A bipartisan housing legislative package passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Feb. 9 that includes key provisions from a bipartisan rural housing bill introduced by U.S. Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA).
“I made sure rural housing reform was front and center in this package,” Rep. Nunn said. “My bill updates outdated rural housing programs so a young couple in Creston can buy their first home, and seniors in Osceola can stay in the communities they’ve built their lives in.”
The House-approved Housing for the 21st Century Act, H.R. 6644, includes provisions from Rep. Nunn’s Rural Housing Service Reform Act of 2025, H.R. 4957, which he sponsored on Aug. 12, 2025 with U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO) to reform rural housing programs.
H.R. 4957 proposes to modernize these programs by improving accountability and eliminating delays that prevent rural families, senior citizens, and workers from repairing their homes or buying their first house, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Nunn.
Provisions in H.R. 4957 include the creation of a permanent program to preserve federally financed, affordable rental housing by enabling nonprofits to acquire properties and keep rental assistance after loans mature; modernizing federal technology and staffing to speed up applications, improve oversight, and prevent fraud in the system; and expand home repair grants and financing to help rural families maintain and grow their homes.
The bill also would support rural childcare by allowing loan guarantees for homes with in-home daycare facilities, and would require annual reporting and Government Accountability Office audits to ensure transparency and protect taxpayer investments, the summary says.
“Homeownership is at the heart of the American dream, and I hear from Iowans every day who are working hard but still feel that dream is slipping further out of reach,” said Rep. Nunn. “This is the most significant housing package Congress has passed in decades. It cuts through broken bureaucracy, brings housing policy into the 21st century, and helps put homeownership back within reach for Iowa families.”
The larger package now awaits consideration in the U.S. Senate.