House passes housing affordability bill that softens institutional investor ban | CNN Business

A landmark housing affordability package moved one step closer to becoming law on Wednesday after winning bipartisan approval in the House of Representatives. The measure is an amended version of the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, which cleared the Senate in March. The bill, which won approval in a sweeping vote of 396-13, aims to tackle the housing crisis from multiple angles: expanding loans to construct housing, pushing local governments to loosen permitting rules, expanding manufactured housing, and curbing Wall Street’s ownership of single-family homes. Together, the House and Senate proposals signal that Washington is treating America’s housing affordability crisis with new urgency. If enacted, the measures would amount to one of the most sweeping federal housing efforts in decades. But while the two bills share broad goals, they diverge in key areas. Most notably, the House version takes a softer approach to restricting institutional investors from buying single-family homes than the Senate proposal. The two governing bodies will have to reconcile the differences before the law hits President Donald Trump’s desk. Senate Banking Committee leaders, Senators Tim Scott