ICYMI: Senator Blunt Rochester Celebrates Passage of Landmark Housing Legislation

Wilmington, DE - Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, joined Delaware stakeholders to celebrate the passage of the 21^st Century Road to Housing Act - the first comprehensive housing legislation to become law in over 30 years. Blunt Rochester authored five bills included in the package to lower housing costs, increase supply, and cut red tape. The passage of this legislation comes nearly a year after Blunt Rochester introduced "The New Way Home Agenda: A Federal Framework to Address America's Housing Crisis," her comprehensive legislative agenda to lower housing costs in Delaware and across the nation.

"As we address the shortage of 4-to-7 million housing units across the country, the passage of the 21st Century Road to Housing Act signifies a bipartisan commitment to making affordable housing a reality for all of us and revitalizing the 'American Dream'," said Senator Blunt Rochester. "I'm grateful for the Delawareans who partnered with me to craft my contributions to this package and am proud to stand with them to celebrate this momentous occasion here in the First State."

Event speakers included:

• Logan Herring, CEO, The WRK Group
• Matt Heckles, Director, Delaware State Housing Authority
• Susan Kent, Executive Director, Better Homes of Seaford
• Brandy Nauman, Director, Sussex County Community Development
• Karen Speakman, CEO, NeighborGood Partners Inc.
• Chris Neary, Senior Vice President, Policy, Research, and Advocacy, Cinnaire
• Blanche Jackson, President & CEO of Stepping Stones Credit Union
• Miketia Edmond, a homeowner with Habitat for Humanity of New Castle County at Bennett Point II.

The five bipartisan Blunt Rochester bills included in the 21^st Century Road to Housing Act are:

• The Housing Supply Frameworks Act, which would direct the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to develop zoning and land use policy frameworks for states and localities.
• The Accelerating Home Building Act, which would help local governments create pattern books - also known as pre-approved designs - to accelerate missing middle housing construction.
• The Community Investment and Prosperity Act, which would increase the cap on bank investments for community development projects, unlocking billions of dollars for affordable housing.
• The Credit Union Board Modernization Act, which would save administrative resources by reducing regulatory burdens, allowing credit unions to focus on their mission of helping communities afford housing.
• The Housing Supply and Affordability Act, which would increase affordable housing supply by establishing a grant program for state and local governments to develop and implement housing plans.

A fact sheet outlining the specific ways this legislation will impact Delaware can be found HERE.

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.