Federal / Agency News

NH&RA pleased to announce we will be returning to the Taj Hotel (formerly the Ritz-Carlton) for our Annual Boston Fall Developers Forum November 2-3, 2009. This is a can’t miss event for developers and affordable housing professionals looking to get the latest updates on state-of-the-art transactions and breaking news from the Congress, HUD and HFAs.
Online registration is now open and the hotel is taking reservations at our group rate. Click here to register online.

Tax Credit Advisor, July 2009: The Historic Tax Credit Coalition, an advocacy group, has crafted a package of proposed legislative changes to the federal historic rehabilitation tax credit program it hopes Congress will pass later this year. The prospects for passage are currently unclear.

The US House of Representative passed the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (HR 2454) on June 26th. This far reaching climate change legislation includes an important section on building energy retrofits (Section 202). Additionally, the legislation incorporates Representative Ed Perlmutter’s (D-Colo.) Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods (GREEN) Act (Subtitle H).

Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT), along with fellow Committee members Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Dan Akaka (D-HI) and Charles Schumer (D-NY), introduced legislation to help areas across the country plan and implement development projects that better integrate their community’s needs for transportation, housing, land use, and economic development.

Thanks to everyone that made the 2009 Summer Institute a great success! We were blown away by all of the compliments about the quality of the program and networking. I especially want to thank all the great speakers! Its not every day that so many industry leaders and innovators can come together to share ideas and innovations. In such a tough business environment it was inspirational to see how our members are creating new opportunities to close transactions. If you didn’t make out to Vermont here are a few things that you missed…

The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association is pleased to announce that it has made available the PowerPoint presentations displayed during the recent 2009 Summer Institute & Pre-Conference Symposium on New Markets Tax Credits, held July 29 – August 1, 2009 in Woodstock, Vermont.

The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program has published on its website a new series of resources titled “Implementing ARRA” which tracks the implementation work of metropolitan leaders, assessing their progress and struggles, and extracting from the innovators’ experiences ideas for short- and long-term federal policy reforms.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has announced that Shelley Poticha has been appointed Senior Advisor for Sustainable Housing and Communities. HUD is working with Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd (D-CT) on legislation that seeks to create the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at HUD. Poticha will direct the office if the bill becomes law.

Leaders of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Select Revenue Measures and the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy and Technology held a joint hearing yesterday to receive testimony from key government officials and industry leaders with regards to a recent report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which states that minority-based Community Development Entities (CDE) are less likely to be successful in obtaining funding allocations under the New Markets Tax Credit Program.

Leaders of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency collectively announced a joint Partnership for Sustainable Communities to help improve access to affordable housing, create more transportation options, and lower transportation costs while also improving the energy efficiency of communities nationwide.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Policy Development and Research has updated its Guide to HUD USER Data Sets.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has issued a draft notice of funding availability (NOFA) for approximately $30 million for Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers to be delivered to non-elderly disabled families served by entities experienced in supportive housing services.