Make it easier for landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), by simplifying inspections of properties.
Make it easier for landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), by simplifying inspections of properties.
Occurrences
- Choice in Affordable Housing Act: Expands access to federal government’s largest rental assistance program for affordable housing.
Sec. 5405. Choice in Affordable Housing Act.
The Choice in Affordable Housing Act would... Reduce inspection delays. Units in buildings financed by other federal housing programs would meet the voucher inspection if the unit has been inspected in the past year. New landlords could also request a pre-inspection from a PHA prior to selecting a voucher-holding tenant that would be good for 60 days.
Evidence
Today, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), the top Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee, announced that two of her major bipartisan bills aimed at combatting America’s housing crisis were included in a package that passed unanimously (24 – 0) out of the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Development Committee. Smith’s bills were focused on rural housing and combatting homelessness. The package of bills that passed the committee earlier today, the Renewing Opportunity in the American Dream (ROAD) to Housing Act of 2025, represents the first comprehensive national legislation on housing since the 2008 financial crisis.
U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-MN), the top Democrat on the Senate Housing Subcommittee, announced that one of her major bipartisan bills aimed at combatting America’s housing crisis was included in a package that passed the Senate in an 89-10 vote. Senator Smith’s bipartisan Rural Housing Service Reform Act was included in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, the first comprehensive housing supply legislation in 30 years.
This week, U.S. Senator Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chair of the Senate Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, joined a group of five Senate colleagues in re-introducing legislation to improve the federal government’s largest rental assistance program. The bipartisan Choice in Affordable Housing Act would make it easier to access Housing Choice Vouchers (HCV), also known as Section 8 vouchers, and attract and retain landlords to the program. As a result, low-income families will have increased housing choices and improved access to high-opportunity neighborhoods.
Smith said the Choice in Affordable Housing Act would make it easier to access Housing Choice Vouchers and help attract and retain landlords; the bill would also reduce inspection delays.
Smith said the housing package would make it easier for landlords to accept Housing Choice Vouchers by simplifying inspections of properties.
Smith announced the Senate-passed housing package included the Choice in Affordable Housing Act.
Congress.gov lists H.R.6644 as Passed House, with latest action 'Received in the Senate,' and no Public Law status on the bill page.
Assessments
Tina Smith materially advanced this promise in office: she co-led or backed bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing Housing Choice Voucher inspection delays and making it easier for landlords to participate, and those provisions were included in broader housing packages that cleared committee and later passed the Senate. But the available record does not show that the inspection-simplification policy had been fully enacted into law by June 30, 2026, so the promised outcome was not fully delivered. Because Smith directly sponsored and advanced the relevant policy and won significant legislative progress during her current term, partial credit is the best fit.
Senator Tina Smith introduced and advanced multiple bipartisan bills aimed at simplifying Housing Choice Voucher inspections and making it easier for landlords to accept HCVs. Her provisions were included in landmark housing legislation that passed key Senate committees and even secured Senate passage. However, there is no evidence the legislation became law or was enacted, so the full promise has not been delivered. Her legislative efforts were substantial and demonstrate serious intent.