Affordable housing bill passes February 3, 2026 Rep. Michael Sarge Pollock, R-Campbellsville, speaks on House Bill 333, an affordable housing bill, during Tuesday’s House Local Government Committee meeting. A high-resolution photo can be found here. FRANKFORT — A bill that would enable religious institutions to build small-scale affordable housing units advanced from the House Local Government Committee on Tuesday. Rep. Michael Sarge Pollock, R-Campbellsville, is the primary sponsor of the bipartisan legislation, House Bill 333. Pollock said the Sisters of Loretto, a Catholic women’s organization, reached out to him and Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, about a plan to renovate an empty structure into short-term housing. “The conversation created an opportunity to share their story, and their input made it clear there is both a need and opportunity here in Kentucky,” Pollock added. Under HB 333, faith-based organizations would be allowed to build small-scale affordable housing up to 24 units on the parcel or contiguous parcel owned by the religious institution within a half mile of the development. The legislation “also ensures housing remains affordable for at least 15 years,” Pollock said. Pollock said the legislation would implement additional safeguards to prevent clustering or large-scale development on properties that are owned prior to Jan. 1, 2021. Additionally, HB 333 would expand a religious institution’s ability to operate modest-sized homeless shelters, including cooling or warming centers, in industrial zoned areas, Pollock added. These facilities would be required to follow health and safety regulations. Pollock told the committee the bill matters because homelessness is a real issue in Kentucky, and more affordable housing options can help. “Faith communities in Kentucky are eager to play a constructive role in addressing homelessness and housing affordability,” he said. Rep. Sarah Stalker, D-Louisville, is a co-sponsor of the legislation. During a discussion on the bill, Stalker said she is under the impression the legislation will have a positive impact on the property tax base. “I want to make sure that other folks are clear, and that I am clear on this, that the property tax base will only be impacted in a positive manner because of this bill,” she said. “Meaning that if somebody had a building they were no longer using, or sitting on a church property — they were not paying taxes on that. Whereas if they renovate that and now we have affordable housing, they will be paying into that the tax base. Is that correct?” Pollock said Stalker was correct. The House Local Government Committee voted unanimously to send HB 333 to the House floor for consideration. The post Affordable housing bill passes appeared first on The Lexington Times. ...read more read less