Several rural housing priorities of U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS) this week passed both houses of Congress as part of the updated 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act.
On June 22, the U.S. Senate voted 85-5 to approve H.R. 6644, which then went back to the U.S. House of Representatives for reconciliation. The House on June 23 suspended the rules and agreed to amendments with a vote of 358-32. The bill next heads to the president’s desk, where he will consider signing it into law.
“There is high demand for rural housing in Kansas and across the country, underscoring the need for practical and innovative solutions,” said Sen. Moran. “This legislation will streamline rural housing programs, reduce unnecessary bureaucratic barriers and help expand access to affordable housing for rural families.”
H.R. 6644, led by U.S. Reps. French Hill (R-AR) and Maxine Waters (D-CA), would revise federal housing programs, including by expanding available financing for affordable housing and providing grants for planning and community development activities, according to the Congressional Record bill summary.
Several of Sen. Moran’s priorities are included in H.R. 6644, including to streamline rural housing regulations by requiring the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture to enter into a memorandum of understanding to align housing standards.
This would help lower costs and shorten project timelines for developers, allowing them to address growing housing needs more efficiently, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Moran’s staff.
Additionally, the larger bill would support affordable housing in rural communities by bolstering federal rural housing programs and the supply of affordable housing in rural America by improving and building upon USDA rural housing programs, another priority of Sen. Moran.
Likewise, H.R. 6644 would expand access to affordable housing by reducing HUD inspection delays and allowing units financed through other federal housing programs to automatically satisfy voucher inspection requirements if they are inspected within the past year.
The measure also includes Sen. Moran’s priority to increase veterans’ access to affordable housing by updating Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage disclosures to include U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Home Loans alongside FHA and conventional loan options.