U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff, the junior senator from Georgia, recently introduced a bipartisan bill to help first responders and teachers become homeowners.
Sens. Ossoff, Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, introduced the bipartisan Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act of 2023 to help first responders & teachers buy their first home.
The bipartisan bill would establish a new, one-time use home loan program under the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) for first responders and teachers to purchase their first home — modeled after the similar VA home loan program.
From a news release from Ossoff:
The HELPER Act would address the housing affordability crisis by eliminating the upfront home purchase costs and the monthly mortgage insurance premium for those who serve our communities — including teachers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, paramedics, and emergency medical technicians.
“I’m working across the aisle to support Georgia’s teachers, first responders, and law enforcement officers by making homeownership more affordable for public servants who teach our kids and protect our families.
Senator Jon Ossoff
Homeownership is a cornerstone of the American Dream. Our public servants’ ability to reside in the neighborhoods they serve is crucial to the strength and resilience of our communities. As already high housing prices continue to rise, the HELPER Act would ensure that our teachers and first responders can own a home in the communities they dutifully serve.
Senator Marco Rubio
The bill is also backed in the Senate by Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
The bipartisan bill is endorsed by the:
- Georgia Municipal Association
- Professional Fire Fighters of Georgia
- 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 Fire Fighters (IAFF)
- Major Cities Chiefs Association (MCCA)
- Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA)
- National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO)
- National Education Association (NEA)
- National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA), and
- National Troopers Coalition (NTC)
Click here to read the bipartisan HELPER Act.
