Merkley Joins Bipartisan Push to Help Teachers and First Responders Achieve Homeownership

Washington, D.C. -Oregon's U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley announced he joined a bipartisan group of lawmakers in supporting the Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act, legislation to help teachers and first responders buy homes in the communities they serve.

"Across Oregon, teachers and first responders are vital to our communities but too often cannot afford to live in the very communities they serve," said Merkley. "The HELPER Act is a practical, bipartisan step toward removing unnecessary barriers to homeownership and helping working families afford a decent home in a decent community."

This bipartisan, bicameral bill would establish a new home loan program - modeled after the successful Veterans Affairs (VA) loan program - to make homeownership more accessible for teachers and first responders by eliminating some of the requirements for first-time homebuyers, such as down payments and monthly mortgage insurance premiums.

The HELPER Act would:

• Create a one-time-use home loan program through the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for law enforcement officers, firefighters, Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT), paramedics, and pre-K through 12 teachers who are first-time homebuyers;
• Eliminate a down payment requirement on a mortgage;
• Remove a monthly mortgage insurance premium (MIP) requirement; and
• Require an upfront mortgage insurance premium (UFMIP) to ensure the solvency of the program.

Merkley, early in his career, led Portland Habitat for Humanity and has continued to fight for affordable housing at every level of government. In the U.S. Senate, he has been a leading voice fighting to kick hedge funds out of the housing market as large institutional investors gobble up homes in communities across the United States, driving up both purchase prices and rents for single-family homes.

The introduction of the HELPER Act was led by U.S. Senators Ashley Moody (R-FL) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) and U.S. Representatives John H. Rutherford (R-FL-05), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY-02).

The HELPER Act is supported by a broad coalition of organizations representing educators and first responders, including the American Association of State Troopers (AAST), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA), Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), International Association of EMTs and Paramedics (IAEP), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), National Troopers Coalition (NTC), and the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) among others.

Full text of the HELPER Act can be found by clicking here.

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