Portal for Appraisal Licensing Act of 2026
Creates a federal portal for appraiser and appraisal-company applications, renewals, payments, and required background checks.
In the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee since Sept. 30, 2026, 8 days after it was introduced. Most bills never leave committee.
- INTRODUCEDINTROSEP 30, 2026
- COMMITTEECOMM.IN COMMITTEE
- SENATESENATE—
- HOUSEHOUSE—
- LAWLAW—
What the bill would do, and why it matters
Appraiser licenses and appraisal-company registrations involve state agencies. The bill would create a federal online portal for applications, renewals, payments, and required background checks. States would keep control of licensing decisions, and the portal's costs could be covered by user fees.
- INTRODUCED ONLY This bill has been introduced and possibly referred to a committee, but it has not passed any vote. Most introduced bills never become law — they die in committee without a hearing.
- DATA NOTE No Congressional Research Service summary was available.
- Create a licensing and registration portal
The Appraisal Subcommittee would establish and maintain a cloud-based portal for appraisers and appraisal management companies to submit license, certification, and registration applications and renewals. It would connect to state agencies and allow payment of fees and delivery of letters of good standing.
- Route required background checks
Where state law requires criminal-history checks for licensing or registration, the Attorney General would provide relevant information to state officials. The Appraisal Subcommittee could act as a channel between federal agencies and states, and people subject to a required check would submit fingerprints through the portal.
- Keep state licensing decisions independent
States would retain the ability to decide applications and renewals. Appraisers and appraisal management companies would still provide state credentialing fees and state-specific information to the states, but would transmit them through the portal.
- Support states and portal costs
The Appraisal Subcommittee would make grants available to state licensing agencies to help connect their systems to the portal. It could charge users a reasonable fee to cover portal costs and required background checks; the fee would have to be revenue neutral to portal development and maintenance costs.
- Consult an advisory committee
The Appraisal Subcommittee would establish an advisory committee with representatives from industry associations, appraisers, lenders, appraisal management companies, and state licensing agencies to advise on establishing the portal.
The bill does not identify a specific problem or describe how long the current application process takes. Its practical effect would be to create a common online route for applications, renewals, payments, and certain background checks while leaving licensing decisions with the states.
The system would handle personal and criminal-history information and could charge users to cover its costs. How the portal is built and operated, and how states connect to it, would shape the effects on applicants and state agencies.
Written from the bill text.
The path it took, step by step
- IntroducedSEP 30, 2026SENATESEP 30, 2026By Sen. Rounds with 1 original cosponsorReferred to Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- SAME DAYNOWSenate committeeSEP 30, 2026BANKING, HOUSING, & URBAN AFFAIRS NOWSEP 30, 2026In committee for 8 daysNo hearing yet
- 8 DAYS SO FARPassed the Senate—SENATE FLOOR—Not scheduled
- House committee—HOUSE—
- Passed the House—HOUSE FLOOR—Not scheduled
- Resolve differencesONLY IF NEEDEDBOTH CHAMBERSONLY IF NEEDEDSkipped if the other chamber passes the same text
- Signed into law—PRESIDENT—10 days to sign or veto
- SEP 302026SEP 30, 2026REFERREDRead twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- SEP 302026SEP 30, 2026INTRODUCEDSENATEIntroduced in Senate
At day 8, this bill is already older than 3% of the laws passed this Congress were when they were signed.
Where your members stand on it
Support from one state
Plus the sponsor, a Republican. Every cosponsor is from one party.
Plus the sponsor, a Republican. Every cosponsor is from one party.
Sen. Rounds’s record: sponsored 65 bills this Congress. 3 passed the Senate; 0 became law.
- Catherine Cortez MastoD-NVORIGINAL
What readers think
Discussion
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