call to action: urge congressional leadership to include affordable housing tax credit provisions in upcoming tax legislation

Congress is continuing tax bill negotiations in the new year and racing towards a resolution before a January 19th funding deadline. Among these negotiations are crucial advancements to the Affordable Housing Tax Credit that would expand and strengthen the nation’s most important tool for developing and preserving affordable housing. Now is a critical time to encourage Congress to support housing affordability and ask tax committee leadership to include provisions from the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) in upcoming tax legislation. These important negotiations could be decided in the next few days and may be the last tax bill considered by Congress until 2025.

The AHCIA is expected to finance 1.94 million additional affordable homes across the country, supporting 3 million jobs and $333 billion in wages and business income. Key provisions of the bill include:

Increasing the amount of 9 percent federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit available for allocation;
Maximizing affordable housing production by reducing the 50 percent financed by Private Activity Bond threshold; and
Improving service to hard-to-reach populations including rural, Native American, and high-poverty communities.

The inclusion of AHCIA provisions in upcoming legislation would be a transformational win for improving housing affordability across Colorado.

AHCIA supporters in both parties have been pressing congressional leadership to include Affordable Housing Tax Credit improvements in the tax bill. Co-sponsors Darin LaHood (IL-16) and Suzan DelBene (WA-1) authored an op-ed in The Hill urging Congress to prioritize affordable housing. Co-sponsors have also written a letter to House leadership highlighting the bill’s bipartisan support.

With decision-making imminent, CHFA encourages advocates to contact their representatives and ask for their support of AHCIA provisions in the upcoming tax bill.

Below is a list of the Colorado Congressional members and their contact information. Please also thank AHCIA co-sponsors: U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper, U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (CO-2), U.S. Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-7), and U.S. Representative Yadira Caraveo (CO-8), and urge current co-sponsors to encourage leadership and tax committee chairs to advance AHCIA provisions.

Senator Michael Bennet
202.224.5852
https://www.bennet.senate.gov/contact

Senator John Hickenlooper
202.224.5941
https://www.hickenlooper.senate.gov/contact

Representative Diana DeGette (CO-1)
202.225.4431
https://degette.house.gov/contact

Representative Joe Neguse (CO-2)
202.225.2161
https://neguse.house.gov/contact

Representative Lauren Boebert (CO-3)
202.225.4761
https://boebertforms.house.gov/contact

Representative Ken Buck (CO-4)
202.225.4676
https://buck.house.gov/contact

Representative Doug Lamborn (CO-5)
202.225.4422
https://lamborn.house.gov/contact

Representative Jason Crow (CO-6)
202.225.7882
https://crow.house.gov/contact/email-me

Representative Brittany Pettersen (CO-7)
202.225.2645
https://pettersen.house.gov/contact

Representative Yadira Caraveo (CO-8)
202.225.5625
https://caraveo.house.gov/contact

Contact Julia Selby, Legislative Liaison and Policy Analyst, for more information.