The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is Now Law

After years of work, the most significant federal housing legislation in a decades has been enacted.

As of July 11, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act is law. Under Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution, a bill becomes law if the president neither signs nor vetoes it within 10 days (Sundays excepted) while Congress is in session. This is how this bill was enacted, but the mechanism does not change the outcome: this is now law, and it stands as the most consequential federal housing legislation Congress has passed in decades.

The bipartisan margin that carried this bill to the finish line—85-5 in the U.S. Senate and 358-32 in the U.S. House—sends a powerful message: housing affordability remains one of the few issues where there is broad, bipartisan agreement in Washington.

Credit where it’s due

This bill exists because of the Congressional leadership and staff who sustained it. Credit belongs to Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill (R-AR) and Ranking Member Maxine Waters (D-CA), whose good-faith negotiation across chambers and across the aisle produced a bill that could pass both. It also belongs to the committee staff who translated the negotiations and ideas into legislative text, and to the advocates—including so many of NAAHL’s own staff and members—who stayed at the table through every rewrite and every moment it looked like the moment may have passed.

NAAHL and our members have consistently called on Congress to pass a broad, bipartisan housing package. This bill reflects many of the priorities we have championed on behalf of our community.

What comes next

Passage marks years of work. Implementation starts a new period of work. NAAHL will continue to engage with Congress, the Administration, and implementing agencies to support the actions required to bring the housing provisions of this bill to full effect. We will continue to urge Congress for the appropriations and staffing this bill’s promise depends on.

This is a historic moment for housing policy. As with every win of this size, the real test is what happens over the next several years, not the next several days. We look forward to working alongside our partners in Washington every step of the way.

Sarah Brundage
President & CEO