February 3, 2026
Mr. Durbin (for himself and Ms. Duckworth) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to conduct a grant competition for the development of single- and multi-family homes, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the Advancing Better Options for Dwellings Everywhere Act
or the ABODE Act
.
Sec. 2. Competition
(a) In general
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (in this section referred to as the Secretary), in consultation with the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, shall—
(1)
conduct a grant competition to provide grants to academic organizations, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit or nonprofit mission-driven developers to develop, or rehabilitate existing, single- and multi-family homes—
(A)
for households with an income that is not more than 50 percent of the area median income; and
(B)
with a focus on—
(i)
reducing development costs;
(ii)
increasing resiliency, energy efficiency, accessibility for individuals with disabilities; and
(iii)
selecting projects that are built to scale; and
(2)
study the short- and long-term savings of the resiliency and energy efficiency measures that were implemented in the homes described in paragraph (1).
(b) Use of funds
A grant awarded under this section shall be awarded at completion of the contract for building a pre-determined number of homes that abide by pre-determined resiliency and energy efficiency measures.
(c) Priority
The Secretary shall prioritize grant awards that—
(1)
develop or rehabilitate homes in areas with a severe affordable housing shortage;
(2)
focus on quality, durability and maintenance costs, and neighborhood design compatibility; or
(3)
develop or rehabilitate homes with universal design that provides access for individuals with disabilities.
(d) Report
Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the competition and study conducted under this section, which shall include—
(1)
a description of the projects funded and completed;
(2)
the number and sales or rental price, as applicable, of affordable houses built; and
(3)
the results of the study described in subsection (a)(2).
(e) Authorization of appropriations
There is authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.