A Biden administration energy-efficiency standards mandate for certain new homes would be repealed under legislation proposed on Aug. 1 by U.S. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN) and several Republican colleagues.
“Hoosiers of all income levels are experiencing difficulty finding affordable housing,” Sen. Young said. “Our bill will repeal a new mandate from the Biden administration that will unnecessarily drive up housing costs even further.”
Sen. Young cosponsored the HOUSE Act, S. 4958, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Mike Braun (R-IN) and seven other original cosponsors, including U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) to repeal a final determination made earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The final determination regards energy-efficiency standards for new construction of HUD- and USDA-financed housing and requires that all new single-family housing construction financed through the agencies meet the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code standards.
Sen. Young cited data from the National Association of Homebuilders showing that the new minimum standards can add as much as $31,000 to the price of a new home, and it will take 90 years for homeowners to realize the energy savings from these regulations.
If enacted, S. 4958 would repeal the final determination and require HUD and USDA to revert to the 2009 standards already in effect, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Young’s staff.
Additionally, S. 4958 would prohibit the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs from implementing a similar mandate for VA mortgages, and would clarify that the Federal Housing Finance Agency has no statutory authority to impose similar mandates.
The bill also would reform the underlying law by prohibiting HUD and USDA from adopting new efficiency mandates unless at least 26 states have already adopted similar standards, the summary says.
The legislation has been referred to the U.S. Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee for consideration.