{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-leads-banking-committee-in-unanimously-advancing-comprehensive-housing-legislation/", "Scott Leads Banking Committee in\u00a0Unanimously\u00a0Advancing Comprehensive Housing Legislation", "2025-07-29", "2025", "2025-07", "Republican", "Senate", "SC", "Tim Scott", "S001184", "www.scott.senate.gov", "timscott", "https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/jsf/jet-engine:press-list", "scraper", "Since serving as Ranking Member in the 118th Congress, Sen. Scott has prioritized solutions to reverse decades of failed policies and put more Americans on the path towards homeownership\n\nWASHINGTON \u2014 U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Chairman of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, alongside Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led their colleagues in advancing the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025 in the committee\u2019s first bipartisan housing markup in over a decade. The comprehensive housing package takes important steps to increase access to affordable housing for Americans across the country by expanding and preserving housing supply, improving housing affordability, and increasing oversight and efficiency of federal regulators and housing programs.\n\nSince serving as Ranking Member in the 118th Congress, Sen. Scott has prioritized solutions to reverse decades of failed policies and put more Americans on the path toward homeownership.\n\nSen. Scott\u2019s opening remarks as delivered:\n\nAs many of you already know, this issue of housing is a really important issue to me personally. Having grown up in a single parent household, mired in poverty, our first place that we lived was a rental unit with my grandparents when I was about seven years old, where we shared a bedroom and a bed with my mother and my brother for a few years. Then my mother was able to afford a small, 650-square-foot apartment for the three of us to move into.\n\nAnd, so many Americans are frustrated by the rising costs of housing and it seems to be a problem that is so elusive that no one seems to find, not a solution to it \u2013 because there\u2019s not a solution to it \u2013 but even a step in the direction of solving a problem that is so persistent, so pervasive, that every place in the nation consistently deals with the struggle of increasing supply and lowering prices at the same time.\n\nFor far too long, Congress believed this problem was too big to solve. Today, we\u2019re taking not a step \u2013 but we\u2019re taking a leap in the right direction in a bipartisan fashion. Many people around the country are frustrated with the way we do American politics wonder, is there any issue that brings this nation together and I\u2019m here to say, halleluiah! We have found one \u2013 it is housing. And halleluiah is a southern term, but it\u2019s a term of endearment.\n\nLet us remember that today we are doing something that, I frankly, hope that we get more of. We\u2019ve had this bipartisan coalition working together on issues of fentanyl, that we did last Congress. I hope that this is a start and a spark for more cooperation on both sides. Thank you for the Ranking Member for participating and rolling your sleeves up and really getting into the nitty gritty so we would be in a position where we could get something done \u2013 not just make a point \u2013 but make a difference.\n\nThank you to the contributions of every single member on this committee, which is really remarkable that we have a comprehensive housing bill where every member around this dais has made a significant investment in making America\u2019s housing crisis better, and that is such a blessing.\n\nWe have so many provisions \u2013 40 in total \u2013 that it would take more time than I have, more time than I\u2019m permitting myself to have, to deal with these issues. But let me just highlight a few of them.\n\nSenator Crapo, the Housing Supply Frameworks Act equips cities and states with the tools to upgrade their zoning and land use policies, without stifling federal mandates. Thank you for leading with Senator Blunt Rochester on this important issue.\n\nSenator Rounds, for years, you and Senator Smith have advocated for rural housing. Today, we are getting your legislation out of committee. Thank you both for your work and your interest in rural housing.\n\nSenator Tillis, as Carolinians, we both know how important it is to ensure that a natural disaster, when it hits, our constituents can count on relief to arrive quickly. Your Reforming Disaster Recovery Act will make the CDBG Disaster Recovery program work as intended.\n\nSenator Kennedy, you and Ranking Member Warren took a novel idea to reward communities for the good work they have done to increase housing supply and turned it into legislation. Thank you both for working on an innovative approach called the Build Now Act.\n\nSenator Hagerty, for too long, NeighborWorks has been without an Inspector General. That will end because of you. Thank you for providing the type of oversight that will allow our efforts to be real and have the accountability that is necessary.\n\nSenator Lummis, thank you for introducing the Whole-Home Repairs Act, because no one should have to live in a home with mold, faulty wiring, or a leaky roof. This pilot program will be critical in providing help for housing programs and protect the long-term health of our neighborhoods.\n\nSenator Britt, your Helping More Families Save Act puts families first by promoting economic mobility and creating a pathway to build financial stability. This is a critical step towards long-term opportunity and generational wealth creation.\n\nSenator Ricketts, your Streamlining Rural Housing Act will enhance efficiency and eliminate duplicative regulatory requirements. This is an important component on the legislation we will vote on today.\n\nSenator Banks, your work on the RESIDE Act \u2013 incredible in helping these strip malls see a better, brighter future. And that means less blight in our local communities.\n\nSenator Cramer, the Choice in Affordable Housing Act streamlines inspections across federal programs. Your bill ensures that families aren\u2019t left waiting for housing just because there is a lack of coordination across the bureaucracy.\n\nSenator Moreno, you and I led the Community Investment and Prosperity Act, which will unlock billions of dollars of investments in affordable housing. Thank you for your hard work, your dedication, and we\u2019re glad that you won your race and you\u2019re here to provide more investment in communities that need it desperately.\n\nAnd finally, Senator McCormick, your HUD-USDA-VA Interagency Coordination Act directs these agencies to work together to improve housing program implementation. Your bill will make government work better for those who need it most, and I thank you for your service in the military and I thank you for your service to your country as a United States Senator.\n\nI look forward to working with my colleagues, outside stakeholders, HUD, FHA, and other federal agencies to ensure all participants in this crucial industry are treated fairly.\n\nSince taking over as Ranking Member of this committee last Congress, I pledged to make housing a top priority, and now, as Chairman, I have an opportunity to work with you all to deliver on that promise.\n\nFortunately, my colleagues and I, on both sides of the aisle, share this vision. Today marks a very important first step toward jumpstarting our housing development and making a real difference in the lives of Americans across the country.\n\nI want to thank my colleagues to the left for your hard work. There\u2019s so many, every piece of legislation I\u2019ve mentioned, almost every single one is a bipartisan bill. Working together as a committee proves to the American people that we can get things done, and it requires, frankly, bipartisanship, to get to the president\u2019s desk. So that is an exciting thing.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T18:48:13Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.scott.senate.gov/media-center/press-releases/scott-leads-banking-committee-in-unanimously-advancing-comprehensive-housing-legislation/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.4391021579504013, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}