Ruben Gallego Celebrates ROAD to Housing Act Passing Senate

Senator Ruben Gallego announced a significant legislative victory this week as the ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate, marking what he calls "a BIG win for Arizona" in the fight against the state's housing crisis.

"For too long, our housing crisis has gone unaddressed, but today we're making headway to lower costs and make home ownership attainable again," he stated.

In a video shared on social media, Ruben Gallego explained several key provisions designed to tackle different aspects of Arizona's housing shortage.

Removing Barriers

The Housing Affordability Act raises FHA loan limits for apartment construction, removing barriers that have limited multifamily housing development. Meanwhile, the Housing Supply Expansion Act opens the door for manufactured and prefabricated housing units to qualify for federal financing.

"People think about the old trailer homes as being inadequate housing," Gallego explained. "It's very high-quality housing right now. It's actually very quick to build. You have a lot of industry in Arizona to build this stuff fast."

The Appraisal Industry Improvement Act addresses a critical obstacle in the home-buying process by including new professionals to enter the appraisal field. Gallego acknowledged the difficulty of the work, particularly in Arizona's extreme heat, noting that current appraisers are aging out of the industry.

Two provisions specifically address veterans' housing needs. The VA Loan Awareness Act requires better disclosure of veterans' benefits during the home loan process. At the same time, the Housing for Disabled Veterans Act ensures that VA disability compensation won't disqualify veterans from receiving housing vouchers like Section 8.

"There are some veterans that receive disability compensation at different levels," Gallego said. "They won't have to choose between keeping the VA [payment] or keeping [housing]."

Housing Crisis

The state's housing crisis is because of a persistent shortage of affordable homes, with supply failing to keep up with growing demand. Housing prices continue to rise, making homeownership increasingly out of reach for many residents. 

Affordability challenges extend beyond ownership, as there is a severe shortage of affordable rental housing, especially for low-income families and vulnerable populations. 

Additional complications, such as water scarcity and environmental restrictions, have slowed the development of new homes. Despite recent price cooling, the underlying structural problems continue to limit access to housing, necessitating ongoing policy efforts and investment to address the crisis and make housing more attainable.

Gallego emphasized the bipartisan nature of the achievement, expressing that Democrats "worked all year with Republican colleagues across the aisle. We got this big package in, and it's a start to what we need to do to really help fix this housing crisis."

While acknowledging the legislation is just "a start," Gallego expressed pride, emphasizing that more work is to come in addressing Arizona's housing challenges.