Major legislation that homebuilding and construction associations have long advocated for may be on the way to full Congressional approval early next year.
Introduced by Arkansas Republican Representative French Hill, the Housing for 21st Century Act tackles a wide variety of issues that developers and builders have said are hampering new home construction.
Among those issues are land use and zoning, regulatory reforms, and even financing tools.
The legislation has made its way through the House Committee on Financial Services, of which Hill is chairman. In a statement, the Congressman said that the goal behind the bill is to “chart a path forward toward greater development capacity and a simplified regulatory framework.”
Missouri Democrat Representative Emanuel Cleaver, in a statement, declared that the legislation, if finally passed in the Senate, “cuts unnecessary red tape, accelerates the development of affordable housing, and reduces costs for hardworking families.”
One of the central features of the legislation includes a requirement that any federal housing project must include updated standards and support for “innovation in manufactured and factory-built housing.”
A fact sheet produced by the Financial Services Committee said the Housing for 21st Century Act will also “increase access to affordable ownership by expanding financial pathways for manufactured homes and small-dollar mortgages.”
Upon the passage of the legislation, Hill remarked: “We look forward to moving this bill through regular order and working with our Senate counterparts in the new year to get a bill signed into law that reflects ideas from both chambers and delivers real results for American families.”
Passed on a 50 to 1 vote in the Financial Services Committee, prospects for the bill’s passage in the Senate appear good.
December 19, 2025
By Garry Boulard
