Congress

Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) reintroduced the Fair Housing Improvement Act of 2019 to protect veterans and low-income families from housing discrimination. This bill would expand the Fair Housing Act’s protections to prohibit housing discrimination based on source of income or veteran status.

Last week the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) marked up and approved by a voice vote the Safe Housing for Families Act of 2019 (H.R. 1690). The bill provides $300 million over three years to fund the installation and maintenance of carbon monoxide detectors in HUD-assisted housing units that have combustion-fueled appliances or a ventilation system that connects them to such units.

On June 25, the House passed five of the twelve FY 2020 appropriations bills, including funding for HUD and RD, in H.R. 3055 with a 227-194 vote. The House has yet to approve FY 2020 funding for three appropriations subcommittees and has yet to raise the FY 2020 spending caps set by the Budget Control Act of 2011. Absent congressional action to raise the spending caps, all discretionary funding is estimated to receive a ten percent cut.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (D-TX) introduced S. 1904/H.R. 2763 that would bar HUD from enacting is proposed rule that would prohibit mixed immigration status families from living in HUD-assisted housing.

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Senators Todd Young (R-IN) and Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Joe Neguse (D-CO) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) introduced legislation to eliminate the Qualified Contract provision for new LIHTC properties.

The ACTION Campaign steering committee, of which NH&RA is a member, sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee Employment and Community Development Task Force. The Task Force is tasked with examining temporary tax incentives and members of the Task Force encouraged the ACTION Campaign to submit comments about the Affordable Housing Tax Credit. The […]

On Thursday, June 20 at 9:30 am EDT, the House Ways and Means Committee will markup The Taxpayer Certainty and Disaster Tax Relief Act of 2019 (H.R. 3301), which would extend the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) through 2020. The NMTC will expire at the end of 2019 absent congressional action. The bill would also […]

Senator Todd Young (R-IN) reintroduced the Task Force on the Impact of the Affordable Housing Crisis Act along with 15 of his colleagues.

On June 4, Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 1703) while Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Kenny Marchant (R-TX) and Jacky Walorski (R-IN) introduced companion legislation H.R. 3077 in the US House of Representatives. The ACTION Campaign is submitting a letter to Congress demonstrating the strong support for the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act. The deadline to sign-on to the letter is Tuesday, June 11.

On June 4, the House Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2020 Transportation-HUD appropriations bills on a partisan 29-21 vote. The bill provides $50.1 billion for HUD programs, $5.9 billion of the FY 2019 enacted funding level.

Chairman David Perdue (R-GA) and Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-NJ) of the Senate Banking subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development Subcommittee introduced S.1463, a bill to establish a scorekeeping rule to ensure that increases in guarantee fees of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac shall not be used to offset provisions that increase the deficit.

HUD announced $5 million will be made available this summer for the purchase and installation of carbon monoxide (CO) detectors in public housing units where they are necessary. HUD also announced it has been working with Congressional leaders on the Senate Banking Committee on legislation that will require CO detectors in HUD-assisted housing units that need them.