Federal / Agency News

HUD published the Notice of Demonstration to Assess the National Standards for the Physical Inspection of Real Estate (NSPIRE) and Associated Protocols in the Federal Register. Comments are due on October 21, 2019.

Last week the House Financial Service Committee (HFSC) held a field hearing titled “Examining the Homelessness Crisis in Los Angeles.” In her opening remarks, Chairwoman Maxine Waters called for a  bold and comprehensive response at the federal, state and local levels to address the homelessness crisis.

HUD published its Implementation of the Fair Housing Act’s Disparate Impact Standard proposed rule in the Federal Register. If implemented, the proposed rule would raise the burden of proof to bring a disparate impact claim, making it harder to pursue housing discrimination cases. Comments are due by October 18, 2019.

HUD has released the first set of NSPIRE standards with standards for chimneys, exit signs, sinks, smoke detectors and trash chutes. HUD is seeking feedback about the clarity of the deficiencies, the accuracy of the rationales and the overall usability of the standards. Please review the instructions on how to submit your feedback.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released its Inadmissibility on Public Charge Grounds Final Rule. The rule denies visas to persons the government deems to be a ‘public charge’, through their income and potential use of federal programs like Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers, Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance, and Public Housing programs, as well as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicaid and parts of Medicare. The final rule significantly expands the list of federal programs that can be used to determine if someone is deemed a public charge and is scheduled to take effect on Oct. 15, 2019.

HUD announced that the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) will insure mortgages on mixed-use development in opportunity zones under the agency’s Section 220 program. Historically, Section 220 has provided mortgage insurance for rental housing in downtown urban areas that have been targeted for overall revitalization. Now, all 8,764 Opportunity Zones, including those located in rural area, […]

HUD’s forthcoming Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the Discriminatory Effects Standard was recently leaked to Politico. HUD claims that the proposed rule will bring its disparate impact standard in line with the 2015 Supreme Court ruling in Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs v. Inclusive Community Project, Inc. The leaked notice of proposed rulemaking builds upon the Supreme Court’s ruling and proposes five steps for plaintiffs to bring a disparate impact claim.

HUD released a notice of funding availability (NOFA) for its Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants. Approximately $164 million is available for implementation grants that support the implementation of comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plans. Applications are due on November 4, 2019.

On July 30, HUD published the FY 2019 HOME Match Reductions list, which includes match reductions granted for FY 2019 due to fiscal distress, severe fiscal distress and Presidential disaster declarations.

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.

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 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.