Just after noon today, the House Ways and Means released its budget for Fiscal Year 2026. With state revenues coming in lower than hoped and a great deal of uncertainty at the federal level, legislators are faced with significant challenges in developing a spending plan for the state.
The housing items in the House Ways and Means proposal reflects these challenges. While there were modest increases for some housing programs (MRVP, RAFT, Sponsor-Based Supportive Housing, and Access to Counsel were all funded at a higher level than in the Governor’s budget), others were level funded (AHVP and Unaccompanied Homeless Youth), and several other important programs were significantly cut (Housing Consumer Education Centers and Public Housing Reform).
Legislators have until Friday afternoon to file amendments to the Committee’s budget proposal, with the full House slated to debate the FY2026 budget starting the week of April 28.
A tracking grid of CHAPA’s budget priorities is available here.