Senate Committee Releases Housing Bill With Bipartisan Support

Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Senators Warren, Hill, and Waters released updated text on June 16 for the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, according to the Senate Banking Committee. The bill aims to address barriers that make it harder to build new housing across the country.

The legislation was introduced in the House as H.R. 6644. It's divided into six main sections covering 38 different policies related to housing, per a Congressional Research Service analysis from May 2026. One key piece is the Better Use of Intergovernmental and Local Development Housing Act, which tackles rules and financing problems that cities and local governments say make it too difficult and expensive to build new housing.

The bill has backing from both Republicans and Democrats. Scott and Warren don't typically work together on legislation, so pairing a Senate Banking chair with key House members suggests the authors are trying to build broad support before the bill goes to the Senate floor for a vote.

The range of policies the bill covers — from zoning rules to how the federal government uses its land to how communities coordinate with each other — could work for or against it. On one hand, members from different parts of Congress can find something to support. On the other hand, that many different topics means more chances for members to propose changes, and more potential flashpoints for debate.

The authors released the updated text before a Senate floor vote. This gives housing experts, state finance agencies, city officials, and advocacy groups time to review the specific language and point out any problems with how it's written. For a bill this complicated, that early review often catches issues that might otherwise only turn up after Congress passes the bill and agencies start writing the rules to carry it out.