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Senators preview housing bills: accessibility, prevailing-wage exemptions, rural housing proposals
Summary
Committee members previewed personal and committee housing bills: increasing accessible units in new construction, clarifying prevailing-wage exemptions for affordable housing projects (LC 31), a construction revolving loan fund, and a rural 50-acre housing template (LC 85). Discussion focused on scope (new construction, thresholds) and implementation details.
Committee members used the meeting's final segment to preview priority housing bills for the short session.
Senator Patterson said she will bring back a bill to increase the required share of accessible Type A units in new multifamily construction: current requirements (roughly 5% in developments over 20 units) would be changed to require 10% in multifamily developments over 15 units, producing two accessible units instead of one in smaller projects. She said the proposed change would apply to new construction only and that committee assistance would be helpful to ensure accessible units reach the people who need them.
Vice Chair Anderson introduced LC 31, a committee legislative concept intended to clarify and expand prevailing-wage exemptions for affordable housing projects. Anderson said LC 31 would exempt certain projects from prevailing wage determinations when funding comes from state or local government loans, exclude site-preparation of publicly funded roads and utilities as triggers for prevailing wage, raise rural thresholds (from $50,000 in some cases), allow up to seven stories for affordable housing in metro areas, and permit on-site childcare facilities without triggering prevailing wage requirements.
Chair Pham described plans to reintroduce a construction revolving loan fund to provide low-interest financing to help stalled affordable housing projects move forward given high interest rates and constrained private financing. Another senator previewed LC 85, a rural housing proposal that would allow up to 50 acres per qualifying county (counties with fewer than 30 people per square mile) to be used for small-lot higher-density housing (minimum development parcel sizes, 10 homes per 2 acres and home size caps), intended to create options for teachers, police officers and first-time buyers in rural communities.
Members emphasized these are previews and that bill language is under development. Several senators asked clarifying questions about which projects are covered (new construction versus retrofit), thresholds, and local approvals for rural proposals. Committee staff will retain the previews as the legislature prepares bills and schedules hearings this session.
