The Senate’s ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, a sweeping bipartisan package that aims to expand housing supply and address the affordable housing crisis, moved a step forward on Thursday.

A “historic legislative markup” of the bill (the ROAD acronym stands for Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream) was announced by Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who chairs the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, and Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., a ranking member of the committee. The Committee is scheduled to mark up the package in a livestreamed executive session on Tuesday, July 29, at 10 a.m. EDT.

The package will take important steps to boost the nation’s housing supply, improve housing affordability and increase oversight and efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs, Scott and Warren said in a joint statement. The executive session is the committee’s first bipartisan housing markup in over a decade.

“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,” Scott said in the statement. “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.”

Scott called it a collaborative effort that includes the work of colleagues across the committee, and said he looks forward to advancing these solutions to the full Senate.

Warren said the bill is a “critical first step to bring down families’ No. 1 monthly expense — housing costs.”

“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,” Warren stated.

The legislation is described as a comprehensive proposal, with four main areas areas of focus:

• Expand and Preserve Housing Supply:
  • Remove regulatory barriers to housing development
  • Increase and preserve existing housing
  • Promote innovative construction methods, including to expand access to modular and manufactured housing
  • Address neighborhood blight and support communities recovering from natural disasters
• Improve Housing Affordability and Access:
  • Expand access to homeownership
  • Improve housing affordability
  • Promote housing opportunities for veterans
  • Reduce homelessness
  • Reduce appraisal shortages while addressing inaccurate appraisals
• Advance Accountability and Fiscal Responsibility:
  • Ensure taxpayer dollars are used efficiently
  • Promote evidence-based policy solutions
• Improve Oversight and Program Integrity:
  • Strengthen oversight of housing regulators
  • Streamline program coordination
  • Ensure performance, transparency and accountability across housing programs

Housing industry reactions

The package was met with praise from the National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders (NAAHL), which encouraged Congress to pair changes in the bill with other bipartisan housing tools. It pointed to the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act and provisions of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act to help expand affordable housing in rural communities and incentivize more private investment in affordable housing supply.

“If enacted, the ROAD to Housing Act will increase investments and remove unnecessary barriers to development to boost housing supply and bring down housing costs for American families in urban, suburban and rural communities,” NAAHL stated.

David M. Dworkin, president and CEO of the National Housing Conference (NHC), also expressed support for the legislation in a statement.

“The housing affordability crisis has impacted every community in America, regardless of politics or geography. It requires urgent, bipartisan, comprehensive action,” Dworkin stated.

The NHC statement said the bill includes several important proposals the group has long supported or endorsed, including the PRICE Act, Whole-Home Repairs Act, HOME Investment Partnerships Reauthorization and Improvement Act, Choice in Affordable Housing Act, and Build More Housing Near Transit Act.

“The National Housing Conference is proud to support this legislation and looks forward to working with members of the Senate and House of Representatives to enact this bipartisan legislation,” Dworkin said.