| Senate Passes Unified Bipartisan Housing Bill On Thursday, March 12, the U.S. Senate passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a unified, bipartisan housing supply package, by a vote of 89-10. If enacted, it would be the largest, bipartisan housing supply bill passed by Congress in decades. The unified package includes some top priorities that:Gives communities more flexibility to help people living unsheltered and help more veterans experiencing homelessness get housing.Speeds up inspections so people with housing vouchers can move into homes more quicklyHelps preserve affordable rental and homeownership opportunities for low-income people and families living in rural areasStrengthens LIHTC and numerous federal housing funding programs used with LIHTC.Creates a Federal Whole Home Repair pilot modeled after the Pennsylvania program to stabilize aging housing stock.What happens next? The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act now heads back to the House for final consideration. The House can either vote on the Senate-passed version without any changes or send the bill to a conference committee for additional changes. Based on recent reports, it is very likely the House will want to make additional changes. As the House and Senate work to resolve their differences through a conference committee, we all need to be reaching out to our Senators and Representatives to ensure a final housing package includes these key priorities! |
