The House on Wednesday passed a resolution on a 396-13 vote to make changes to a Senate-passed housing bill and send it back to the upper chamber where its future is unclear, The Hill reported.
All 13 vote against the bill came from Republicans. The House made changes to a Senate version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, that passed the Senate 89-10 earlier this year.
The Hill reported that House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) decided to move the bill through a fast-track process that bypassed a procedural hurdle but required two-thirds support.
In a GOP press conference Wednesday Johnson said the housing bill will help with the affordability issue that many Americans are experiencing — a key concern among Republicans heading into the midterms.
“It’s going to increase the supply, and it’s going to make it easier for local banks to deploy capital in their own communities. All those things are going to help with the cost of living, help with affordability. It’s going to be a big thing for the people. The House and Senate remain closely aligned on getting the best possible product to the president’s desk, and we’ll do that in very short order,” Johnson said.
Approved Incentives
According to The Hill, the bill would approve incentives to build new homes, establish a program to convert abandoned buildings into housing developments, and authorize new grants to modernize existing homes, along with other priorities.
The House stripped a controversial provision requiring large institutional investors of build-to-rent single-family homes to sell those properties within seven years. That provision had sparked an uproar among hardline conservatives, who said that it amounts to unnecessary government interference in the free market and private housing economy, The Hill noted.
The revision also would include a section on “Housing Supply Frameworks,” that would establish guidelines and best practices for zoning and land use policies, among other things.
“This revised House package of needed housing reforms preserves more than 90 percent of the Senate’s bill, while strengthening it by adding numerous, critical House-passed, Democrat-led housing and community banking provisions. As a result, we will be providing more relief and support to millions of families and communities all across the nation,” Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, said on the House floor Tuesday.
It is unclear whether the amended version has enough support to pass in the Senate.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the ranking member on the Senate Banking Committee, accused House Republicans of trying to kill the legislation by watering down restrictions on institutional investors. She warned that changing the restriction on institutional investors “kills the bill.”
Trump Backed Restricting Institutional Investor
“Changing a provision from what Donald Trump has specifically asked for and the language he has specifically endorsed and that has passed the Senate 89-10 is nothing more than an attempt to kill the housing bill overall,” she said.
The bill would need some Democratic support to overcome a filibuster and advance in the Senate.
President Trump previously urged the House to pass the Senate’s version of the bill, and on Wednesday signaled his approval for the lower chamber’s version.
A statement of administration policy said the measure “would increase the availability of single-family homes and promote homeownership for working families.”
“The Administration strongly supports passage of this bill and urges the Senate to take up and pass this legislation. The Administration requests both chambers resolve any remaining differences expeditiously.”
Organizations Commend Passage
The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) released a statement following the House’s adoption of the latest version of the “21st Century Road to Housing Act.”
“The Community Home Lenders of America (CHLA) commends the House for its bi-partisan approval of H.R. 6644, the “21st Century Road to Housing Act,” the organization said. “In particular, CHLA appreciates the inclusion of Section 301, which would eliminate the permanent chassis requirement for manufactured homes. Manufactured housing is among the nation’s most affordable homeownership options.
“Another noteworthy focus of the bill is Sections 105, 401, and 402 – all designed to promote small-dollar mortgage loans, which are more difficult to originate.”
National Housing Conference Comments
David M. Dworkin, President and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), released this statement commending the advancing of the bill.
“The National Housing Conference commends the House for advancing the amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and demonstrating that bipartisan cooperation on housing is still possible. At a time when families across the country are struggling with rising housing costs and limited supply, passage of this legislation marks an important step toward expanding housing opportunity and improving affordability nationwide.
The amended bill includes a number of meaningful reforms that will help modernize federal housing programs, reduce barriers to development, and encourage the production and preservation of a wide range of rental properties and single-family homes for homebuyers.
This package reflects substantial bipartisan collaboration and incorporates many policies that have previously received broad bipartisan support in both chambers of Congress. The House legislation represents significant progress and a strong foundation for further action.
We urge the Senate to move quickly to take up this legislation and continue the bipartisan work needed to address the nation’s housing affordability crisis. While no single piece of legislation is perfect, this bill reflects meaningful cooperation across party lines and provides a strong foundation for expanding housing supply and improving affordability in communities nationwide.
We look forward to continuing to work with House and Senate leaders, whose efforts have brought us this far. We are confident they can work together to give President Trump the best possible legislation for his signature.”
