Warwick Representative and Rhode Island House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi testified before the U.S. Senate Budget Committee at a hearing entitled “The Costs of Inaction: Economic Risks from Housing Unaffordability” Wednesday in Washington, DC. He was invited to testify by U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), chairman of the Senate Budget Committee. He spoke in support of the Affordable Housing Construction Act, which is sponsored by Sen. Whitehouse and cosponsored by Sen. Reed. “Housing issues are not unique to Rhode Island: At a recent National Governors Meeting, every single state listed housing as its top issue, and HUD estimates that the national shortage of housing units is more than six million homes,” he said. He voiced support of legislation to significantly increase the Low Income Housing Tax Credit. He also outlined measures he has taken to address Rhode Island’s housing crisis, including shepherding the passage of nearly 50 new housing laws and forming several legislative study commissions to examine multiple facets of the issue. Video of the hearing is online at https://www.budget.senate.gov/hearings/the-costs-of-inaction-economic-risks-from-housing-unaffordability.