Bill > HR6644

This bill, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, aims to increase the supply of housing in America by implementing various reforms and initiatives. Key provisions include reforms to housing counseling and financial literacy programs to ensure geographic diversity and improve counselor performance, the establishment of federal guidelines for point-access block buildings (buildings with a single internal stairway providing access and egress for all units, typically up to six stories), and an exemption from environmental impact studies for certain residential housing construction or modification on infill sites (sites served by existing infrastructure). The bill also proposes creating a publicly accessible database of undeveloped land owned by local governments, establishing a pilot program for FHA small-dollar mortgages (loans of $100,000 or less secured by a 1-4 unit property that is the mortgagor's principal residence) to increase access, and launching a pilot program for temperature sensors in federally assisted rental units to monitor compliance with temperature requirements. Furthermore, it mandates guidelines for state and local zoning frameworks to promote housing production, prioritizes grants for projects in opportunity zones, and introduces the Whole-Home Repairs Act to provide grants and forgivable loans for home repairs and accessibility improvements. The bill also includes provisions for modular housing production, modernization of manufactured housing loan programs, and reforms to the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, rural housing programs, and disaster recovery assistance. It also addresses housing for veterans, improves appraisal industry standards, expands escrow accounts for families receiving housing assistance, and aims to prevent large institutional investors from purchasing single-family homes, with specific exceptions. Finally, it includes measures to strengthen community banks' role in housing, improve oversight of housing regulators, and study the impact of central bank digital currency.