On March 2, 2026, Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee Chair Tim Scott (R-SC) and Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) released the text of the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, signaling momentum in Congress to pass significant housing legislation this year.

Upon release, Chairman Scott said the bill was about “cutting regulatory red tape, lowering costs, and expanding housing supply.” Ranking Member Warren also expressed her support for text, stating “Congress should pass this package and continue working on further legislation to combat our nation’s housing crisis.”

This legislation builds on the framework of the Senate-passed ROAD to Housing legislation and incorporates many of the provisions from the bipartisan House-passed Housing for the 21st Century Act. The bill includes a wide array of housing legislation and incorporates the White House-driven effort to prohibit large institutional investors from acquiring a majority of single-family homes.

While the bill includes provisions that LeadingAge supports, including HOME reauthorization, the Senate bill did not attempt to address the practical obstacles with new domestic procurement requirements through Build America, Buy America (BABA) within HOME program. The original House language, which would have exempted certain programs from BABA, was negotiated down to a study in the final House-passed version and, unfortunately, the Senate version does not reference BABA at all.  The bill also addresses the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD), a preservation program for public housing, and Section 202 PRACs; LeadingAge had previously worked with Senate leaders to improve the language, and the improved language was incorporated into the Senate’s bill.

LeadingAge continues to work with members of Congress to improve the overall bill language, including to get a study on the barriers to scaling affordable senior housing added back into the text via an amendment. We have also discussed with the committee the potential impacts of the institutional investor ban on affordable housing communities and Life Plan Communities, and we are working to clarify the language before Senate passage.

Lastly, several key LeadingAge priorities, like streamlining and improvements to the Section 202 program and the authorization of new special purpose vouchers for older adults, are missing from the bill. The Senate also removed previously negotiated provisions that would have required more funding to implement, like new housing programs and pilots that had garnered bipartisan support. LeadingAge will continue working with housing champions on the Hill to advance solutions for older adults with housing and services needs.

Overall, LeadingAge applauds the efforts of Congress to advance housing reform, and we see it as an important step to addressing the housing crisis in America. We anticipate the House will request to conference the Senate’s bill with the House version to reach a final compromise, once 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passes the Senate Chamber.  The Senate could vote as early as the week of March 9 to advance the legislation. For more information on this bill, click here.