Lawmakers Revive Section 8 Reform Bill Amid Affordable Housing Crisis

A Renewed Push for Section 8 Reform

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are once again making a push to revamp the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, this time with financial incentives aimed at drawing more landlords into the program while offering additional support to tenants.

The bill, called the Choice in Affordable Housing Act, would set up a $500 million fund designed to increase participation from property owners and improve access to affordable housing across the country. The fund would provide signing bonuses for landlords in low-poverty areas who accept Section 8 tenants, while also assisting renters with security deposits and funding landlord liaison roles within local public housing authorities.

Declining Landlord Participation

It’s an attempt to counteract a years-long decline in landlord participation in the voucher program, according to Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, who has co-sponsored the bill alongside Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri. The legislation, first introduced in 2022 and reintroduced in the Senate in 2023, was brought back in the House last week.

“In New York, especially in the Hudson Valley, skyrocketing housing costs have made it harder for working families to find affordable housing,” Lawler said in a statement. “This bill takes a common-sense approach—cutting red tape, giving landlords more incentive to participate, and expanding housing options for those who need it most.”

Growing Demand for Section 8 Housing

In New York City, the demand for Section 8 housing remains immense. When the city reopened the Section 8 waitlist last summer for the first time since 2009, more than 600,000 people applied. Only 200,000 were added to the waitlist. Since closing it in August, the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) has distributed 2,437 vouchers, a spokesperson said. The agency must clear the current backlog before reopening applications.

Compounding the issue, some Section 8 voucher holders in the city have faced delays in receiving payments, an issue some local officials have blamed on federal staffing shortages, as reported by Gothamist.

Legislative Roadblocks and Progress

As of March 11, 2025, the Choice in Affordable Housing Act has yet to become law. Initially introduced in the 118th Congress (2023-2024) as S.32, the bill stalled in committee after hearings were held on March 12, 2024. Now, reintroduced as S.890 in the 119th Congress (2025-2026), it is once again under consideration.

The legislation, a bipartisan effort, aims to strengthen the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program—commonly known as Section 8—by making it more appealing to landlords, with the broader goal of increasing available housing options for low-income families.

Key Provisions of the Bill

Among the bill’s key provisions:

• Herschel Lashkowitz Housing Partnership Fund: Establishes a dedicated fund to recruit and train landlords for the HCV program, offering financial incentives and protections against tenant-related damages.
• Tribal HUD-VASH Program Funding: Expands assistance for Native American veterans experiencing homelessness through additional support for the Tribal HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing program.
• Fair Rent Setting: Requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to determine rent values based on neighborhood-specific data, ensuring rates reflect local market conditions more accurately.
• Inspection Process Reforms: Reduces bureaucratic delays by permitting units already inspected under other federal housing programs to meet voucher requirements. It also allows pre-inspections for landlords considering participation in the program.
• Public Housing Agency Evaluations: Directs HUD to reform how it evaluates public housing agencies, encouraging greater geographic diversity in where vouchers can be used and improving access to high-opportunity neighborhoods.

Support and Opposition

The proposal has received backing from a coalition of advocacy groups, including the National Low Income Housing Coalition, the National Housing Law Project, Habitat for Humanity, the National Apartment Association, the National Multifamily Housing Council, the National Association of Realtors, and the National Association of Home Builders.

Supporters argue that by making Section 8 more attractive to property owners and improving the experience for renters, the bill would help bridge the widening gap in affordable housing. Opponents, however, have raised concerns about whether the funding is sufficient to make a lasting impact and whether it does enough to address broader structural issues in the rental market.

An Uncertain Future

For now, the bill’s fate remains uncertain as it moves through Congress. While bipartisan in nature, the legislation faces an uphill battle amid a divided government, where housing policy has often taken a backseat to other legislative priorities. And with housing affordability continuing to be a flashpoint in cities across the U.S., lawmakers behind the bill say they are hoping for progress—but acknowledge that political realities may once again stall efforts to push the measure forward.

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