On Tuesday, Senator Reverend Warnock voted to advance historic legislation aimed at boosting our nation’s housing supply, improving access to affordable housing, and increasing efficiency of nation’s federal housing programs 

Senator Warnock is a member of the Senate Banking Committee, which oversees federal housing policies 

Legislation reflects Senator Warnock’s commitment to helping more Georgians afford rent, achieve homeownership to build generational wealth

Senator Warnock’s Appraisal Modernization Act was included in the housing package and would help empower Georgians with more data and tools to fight bias that would lower their homes’ values

The affordable housing crisis impacts every corner of Georgia; in metro Atlanta alone, more than 230,000 low- to moderately priced housing units were lost between 2018 and 2023, according to the Atlanta Regional Commission

Senator Warnock: “I hear from Georgians across the state who have been clamoring for action from Washington on the affordable housing crisis, and this legislation is proof that when we center the people instead of the politics, we can get good policy done”

WATCH: Watch Senator Warnock’s remarks from today’s Senate Banking Committee markup HERE

Above: Senator Warnock discussing his housing priorities during a 2022 event in Garden City
Photo credit: Benjamin Payne, Georgia Public Broadcasting 

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) advanced historic, bipartisan legislation to tackle the nation’s housing affordability and supply crises. The Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act is designed to boost the nation’s housing supply, improve access to affordable housing, and increase the efficiency of the nation’s federal housing programs. The bill is the most transformative housing legislation to advance in the U.S. Senate in nearly 20 years and comes at a moment when Georgians are facing more financial obstacles to afford rent or buy a home. Senator Warnock championed several provisions in this housing package, including his Appraisal Modernization Act, which would help empower Georgians with more data and tools to fight bias that would lower their homes’ values. The housing legislation was voted out of the Senate Banking Committee unanimously by a vote of 24-0. It will now be considered by the full Senate. 

“I hear from Georgians across the state who have been clamoring for action from Washington on the affordable housing crisis, and this legislation is proof that when we center the people instead of the politics, we can get good policy done. I am proud to advance this historic bill to increase our nation’s housing supply and lower costs for hardworking Georgia families,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. 

Senator Warnock lauded the progress this legislation represents, but made clear that continued action is critical to ensure more Americans can find and afford a safe and secure place to call home, as well as keep more money in their pockets. 

Senator Warnock continued: “But this bill is just a first step. Our housing system is broken and requires continued commitment from Congress to remove the obstacles blocking Americans from affording rent and buying a home to help build generational wealth. This generation-defining issue demands a nationwide mobilization to solve our housing crisis. We must not be afraid to use all tools at our disposal to build more homes and restore the American Dream.”

A breakdown of the top wins Senator Warnock helped secure in the landmark housing legislation can be found below. 

Increasing housing supply: Thanks to Senator Warnock’s American Housing and Economic Mobility Act, the bill creates a Local Government Housing Innovation Fund, authorizing $1 billion over five years for grants to local governments who have demonstrated an improvement in housing supply growth. 

Incentivizing zoning reforms: Creates an incentive structure within the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to reward communities that pursue pro-housing policies and increase supply, while penalizing communities that fail to reach certain affordable housing metrics. Housing experts agree that incentivizing local zoning reforms is critical to increasing access to affordable housing. 

Rural affordable housing: Thanks to Senator Warnock’s Rural Housing Service Reform Act, this bill includes critical updates and improvements to the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service. Most notably, this bill would help preserve 406 properties housing 15,000 Georgians making an average income of just under $16,500 per year.

Supporting our veterans: Thanks to Senator Warnock’s VA Home Loan Awareness Act, this bill adds a disclosure to loan application forms to ensure veterans are aware of their VA home loan benefits. Among veterans who don’t use the VA Home Loan program, 33% say they are not aware of the program.

Making a house a home: Thanks to Senator Warnock’s Whole Home Repairs Act, this bill redirects $30 million in funding to a new program that will provide grants and forgivable loans to help homeowners and small landlords repair and weatherize their properties. According to the Census Bureau, 6.7 million households, or 5.2 percent of all households, live in homes with structural deficiencies or lacking basic features such as electricity, plumbing, or heat. This disproportionately affects renters and households with lower incomes.

Combatting appraisal bias: The legislation includes key components of Senator Warnock’s Appraisal Modernization Act, which would arm Georgians with tools and resources to combat appraisal bias and help ensure Georgians receive the full, fair value of their home’s worth. This bill will:

• Make into law a consumer’s right to a reconsideration of value or second appraisal at no cost if the consumer suspects bias, poor work, or other issues.
• Require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to report on the feasibility of creating a public appraisal database and the Banking Committee to hold a hearing on the final report.

Modern federal guidelines: The legislation would direct the Department of Housing and Urban Development to publish a new list of guidelines and best practices for state zoning and local zoning frameworks that support affordable housing construction. Local zoning and land use codes dictate the type of housing that can be built and where, and often disincentivize multifamily and affordable housing. This “Not-In-My-Backyard (NIMBY)” phenomena is often cited as a leading cause of the housing crisis.

Disaster recovery: This provision would permanently authorize the Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Program (CDBG-DR). Currently, the CDBG-DR program is exclusively funded and activated by Congress following a disaster to provide flexible block grants to states to address long-term disaster recovery needs unmet by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or Small Business Administration (SBA). Because of its post-hoc and non-permanent authorization, the CDBG-DR program can face delays in delivering aid to communities.

Streamlines housing construction: This legislation helps right-size the nation’s housing regulatory system to support more efficient construction of homes. 

A section-by-section breakdown of the legislation can be found HERE.

Bill text can be read HERE.

As a member of the Senate Banking Committee, which oversees federal housing policies, Senator Warnock has worked to increase affordable housing and illuminate a path to homeownership, a cornerstone of the American Dream. As one of twelve brothers and sisters growing up in public housing in Savannah, Senator Warnock deeply understands the importance of having a place to call home and homeownership. In March 2025, Senator Warnock introduced a comprehensive legislative package of housing bills to address the ongoing housing affordability and availability crisis in the United States. In the past few years, Senator Warnock voted for government funding legislation that increased America’s housing supply, strengthened housing affordability, and addressed the homelessness crisis, including by: increasing the supply of affordable housing nationwide with funding to build 10,000 new rental and homebuyer units; extending funding for the Yes In My Backyard (“YIMBY”) grant program to support efforts to increase our nation’s housing supply and lower housing costs through state and local zoning changes; and delivering $275 million in new funding for Homeless Assistance Grants to help address homelessness in communities across the country and providing new resources to better connect people experiencing homelessness with health care services. Senator Warnock has also secured nearly $80 million in housing investments to provide affordable housing options for Georgians at all income levels and repair hazardous housing conditions in low-income housing units. 

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