Assembly Approves GOP Housing Bills
Proposals now head to dormant Senate.
Townhouses built by NeighborWorks Green Bay in 2018 in the city’s Navarino Neighborhood are among recent construction projects that aim to increase the availability of affordable housing in the Green Bay area. Green Bay Press-Gazette
The state Assembly approved a rash of bills on Tuesday aimed at expanding affordable housing in Wisconsin.
Backers of the GOP-authored initiatives said they’re looking to expand on bipartisan housing legislation passed in 2023 and signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, although the legislation passed Tuesday would still need to clear the state Senate.
Democrats criticized the package, claiming that Republicans had walked away from bipartisan negotiation to promote their policy preferences.
Among the bills is a proposal to allow some building projects to move forward without having to comply with a new commercial building code that was promulgated after a Supreme Court decision that altered the state rulemaking process.
Other legislation would establish mandatory rezoning for certain residential requests and allow for the construction of more Accessory Dwelling Units, sometimes known as in-law suites.
Two other bills would establish a “starter” home loan program of up to $60,000 at zero percent interest, and a reimbursement grant program of up to $50,000 to reimburse the conversion of multifamily housing into condos.
During floor debate Tuesday, backers of the building code bill said the idea is to make sure in-process building projects aren’t derailed because of changes after the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled a Republican-controlled legislative committee cannot indefinitely block administrative rules. That case hinged on two examples of rules, one of which was a statewide commercial building code promulgated by the Department of Safety and Professional Services.
The bill’s author, Rep. William Penterman, R-Hustisford, said having a clear transition timeline for that building code would prevent delays and confusion.
“Some of the plans for commercial buildings have been … in process for months, sometimes years, and it’s not fair to them, and it makes no sense for why they should have to go back to the drawing board and redo their plans to comply with the new building code that was just arbitrarily implemented,” he said.
Although some of the bills passed with bipartisan support, Rep. Kalan Haywood, D-Milwaukee, criticized the overall package as not going far enough to expand affordable housing in Wisconsin.
“On one hand, I am happy we are here doing something to create sustainable housing for Wisconsinites. But on the other hand, I cannot ignore the disappointment on our side of the aisle,” he said. “These bills were half-baked last week, and despite a number of recommendations and amendments, they are still not fully cooked.”
The housing bills must now be taken up by the Senate to move forward. The Senate has not met since July.
Assembly approves GOP housing package, including building code bill was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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