1) Campaign Email - daniel@danielbiss.com
2) Your Platform: Link to your website about housing - https://www.danielbiss.com/issues/lowering-the-cost-of-essentials-putting-working-families-first
3) Your Community: Is your district suffering from a housing shortage?
Yes.
4) Your Record: Are there pro-housing policies or specific housing developments you have supported in the past that you would like to highlight?
I have been a strong supporter of Envision Evanston, which includes a new Comprehensive Plan and a new Zoning Code that reflects a vision for an Evanston that is accessible and affordable to all. Envision Evanston includes zoning reform and other regulation reforms that are intended to make it easier to build new housing that still reflects the character of our community. I have also personally supported a number of housing developments in Evanston, including the recent approval of a new 29-story apartment tower that will be the tallest building in Evanston once completed.
5) What are the primary hurdles facing building new housing in Illinois, and what are the best ways to resolve them?
If we want to lower housing costs, we have to build more homes. But in Illinois, a mix of outdated zoning rules, excessive red tape, and coordinated opposition from a small subset of residents routinely blocks or shrinks reasonable development proposals. The result is predictable: fewer homes, delayed projects, and higher costs for everyone. The federal government has a clear role to play in removing these barriers—by incentivizing pro-housing local policies, streamlining access to federal financing, and ensuring our investments reward communities that expand opportunity. If we take these steps, we can finally bring down the cost of renting, buying, and owning a home.
6) If elected, what kind of policies would you propose or support at the federal level to increase housing production, including using federal preemption?
I support a variety of measures to increase housing production, including:
Dramatically increasing federal investment in building and preserving affordable housing through the Housing Trust Fund and Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
Expanding rental assistance and providing down-payment support for families shut out of homeownership.
Rewarding pro-housing zoning policies (like legalizing apartments near transit and lowering parking minimums) as a condition of receiving federal transportation grants.
Streamlining application and compliance processes, allow more flexible use of funds, and allow tax credits to pair more easily with other financing sources for federally supported housing initiatives.
7) What is your position on the ROAD to Housing Act?
I support the ROAD to Housing Act.
8) The Build Now Act creates a carrot-and-stick system to modestly reallocate CDBG grants from high-cost-of-living municipalities that are blocking new housing to those that are facilitating it. Do you support tying federal infrastructure, housing, or transportation funds to local zoning and permitting reform? Why or why not?
Yes I strongly support rewarding pro-housing zoning policies, but I am wary of the Trump Administration’s efforts to tie federal funding to their ideological agenda.
9) When it comes to increasing housing supply, what is the correct balance between local control and federal preemption?
Local governments and stakeholders should shape their neighborhoods, but we can’t ignore how exclusionary zoning has blocked housing, raised housing costs, and deepened inequality. The federal government shouldn’t dictate block-by-block zoning, but it must ensure that federal dollars expand opportunity. The federal government should reward communities that legalize more homes near jobs and transit, streamline approvals, protect renters, and prevent discrimination.
10) Would you support a change to the allocation of Department of Transportation funding between public transportation and highways? What would be the optimal allocation between the two?
I believe we must significantly increase federal investment in public transportation. Here in Illinois, our transit systems have stared down a fiscal cliff for years—driven by pandemic-era revenue losses, aging infrastructure, and a long history of inadequate federal support. While I don’t think we need a fixed ratio between highway and transit funding, I do believe the balance is skewed. If we want cleaner air, less congestion, stronger regional economies, and real mobility for working families, the federal government must commit to substantial, sustained transit funding.
11) Other than CDBG grants, what are some other enforcement mechanisms the federal government can use to ensure state and local governments are building enough new homes to reverse the national housing shortage? How would you support these mechanisms?
The federal government can offer bonus funding for transit-oriented development, fast-track financing for affordable projects, and penalties for jurisdictions that weaponize zoning to exclude. I would support a balanced approach that pairs strong incentives with accountability, ensuring communities help reverse the national housing shortage rather than deepen it.
