WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, R-Ala., and her Senate Banking Committee colleagues unanimously advanced a bipartisan bill Tuesday to boost the nation’s housing supply, reduce barriers to homeownership and update federal housing regulations.
The Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act is the first bipartisan housing package in over a decade to advance out of committee.
Britt, chair of the housing subcommittee for the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, said the legislation is a “great first step” to tackle the housing affordability crisis.
“I am proud of the things that were included in here, in particular, rolling back that red tape, for instance, particularly when it comes to manufactured homes, allowing people to have that first home and move into that,” Britt said during Tuesday’s markup. “Many of those regulations were outdated, unnecessary, and this bill creates solutions for that.”
The package includes streamlining review processes to speed up construction of new housing, provides support for local communities to boost the housing supply, addresses homelessness and tackles the affordability issue.
Britt specifically championed the Helping More Families Save Act, included in the package, to establish a pilot program under the Department of Housing and Urban Development to support families wanting to grow their household savings. She worked on the legislation with Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island.
“We worked together on the Helping More Families Save (Act) and this is working on the only HUD program that actually allows people to get their feet under them, and then move into economic independence, which is the goal for every single person,” Britt said.
Chair of the Banking Committee Sen. Tim Scott, R-SC, praised the bipartisan lawmakers’ work for taking a “leap in the right direction” to increase access to affordable housing across the country. The committee’s top Democrat, Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, similarly said she was glad to see the Senate “put families ahead of politics.”
During the markup, Britt said she looked forward to also working in a bipartisan manner to address youth homelessness through the Homeless Children and Youth Act, also sponsored by Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester, D-DE.
“We know that homelessness has been on the rise, and we certainly want to make sure that we remedy that for everyone, but in particular our youth, and then also making sure that we’re not funding programs that aren’t working,” Britt said.
That legislation would streamline the definition of homelessness across federal agencies to ensure children can get access to resources and support. It also directs HUD to annually assess data on youth and family homelessness.
The ROAD to Housing Act now moves to the Senate floor.