Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Modernization Act of 2026
Sponsored By: Senator Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
Introduced
Summary
Modernizes and reauthorizes Native housing programs. This bill would extend NAHASDA and related Native Hawaiian authorities through FY2027–2033, consolidate environmental review and tribal assumption options, expand homeownership guarantees, and create new homelessness and construction pilots.
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- Tribes and tribal housing entities would get more local control. They could assume consolidated environmental review with a 60-day Secretary response rule, adopt written tribal procurement policies, and grant leaseholds up to 99 years.
- Families and renters would see broader eligibility and housing options. Homeownership help could reach households up to 120 percent of area median income, a new "Essential Families" category appears, student housing is added, and tribes may set rents above 30 percent of adjusted income under written policies.
- Loans, lenders, and homeless programs would change funding and oversight. Section 184 and 184A guarantees could cover up to 100 percent of eligible loans, certified community development financial institutions become eligible lenders, lenders face new oversight and indemnification rules, and a Tribal and Rural Continuum of Care Builds Program is authorized with $25 million for FY2027 and tribal set-asides.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
13 provisions identified: 8 benefits, 0 costs, 5 mixed.
More homeownership help up to 120% AMI
If enacted, tribes and the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands could help households buy homes with incomes up to 120% of area median income. Such homes would count as affordable under the program. Recipients could not use more than 50% of their annual grant to serve families in the 120% AMI band. The bill also defines who counts as a Native Hawaiian for these program rules.
Help for essential families on reservations
If enacted, recipients could provide housing help to families on reservations that the tribe determines are essential to tribal well‑being and cannot get housing otherwise. This creates a new discretionary category allowing assistance where other rules might block it.
New tribal homelessness and supportive housing grants
If enacted, HUD could set up multiple competitive programs to serve homeless Tribal and Native Hawaiian people. HUD may use up to 5% of Title IV McKinney‑Vento funds each year for a Tribal Homeless Assistance program and up to 1% for a Native Hawaiian Homeless Assistance program. The bill also creates a Tribal and Rural Continuum of Care Builds Program to fund permanent supportive housing (authorized $25 million for FY2027 and such sums as necessary thereafter) and a Tribal HUD‑VASH program using at least 5% of certain rental assistance funds for eligible Indian veterans.
Faster environmental reviews for tribal projects
If enacted, tribes or DHHL that assume environmental review could be treated as meeting NEPA and other federal review requirements when other federal funds are 49% or less of the federal share. The Secretary would have 60 days to act on waiver requests. The bill also creates several exemptions and rules (small projects under $250,000, certain limited rehab, small residential storage tanks, no mandatory radon testing, and floodplain/wetlands rule changes) and requires HUD to coordinate with DoD IRT on construction work.
Bigger mortgage guarantees and lender rules
If enacted, Section 184 and 184A would cover loans to build, buy, refinance, or fix 1- to 4-family homes and the Secretary could guarantee up to 100% of unpaid principal and interest. More types of lenders (including CDFIs and federally supervised lenders) could make these loans and the Secretary could delegate direct endorsement to qualified lenders. The bill also lets HUD review and remove lenders that pose unacceptable risk and allows indemnification for lenders in fraud or improper origination cases. Leasehold terms for trust or restricted land could be up to 99 years and some modified loans would be capped at 40 years unless the Secretary allows otherwise.
Tribal rent rules and tenant protections
If enacted, recipients could set written public rules that allow rents or homebuyer payments above 30% of adjusted income. At the same time, when rental housing is converted to sale or lease-purchase, the current rental family would get first chance to buy if they were low-income when they first moved in. The bill also extends existing tenant advance-notice protections to projects funded only in part by this Act.
Lower procurement red tape and cost limits
If enacted, the micro-purchase threshold for tribal recipients would be set at 150% of the federal 2 CFR micro-purchase level, raising the small-dollar cutoff. Tribes could use grant funds for direct construction with no percentage cap and small home repairs under 10% of maximum development cost would avoid longer binding commitments. At the same time, projects cannot exceed the total development cost maximum by more than 20% without the Secretary's approval, and Build America, Buy America rules would not apply to HUD-assisted tribal and Hawaiian projects.
More tribal counseling and housing help
If enacted, tribes and tribally designated housing entities could get HUD housing counseling grants and would be exempt from HUD housing counseling certification rules if they choose to provide counseling themselves. The bill also lets the HUD Director make subawards to nonprofit subrecipients, gives tribes and DHHL more flexibility for Community Compass technical assistance, and adds college housing help as an allowed self‑sufficiency service.
Tribes choose their own procurement rules
If enacted, tribes and tribal housing recipients would be able to adopt their own written procurement policies for purchases made with these Act funds. Those policies would have to be in writing and publicly available. If a tribe did not adopt a policy, the recipient would follow the federal procurement standard in 2 CFR 200.317 (or a successor rule).
HUD Tribal advisory committee and reports
If enacted, HUD would maintain a Tribal Intergovernmental Advisory Committee with up to 16 tribal delegates and Department representatives. The committee would meet at least twice a year, get travel costs reimbursed, and produce public reports on housing supply chain problems and targeted reports for Alaska and Native Hawaiian housing within 1 year and 180 days respectively.
NAHASDA authorization years updated
If enacted, the bill would update NAHASDA's statutory authorization window to cover fiscal years 2027 through 2033. The bill would also authorize 'such sums as may be necessary' for Section 184 and 184A costs for each fiscal year 2027 through 2033. Actual spending would still depend on future appropriations.
Tribal housing allocation formula frozen
If enacted, the bill would bar the negotiated rulemaking started right after enactment from changing the NAHASDA allocation formula. That prohibition would apply only to that specific negotiated rulemaking and would not by its text stop other ways of seeking formula changes.
Emergency payment limits and hearing rights
If enacted, the Secretary could limit or suspend grant payments to recipients in emergencies but must notify recipients and allow them to request a hearing within 30 days. Hearings must be expedited and if not finished within 180 days the payment limit would stop being effective.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Murkowski, Lisa [R-AK]
AK • R
Cosponsors
Sen. Schatz, Brian [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Sen. Daines, Steve [R-MT]
MT • R
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Sen. Luján, Ben Ray [D-NM]
NM • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Dan Sullivan
AK • R
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Sen. Hirono, Mazie K. [D-HI]
HI • D
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Sen. Crapo, Mike [R-ID]
ID • R
Sponsored 3/26/2026
Sen. Gallego, Ruben [D-AZ]
AZ • D
Sponsored 5/12/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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