“21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” Becomes Law! New NLIHC Resource Available

By Libby O’Neill, NLIHC Senior Policy Analyst and Meghan Mertyris, NLIHC DHRC Senior Policy Analyst 

The “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” (H.R. 6644, “ROAD”) passed into law on July 11, marking the first major bipartisan housing package to become law since the 1990s. NLIHC celebrates the bill’s passage and thanks lawmakers and advocates for their ongoing work to pass meaningful affordable housing legislation.  

NLIHC especially celebrates the inclusion of the “Reforming Disaster Recovery Act” (RDRA), which will make needed reforms to HUD’s Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program and authorize it for three years; the “Rural Housing Service Reform Act,” which will help preserve 400,000 affordable rental units in rural areas; and provisions from the “Choice in Affordable Housing Act,” which will help households with Housing Choice Vouchers get into homes more quickly. 

The enactment of the RDRA was achieved after years of work from NLIHC’s Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) and the DHRC’s 900 national, state, and local partners. This bill will help sorely needed long-term disaster recovery and preparedness funds reach the hundreds of thousands of disaster survivors who need it most, when they need it most. It will also enact key changes that will ultimately create a long-term recovery and preparedness program that is faster, fairer, and more forward-looking. The DHRC has created two new resources to help advocates understand the changes to the program and the program funding mechanisms.   

There are many provisions in ROAD that will impact low-income households, either directly or indirectly. NLIHC has developed a new resource for renters and advocates to better understand these provisions. Though the bill has become law, there are still opportunities for advocacy on how the bill will be implemented. Policies, programs, and reforms will go through the rulemaking process, during which advocates can provide input on how programs are administered. Advocates can also work with their local governments to incorporate priorities as programs are carried out.  

ROAD passed Congress with broad support from both chambers, passing in the Senate on June 21 with a vote of 85-5, and in the House on June 22 with a vote of 358-32. President Trump did not sign the bill as originally expected (see Memo, 6/29); however, a bill still becomes a law without the president’s signature if the president does not sign or veto it after 10 days of it being presented by Congress. The 10 days elapsed on July 11, and ROAD automatically became law.  

As always, NLIHC will continue to push for investments in programs that serve households with the greatest needs, who are often left out of the growing national conversation about housing affordability.  

See the new ROAD resource here.  

Take Action!  

Thank your Members of Congress for voting yes on the “21st Century ROAD to Housing Act” using our Take Action page.