General News

The Rural Housing Service (RHS) recently announced it will hold a series of teleconference and/or web conference meetings regarding the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program.

The U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp (R-MI) and Select Revenue Measures Subcommittee Chairman Pat Tiberi (R-OH) recently announced they will begin holding hearings on tax extenders in April.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Banking Housing and Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development will hold a hearing on the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative entitled “The Choice Neighborhoods Initiative: A New Community Development Model” on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.

HUD will host two webcasts on Tuesday, March 27 to go over programs to assist with elderly housing.

HUD released an updated Multifamily Accelerated Processing (MAP) Guidebook on November 23, 2011 that includes revisions and updates to the original guidebook that was published August 22, 2011.

A public hearing will be conducted concerning the Connecticut Housing Finance Authority’s intent to adopt amendments to its 2012 Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Procedures(LIHTC) for the administration of the Federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

The Louisiana Housing Finance Agency (LHFA) has released a draft version of its proposed Qualified Allocation Plan (QAP) and selection criteria for the 2013 LIHTC allocation round.

The New York State Division for Historic Preservation recently announced a new organizational structure and several related staffing changes to better integrate historic preservation services.

Shaun Donovan, Secretary of HUD, and Carol Galante, the Acting FHA Commissioner of HUD, recently issued a memo urging owners of HUD-assisted properties to develop policies and procedures that allow ex-offenders to reunite with families that currently reside at their properties.

HUD has announced Mark B. Van Kirk as the new Director of the Office of Asset Management.

On March 6, 2012, the House Financial Services Committee held a markup on its Views and Estimates of President Obama’s fiscal year 2013 budget.

The Ohio Housing Finance Agency’s (OHFA) recently announced the launch of a collaborative study with USDA RD, HUD and The Ohio State University’s College of Public Health to examine the impact of a proposed policy change to reduce the frequency of physical inspections for affordable housing units receiving multiple funding sources.