The amended 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (H.R.6644) to set to automatically became law tonight at midnight, July 10. After the Senate passed the bill on June 22 and the House passed it on June 23, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) transmitted the bill to President Trump’s desk on June 29, triggering a 10-day review period. Because the President has neither signed nor vetoed the bill during that period, the measure is set to take effect automatically.

President Trump said he withheld his signature in protest of the Senate’s failure to pass the SAVE America Act (H.R.7296), Republicans’ voter ID measure that would require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship, such as a passport or birth certificate, and photo identification to vote.

A few items in this bill are relevant to special districts widely. The bill is designed to increase housing supply by cutting regulatory barriers and speeding development timelines which hopefully means faster growth and therefore increased demand on core special district services (water, wastewater, fire, transit, flood control, etc.). The NEPA streamlining will affect special district or special district-adjacent projects with faster permitting but could also mean less time for comment/review, which is the classic push and pull of NEPA reform.

Housing Package Analysis, Manatt 7.26.pdf