I 
119TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 6228 
To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, to direct the Secretary 
of Transportation to establish creditworthiness standards for residential 
and mix-use development projects to be eligible for TIFIA funds and 
RRIF funds, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 20, 2025 
Ms. SCHOLTEN (for herself, Mr. BRESNAHAN, and Ms. MCBRIDE) introduced 
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure 
A BILL 
To amend titles 23 and 49, United States Code, to direct 
the Secretary of Transportation to establish creditworthi-
ness standards for residential and mix-use development 
projects to be eligible for TIFIA funds and RRIF funds, 
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 ‘‘Unlocking Affordable 
Housing Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. CREDITWORTHINESS OF RESIDENTIAL AND MIXED- 
USE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES FOR PUR-
POSES OF ELIGIBILITY FOR TIFIA AND RRIF 
FUNDS. 
(a) TIFIA CREDITWORTHINESS
OF RESIDENTIAL 
AND MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 602(a)(2) of title 
23, United States Code, is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘To 
be eligible’’ and inserting ‘‘Except as provided 
in subparagraph (C), to be eligible’’; 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘Notwithstanding subparagraph (A)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘Except as provided in subparagraph 
(C), notwithstanding subparagraph (A)’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following new 
subparagraph: 
‘‘(C) RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVI-
TIES.—To be eligible for assistance under the 
TIFIA program, a project described in section 
601(a)(12)(E) that includes residential develop-
ment activities (which may include mixed-use 
development activities) shall satisfy such credit-
worthiness standards as the Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Secretary of Housing and 
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Urban Development, determines to be appro-
priate to— 
‘‘(i) safeguard the financial stability 
of the TIFIA program; and 
‘‘(ii) align, to the extent practicable, 
such creditworthiness standards with any 
similar requirements established by the 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment with respect to eligibility for assist-
ance for such activities under programs of 
the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development.’’. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(A) TIFIA DEFINITIONS.—Section 601(a) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended— 
(i) in paragraph (6)(D) by striking 
‘‘TIFIA program’’ and inserting ‘‘TIFIA 
program applicable to the project’’; 
(ii) in paragraph (10)(D) by striking 
‘‘agreement, 
including’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘agreement, including, if applicable’’; and 
(iii) in paragraph (12)(E)(ii) by strik-
ing ‘‘, by not later than September 30, 
2026,’’. 
(B) RATING LETTER REQUIREMENTS.— 
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(i) IN
GENERAL.—Section 602(b)(3) 
of title 23, United States Code, is amended 
by striking ‘‘each project applicant’’ and 
inserting ‘‘each applicant for TIFIA assist-
ance for a project for which an investment- 
grade rating is required under subsection 
(a)(2)’’. 
(ii) 
SECURED
LOANS
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Section 603(a)(3) of title 23, 
United States Code, is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘each rating letter’’ and inserting ‘‘any 
rating letters’’. 
(iii) LINES
OF
CREDIT
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Section 604(a) of title 23, United 
States Code, is amended— 
(I) in paragraph (3)— 
(aa) by striking ‘‘section 
602(b)(3)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
602(b)(3), if any’’; and 
(bb) by striking ‘‘the rating 
opinion 
letter’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘any such rating opinion letters’’; 
and 
(II) in paragraph (4) to read as 
follows: 
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‘‘(4) CREDITWORTHINESS OF SENIOR OBLIGA-
TIONS.— 
‘‘(A) INVESTMENT-GRADE
RATING
RE-
QUIREMENT.—Except as provided in subpara-
graph (B), the funding of a line of credit under 
this section shall be contingent on the senior 
obligations of the project receiving an invest-
ment-grade rating from 2 rating agencies. 
‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS
FOR
RESIDENTIAL 
DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.—The funding of a 
line of credit under this section for a project de-
scribed in section 601(a)(12)(E) that includes 
residential development activities (which may 
include mixed-use development activities) shall 
be contingent on such evidence of creditworthi-
ness of the senior obligations of the project as 
the Secretary, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development, de-
termines appropriate to— 
‘‘(i) safeguard the financial stability 
of the TIFIA program; and 
‘‘(ii) align, to the extent practicable, 
requirements relating to such evidence of 
creditworthiness with any similar require-
ments established by the Secretary of 
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Housing and Urban Development with re-
spect to assistance for such activities under 
programs of the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development.’’. 
(b) RRIF CREDITWORTHINESS
OF RESIDENTIAL 
AND MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES.—Section 
22402(f)(3) of title 49, United States Code, is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘guarantee 
is greater’’ and inserting ‘‘guarantee for any project 
other than a project described in subsection 
(b)(1)(F) that includes residential development 
(which may include mixed-use development) is great-
er’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following new sub-
paragraph: 
‘‘(E) With respect to any project described 
in subsection (b)(1)(F) that includes residential 
development (which may include mixed-use de-
velopment), such evidence of creditworthiness as 
the Secretary, in consultation with the Sec-
retary of Housing and Urban Development, de-
termines to be appropriate— 
‘‘(i) to align, to the extent practicable, 
such creditworthiness standards with any 
similar requirements established by the 
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Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment with respect to eligibility for assist-
ance for such activities under programs of 
the Department of Housing and Urban 
Development; and 
‘‘(ii) to safeguard the financial sta-
bility of the program under this chapter.’’. 
(c) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of 
Transportation, in consultation with the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, shall prescribe regula-
tions to carry out— 
(1) sections 602(a)(2)(C) and 604(a)(4)(B) of 
title 23, United States Code, as added by this sec-
tion; and 
(2) section 22402(f)(3)(E) of title 49, United 
States Code, as added by this section. 
(d) EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICABILITY.—The amend-
ments made by subsections (a) and (b) shall take effect 
on the date that is 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this section and shall apply with respect to any loan 
or line of credit issued under the TIFIA program or chap-
ter 224 of title 49, United States Code, on or after such 
date. 
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