Rep. Salazar Launches Housing Affordability Tour, Highlights DIGNITY Act as Solution to Housing Shortage

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) joined Rep. Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Rep. Laura Gillen (NY-4), Rep. Salud Carbajal, Rep. Adam Gray (CA-13), the American Business Immigration Coalition Action (ABIC Action), and housing and construction industry leaders to launch the Housing Affordability Tour and discuss how the bipartisan Dignity Act (H.R.4393) can help address workforce shortages, increase housing supply, and lower costs for American families.

During the event, the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) announced its endorsement of the DIGNITY Act, joining a growing coalition of construction and housing organizations that support the legislation as a practical solution to one of the biggest challenges facing the American economy: housing affordability.

"America cannot solve its housing crisis without solving its workforce crisis," said Rep. Salazar. "If we want more homes, lower costs, and a stronger American Dream, we need the workers who build America's homes. The DIGNITY Act is how we get there: securing our borders, stabilizing our workforce, and restoring the promise of homeownership for the working families who have earned it."

"Every single day, we work hand-in-hand with builders to frame homes more efficiently, safely, and cost-effectively," said Larry Dix II, President of the Structural Building Components Association (SBCA) and a Virginia-based manufacturer. "But we cannot build the number of homes this country needs without a strong and reliable workforce."

"This is a great country, and immigrants are an essential part of this country. We need to embrace these valuable people who live in our communities, who do the hard work, and who make our communities work," said Rep. Tom Suozzi. "Affordability of housing today needs to

be addressed, and we need immigrants to have legal authorization to help lower the cost of housing."

"If we want to bring down costs, we must increase supply. But one of the biggest roadblocks is the shortage of construction workers," said Rep. Salud Carbajal. "For many years, immigrant workers have been essential in filling the gap. In fact, immigrants make up about one-third of the construction workforce. They are a critical part of the housing economy."

"The Dignity Act provides a renewable work authorization for hardworking, taxpaying, vetted individuals who have already been here for more than five years," said Rep. Laura Gillen. "It will strengthen our workforce and the construction industry, help to meet demand and drive down the cost of new homes and projects."

"The Dignity Act provides border security and status," said Rep. Adam Gray. "Dignity. This is an easy concept to wrap our arms around. I thank my colleagues for showing some political courage this morning, and I look forward to bringing this bill onto the House floor and voting to make America a fair and freer place."

"The housing market is short an estimated 3.7 million homes. We cannot build our way out of this shortage because the construction industry relies on immigrants," said Rebecca Shi, CEO of ABIC Action. "The Dignity Act is absolutely vital to lowering home prices for Americans by providing a legal pathway and stable work permits for long-term contributors."

The Housing Affordability Tour will bring Members of Congress to construction and manufacturing facilities across the country to hear directly from employers, workers, and industry leaders about the labor shortages affecting the homebuilding sector and the impact those shortages have on housing costs.

Key facts discussed during the event included:

• America faces a shortage of 3 to 4 million homes, leaving millions of families struggling to achieve homeownership.

• According to a landmark study by the Home Builders Institute and the National Association of Home Builders, labor shortages:

• Cost the U.S. economy more than 10 billion annually through lost production, higher costs, and construction delays.
• Add more than two months to construction timelines
• Increase construction costs by $2.6 billion annually
• Prevented the construction of more than 20,000 single-family homes last year

• Immigrants play a critical role in homebuilding:

• 34% of all construction workers nationwide are foreign-born
• More than 60% of workers in drywall, roofing, and plastering are immigrants

The DIGNITY Act would help stabilize the construction workforce, strengthen the housing pipeline, and support affordable homeownership for American families. The legislation includes a $70 billion workforce training initiative funded by participants in the Dignity Program, not taxpayers, and is projected to reduce the national debt by approximately $50 billion.

