National Homestead Act
Latest action. Referred to House Committee on Banking and Currency.
National Homestead Act - Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to compile a catalog of all unoccupied single-family dwellings in urban and other areas within the United States which are owned by him or his Department, and which would be suitable for occupancy and rehabilitation by qualified low-and moderate-income families. Requires the Secretary to take such steps as may be necessary to assure that the residents of each community or area in which any such dwelling is located will be fully and currently informed of the existence, nature, and location of such dwellings. States that an applicant is qualified, for the purposes of participation in the program under this Act with respect to any dwelling, only if he or she: (1) is eighteen years of age or older; (2) is head of his or her household; (3) is a citizen of the United States; (4) has not previously participated in the program; (5) is not the owner of any other real property; and (6) possesses the financial, technical, and other resources which are necessary to rehabilitate such dwelling. Requires each applicant to enter into an agreement that, among other things, he or she will reside in the dwelling for a period of at least five years and will during such period rehabilitate and maintain the dwelling so that it satisfies all of the requirements of applicable State and local law. States that the conveyance of any dwelling to an applicant under this Act shall be made on a conditional basis, in return for the payment by such applicant of $1 and the execution by such applicant of the aforementioned agreement. Provides that upon any material failure by the applicant to carry out his or her agreement entered into under this Act the conditional conveyance of title to such applicant shall be revoked. States that after the applicant has resided in the dwelling for the required five-year period and has rehabilitated and maintained it and otherwise complied with the terms of his or her agreement throughout such period, he shall be granted a fee simple title to such property.
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in House" stage on January 22, 1974. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on January 22, 1974: Referred to House Committee on Banking and Currency.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the House
- Passage by the Senate
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 93rd Congress (1973-74), 651 of the 23,396 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 2.8 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
VICTOR VEYSEY (R-CA) introduced it on January 22, 1974. No cosponsors are recorded.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on January 22, 1974, 19224 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 19224 days ago, on January 22, 1974.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 93rd Congress has not finished by January 3, 1975 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- HouseIn committee, no floor vote yet
- SenateAwaits House passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers