Federal / Agency News

The Center for Active Design released a new report detailing the growth in demand for healthy buildings. A New Investor Consensus: The Rising Demand for Healthy Buildings summarizes a comprehensive health and wellness study of global real estate investment managers and stakeholders representing an aggregate $5.75 trillion assets under management (AUM) and portfolio investments in real estate totaling approximately $1.03 trillion.

Energy Efficiency for All (EEFA) will host a briefing on the challenges and opportunities involved in protecting physically and socially vulnerable communities from the worst impacts of climate change from 2 to 3:30 p.m. ET on April 16. Register here.

Rep.  Maxine Waters (D-CA), chairwoman of the House Committee on Financial Services, announced the following housing-related hearings in the month of April. All the hearings will be livestreamed here.

This morning the White House released a fact sheet on the American Jobs Plan, a $2.25 trillion infrastructure proposal with several investments in housing. President Joe Biden (D) is expected to give a speech in Pittsburg today at 4:20 p.m. ET to officially unveil the plan. Proposed pay-fors include an increase in the corporate tax rate from 21 to 28 percent and a “global minimum tax” on U.S. corporations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) extended its eviction moratorium, which was set to expire on March 31, through June 30, 2021. A recent ruling in Skyworks v. CDC from the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Ohio found the eviction moratorium unlawful. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) joined the suit and had representational standing on behalf of its membership. As such, the CDC extension of the eviction moratorium may not apply to NAHB members as of March 10, the date of the ruling.

President Joseph Biden (D) nominated Adrianne Todman as the deputy secretary of HUD. Todman is currently the CEO of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO). Todman will need to be approved by the Senate.

NH&RA joined the Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding’s (CHCDF) letter to Congressional appropriators urging the highest possible funding amount for Fiscal Year 2022 funding for HUD appropriations. NH&RA encourages our members to also join the letter by the April 9 deadline.  

HUD will host a webinar at 3:30 pm ET on April 20 to provide an overview of the new Section 3 rule and its implementation in Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) conversions. In the fall, HUD updated the Section Three rule in order to focus on economic opportunity outcomes while simultaneously reducing regulatory burden, improving Section Three’s effectiveness, streamlining some processes that have not yielded significant benefits and encouraging HUD grantees to focus on sustained employment for low- and very low-income individuals.

On March 16, the U.S. Department of Treasury updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document regarding the administration of $25 billion in emergency rental assistance. The updated FAQs address questions regarding rental security deposits, hotel and motel stays, rent-to-own agreements and manufactured housing. Treasury is expected to release additional updates in the coming weeks.

Tia Boatman Patterson will serve as the associate director for Housing, Treasury and Commerce in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Boatman Patterson previously served at the California HFA Director.

NH&RA joined an industry letter calling on HUD to implement the $25 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency program that was appropriated in the Fiscal Year 2021 budget. The letter also reiterates key points from shared comments on the new FSS regulations that were submitted with broad support in November 2020.

Fannie Mae announced that it is offering Sponsor-Initiated Affordability (SIA) incentives for multifamily borrowers, with the aim of preserving naturally occurring affordable housing (NOAH) and workforce housing. Property owners seeking Fannie Mae financing will be encouraged for rent and income restrictions for residents living in conventional workforce housing.