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While the need for more housing throughout the commonwealth may be a bipartisan issue, specific proposals presented before a state House panel on Monday got the nod from Democrats — but not from Republicans worried about local control.
Nearly every bill on the eight-item Housing and Community Development Committee agenda had GOP detractors, including efforts to restrict local ordinances limiting secondary dwellings and unrelated roommates. Those proposals drew the fiercest debate, but are among the most common requests from housing advocates.
“We’re just trying to get the ball rolling here,” said Chair Rep. Brandon Markosek (D-Allegheny).
State officials estimate that Pennsylvania needs to build 450,000 new housing units by 2035 to keep up with demand, but note the current building rate will fall short by nearly 185,000 homes. Nearly half of the need is in the heavily populated southeastern region, but every part of the state is dealing with a housing shortage.
Some of the proposals were part of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s Housing Action Plan. This includes efforts to cap rental application fees and an end to income discrimination, both of which passed on a party-line vote.
Other bills that passed without any Republican support were increasing housing discrimination penalties for landlords and utilizing grant dollars from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RCAP) for housing projects.
RCAP uses state funds for economic development projects like renovating a vacant building to be a family entertainment complex, parking garages, elevator maintenance and constructing commercial properties, according to a list of current grantees.
“I think this moves away from the original intention of the RCAP program,” said GOP Chair Rich Irvin (R-Huntingdon).
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission shared that housing discrimination was a top complaint in its recent annual report, with 131 cases statewide. Most allegations were related to disability, race or national origin.
Two proposals got a unanimous committee greenlight: making parking fees for renters more transparent and exempting community homes for adults with disabilities from sprinkler requirements — the latter of which aligns such living spaces with regulations for non-disabled adults.
Accessory dwelling units and the ‘Golden Girls’ bill
A March 2026 poll from YouGov of 824 registered voters, commissioned by the group 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, found that cost was a major barrier for housing. About 84% of them said “the state legislature should take action to address Pennsylvania’s housing shortage and cost of housing in the state.”
Two-thirds of those specifically supported allowing unrelated people to live together as roommates or housemates in the same home, which is banned or limited in some municipalities.
House Bill 2109, sponsored by Rep. Tarik Khan (D-Philadelphia), invokes the popular 1980s television show “The Golden Girls,” where four senior women choose to live together to save money. The proposal, also sponsored by Rep. Abby Major (R-Armstrong), would strike “arbitrary” limits at the local level.
“As we look to address unnecessary regulations and cut red tape … this is a great example. This is a bill that’s going to help with folks that are struggling to afford rent,” said Khan.
But Rep. Jeremy Shaffer (R-Allegheny) shared concerns about stepping on local authority, drawing on his experience as a former Ross Township commissioner in the Pittsburgh area.
“Basically, this bill would allow any single-family home to essentially become a de facto small apartment building,” said Shaffer, noting that the only other resident limits under county-level health and safety standards might be as high as 18 people in a 2,400 square-foot home.
“It completely takes away the options for any reasonable restrictions,” Shaffer continued. “… the only mechanism that a municipality might have is the unrelated occupancy (ordinance).”
Khan said he and Major had worked to “tighten” language and restrict homes from becoming fraternity housing, but both signaled an openness to working on a joint amendment. He noted that 18-member families could currently live together without violating code, saying that the bill was trying to remove the “artificial” limit on blood relations.
“That doesn’t sound safe to me to have that many people living in one house,” said Khan.
Shaffer and six other Republicans voted against the measure, which moved on a 19-7 vote.
The vote on accessory dwelling units (ADUs) had an identical 19-7 result, though two Republican legislators flipped their votes.
House Bill 2186 would allow homeowners to build secondary living spaces, which can include separate buildings, additional stories or units attached to the main home. In the YouGov poll, two-thirds of voters either strongly or somewhat supported the policy.
Rep. John Inglis III (D-Allegheny) pitched his proposal as a “practical and balanced” solution that would “establish clear statewide standards that allow homeowners to build ADUs by right while still maintaining existing zoning, permitting, and health and safety requirements.”
He said 18 other states have authorized similar legislation, though homeowner associations would still be permitted to restrict the units, which are also known as granny flats or in-law suites.
Again, Republican committee members panned the measure for superseding local control, including some who noted ambulances would have trouble accessing such units in some dense areas.
But Irvin, the GOP chair, added his support, noting it could be a revenue generator for some people.
“I like local control more so than I like state control. But I think what I like more than local control is property rights,” said Irvin. “I think that’s one of the reasons why I’m voting this bill forward.”
Pennsylvania Capital-Star, where this article was originally published, is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info(at)penncapital-star.com.
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