The U.S. House Committee on Financial Services announced the Main Street Capital Access Act, a community banking package positioned as a legislative effort to support local bank formation and reduce barriers to capital access for small and mid-sized banks. The proposal is framed as enabling community lenders to focus on serving families, small businesses, and local economies. The Committee linked the package to Chairman French Hill’s community banking principles released in November 2024 and to a series of 2025 hearings held by the full committee and the Financial Institutions Subcommittee covering topics including tailoring the U.S. bank capital framework, resolution reform and funding access, bank mergers and de novo formation, and lessons from 15 years of Dodd-Frank. The Committee also published the bill text alongside a one-page summary and section-by-section materials.