Key points:
- Senators Tim Scott and Elizabeth Warren introduce bipartisan housing bill.
- The ROAD to Housing Act aims to tackle housing affordability and reduce homelessness.
- The bill includes a pilot program to repair homes for low-income owners.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Tim Scott (R-SC) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have introduced sweeping bipartisan legislation aimed at tackling one of America’s most urgent crises: housing affordability.
The Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream to Housing Act of 2025, or ROAD to Housing Act, represents an expansive federal effort to support housing production, reduce homelessness, expand homeownership, and encourage local zoning reform.
“Since taking over as Ranking Member in 2022, I pledged to make housing a top priority and put forward commonsense reforms to reverse decades of failed housing policies,” said Senator Tim Scott, now Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee. “Now, as Chairman, I’m proud to lead the committee in considering comprehensive legislation that will increase access to affordable housing for Americans across the country. This is a collaborative effort that includes the work of my colleagues across the committee, and I look forward to advancing these solutions to the full Senate.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Ranking Member on the committee, echoed the importance of bipartisan collaboration in tackling what she called a national emergency.
“With this historic bipartisan bill, we are taking a critical first step to bring down families’ number one monthly expense—housing costs,” Warren said. “I’ve been calling on Congress to address our nation’s housing shortage for years, and I’m proud to work with Chair Scott and our entire Committee to put forward legislation that will boost housing supply, reduce homelessness, and expand homeownership for families.”
The bill spans eight titles and includes more than sixty distinct provisions. It opens with reforms to financial literacy and housing counseling programs, amending Section 106 of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968 to expand geographic access and require regular performance reviews for HUD-approved counseling agencies.
The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development is authorized to “conduct periodic on-site reviews” and evaluate counselor effectiveness by comparing the performance of counseled borrowers to default rates in similar markets.
For underperforming agencies, the bill allows the Secretary to “deny renewal of covered assistance” based on compliance failures, provided the agency is given 60 days’ notice and an opportunity for an informal conference. New foreclosure mitigation requirements mandate that borrowers who are at least 30 days delinquent on covered mortgage loans must be offered housing counseling, with the cost covered by the Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund when certain conditions are met.
Central to the bill is a robust federal framework to address zoning and regulatory barriers at the state and local levels. The Housing Supply Frameworks Act, found in Title II, recognizes that regulatory barriers such as “zoning and land use regulations… inhibit the creation of new housing to meet local and regional housing needs.”
Congress explicitly finds that “there is an opportunity for the Federal Government to provide support and assistance to State and local governments that wish to undertake necessary reforms in a manner that fits their communities’ needs.” It declares that exclusionary land-use practices that limit housing opportunities based on income “are contrary to the regional and national interest.”
The bill mandates that HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research publish guidelines and best practices for state and local zoning reform within three years. These guidelines are to be developed with public comment and the input of a diverse federal advisory task force including planners, affordable housing developers, community stakeholders, and state officials.
The guidelines will include model provisions for eliminating parking minimums, increasing maximum floor-area ratios, allowing duplexes and triplexes by-right, reducing lot size requirements, and promoting transit-oriented development.
The bill calls for the development of model state zoning appeals processes and environmental streamlining policies, noting that local and state jurisdictions may need assistance to “preserve existing affordability, limit disruption of low-income communities, and prevent displacement of existing residents.”
The bill also repeals the long-outdated Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse created in 1992 and replaces it with biennial HUD reporting on the adoption of federal zoning recommendations. The Secretary is directed to consider “adoption rates by States and localities of each guideline and best practice,” and to use that data to refine future guidance.
Another major provision is the Whole–Home Repairs Act, a pilot program designed to provide grants to local and state governments to repair and rehabilitate homes occupied by low-income owners and landlords of affordable units.
Under the bill, grants can be issued to eligible homeowners with incomes under 80 percent of area median income. Landlords with fewer than ten rental properties may also qualify for forgivable loans, provided they agree to limit rent increases, maintain affordability for three years, and comply with accessibility and habitability standards.
The Secretary is required to prioritize applicants that plan to deliver services across rural, suburban, and urban areas and demonstrate coordination with existing federal programs, such as those run by the Department of Energy or USDA. Local agencies receiving grants must report annually on the number of units served, the cost and type of repairs completed, and demographic data on recipients. The bill authorizes $30 million in initial funding for the pilot, with the program scheduled to terminate in 2031.
The ROAD to Housing Act also includes reforms to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, permanently authorizing its use and mandating annual HUD reports on its impact. It provides a new incentive structure for housing development in Opportunity Zones, prioritizing those areas for HUD grants.
In addition, the Build Now Act adjusts Community Development Block Grant allocations to reward jurisdictions that increase housing growth, while penalizing those that fall behind. Jurisdictions with high “housing growth improvement rates” receive a bonus, while those with low rates may see a 10 percent cut in CDBG funding.
The bill touches nearly every aspect of housing policy, including modular housing, appraisal modernization, the VA home loan program, and federal disaster housing responses. It includes a new Choice in Affordable Housing Act to encourage voucher acceptance and expands support for small-dollar mortgage originators. Throughout, the bill is structured to offer federal support without overriding state and local authority—what Scott has referred to as a “partner, not a punisher” approach.
Despite ideological differences, both senators see the housing crisis as a shared challenge demanding unified action. Scott’s emphasis on streamlining regulations and increasing supply aligns with Warren’s focus on affordability and equity. The result is a legislative package that offers both incentives and oversight, market solutions and government support.
The committee is expected to hold hearings on the bill this summer.
With broad support and momentum from both parties, the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 may become the most comprehensive housing legislation advanced in decades—offering a rare moment of unity around a growing national emergency.
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Homelessness Housing Crisis HUD Senator Elizabeth Warren Senator Tim Scott