Senate Passes Bipartisan Housing Bill
The Senate passed a rare bipartisan housing bill aimed at expanding access and affordability. While details are still emerging, the bill signals growing recognition that housing supply and affordability are national priorities.
The "21st Century ROAD to Housing Act" passed the Senate by a wide 89-10 margin, demonstrating rare bipartisan consensus on addressing housing affordability. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Tim Scott (R-SC) sponsored the bill, aiming to streamline construction and ease regulations to cut costs. A key provision would prohibit institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, a move intended to reduce competition and benefit individual homebuyers. The bill defines institutional investors as those owning 350 or more single-family homes. Existing single-family home investments are exempt, but future purchases would require selling to individual homebuyers after seven years. The House previously approved a similar version, but differences remain, including a temporary ban on a central bank issuing digital currency in the Senate version. House leaders express optimism for finding common ground, though some conservatives voice opposition. The American Bankers Association lauded the bill as an important step to enhance housing opportunities nationwide.
