BREAKDOWN: Warnock Housing Provisions Lead ROAD to Housing Act

As a leader on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, Senator Reverend Warnock secured the defining provisions of the bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the largest housing package in a generation The provisions championed by Senator Warnock help increase housing supply by cutting red tape, combating appraisal bias, and reforming legacy housing programs Senator Reverend Warnock: “I’m proud to have contributed to increasing our nation’s housing supply and lowering costs for hardworking Georgia families” Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), a leader on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, secured critical provisions in the 21 st Century ROAD to Housing Act to help increase housing supply and address the nation’s housing affordability crisis. These provisions include several bills that Senator Warnock has championed for years to address bias in housing appraisals, incentivize local governments and banks to invest more in housing construction, and provide grants for affordable housing construction and local housing growth. “I hear from Georgians across the state who have been clamoring for action from Washington on the housing affordability crisis, and this legislation is proof that when we center the people instead of the politics, we can get good policy done,” said Senator Warnock. “I’m proud to have contributed to increasing our nation’s housing supply and lowering costs for hardworking Georgia families.” A breakdown of the provisions Senator Warnock secured is below. Appraisal Modernization Act: This provision includes a modified version of Senator Warnock’s Appraisal Modernization Act , novel legislation that guarantees homeowners the option to request a second appraisal to combat appraisal bias. This is the only fair housing provision in the 21 st Century ROAD to Housing Act . Systemic bias in the appraisal process has disadvantaged families of color for decades. Senator Warnock’s provision gives consumers the tools and resources they need to ensure their homes are fairly valued. Local Government Housing Innovation Fund: This provision, adopted from Senator Warnock’s flagship American Housing and Economic Mobility Act , authorizes $1 billion in grants to local governments who have demonstrated an improvement in housing supply growth, to incentivize actions and policies that increase housing supply. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Improvements: Senator Warnock championed several provisions that increase federal funding for the construction of new affordable housing and condition portions of this funding on local housing growth. Georgia communities received over $83 million in CDBG funding in FY26. Permitting Reform and Streamlining: Senator Warnock advanced several provisions that relax federal permitting and environmental review requirements for affordable housing projects, including giving local governments more control over environmental reviews for certain housing projects. Housing Supply Expansion Act : Georgia, like much of the southeast, has experienced a manufactured housing boom over the past several years. This legislation allows for more innovative and multi-story manufactured housing designs while reducing the purchase price of manufactured homes by as much as $10,000. In addition to these provisions, the 21st Century Road to Housing Act includes Senator Warnock’s landmark provision banning private equity from mass-purchasing single-family homes. Fines will be imposed on corporations that own more than 350 homes; these fines will go towards new housing construction and financial assistance for first-time homebuyers, inspired by the Senator’s Downpayment Toward Equity Act . ###