Housing and Community Development Act of 1987
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| Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 |
| Enacted by | 100th United States Congress |
| Effective date | 1987 |
| Public law | Public Law 100-51 |
| Introduced in | United States House of Representatives |
| Signed by | Ronald Reagan |
| Signed date | 1987 |
Housing and Community Development Act of 1987 is a United States federal statute enacted by the 100th United States Congress and signed into law by Ronald Reagan in 1987 that amended prior housing and community development statutes, reauthorized key programs, and altered funding and regulatory frameworks for urban and rural housing assistance. The Act interacts with longstanding statutes such as the National Housing Act, the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968, and the Community Development Block Grant program, and influenced implementation by agencies including the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Home Loan Bank Board.
Background and Legislative History
Legislative momentum for the Act arose amid debates in the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives over reauthorization cycles following the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 and the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974. Interest groups including the National League of Cities, the National Association of Realtors, and the National Low Income Housing Coalition lobbied key congressional committees such as the House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. Floor consideration reflected broader policy contests involving presidential administration priorities under Ronald Reagan and urban policy agendas debated during hearings convened by figures like Henry B. Gonzalez and Jake Garn. The resulting conference reports reconciled proposals from the Senate Banking Committee and the House Banking Committee and produced the omnibus reauthorization enacted as Public Law 100-51.
Major Provisions and Program Changes
The Act amended multiple titles to change eligibility, program structure, and compliance mechanisms for programs originating in the National Housing Act and the Housing Act of 1937. It restructured aspects of the Community Development Block Grant program and expanded provisions for the Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher Program while authorizing reforms affecting the Federal Housing Administration insurance programs administered under the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. The statute incorporated measures addressing asset management, subsidy layering, and tenant protections that intersected with initiatives from the Low-Income Housing Preservation and Resident Homeownership Act of 1990 trajectory and later Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998 debates. Amendments targeted multifamily mortgage restructuring, supported homeownership incentives coordinated with the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation and the Federal National Mortgage Association, and introduced compliance provisions tied to civil rights enforcement under statutes related to the Fair Housing Act.
Funding, Appropriations, and Fiscal Impact
Budgetary changes enacted by the Act adjusted authorization levels that Congress later addressed through appropriations under the jurisdiction of the United States House Committee on Appropriations and the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. The Act’s fiscal architecture affected federal credit instruments overseen by the Federal Housing Finance Agency successor authorities to the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and intersected with credit subsidy estimates produced by the Congressional Budget Office and scorekeeping by the Office of Management and Budget. Fiscal impact assessments considered long-term implications for budget baselines used in deficit projections debated in the United States Congress and during presidential budget review cycles led by James A. Baker III and other administration budget officials.
Implementation and Agency Roles
Implementation responsibilities primarily fell to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development, with operational coordination involving the Federal Home Loan Bank System, state housing finance agencies such as the New York State Housing Finance Agency, and local public housing authorities including the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles. HUD issued guidance and rulemaking that echoed regulatory frameworks promulgated under earlier secretaries such as Samuel R. Pierce Jr. and later administrators. Interagency coordination included consultation with the Department of the Treasury on financing mechanisms and with the Department of Justice when enforcing civil rights provisions linked to the Fair Housing Act and related anti-discrimination laws.
Amendments, Legal Challenges, and Court Rulings
Subsequent amendments in the United States Congress and judicial review in federal courts shaped the Act’s meaning, with litigation appearing in the United States District Court and the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and other circuits where plaintiffs included public housing authorities, nonprofit developers, and tenant groups. Notable legal themes involved statutory interpretation of subsidy formulas, standing issues brought by entities such as the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and preemption disputes implicating state statutes like those enacted by the California Legislature. Court rulings referenced precedent from the Supreme Court of the United States and influential decisions addressing administrative deference principles from cases such as Chevron U.S.A., Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council, Inc. when reviewing HUD rulemaking.
Impact and Outcomes on Housing and Communities
The Act influenced trajectories in affordable housing production, preservation of subsidized units, and the administration of rental assistance programs used in metropolitan areas including New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Outcomes tracked by policy research organizations such as the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution assessed effects on tenant mobility, public housing modernization, and partnerships with nonprofit developers like Habitat for Humanity International. Critics and supporters debated the measure’s role in shaping access to housing for low-income households during the late 1980s and early 1990s, referencing data trends monitored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and analyses published in venues including the Journal of Urban Affairs.