One of the louder and longer periods of sustained applause at Gov. Janet Mills’ state of the state address Tuesday night was when she called for more affordable housing support.

Specifically, she cited the Maine Affordable Housing Tax Credit, sponsored by Assistant House Majority Leader Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, which Mills said would create nearly 1,000 additional affordable homes over eight years, increasing Maine’s current rate of production by 50%.

Send the bill to her, she said, and she’ll sign it.

The legislation was proposed by the Maine Affordable Housing Coalition, and would leverage federal money not currently available to Maine with $80 million in state tax credits over four years.