The landmark housing affordability bill known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became law July 11 at midnight after 10 days of inactivity from President Trump.

The bipartisan 21st ROAD to Housing Act was first created by the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in July 2025, advancing after a 24-0 vote on July 29. It was introduced as H.R. 6644 in the House of Representatives on Dec. 11, 2025 by French Hill (R-AR.)

Bipartisan bill in Congress aims to solve the nation’s housing affordability crisis

After six months of edits and exchanges of the legislation between the House and the Senate, the final Senate vote was June 22, passing 85-5. The House of Representatives voted 358-32 to pass the bill June 23.

Per congressional record of the votes, Oklahoma Representatives Bice, Cole, Hern and Lucas voted Yea, as well as Senators Armstrong and Lankford. Representative Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma’s 2nd District was one of 41 to not vote.

The 21st ROAD to Housing Act was sent to President Trump’s desk for action June 24. He canceled the signing via Truth Social post.

The president refused to sign the housing affordability bill despite previously supporting it due to his stronger support for the SAVE America Act. He referred to the SAVE America Act, which has still not been passed, as “a National Emergency.”

Trump cancels bipartisan housing bill signing, reiterates demand for SAVE America Act

Rep. Brecheen, who did not vote in the final house call for the housing affordability legislation, posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, in support of President Trump’s stance.

President Trump posted to Truth Social July 10 that he still would not sign the housing affordability act into law.

Per the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 7, Clause 2, the president must either veto or sign a bill within ten days (excluding Sundays) of it being sent to his desk. In the event that the president does not either return or sign the bill, it becomes law as if it were signed.

As of midnight July 11, 2026, the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act became federal law. The law will combat a number of obstacles facing homeowners and those hoping to become homeowners.

A full list of what each section contains, published by the House Committee on Financial Services can be found here.

NORMAN —When Oklahoma headed into the SEC two years ago, the Sooners’ softball team appeared to be in the best position to compete immediately in the conference.

Patty Gasso’s team has certainly acquitted themselves well during its first two seasons in the league — winning back-to-back regular-season championships.

But the Sooners came into the league having won four consecutive Women’s College World Series titles and Texas has now won back-to-back WCWS championships.

While softball won’t be the most affected by Oklahoma’s athletic department receiving a full SEC revenue distribution share in this fiscal year, there certainly will be an impact.

The department received just $12.5 million in conference payouts, while fully vested members in the conference received approximately $72.4 million each.

The $1.03 billion total conference distribution figures to grow in the coming years.

In the fifth in our series on how Sooners’ programs will be affected by the department receiving such a share, we take a look at the OU softball program:

NIL, Roster Building

Softball was one of six Sooners’ athletics programs to be included in the direct revenue-sharing payments made possible by the House vs. NCAA settlement.

While football takes up the great majority of that money, with the basketball programs using much of the remaining balance, softball players at OU do get direct revenue-sharing payments.

In an environment where not every softball program is part of that division of a set total, that gives the Sooners an advantage.

And while NIL money isn’t extremely plentiful — outside of Texas Tech — small changes can lead the big results.

But Gasso has been much more focused on high school recruiting than added big-time talent in the transfer portal in recent years.

Last season, the Sooners did add pitchers Sydney Berzon and Miali Guachino but the most impactful additions to the roster were a group of freshmen headlined by Kendall Wells and Kai Minor.

This offseason, it appears if Gasso is taking a similar approach.

Oklahoma added outfielders Macie Harter of Middle Tennessee State and Adi Hansen from Southern Idaho to compete for a spot — with incoming freshman Payton Westra — to play alongside Minor and Ella Parker.

With Isabela Emerling’s eligibility done with and Riley Zache transferring, the Sooners needed to add a backup catcher to play behind Wells.

Finding a serviceable backup who is willing to transfer without the guarantee of much playing time — especially with several other options at first base — proved to be difficult.

Oklahoma ultimately added Loyola Chicago catcher Abbie Gregus. Gregus hit just .195 last year as a redshirt junior.

