LAOB urges short-term surcharge and coordinated action to fund community-led affordable housing

Members of the House General & Housing Committee on Wednesday heard testimony on H.445 and a related Act 181 study report, as the Land Access and Opportunity Board (LAOB) and state housing agencies pressed for new, stable capital to support community‑led affordable housing, rural land access and resilience efforts.

"This bill creates a short term tax for incomes over 500,000 to create a revolving loan fund," said Ronnetta Mata Figueroa, director of advocacy and community engagement for the Land Access and Opportunity Board, describing H.445 as a source of capital for grants and loans administered by LAOB.

Why it matters: Committee members were presented with both a revenue proposal and a multi‑agency report that together aim to unblock projects from the earliest planning phases through construction. Testimony stressed that regulatory changes alone will not produce affordable housing and that predictable capital is essential to move shovel‑ready community projects, pilot programs and developer technical assistance from plan to build.

LAOB's proposal and scope LAOB described H.445 as a time‑limited, five‑year proposal that would add a 1.5% income tax surcharge on earnings above $500,000, placing receipts in a Land Access and Opportunity Revolving Loan Fund for community‑based affordable housing. LAOB staff said the fund would be used for a mix of revolving loans and grants to support projects they are currently helping to prepare, including cluster housing and “agrihood” concepts that combine farming and shared living, emergency resilience toolkits for flood‑impacted…