MADISON — Two bipartisan housing bills authored by State Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D-Green Bay) cleared important legislative hurdles. Senate Bill 663 (SB663), which would bring down housing costs by reducing unnecessary bureaucracies in housing construction, was passed on a voice vote by the State Senate; and Assembly Bill 454 (AB454), which creates a new Workforce Home Loan Program to help first-time homebuyers, was passed on a voice vote by the State Assembly.
SB663, co-authored with Rep. Dave Armstrong (R-Rice Lake) and Sen. Romaine Quinn (R-Birchwood), directs the state Department of Administration to conduct a comprehensive, data driven review of overlapping federal, state, and local housing regulations. The study would examine requirements affecting single family, two family, and multifamily developments, identifying duplicative paperwork, approvals, and processes that add cost and delay without improving safety or quality. AB454, sometimes called “the Habitat bill” because it was developed with input from the state Habitat for Humanity chapter, establishes a new Workforce Home Loan Program, which would provide zero-interest, second-mortgage loans of up to $60,000, offering crucial gap financing for modest-income families.
For Rivera-Wagner, the housing access and affordability are deeply personal. Growing up homeless, his family eventually gained access to homeownership through a Habitat for Humanity home. This is an experience he credits with changing the trajectory of his life.
“As I’ve said before, homeownership transformed my family’s story, and I want every Wisconsinite to have that chance. These bills are about creating opportunities and stabilizing neighborhoods. They’re not about ideology; they’re about problem solving and a bipartisan understanding that the status quo isn’t working,” Rivera-Wagner said.
These bills are part of Rivera-Wagner’s broader work on housing. He has also authored legislation creating a $50 million revolving loan fund for workforce housing projects and a bill that would assist local units of government in establishing Fair Housing departments. In Green Bay, Rivera-Wagner led the effort as Mayor Genrich’s Chief of Staff to establish a community housing land trust, which locks in affordability for generations of families. He was also the project lead for the largest community driven housing development on land donated by the JBS company on the far east of Green Bay.
