Sen. Kirt’s bill to support affordable housing construction heads to floor

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate Democratic Leader Julia Kirt has won approval in two committees for legislation to help communities with water infrastructure for housing development. Senate Bill 1332 creates THRIVE: the Targeted Housing and Responsible Infrastructure for Vital Economies Program. The legislation gained approval by the Senate Appropriations Committee Wednesday, after prior approval in the Economic Development, Workforce, and Tourism Committee. 

“We’re over 100,000 housing units short statewide for our current workforce, so we need innovative ways to address barriers for building more – and for our local communities, water infrastructure is a major expense,” said Kirt, D-Oklahoma City. “THRIVE will help with that cost with a zero-interest loan program accessible by cities, towns and counties to support new water infrastructure needed for housing development.” 

SB 1332 is now eligible for consideration by the full Senate. The deadline for floor votes on legislation is March 26. 

“THRIVE will support communities that want to address the missing middle cost, workforce housing crisis, and that’s going to help working families with housing stability,” Kirt said. “It’s a common-sense solution that will address real problems while strengthening families and communities.” 

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For more information, contact:  Sen. Julia Kirt at 405-521-5636 or Julia.Kirt@oksenate.gov