REP. WARREN PETRYK’S

REPRESENTING WI STATE ASSEMBLY DISTRICT 91

Wisconsin’s workforce housing shortage

In previous articles I’ve talked about the workforce shortage and how the State Assembly continues to find innovative and creative ways to grow and expand our labor force. An important part of this solution includes connecting people to housing. Wisconsin’s housing crisis is being created by three factors: A housing shortage, affordability, and government red tape. A report noted that Wisconsin is creating fewer lots and fewer housing units than historical averages and construction costs are rising faster than inflation and incomes. This is causing our state to have a homeownership rate for younger families near the bottom for our area of the country, second only to Illinois.

To address this issue, we need to find a way for the state to encourage more workforce housing (affordable for families making 120% of an area’s median income). We also need to find ways to restore and renovate existing housing units while also removing burdensome government regulations. While policies out of Washington DC continue to make it harder to find and build a home, this session I co-authored and supported several bills to address this issue head-on.

One of these bills, Assembly Bill 603, which I co-authored with fellow Assemblyman Treig Pronschinske, would help lower the cost of new homes. His bill would have created a sales tax exemption for building materials, supplies, and equipment used for workforce housing. With the rising cost of raw materials, anything we can do to lower prices for these types of projects can make a difference.

In addition to lowering the cost of new homes, I also supported Assembly Bill 607 to help lower the cost of upgrading older homes. This bill, which became law a few months ago, creates a low-interest or no-interest loan program to help rehabilitate certain residential properties. Funds from these loans can be used to cover the cost of structural repairs, removing lead paint, and upgrading heating and cooling units.

Finally, legislation was passed to cut housing red tape. According to the National Association of Home Builders, regulations alone can drive up the cost of single-family homes by at least 24%. While some regulations protect the health and safety of homeowners, creating a long bureaucratic process for getting a permit helps no one. That is why these bills included creating an expedited approval process for new home projects.

By passing legislation to encourage and lower the cost of housing in our state, we will help businesses and local communities attract and retain the strong, talented workforce that we need today. I look forward to continuing to work on this issue in the future. If you have any ideas to help the workforce housing shortage, you can always reach me at 608-266-0660 or by email at [email protected]