Congress
Harvard JCHS Paper on GSE Reform
The Joint Center for Housing Studies (JCHS) of Harvard University released a new paper GSE Reform: None or Mostly Done? Author Don Layton argue that while Congress has yet to pass comprehensive reform of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs), almost all of the major flaws of the pre-conservatorship GSEs have been successfully addressed while the companies have been in conservatorship.
HFSC Announces September Hearings
The House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) released its schedule of September hearings. Unless otherwise noted, hearings and markups will take place in 2128 Rayburn House Office Building and will be broadcast live.
Congresswomen Introduce Bill Banning Facial Recognition Technology in Subsidized Housing
Representatives Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) introduced the No Biometric Barriers Housing Act of 2019, which would prohibit the use of biometric recognition technology in federally subsidized housing and require HUD to submit a report to Congress on the use of such technology in public housing. T
Senators Introduce CDBG-DR Reform Bill
Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced the Senate version of the Reforming Disaster Recovery Act of 2019 (S. 2301). The bill would help target Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) resources to survivors with the greatest needs, ensure greater data transparency and oversight, protect civil rights and fair housing, and encourage disaster mitigation and resiliency.
ACTION Campaign Releases Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act Explainer Videos, District Fact Sheets
The ACTION Campaign released a series of short videos providing an overview of each of the provisions in the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019. The ACTION Campaign also released updated fact sheets for congressional districts that show the impact of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits.
HFSC Holds Field Hearings – Aug. 8 and 14
The subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) will hold a hearing titled “An Examination of the Housing Crisis in Michigan, 11 Years after the Recession” at noon EDT on August 8 at the Wayne County Community College north west campus (8200 Outer Drive West, Detroit, MI 48219). The full […]
Chairwoman Waters Requests $5 Billion in Homelessness Funding
Following the House passage of the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, sent a letter to the Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Appropriations Committee requesting $5 billion in FY 2020 funding for HUD’s McKinney Vento Homeless Assistance Grant program. Chairwoman Maxine Waters introduced […]
Ranking Member Brown Sends Letter to President Trump on Homelessness
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs, sent a letter to President Donald Trump on recommendations to end homelessness after the president said the following on homelessness in an interview with Fox News’s Tucker Carlson, “It’s disgraceful. I’m going to maybe and I’m looking at it very seriously.”
House Passes Budget Deal, Senate Poised to Vote
Last week, the House passed the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2019 on a 284-149 vote and the Senate is expected to vote on—and pass—a two-year budget deal today. The deal now centers on questions of whether President Donald Trump will sign it; acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney recently said the president will sign it.
Congressional Leaders, President Trump Broker 2020-2021 Budget Deal
Congressional leaders and President Trump have finished negotiating a $1.3 trillion two-year budget deal. If passed by Congress and signed by the President, the deal would eliminate the spending caps for the final two years of sequestration imposed by the Budget Control Act of 2011, suspend the federal debt ceiling until July 31, 2021, and boost federal spending by $320 billion over two years with $77 billion in offsets.
AHTCC to Host Webinar on Advocating for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act
The Affordable Housing Tax Credit Coalition will host a webinar at 3:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, July 12, 2019 on advocating for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act, legislation to expand and improve the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit). This bill has the potential to increase affordable housing production and preservation by more than […]
Bills Would Authorize Additional $500 Million in NMTC Allocation for Rural Job Zones
Representatives Terri Sewell (D-AL) and Jason Smith (R-MO) and Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD), Shelley Capito (R-WV), Mark Warner (D-VA) and Mark Warner (D-VA) introduced the Rural Jobs Act. The would authorize an additional $500 million in annual new markets tax credit (NMTC) allocation for 2019 and 2020 that would go to rural job zones.