House Passes Road to Housing Act
The House took a major step forward on housing policy, passing the 21st Century Road to Housing Act by a bipartisan vote of 396–13. The legislation includes key provisions long supported by AIA, such as expanding eligible uses of Community Development Block Grants, streamlining environmental reviews, and increasing FHA multifamily loan limits to support housing production.
AIA advocated for provisions addressing challenges with Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirements, including a directive to review the current waiver process, which has posed administrative and financial burdens on affordable housing projects. The bill also reflects broader bipartisan priorities to modernize housing programs and expand access to affordable housing nationwide.
The next step is for the Senate to consider the House-passed bill or for both chambers to reconcile differences through a conference process. AIA members sent 1000 letters to their members of Congress in support of the bill and provisions that are beneficial to architects.
AIA Attends World Urban Forum 13
President Illya Azaroff, FAIA and AIA Senior Director of International Affairs Derek Washam attended World Urban Forum 13 (WUF13) held in Baku, Azerbaijan. WUF13, hosted by UN-Habitat, brought 58,000 participants from over 170 countries together to discuss solutions to the global housing crisis. President Azaroff spoke at three panel sessions on earthquake resilience, regenerative design, and sustainable housing, alongside panelists from UN-Habitat, UN Disaster Risk Reduction, government officials of the United Kingdom, Turkiye, Brazil, and Azerbaijan, and architects and municipal leaders from the Moldavan city of Chisinau and Turkish city of Gaziantep. In an interview with the Azerbaijan State News Agency, President Azaroff championed the architectural profession and regenerative design solutions to address the global housing crisis.
Large Firm Roundtable Fly-In
AIA large firm leaders recently traveled to Capitol Hill to meet directly with Members of Congress and senior legislative staff on issues critical to architecture and the built environment.
Discussions focused on how federal policy impacts housing affordability, workforce development, building performance, and long-term economic growth. Key priorities included bipartisan housing legislation to streamline development and increase housing supply, preservation and expansion of the Section 179D high-performance building tax incentive, and reforms to federal student loan policies that threaten the future pipeline of architects entering the profession.
Large firm participation was especially important given the scale and complexity of projects these firms deliver nationwide. Congressional offices heard directly from industry leaders managing workforce challenges, navigating financing realities, and advancing innovation in housing, infrastructure, institutional, and high-performance building design.
Department of Education Final Rule Published
AIA continues to advocate for the following bills to reverse the Department of Education’s rule stripping “professional” graduate loan provisions for architecture degrees:
- H.R. 6574, the Loan Equity for Advanced Professionals Act (Rep. Timothy Kennedy, D-NY), would eliminate the current distinction between graduate and professional students by establishing uniform borrowing limits for all advanced degree programs.
- H.R. 6718, the Professional Student Degree Act (Rep. Mike Lawler, R-NY), clarifies federal statute by explicitly recognizing architecture and other licensure-based fields as professional degree programs.
- H.R. 6677, the Professional Degree Access Restoration Act (Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-NY), would fully restore the previous cost-of-attendance loan framework for graduate and professional students, reversing recently imposed federal caps.
AIA is hosting a congressional briefing on June 8 along with four other professional organizations to highlight the importance of legislative action reversing the rule.
Eisenhower Executive Office Building:
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) held a hearing that generated roughly 2,000 comments – all in opposition to the proposed paint scheme. Several allied stakeholders testified in person. NCPC approved a staff-written document, which requests extensive additional information before any paint job is considered, including testing to determine whether the proposed paint will work on granite and other masonry surfaces. The administration is now conducting testing in response to these requests, and there are also motions pending in the litigation.
Kennedy Center Lawsuit Update
The court is now considering our preliminary injunction request, which would bar changes to the building’s exterior or demolition activity while the case proceeds. AIA has submitted additional filings to the court, but no further action is taking place currently.
Other Historic Preservation Updates
AIA is monitoring potential other federal renovation projects, including the East Potomac Golf Links, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, and the United States Triumphal Arch, as well as conversations about possible federal building sales in cities such as Boston and Chicago. AIA will be developing a series of recommendations and legislative language over the next several months to address current and future renovation projects.
-------------------------------------------
------------------------------
Courtney Prentiss, AIA, NOMA, NCARB
AIA Government Affairs Committee Member
Immediate Past NAC At-Large Director, Advocacy
------------------------------