Liccardo's Bills to Speed Up Housing Approvals Advance Through House

Bipartisan housing package aims to alleviate housing shortage by streamlining regulations and modernizing lending programs.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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A pair of bills spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Sam Liccardo that aim to speed up the approval process for new residential projects advanced through the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week as part of a bipartisan housing package. The legislation passed the House by a vote of 390-9 and will now move to the Senate for consideration.

Why it matters

Around a quarter of homeowners and half of renters in the United States are considered housing cost-burdened, meaning they spend over 30 percent of their income on rent or mortgage payments. The bipartisan housing package aims to alleviate the housing shortage by streamlining regulations and modernizing lending programs.

The details

The package that the House passed on Feb. 9 includes two bills that Liccardo introduced in July. The first, the BUILD Housing Act, aims to cut red tape in housing by allowing HUD to share environmental review authority with state and local governments when possible. The second bill, the Unlocking Housing Supply Through Streamlined and Modernized Reviews Act, exempts certain housing developments from environmental reviews that are required under the National Environmental Protection Act.

  • The bipartisan housing package passed the House on Feb. 9, 2026.
  • Liccardo introduced the two bills in July 2025.

The players

Sam Liccardo

U.S. Representative whose district includes Palo Alto, Menlo Park and Mountain View.

Mike Flood

Republican U.S. Representative who chairs the Housing and Insurance Subcommittee and co-sponsored Liccardo's bills.

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What they’re saying

“I believe that housing is one of those areas where we should be able to find some common ground. I've introduced five bills with Republican co-sponsors. Two of them have now passed the House. I'm going to keep pushing on the others.”

— Sam Liccardo, U.S. Representative (almanacnews.com)

What’s next

The House and Senate will now work to resolve the differences between their respective bipartisan housing packages in the coming weeks before the legislation can be signed into law.

The takeaway

This bipartisan effort to streamline housing regulations and modernize lending programs demonstrates a rare area of cooperation in a divisive political climate, as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the urgent need to address the nation's housing affordability crisis.