Lawmakers Reintroduce Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act
Bill aims to boost housing development for underserved renters facing affordability challenges.
BY OWEN CAINE
APARTMENT ADVOCATE
NATIONAL APARTMENT ASSOCIATION
OOn May 6, 2026, Representatives Mike Carey( R-Ohio-15) and Jimmy Panetta( D-Calif.-19) reintroduced the Workforce Housing Tax Credit Act, a bipartisan proposal to expand the supply of housing available to moderate-income households.
A longstanding priority for the National Apartment Association( NAA) and its members, the Workforce House Tax Credit( WHTC) would be a new federal public-private partnership designed to encourage the construction of rental housing for those earning 60 %– 100 % of the area median income.
“ Across communities nationwide, housing affordability is the defining issue for many Americans and their families – particularly the middle-income workers that keep our cities and towns running,” said NAA President and CEO Bob Pinnegar in a joint statement.“ This important legislation would directly incentivize the construction of workforce housing, in turn increasing supply and lowering costs.”
DEEPER DIVE
Similar to the model of the highly successful Low-Income Housing Tax Credit( LIHTC), state housing agencies would allocate credits to developers, who would sell them to investors to raise equity, covering roughly half of construction costs. The focus on moderate-income households would help spur the housing stock needed for those residents that, while above the low-income threshold, still struggle with the rising cost of housing. By keeping development costs lower, units
PHOTO BY RAMAZ BLUASHVILI
of qualifying buildings will be able to maintain lower rents, directly helping the nation’ s workforce that powers our local communities.
The WHTC would add to the suite of policy options to address the lack of housing supply for underserved communities. It can be an important part of advocacy case to policymakers to help expand housing access and affordability. Perhaps most importantly, the proposal has been designed to be a complement not a competitor to the LITHC program. Further, industry is confident that there exists sufficient demand to support both programs, should the WHTC become a reality.
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For more timely updates on the industry’ s advocacy and legal news, register for our monthly Advocacy and Legal Webinar( ALW) series and tune in every third Wednesday of the month at 2 pm ET. This webinar is exclusively for NAA members and affiliate partners. www. aamdhq. org TRENDS JUNE 2026 | 51