What Happened?

If you rent in federally assisted housing, the eviction helpline the House voted to create for you didn’t make it into the final housing law. The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law July 11 without President Donald Trump’s signature, and it has no match for five sections of the House’s earlier Housing for the 21st Century Act, according to a Congressional Research Service report on the House bill and a Legis1 review of its findings. ​

The five House provisions left out:

  • Eviction helpline: A Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) hotline offering counseling and referrals to tenants facing eviction in federally assisted housing or homes with federally backed mortgages.
  • Bank exams: Lighter exam schedules for well-run banks and credit unions with $6 billion or less in assets.
  • Failing bank sales: Permission for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to pass over the cheapest option for handling a failing bank so it doesn’t end up with one of the largest global banks.
  • Bank merger limits: Tighter rules on when regulators can let a bank exceed size limits by buying a failing bank, plus a report to Congress whenever they do.
  • Federal Reserve: A $115 million cut to the Fed’s surplus funds to help offset the bill’s costs.

Why Does It Matter To Me?

Most of the House bill survived in some form. One example is single-stair apartment buildings: HUD must now write model building code language that states and cities could use to allow buildings up to six stories with one stairway.

Veterans got two House provisions even earlier. A separate law enacted Jan. 20, the Disabled Veterans Housing Support Act, stopped counting Department of Veterans Affairs disability benefits as income for housing aid paid for with Community Development Block Grants and ordered a government review of how other HUD programs treat those benefits.

Both Sides, Now

Supporters say single-stair rules would cut construction costs and make apartments workable on small lots, while fire safety groups say two stairwells are still needed, the Congressional Research Service notes. A 2024 National Fire Protection Association report warned that “a single exit stair creates a critical point of vulnerability,” and the International Association of Fire Fighters opposes such buildings. The law requires HUD to weigh sprinklers, smoke detection and exits, and to consult fire marshals.

The final law still drew broad support. The Senate approved it 85 to 5 and the House 358 to 32 in June, after each chamber had earlier passed its own version.

What Happens Next?

HUD has until January 2028 to issue the single-stair guidelines, and other agencies are writing rules for the rest of the law. The Congressional Research Service’s separate report on the final law details what took effect.

The eviction helpline and the dropped banking changes would need new bills to become law. The House version of the helpline was based on a stand-alone bill, the Eviction Helpline Act.

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