Federal / Agency News

The House Appropriations Subcommittee approved the fiscal year 2022 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill. The bill provides $26.55 billion in funding – an increase of $2.851 billion, more than 10 percent – above 2021. 

HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge sent a letter to public housing authorities (PHAs), Continuums of Care (CoC) partners, multifamily owners and HUD grantees, clarifying that returning citizens—formerly incarcerated individuals returning to their communities—who are at-risk of homelessness are among the eligible populations for the recently awarded 70,000 emergency housing vouchers funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.

On July 20 at 1 p.m. ET the Federal Housing Finance Agency will hold a listening session on radon testing and mitigation at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (the Enterprises) multifamily properties. Register here.

Last week the Supreme Court of the U.S. (SCOTUS) ruled 7-2 in Collins v. Yellen that the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is removable by the president. The court ruled that the Housing and Economic Recovery Act’s structure, which restricts the President’s power to remove the FHFA director, violates the separation of powers. 

President Joe Biden (D) and a bipartisan group of 21 senators reached an agreement on the contours of an infrastructure package. Details remain scarce, but at this point, we know that affordable housing provisions were not included in the bipartisan compromise package. The framework focuses on “more traditional” infrastructure items like roads, bridges, public transportation, water delivery, etc. It also aims to connect every American to reliable high-speed internet and drive down prices for internet service and close the digital divide. 

President Joe Biden (D) nominated Julia Gordon to serve as Assistant Secretary for Housing, Federal Housing Commissioner and Dave Uejio for Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD.  

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its eviction moratorium through July 31 for one final time. The one-month extension is designed to allow state and local governments more time to distribute emergency rental assistance (ERA) payments. The White House will hold a summit on housing affordability and evictions at 1 p.m. ET on June 30 and is increasing coordination with local officials and legal aid organizations to minimize evictions after July 31.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published an updated frequently asked questions (FAQ) document concerning the Federal Historic Tax Credit (HTC). The questions addressed what types of entities can claim the HTC, how and when the HTC can be claimed on a tax return key program definitions, qualified rehabilitation expenditures, basis and several other key aspects surrounding HTC.

Last week the Senate held a voice vote to confirm Adrianne Todman as deputy secretary at HUD. NH&RA looks forward to continuing to work with Ms. Todman in her new role! 

HUD published an interim final rule, which partially restores the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) rules promulgated under President Barack Obama (D). The rule requires HUD grantees (PHAs, as well as state and local governments) to  regularly certify compliance with the Fair Housing Act’s AFFH requirement and, in doing so, commit to taking steps to remedy their unique fair housing issues. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is accepting applications for eligible entities to provide planning, training and technical assistance to rural communities to foster placemaking activities. 

USDA is making up to $3 million in cooperative agreement grants available under the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC). Eligible entities may use the funds to help rural communities create plans to enhance capacity for broadband access; preserve cultural and historic structures; and support development in transportation, housing and recreational spaces. 

Join HUD, the National Low Income Housing Coalition and the Housing Initiative at Penn at 2 p.m. ET on June 10 for a webinar on the emergency rental assistance (ERA) programs throughout the country. The webinar will feature ERA tools from NLIHC and Penn, as well as insight into the lessons and recommendations they discovered in their research to best assist communities and priority populations. Register here.