Tim Burchett

Congress celebrated a rare bipartisan, bicameral effort last week to help alleviate country's growing housing shortage. U.S. Rep. Tim Burchett was one of a handful of Republicans who opposed it.

The landmark legislation streamlines construction regulations, encourages local innovation and limits investor purchases to make home ownership affordable.

While Tennessee's conservative senators voted for the bill designed to help alleviate financial pressure on Americans, Burchett framed it another way.

"Congressman Burchett joined 32 of his colleagues in standing up to radical-leftist Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s housing bill," Burchett spokesperson Will Garrett said, adding the congressman believes the bill expands the federal government. "(It) includes extremist Rashida Tlaib’s $200 million federal housing pilot program designed to push dense, government-subsidized housing developments."

One hundred and sixty-eight House Republicans supported it and 20 House Republicans voted against it. Only 32 members of the House of Representatives voted against it.

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A note: The $200 million Garrett referred to is an incentive for state and local governments to adopt suggested policies created by the bill.

The bill will make things better in Knoxville, experts say, because a spike in home prices during and after the pandemic made ownership unaffordable for many.

"They're serious about affordability, home ownership. They are actually doing the hard work to come together to put those bits and pieces in place," Maria McHale, the governmental affairs and policy director for East Tennessee Realtors, told me.

Bucking House Republican leadership: The bill was championed by U.S. Rep. French Hill of Arkansas and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, both Republicans.

In a speech, Hill called the legislation an example of "Congress working at its best, tackling the challenges of the American people, offering solutions and having those enacted into law."

Zero in on Knoxville: If you look back, Knoxville's housing crunch goes back to the 2008 Great Recession. Before it, there was a huge boom of construction, and shaky credit offers made it easier to get into a home.

After the recession, companies lost their incentive to build and, eventually, supply wasn't able to meet buyer demand, according to Eye on Housing. The pandemic delivered another blow when low mortgage rates created a new demand for customers and, therefore, a spike in home prices.

Knoxville did not build a needed 23,000 housing units between 2009 and 2024, according to the East Tennessee Realtors' State of Housing report.

"We don’t have the right type of inventory at the right cost," McHale told Knox News in January.

What does the bill mean for Knoxville? "It really is a policy nerd's dream bill of all of the detailed, technical things you would need to do to streamline and remove burdensome regulations that don't make sense," McHale told me June 26. "(It will) create opportunities for states and local government to do what they need to do. We haven't had a housing affordability bill like this. This really is finally taking aim at some of the real policies that will move the needle."

Other provisions from the bill: It expands access to funding, offers more loan options for veterans, streamlines environmental reviews, makes community development block grand funding more accessible and expands mortgage access.

Who else voted "no?" All 32 "no" votes were Republicans, many of whom are members of the House Freedom Caucus. Caucus members have routinely voted against Republican leaders' wishes when members have felt like bills weren't conservative enough. Burchett isn't a member of the caucus but often votes with them. U.S. Rep. Diana Harshbarger, who represents far East Tennessee, also voted no.

U.S. Rep. John Rose, who is running for governor, didn't cast a vote.

Aligning with President Donald Trump: Leading up to and after the housing bill vote, Burchett stumped for the SAVE Act, legislation Trump said was more important than the housing bill. The SAVE Act would prohibit anyone from voting in federal elections if they don't provide proof of American citizenship, although it is already illegal to do so. It would require states to purge unqualified voters from their lists.

Critics and Senate holdouts say the SAVE Act would block millions of eligible voters from casting ballots because they don't have access to needed documents.

Councilmember Denzel Grant will chair Knoxville's African American Equity Restoration Task Force

When the Knoxville City Council created the African American Equity Restoration Task Force in 2020, it appointed Vice Mayor Gwen McKenzie to the committee. But it didn't solidify a standing role for a councilmember to serve on the committee beyond McKenzie, whose term ended in 2025.

On June 23, councilmembers voted to update the task force rules so a councilmember is always the task force chair. They chose Denzel Grant, who succeeded McKenzie to represent parts of downtown and neighborhoods to the east.

"This effort is not about division," Grant wrote on Facebook after he was appointed. "It is about real restoration. It is about making sure that communities impacted by past policies have a fair opportunity to participate in Knoxville’s growth and future. It is about creating pathways to homeownership, thriving businesses, education, advanced trade skills and generational wealth."

What's the task force? The African American Equity Restoration Task Force was created to "improve areas of disparity and disenfranchisement in the Black community, with a focus on developing policy and programs to establish opportunities for generational wealth building," according to the city council's agenda.

Knox County Commission bans data centers

The Knox County Commission passed a one-year moratorium on data centers that require over 5 megawatts of power. After June 30, 2027, commissioners can extend the ban if they want. Commissioner Courtney Durrett recused herself from the vote because she works for Comcast, but each other commissioner voted for the ban.

The Knoxville-Knox County Planning Commission is set to look into changing the county's zoning code to regulate where data centers can be built and to mitigate affects on neighbors, per a request from commissioners last month. State law says zoning restrictions have to go through the planning commission before the county commission.

Knoxville Mayor Indya Kincannon said June 8 she'll ask the city council to pass its own moratorium "later this summer."

Have thoughts on how to fix Interstate 40 traffic?

The Tennessee Department of Transportation is hosting public input sessions about traffic woes on Interstate 40 and how to fix them.

The agency is studying the perpetually traffic-jammed 17-mile stretch from the I-40/I-75 interchange in Loudon County to the I-640 interchange in Knoxville.

Community members can learn about the agency's study and offer input on recommended solutions.

When are the meetings?

5-7 p.m. June 29: Pellissippi State Community College, J.L. Goins Administration Building, 10915 Hardin Valley Road

5-7 p.m. June 30: Knoxville Public Works Service Center, 3131 Morris Ave.

5-7 p.m. July 1: Farragut Community Center, 239 Jamestowne Blvd.

Study up: The study is available at tn.gov/tdot/projects.

Can't make one of the meetings? Public comments will be accepted through July 22 and can be sent via:

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 855-925-2801, project code: 11074

Mail: TDOT Study Comments, I-40/I-75 West Knoxville Corridor PEL Study, 312 Rosa L Parks Ave., 24th Floor, Nashville, Tennessee 37243-0349

Safety improvements are coming to Walker Boulevard

A raised crosswalk and flashing warning signs are coming to Walker Boulevard in Whittle Springs thanks to a $15,000 grant from the AARP.

The crosswalk was the site of a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed a 75-year-old who lived nearby, according to a city press release.

"These updates will join signage and lighting installed in 2025 after Knoxville police and transportation engineering staff reviewed the crash site and surrounding area with neighbors," the release says.

5 things you may have missed

Here are five news highlights from last week:

I reported Knox County mayor candidate Beau Hawk marched in Venezuela for Nicolas Maduro

Caitlyn Meisner compared TCAP scores as Knox County Schools made 'unprecedented' gains

Sophia Tiedge shared which Knoxville streets will be repaved through the rest of 2026

USA TODAY Network-Tennessee reported a judge stopped Tennessee from reporting names of disabled immigrant children to ICE

Tyler Whetstone reported the KPD officer with erased domestic violence record will not be hired back

Allie Feinberg is the politics reporter for Knox News. Email: [email protected]; Reddit: u/KnoxNewsAllie