Affordable Housing Bond Enhancement Act
Sponsored By: Senator Catherine Cortez Masto
Introduced
Summary
Expand housing investment through mortgage revenue bonds. The bill would change reporting, carryforward rules, refinancing treatment, and mortgage credit certificate mechanics to give state issuers more flexibility and make home financing easier for borrowers.
Show full summary
- Families and homeowners: The bill would let qualifying borrowers refinance a principal residence without treating that refinance as a new acquisition, easing access to refinancing for loans made after enactment. It raises the home‑improvement loan limit from $15,000 to $75,000 and indexes that cap for inflation beginning after 2026.
- State and local housing issuers: Issuers would face new annual electronic reporting to the Secretary and Congress with state ceilings, carryforwards, and bond usage. The bill would allow transfers and redesignations of carryforwards across issuers and exclude certain private activity bonds issued during the next 3 calendar years from counting against elected carryforwards.
- Mortgage credit certificate holders and lenders: The bill would revise how certificate credits are calculated, extend the certificate reference period from the second to the fourth year, add a revocation window for elections, and shift reporting from lenders to issuing authorities. It would also change recapture rules to a 5‑year holding schedule of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 100% and reduce some 9‑year benchmarks to 5 years.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 4 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Larger home improvement loan limit
If enacted, the maximum for a qualified home improvement loan would rise to $75,000 for loans made after the last day of the calendar year containing enactment. For calendar years after 2026, the $75,000 limit would be adjusted yearly for inflation using 2024 as the base and rounded to the nearest $100.
New rules for mortgage tax credit
If enacted, your mortgage credit certificate (MCC) credit would be the certified indebtedness on which interest was paid or accrued times the MCC rate. MCCs issued on or after the first day of the second calendar year after enactment would have rates between 1% and 5%. Issuers could pick a different rate for each mortgage year. Lender reporting would move to the MCC issuer on enactment. Public notice periods would drop from 90 to 30 days for notices after December 31, 2025.
Easier refinancing for bond homeowners
If enacted, certain refinances of owner-occupied homes financed with mortgage revenue bonds would be treated as non-acquisition transactions if the mortgagor meets the residence and income tests on the refinance date. For qualifying refinances, the home's market value at refinancing would be used for eligibility. This would apply to refinancing loans made on or after the date of enactment.
More state flexibility for housing bonds
If enacted, States could exclude certain private activity bonds issued in the three years after a carryforward arose from their State ceiling, up to the carryforward amount. States could transfer carryforwards among in-state issuers and redesignate them for mortgage bonds, MCCs, or certain exempt facility bonds. The Secretary would require annual electronic, state-by-state reporting, due by December 31 each year for the prior calendar year. Carryforward transfers/redesignations apply to elections after December 31, 2025; reporting rules apply to calendar years after enactment.
Faster recapture tax for homeowners
If enacted, the recapture tax schedule for mortgage revenue bonds would shift to a 5-year table: year 1 = 20%, year 2 = 40%, year 3 = 60%, year 4 = 80%, year 5 = 100%. If federally‑subsidized debt is fully repaid during any year of the 4-year testing window, later years would use 0%. These rules would apply to tax years beginning after December 31, 2025.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Catherine Cortez Masto
NV • D
Cosponsors
Bill Cassidy
LA • R
Sponsored 4/29/2025
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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