Design and Construction Report staff writer
The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Housing for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 6644) with a bipartisan vote of 390–9, marking the most significant federal housing reform effort in more than a decade.
If enacted, the legislation, sponsored by Financial Services Chair French Hill (R-Ark.), would represent a major federal investment in housing supply, infrastructure and modernization of programs counties say are critical to meeting local housing needs.
The Senate is expected to consider its own housing package, the ROAD to Housing, in the coming weeks. Lawmakers could then convene a conference committee to reconcile differences between the two bills. The National Association of Counties (NACo) urged Congress to preserve H.R. 6644’s core principles: flexibility, strong local partnerships and scalable tools that allow counties to expand housing supply and supporting infrastructure based on local conditions.
The bill would modernize several federal housing programs, streamline regulatory processes and expand local flexibility.
HOME Investment Partnerships program:
- Raises income eligibility thresholds to help counties address workforce housing gaps. Certain low-impact rehabilitation and infill projects would be exempt from full National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews, speeding construction. Counties that do not receive Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement funds could use HOME dollars for housing-adjacent infrastructure.
Community Development Block Grants:
- Expands eligible uses to include new construction, requires entitlement communities to report on zoning reforms that promote housing growth and mandates a public database of undeveloped land owned by the jurisdiction. Unlike the Senate proposal, funding is not tied to local housing production levels.
Local planning and development:
- Provides grants for regional planning agencies to update local codes and create “pattern books” of pre-approved home designs to speed permitting. HUD would also develop model zoning frameworks for state and local governments.
Program modernization:
- Streamlines inspections by allowing units recently reviewed under other federal programs to meet Section 8 requirements, strengthens rural housing tools through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Section 504 Home Repair program, and removes HUD’s permanent chassis requirement for manufactured homes.
County leaders have long cited regulatory hurdles and program constraints as major obstacles to increasing housing supply. The bill would streamline federal reviews, modernize core housing programs counties administer and expand local tools for affordable and workforce housing.
If enacted, it could give counties greater flexibility in using federal funds, improve coordination with federal partners and create new opportunities for local planning as communities work to meet housing needs.
