WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Dan Meuser (PA-09) voted in favor of H.R. 6644, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, a bipartisan solution to America's housing affordability and supply crisis. The bill passed the House 358-32 and is expected to be signed into law by President Trump this week. The legislation originated in the House Financial Services Committee, where Congressman Meuser chairs the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The bill will boost housing production and improve affordability without undermining existing homeowners' property values by modernizing outdated programs, cutting unnecessary bureaucracy, increasing local flexibility, and allowing community banks to more freely deploy capital for construction. It also includes targeted reforms to promote innovative construction methods, expand support for homebuyers and renters, and ban large institutional investors from owning single-family homes.
"America faces a housing shortage of well over 4 million homes, while only about 1.5 million housing units are built each year. Homebuilders tell us their costs can reach nearly $100,000 before a shovel even hits the dirt because of overregulation, permitting burdens, environmental reviews, zoning delays, and other bureaucratic red tape," said Congressman Meuser. "This overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation represents months of work by the House Financial Services Committee and both chambers of Congress to increase housing supply and make the dream of homeownership attainable for American families. It also advances Chairman Hill and our Committee's goal of Making Community Banking Great Again and fulfills President Trump's promise to stop large institutional investors from competing against American families in the housing market."
House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill said, "For over two years, I have worked to give more Americans greater choice and affordability on the path to homeownership. Throughout the process, I have fought to increase the supply of housing, cut red tape, increase capital, and make local rules and zoning more competitive. We have achieved that by strengthening community banks, preventing institutional investors from outcompeting American families for homes, and modernizing building codes. This is a true bicameral, bipartisan product that demonstrates what can happen when both chambers work together to deliver real solutions. I thank Ranking Member Waters and Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren for their work in advancing this housing package."
On May 19th, Congressman Meuser spoke on the House floor in favor of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act when it initially passed the House. Watch Congressman Meuser's remarks here.
Background on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act:
Delivers on President Trump's Agenda:
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In his State of the Union address, President Trump outlined his goal of limiting institutional investors from competing against the American people as they look to purchase a home. Our bill delivers on that promise.
Removes Unnecessary Regulatory Barriers by:
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Allowing the use of ready-to-use, pre-approved home designs so builders can get permits faster and build homes more quickly.
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Modernizing and streamlining federal and local housing processes.
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Strengthening local housing operations and community capacity to produce more affordable homes in rural and urban areas.
Modernizes HUD Programs Provisions speed up homebuilding and expand financing opportunities by:
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Updating rules for manufactured homes and making HUD the lead authority on standards.
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Modernizing the HOME Program, which is the largest federal block grant program for states to increase the supply of affordable housing.
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Exempting small-scale housing developments from burdensome federal environmental reviews and giving jurisdictions more flexibility and time to commit funds, and fewer rigid federal constraints.
Enhances Community Banking Operations Provisions modernize outdated banking regulations to expand local lending while maintaining financial responsibility by:
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Cutting red tape and streamlining bank exams and outdated thresholds so well-run banks can focus on lending, not paperwork.
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Expanding community and rural banks' access to stable deposits so they can lend locally and support small businesses, farmers, and households.
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Supporting rural banks, encouraging new banks, and providing regulators flexibility to handle failures without hurting local access to banking.
Click here for the text of the bill.
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