I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3170 
To amend the National Housing Act to establish a mortgage insurance 
program for first responders, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 10, 2023 
Mr. RUTHERFORD (for himself and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To amend the National Housing Act to establish a mortgage 
insurance program for first responders, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Homes for Every Local 
Protector, Educator, and Responder Act of 2023’’ or the 
‘‘HELPER Act of 2023’’. 
SEC. 2. FHA MORTGAGE INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR MORT-
GAGES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS. 
Section 203 of the National Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 
1709) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(z) FHA MORTGAGE INSURANCE PROGRAM FOR 
MORTGAGES FOR FIRST RESPONDERS.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 
‘‘(A) FIRST RESPONDER.—The term ‘first 
responder’ means an individual who is, as at-
tested by the individual— 
‘‘(i)(I) employed full-time by a law en-
forcement agency of the Federal Govern-
ment, a State, a Tribal government, or a 
unit of general local government; and 
‘‘(II) in carrying out such full-time 
employment, sworn to uphold, and make 
arrests for violations of, Federal, State, 
county, township, municipal, or Tribal 
laws, or authorized by law to supervise 
sentenced criminal offenders or individuals 
with pending criminal charges; 
‘‘(ii) employed full-time as a fire-
fighter, paramedic, or emergency medical 
technician by a fire department or emer-
gency medical services responder unit of 
the Federal Government, a State, a Tribal 
government, or a unit of general local gov-
ernment; or 
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‘‘(iii) employed as a full-time teacher 
by a State-accredited public school or pri-
vate school that provides direct services to 
students 
in 
grades 
pre-kindergarten 
through 12. 
‘‘(B) FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER.—The term 
‘first-time homebuyer’ has the meaning given 
the term in section 104 of the Cranston-Gon-
zalez National Affordable Housing Act (42 
U.S.C. 12704). 
‘‘(C) STATE.—The term ‘State’ has the 
meaning given the term in section 201. 
‘‘(D) TRIBAL
GOVERNMENT.—The term 
‘Tribal government’ means the recognized gov-
erning body of any Indian or Alaska Native 
tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, 
component band, or component reservation, in-
dividually identified (including parenthetically) 
in the list published most recently pursuant to 
section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian 
Tribe List Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131). 
‘‘(2) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary may, upon 
application by a mortgagee, insure any mortgage eli-
gible for insurance under this subsection to an eligi-
ble mortgagor and, upon such terms and conditions 
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as the Secretary may prescribe, make commitments 
for the insurance of such mortgages prior to the 
date of their execution or disbursement. 
‘‘(3) MORTGAGE TERMS; MORTGAGE INSURANCE 
PREMIUM.— 
‘‘(A) TERMS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—A mortgage in-
sured under this subsection shall— 
‘‘(I) be made to an eligible mort-
gagor; 
‘‘(II) comply with the require-
ments established under paragraphs 
(1) through (7) of subsection (b); and 
‘‘(III) be used only to— 
‘‘(aa) purchase or repair a 
1-family residence, including a 1- 
family dwelling unit in a condo-
minium project, to serve as a 
principal residence of the mort-
gagor, as attested by the mort-
gagor; or 
‘‘(bb) purchase a principal 
residence of the mortgagor, as at-
tested by the mortgagor, which 
is— 
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‘‘(AA) a manufactured 
home to be permanently af-
fixed to a lot that is owned 
by the mortgagor and titled 
as real property; or 
‘‘(BB) a manufactured 
home and a lot to which the 
home will be permanently 
affixed that is titled as real 
property. 
‘‘(ii) NO DOWN PAYMENT.—Notwith-
standing any provision to the contrary in 
the matter following subsection (b)(2)(B) 
with respect to first-time homebuyers— 
‘‘(I) the Secretary may insure 
any mortgage that involves an original 
principal obligation (including allow-
able charges and fees and the pre-
mium pursuant to subparagraph (B) 
of this paragraph) in an amount not 
to exceed 100 percent of the appraised 
value of the property involved; and 
‘‘(II) the mortgagor of a mort-
gage described in subclause (I) shall 
not be required to pay any amount, in 
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cash or its equivalent, on account of 
the property. 
‘‘(B) MORTGAGE INSURANCE PREMIUM.— 
‘‘(i) UP-FRONT PREMIUM.—The Sec-
retary shall establish and collect an insur-
ance premium in connection with mort-
gages insured under this subsection that is 
a percentage of the original insured prin-
cipal obligation of the mortgage amount, 
which shall be collected at the time and in 
the manner provided under subsection 
(c)(2)(A), except that the premiums col-
lected under this subparagraph— 
‘‘(I) may be in an amount that 
exceeds 3 percent of the amount of 
the original insured principal obliga-
tion of the mortgage; and 
‘‘(II) may be adjusted by the 
Secretary from time to time by in-
creasing or decreasing such percent-
ages as the Secretary considers nec-
essary, based on the performance of 
mortgages insured under this sub-
section and market conditions. 
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‘‘(ii) PROHIBITION OF MONTHLY PRE-
MIUMS.—A mortgage insured under this 
subsection shall not be subject to a month-
ly insurance premium, including a pre-
mium under subsection (c)(2)(B). 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE MORTGAGORS.—The mortgagor 
for a mortgage insured under this subsection shall, 
at the time the mortgage is executed— 
‘‘(A) be a first-time homebuyer; 
‘‘(B) have completed a program of housing 
counseling provided through a housing coun-
seling agency approved by the Secretary; 
‘‘(C) as attested by the mortgagor— 
‘‘(i) be employed as a first responder; 
‘‘(ii) have been— 
‘‘(I) employed as a first re-
sponder for not less than 4 of the 5 
years preceding the date on which the 
mortgagor submitted an application to 
insure the mortgage under this sec-
tion; or 
‘‘(II) released from employment 
as a first responder due to an occupa-
tion-connected 
disability 
resulting 
from such duty or employment; 
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‘‘(iii) be in good standing as a first re-
sponder and not on probation or under in-
vestigation for conduct that, if determined 
to have occurred, is grounds for termi-
nation of employment; 
‘‘(iv) in good faith intend to continue 
as a first responder for not less than 1 
year following the date of closing on the 
mortgage; and 
‘‘(v) have previously never been the 
mortgagor under a mortgage insured under 
this subsection; 
‘‘(D) meet such requirements as the Sec-
retary shall establish to ensure that insurance 
of the mortgage represents an acceptable risk to 
the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund; and 
‘‘(E) meet such underwriting requirements 
as the Secretary shall establish to meet actu-
arial objectives identified by the Secretary, 
which may include avoiding a positive subsidy 
rate or complying with the capital ratio require-
ment under section 205(f)(2). 
‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
the program under this subsection— 
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‘‘(A) $660,000 for fiscal year 2024, to re-
main available until expended; and 
‘‘(B) $160,000 for each of fiscal years 
2025 through 2030, to remain available until 
expended. 
‘‘(6) REAUTHORIZATION REQUIRED.—The au-
thority to enter into new commitments to insure 
mortgages under this subsection shall expire on the 
date that is 5 years after the date on which the Sec-
retary first makes available insurance for mortgages 
under this subsection.’’. 
Æ 
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