Davids Releases Housing Affordability Agenda to Build More Homes, Lower Costs
Today, Representative Sharice Davids released her Housing Affordability Agenda, which lays out a path forward for bipartisan legislation in Congress to ensure every American has access to safe, decent, affordable housing and the amenities they need to thrive. The Agenda was debuted at the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation’s (KHRC) 2025 Kansas Housing Conference in Overland Park.
“Every Kansan deserves a safe, affordable place to call home,” said Davids. “My Housing Affordability Agenda is about bringing people together — Democrats and Republicans — to tackle the barriers driving up costs and slowing down construction. By building more homes and expanding access to affordable financing, we can help families put down roots and strengthen our communities.”
Davids’ Housing Affordability Agenda endorses seven bills, led mostly by her fellow New Democrat Coalition colleagues, that aim to lower housing costs by increasing the supply of housing and growing the number of innovative financial products available to buyers and renters.
Across Kansas, there is a shortage of rental homes that are affordable and available to low-income households, causing many families to spend more than half of their monthly income on housing. It’s estimated that in 2021, Kansas had more than 55,000 fewer rental homes than needed. Also, currently 40 percent of renters in Johnson County are housing cost-burdened, meaning these families and others across the state must forego necessities — food, health care, child care — to afford rent.
Policy Priorities:
Build more homes and get them on the market fast to meet housing demand and fill the gap of millions of missing homes. Federal policy should lower barriers, incentivize housing development, and position the federal government as a partner in land use.
- H.R. 2840, Housing Supply Frameworks Act: Creates an expert task force to develop best practices on zoning and land use reform to address housing supply shortages.
- H.R. 2854, Neighborhood Homes Investment Act: Creates a new tax incentive to build and preserve affordable, single-family homes for homeownership in under-resourced communities.
- Rep. Tracey Mann (R-KS-01) also supports this legislation.
- H.R. 3459, Empty Lots to Housing Act: Spurs construction of housing development, including affordable units, on unused land owned by the Federal Highway Administration.
- H.R. 5085, Cut Red Tape for Housing Act: Removes federal barriers that slow down housing development in urban communities.
Make it easier to buy or rent a home by increasing the number of units on the market through innovative financial products. This should include incentives and new financing for more housing, preventing consolidation of housing into the hands of investors over families, and strengthening federal support for housing finance.
- H.R. 1340, More Homes on the Market Act: Updates the tax code to incentivize homeowners to sell their properties, increasing the housing supply and alleviating affordability challenges.
- Reps. Tracey Mann (R-KS-01) and Derek Schmidt (R-KS-02) also support this legislation.
- H.R. 2725, Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2025: Increases the number of credits allocated to each state and the number of projects that can use private activity bonds.
- H.R. 4717 - First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Act: Creates a refundable tax credit of up to 10 percent of a home’s purchase price, capped at $15,000, for qualified first-time buyers.
Davids has worked across the aisle with her Kansas colleagues to make housing more affordable and accessible. Last year, she and former Rep. Jake LaTurner (R-KS-02) urged U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson to schedule a vote on bipartisan legislation that boosts affordable rental housing options in rural, suburban, and urban Kansas. Davids has also secured federal funding for multiple housing projects across Kansas’ Third District, from rural to urban to suburban communities.