{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=8491E7D4-A200-4D7A-B93C-F27A119DB35F", "Sens. Moran, King Introduce Legislation to Motivate Rural Housing Construction & Expansion", "2024-09-19", "2024", "2024-09", "Republican", "Senate", "KS", "Jerry Moran", "M000934", "www.moran.senate.gov", "moran", "https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and Angus King (I-Maine) introduced legislation to address the national housing shortage and make it easier for rural workers to live in the communities they serve. The Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act would expand the existing Housing Preservation Grants (HPG) program to allow rural homeowners to construct additional housing on their property \u2014 such as an attached apartment unit or a small home nearby \u2014 to be available for rent. Currently, HPGs are underused and receive limited funding that can only cover small costs and repairs. This legislation would optimize the program for rural housing creation, increasing its funding and expanding eligibility for homeowners who want to participate.\n\n\u201cThere is a high demand for rural housing across Kansas, and it\u2019s important that our housing programs offer creative solutions to address this issue,\u201d said Sen. Moran. \u201cModernizing the Housing Preservation Grants program will help create new avenues for renovating and constructing homes in smaller communities across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cBoth urban and rural communities across Maine and the nation are facing a serious housing shortage,\u201d said Sen. King. \u201cUnfortunately, one law that Congress cannot repeal is the law of supply and demand; limited supply will inevitably increase prices. However, through creative solutions, we can increase the housing supply to help meet demand. I thank Senator Moran for working with me on the Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act \u2014 it\u2019s a commonsense, bipartisan step that will help us combat the housing shortage and ensure Maine people and residents across the country can live in the communities where they work. Maine is one big, small town connected by long roads, and when I drive those long roads, I see potentially available properties in the same communities that are facing crisis levels of housing availability. This bill makes it cheaper and easier for Maine people and residents across the country to renovate their homes or build new ones on their land and ease the shortfall.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe Farmhouse-to-Workforce Housing Act of 2024 would provide a significant step forward in addressing workforce housing needs and strengthening our nation\u2019s small farms, the heart of our rural communities,\u201d said Kara Hay, President and CEO of Penquis. \u201cThe health of our economy and the wellbeing of American families depend on the availability of affordable housing. I commend Senators King and Moran for introducing this practical solution for our nation\u2019s farmers, farm workers and food system.\u201d\n\nThis legislation would:\n\nAllow recipients to use HPG money to construct additional housing units either within or outside their home.\n\nAuthorize funding for the nationwide program at $200,000,000.\n\nOffer grants of up to $100,000 to low- or medium-income recipients.\n\nRequire the original home to be 25 years or older.\n\nEstablished a required landlord education program to help homeowners learn how to oversee rental housing.\n\nCreate a five-year ownership and occupancy requirement upon completion to prevent homeowners from flipping their property at increased values and prevent developers from taking advantage of the program.\n\nSen. Moran has been committed to ensuring people across Kansas can access safe and affordable housing. He recently introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to create nearly two million new affordable homes across the country and also worked to improve affordability of rural homes and farms through the Access to Credit for our Rural Economy (ACRE) Act of 2023.\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:46:43Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=8491E7D4-A200-4D7A-B93C-F27A119DB35F"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.801504822447896, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}