[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 109 (Tuesday, June 30, 2026)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E641]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
HOUSING FOR THE 21ST CENTURY ACT
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speech of
HON. MIKE FLOOD
of nebraska
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, June 23, 2026
Mr. FLOOD. Madam Speaker, I rise along with my colleague,
Representative Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri, to raise a particular point
that the Department of the Treasury should consider when evaluating the
congressional intent as it relates to Section 1001 of this piece of
legislation, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. Mr. Cleaver and I
are both original cosponsors of this piece of legislation and were
intimately involved in the drafting of the bill.
It is the intent of Congress that entities providing for the
temporary acquisition of homes during employer sponsored relocation
home sale programs be exempt from the definition of large institutional
investor in Section 1001 of this Act.
These entities provide a service to the private sector, government
agencies and their employees by facilitating worker relocations. These
properties remain available to American homebuyers; they are not
removed from the homeownership market and turned into rental
properties. Additionally, these transactions are in service of an
employee relocation, not for investment purposes. As such, it is
appropriate to exclude them from the definition of a large
institutional investor pursuant to the Act.
Additionally, in this bill Congress grants the Department of the
Treasury the authority to issue regulations aimed at carrying out the
purposes of this section, avoiding market disruptions, and protecting
consumers from harm. Under that authority, Treasury should issue rules
clarifying the meaningful financial support required for homeownership
programs under subparagraph (D). It is the intent of Congress that any
meaningful financial support from the investor should include
consideration of the physical condition of the home. It is also the
intent of Congress that any homeownership program under subparagraph
(D) must involve properties that are habitable and shall not impose
significant repair obligations on the consumer before a deed is granted
to them. Consumers attempting to purchase these homes should not be
obligated to pay for significant repairs unless they have a deed in
their name and full ownership rights, to prevent transactions that are
built to fail.
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