A sweeping federal housing package became law over the weekend without President Donald Trump's signature - and while most of the debate in Washington centered on politics, several provisions inside the bill speak directly to problems Kerr County has been living with since long before the flood, and especially since.

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate 85-5 and the House 358-32 in late June, then sat on Trump's desk after he canceled a scheduled signing ceremony in a dispute over an unrelated voter-ID bill.

Because Congress remained in session and Trump neither signed nor vetoed it within the constitutional 10-day window, the bill became law automatically.