Federal / Agency News

Last week HUD announced $330 million in grants to clean up lead-based paint hazards and other housing-related health and safety hazards. HUD’s grants will direct funds to qualifying cities, counties, states and Native American tribal governments to eliminate dangerous lead paint hazards.

The EPA recently announced a final rule that lowers dust-lead hazard standards for floors and windowsills in pre-1978 housing and certain schools, child care facilities and hospitals.

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.

The Internal Revenue Service updated its Opportunity Zones (OZ) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page to include a new question on the realization of an Internal Revenue Code Section 1231 gain.

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.

The Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) recently opened the FY 2019 funding round for the Capital Magnet Fund (CMF) with an anticipated $130.8 million available for awards.

On June 20, the Senate confirmed Hunter Kurtz as Assistant Secretary of Public and Indian Housing at HUD. The Senate also confirmed Seth Appleton as Assistant Secretary of Policy Development and Research (PD&R) at HUD.

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.

On June 25, President Trump signed an Executive Order establishing the White House Council on Eliminating Barriers to Affordable Housing and named HUD Secretary Ben Carson as its Chairperson.

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 […]