Cramer Helps Senate Advance Major Housing Legislation
In a rare moment of unanimous agreement, the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee advanced the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025, a sweeping housing reform package that includes two key provisions authored by U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
The committee’s passage of the bill marks the first housing-focused markup in over a decade—an indication of the growing urgency around affordable housing and infrastructure issues.
Cramer championed parts of the legislation to address logistical bottlenecks and regulations that have been especially a burden on rural states like North Dakota.
One of his proposals, the Appraisal Industry Improvement Act, co-authored with Senator Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), tackles the critical shortage of qualified home appraisers.
In North Dakota, homebuyers regularly face delays of up to 21 days waiting for appraisals—more than twice the national average.
The senator commented on the advancement of the legislation past committee. “Like the rest of the country, North Dakota struggles to provide enough affordable housing to meet the demand that’s on our landlords,” said Cramer. "This bill is really a great example of collaborative, bipartisan work in the Senate. Both my Choice in Affordable Housing Act and my Appraisal Industry Improvement Act were ideas that actually came from stakeholders who want to do more for our communities."
Another Cramer-led reform included in the ROAD Act would reduce bureaucratic hurdles for landlords participating in federal housing voucher programs.
Developed in partnership with Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), the provision allows rental units that have been inspected under other federal housing programs to automatically satisfy HUD voucher inspection requirements, as long as those inspections occurred within the last year. By cutting duplication and red tape, the measure seeks to increase housing availability for voucher holders and ease the onboarding process for new landlords.
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