Congress

The Senate voted 57-40 to confirm Dana Wade to be the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) commissioner and assistant secretary at HUD. Wade is succeeding acting FHA Commissioner Len Wolfson, who took over when former Commissioner Brian Montgomery was confirmed as deputy secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA) and Jackie Walorski (R-IN) are circulating a bipartisan sign-on letter to House leadership urging the inclusion of LIHTC priorities as part of COVID response legislation. Please reach out to any House members with whom you have a connection encouraging them to sign on. The deadline is Monday, July 27.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) recently unveiled The Economic Justice Act, a proposal to invest $350 billion in communities of color as a component of the next federal COVID-19 stimulus relief package. The Economic Justice Act would expand LIHTC by $5 billion over five years. In addition, it would provide a renter tax credit that would reduce rent and utilities for low-income individuals and families.

Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) announced the Rent Emergencies Leave Impacts on Evicted Families (RELIEF) Act on July 16, legislation aimed at keeping residents in their homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Yesterday, the full House Committee on Appropriations voted along party lines to approve the fiscal year (FY) 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies (T-HUD) bill. A summary of the HUD provisions can be found here. The full committee added the and amendment that allows certain CDBG-DR grantees to request relief from recaptures for overpayments.

Last week the House of Representatives passed a $1.5 trillion infrastructure package (H.R. 2), which includes several housing provisions. A summary of the housing provisions in the bill can be found here. The measure passed by a vote of 233 to 188, with three Republicans crossing party lines to support it and two Democrats breaking […]

On June 7, 2020 the House Appropriations Committee released its draft fiscal year 2021 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies funding bill. The measure was adopted by the Subcommittee on July 8, 2020.  The measure heads next to the Full Committee for an additional markup.  The bill provides a total of $50.6 billion […]

On June 12 the Bipartsan Policy Center published a new brief entitled “Housing Assistance is a COVID-19 Response and Racial Justice Priority.”  The brief finds that the public health and economic crisis that COVID-19 triggered has put millions of low-income households at risk of eviction and homelessness and has widened racial disparities in housing and health outcomes.

The House of Representatives passed the Emergency Housing Protections and Relief Act of 2020 (H.R. 7301) to provide relief for homeowners, renters, landlords and people experiencing homelessness amidst the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The provisions of this bill were largely included in the HEROES Act as passed by the House in May, which has yet to be voted on in the Senate.

The House of Representatives voted along party lines to pass a resolution of disapproval to nullify the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s new rule on Community Reinvestment Act (CRA). The Congressional Review Act of 1996 gives Congress the power to rescind administration rules within 60 calendar days. The bill (H.J. Res 90) would need to be passed by the Senate (with a simple majority) and be signed by the President, both of which seem unlikely to happen.

The House Democrats’ recently released infrastructure bill, Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2), includes a myriad of housing provisions. A vote on the legislation is expected before the Fourth of July recess. While the bill is likely to pass the Democrat-led House, it will face greater resistance in the GOP-led Senate. The bill does not include any pay-fors and Republicans are already panning the bill as dead-on-arrival. However, the bill may set an important marker for future infrastructure negotiations. The Trump administration is reportedly drafting a $1 trillion infrastructure package aimed at spurring the economy.

Earlier today the House Financial Services Committee (HFSC) held a virtual hearing on The Rent Is Still Due: America’s Renters, COVID-19 and an Unprecedented Eviction Crisis. Witnesses Cashauna Hill, Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center; Mike Kingsella, Up for Growth; Ann Oliva, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and Jenny Schuetz, The Brookings Institution discussed the need for ongoing financial assistance to families.