Don’t let the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act become a road to nowhere

The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (ROAD) represents the most significant housing legislation in years. Congress has done its job. Now the hard part begins. Unless it is implemented quickly and effectively, this important legislation risks joining a long list of well-intentioned laws that never fully deliver on their promise. We can’t afford to repeat our mistakes. Consider the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act. When it became law in 2016, it was hailed as one of the most sweeping reforms to HUD programs in a quarter-century. Yet it took seven years to write the final regulation, and today, more than a decade later, the law is still not fully implemented. If ROAD takes half as long to implement, it will be a failure. In fact, much of the bill is intended to improve programs that have been too hard to use. We must do better. The implementation challenge ahead ROAD is a landmark achievement, reflecting what is possible when Congress works together. More than 50 of the law’s provisions require new regulations, administrative procedures or federal guidance before a single additional home gets built or a single family benefits. The federal agencies tasked with t...