US HB5651

HUD Secretary must establish an Area Median Income Localization Waiver program within 90 days of enactment, allowing county governments to calculate area median income using ZIP Code boundaries or groups of bordering counties instead of standard regional calculations

Waiver applies to 11 federal housing programs including public housing, Section 8 rental assistance, HOME Investment Partnerships, Housing Trust Fund, supportive housing for elderly and disabled persons, and USDA rural rental housing assistance

All county governments that apply for the waiver must be granted one, and participating counties may choose between ZIP Code-based, bordering-county-based, or original program calculation methods

HUD Secretary must conduct a study and submit a report to Congress within 2 years examining alternative area median income calculation methods, impacts of high housing cost adjustments on mountain communities, and effects on seasonal worker housing assistance

"Mountain communities" defined as rural areas in the Census Bureau's Mountain Division of the Western Region, targeting areas where housing costs are disproportionately high relative to local incomes