Senate approves housing bill targeting supply, affordability and access
The Senate passed the ROAD to Housing Act (S. 2651), a bill that is gaining support by the green building industry. The bipartisan package looks to increase housing supply, improve affordability and access to housing. Initiated by Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts the bill unamiously passed through the
While green building is not the main focus of the bill, it includes provisions to increase energy efficiency, resilience, adaptive reuse and transit-oriented development. Overall, it targets 40 different provisions focused on housing supply and affordability, which is a positive for the industry as a whole. The reforms encourage new housing development, existing housing revitalization, disaster recovery and resilience and pathways to homeownership.
“While the fate of the package remains unclear, the swift passage in the Senate shows that there is bipartisan momentum for enacting new housing policy,” said Sabine Rogers, Federal Policy Manager at the U.S. Green Building Council. “As Congress continues to look at how to address the housing crisis, USGBC is committed to supporting policy solutions that advance resilient, healthy and efficient housing as a key solution for lasting affordability and durability.”
