional balances.
- Political: Promotes bipartisan goals of efficient housing development (introduced by Sens. Kim and Rounds), but could spark debate on environmental safeguards versus development speed, especially in tribal contexts where sovereignty is a sensitive issue.
This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.
Sponsor
Cosponsors (3)
Sen. Rounds, Mike [R-SD], Sen. Cortez Masto, Catherine [D-NV], Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
Recent Actions
- 2025-07-23: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- 2025-07-23: Introduced in Senate
Bill Versions
- Better Use of Intergovernmental and Local Development for Housing Act — issued 2025-07-23 — PDF (3 pages)