Despite Trump, Landmark Housing Bill Becomes Law

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Sam Liccardo (CA-16) celebrated the enactment of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the most significant federal housing reform package in more than 30 years. The bipartisan law, which became law today, includes four bills led or co-led by Liccardo, the most by any Democratic freshman member.

"The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which includes four bipartisan bills I led or co-led with my colleagues, will cut red tape, lower costs, and boost the supply of housing, both market-rate and rent-restricted," said Rep. Liccardo. "Seeing this bipartisan effort become law despite our deeply divisive political headwinds- and President Trump's attempt to hold it hostage over unrelated voting legislation- gives me hope. We need to build on this momentum and keep rolling up our sleeves to tackle the housing crisis confronting far too many American families."

A rare success for a first-term member of the minority party in this deeply partisan Congress, Liccardo secured inclusion of four bipartisan bills in the final package, including two with the Republican Chair of the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee, Congressman Mike Flood. Together, the provisions in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act reflect growing agreement across party lines that solving America's housing shortage requires faster federal reviews, cutting red tape, smarter permitting, and policies that empower local communities to build.

President Trump refused to sign the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act unless Congress also passed his voter suppression bill, the SAVE Act. Fortunately, Article I of the Constitution allows legislation to become Law after 10 days of presidential inaction. As a result, the housing package became law on Friday at 9 pm Pacific Standard Time.

Liccardo's bills include:

• H.R. 4810 - Better Use of Intergovernmental and Local Development (BUILD) Housing Act: Eliminates procedural hurdles so communities can build affordable housing faster.
• H.R. 5591- Revitalizing Empty Structures Into Desirable Environments (RESIDE) Act: Creates a pilot program to help communities convert vacant and underutilized commercial and office buildings into affordable housing.
• H.R. 4660 - Unlocking Housing Supply Through Streamlined and Modernized Reviews Act: Streamlines environmental review processes for HUD-funded housing projects.
• H.R. 7792 - Property Improvement and Manufactured Housing Loan Modernization Act: Modernizes FHA loan limits and expands financing options for manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units (ADUs), to empower more homeowners to become home providers.