More than a dozen construction and housing organizations have endorsed the DIGNITY Act, including the National Association of Home Builders, the Structural Building Components Association, the Associated General Contractors of America, the National Roofing Contractors Association, and the Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA).

The Housing Affordability Tour will continue throughout the year, highlighting the connection between workforce stability, housing supply, and affordability while building support for commonsense solutions that help American families achieve the dream of homeownership.

Watch the full press conference here.

A NATIONAL MOVEMENT FOR REFORM

Support for the Dignity Act continues to accelerate, bringing together lawmakers, employers, workers, faith leaders, and community advocates behind one of the most broadly supported bipartisan immigration reform efforts in Congress. The legislation is now backed by 40 Members of Congress and nearly 100 national organizations representing major sectors of the American economy and civil society.

Recent milestones include:

✓ Bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus Endorsement

Read here

✓ National Association of Manufacturers Endorsement

Read here

✓ National Restaurant Association Endorsement

Read here

✓ Launch of the Dignity Coalition

Watch here

The growing list of endorsing organizations includes:

A-1 Global Holdings, African American Farmers of California, AIRC: The Association of International Enrollment Management, American Bakers Association, American Business Immigration Council (ABIC), American Families United, American Global Logistics, American Latino Coalition, American Legion, Americans for Prosperity, American Seniors Housing Association, Anti-Defamation League, Arlington Latino Chamber of Commerce, Asian American Christian Collaborative, Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM), Associated Equipment Distributors, Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, Bethel Consulting Group LLC, Brick Industry Association, Business Roundtable, Center for American Progress, Christian Family Coalition of Florida, Cleaning Coalition of America, Council for Christian Colleges & Universities, Critical Labor Coalition, Democrats for Life of America, EnglishUSA, Essential Workers Immigration Coalition (EWIC), Evangelical Immigration Table, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity (FREOPP), FWD.us, Global Detroit, Greater Houston Partnership, GROW our STEM Workforce Coalition, Hispanic Construction Council, IEEE-USA (Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers), IIUSA, ISSA (Association for Cleaning and Facility Solutions), Improve the Dream, Jewish Federation of North America, Latin Chamber of Commerce Nevada, Laredo Chamber of Commerce, LeadingAge, LIBRE Initiative, Mason Contractors Association of America (MCAA), Migrants Foundation Inc, MIRA USA, Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Evangelicals, National Association of Home Builders, National Association of Landscape Professionals, National Association of Manufacturers, National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), National Council of Chain Restaurants, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), National Hispanic Construction Alliance, National Hispanic Health Foundation, National Horsemen's Benevolent and Protective Association, National Immigration Forum, National Latino Evangelical Coalition, National Parents Union, National Restaurant Association, National Retail Federation, National Roofing Contractors Association, Nisei Farmers League, Niskanen Center, Pastors Association of south New Jersey, Power & Communication Contractors Association (PCCA), Power Design, Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute, President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, Problem Solvers Caucus, Public Affairs Alliance of Iranian Americans (PAAIA), Puerto Rico Builders Association (PRBA), Reshoring Initiative, Repatriate our Patriots, Secure Growth Initiative, SIMBA Chain, Small Business Majority, South Florida Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, SPIE - the International Society for Optics and Photonics, State Business Executives, Steel Tank Institute-Steel Plate Fabricators Association (STI-SPFA), Structural Building Components Association, TESOL International Association, Texas Business Leadership Council, Texas Restaurant Association, Tile Roofing Industry Alliance (TRIA), Third Way, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, U.S. for Success Coalition, United States Hispanic Business Council, United States Immigrant Center (USIC), Vanteo, Walroth-Sadurní Law, WERC, Why Not Act, Woodpack Global, World Relief.

RESOURCES:

One-pager on the Dignity Act, click here.

Detailed summary of the Dignity Act, click here. 

Section-by-section breakdown of the Dignity Act, click here. 

For the media kit, click here.

Fact sheet on the Dignity Act, click here..

Full text of the bill, click here.