The Sooners would’ve liked to have added an arm in the portal, but not only was there not a pitcher like NiJaree Canady available this time around, there wasn’t much in the way of options that would’ve been improvements over what Oklahoma already had on the roster.

Plus the Sooners signed pitchers Keegan Baker, Malaya Majam-Finch and EK Smith in the 2026 class.

The freeing up of additional money, though, figures to give the program a chance to compete for top-line talent when it is available, and will provide considerable help in retaining vital roster pieces.

Oklahoma has generally done well in keeping players who were expected to play significant roles moving forward, though Kasidi Pickering did transfer over this offseason — to Texas Tech.

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Facilities

With Love’s Field just wrapping up its third season, and maintaining its presence as the crown jewel of college softball, there aren’t much in the way of major upgrades to make.

But there can always be small tweaks to the facilities — especially when it comes to the team spaces. From updated technology to improved training and workout facilities, there are ways to keep the facility moving forward as other programs race to emulate OU.

Then there’s the area just south of the stadium, which has been filled with plenty of dirt and some grass, that could stand to be upgraded to give the walk up to that park a much grander feel.

Martha Lillard had just turned 5 when she was diagnosed with polio and depended on an iron lung to live. She died June 26 in Oklahoma, the last U.S. polio patient who used the machine, her sister said. She was 78.

“They told her she wasn’t supposed to live past 20 years old,” Lillard’s younger sister, Cindy McVey, told The Associated Press on Friday. “She had the enthusiasm and the drive to continue living and make the best of her life.”

McVey attributes her sister’s death to the effects of long-haul COVID-19. A death certificate lists causes as chronic pulmonary failure and post-polio syndrome, McVey said.

Lillard slept in the iron lung cylinder that encased her body as the air pressure in the chamber forced air in and out of her lungs. As a child, she went to grade school for two hours a day and was tutored the rest of the time. She attended Shawnee High School by using a phone system that allowed her to interact with her teachers and classmates through an intercom in her classrooms.

Her family went on road trips to Missouri thanks to a custom trailer and her father calling hotels to find out if they had doors wide enough to accommodate the machine Lillard slept in. Lillard was even able to drive for a time.

“To me, it was just normal,” recalled McVey, 75.

Polio was once one of the nation’s most feared diseases, with annual outbreaks causing thousands of cases of paralysis. The disease primarily affects children.

Vaccines became available starting in 1955. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a national vaccination campaign cut the annual number of U.S. cases to fewer than 100 in the 1960s and fewer than 10 in the 1970s. In 1979, polio was declared eliminated in the U.S., meaning it was no longer routinely spread.

Later the internet would help Lillard stay informed and learn about all sorts of topics, including her disease, which paralyzed her from the neck down.

With therapy she was able to regain partial use of her left arm and use of her legs. But she could only move her left arm side to side at her waist. Even though she couldn’t reach up, she spent many years living alone and preparing her own meals.

The internet also allowed Lillard to meet her future husband. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Lillard wanted to understand more about what happened. In a chat room, she met a man in Egypt and communicated with him online for more than 20 years, McVey said.

Lillard married Baha Salh in February after he was finally able to obtain a visa to travel to Oklahoma.

“They were really soulmates,” McVey said. “He’s extremely brokenhearted.”

During the coronavirus pandemic, Lillard got COVID-19 twice. Before getting COVID-19, she had less than 25% lung capacity. The last five years of her life, she wasn’t able to leave home as it became harder to breathe. For the past two years, she was in the iron lung nearly 24 hours a day, McVey said.

McVey described her sister as artistic and creative. She wrote poems and composed songs. She wrote her own obituary, which is now posted online by a funeral home. She described being a Humane Society volunteer. “She was an avid Beagle lover and assisted in animal rescue as a cross poster on Facebook,” Lillard wrote.

She later updated her obituary to say she “died of long-haul Covid 19,” but McVey added the date of her death.

In recent years, McVey and Lillard were desperate to find someone who could fix the iron lung, one of several she had over her lifetime.

“But since she’s the last one, we don’t need that anymore,” McVey said through tears.