Congress

Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) has introduced the Middle Class Tax Cut Act of 2010. The legislation contains extensions of numerous affordable housing, new markets and renewable energy tax credit and bond programs.

U.S. Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN) on December 1 introduced the Rental Housing Revitalization Act (H.R. 6468), designed to support the restoration of the nation’s public housing infrastructure, simplify rental assistance programs and expand renters’ housing choices.

In yet another “wave” election, the Democratic Party has been swept out of the US House of Representatives as Congressional Republicans picked up approximately 60 seats (at time of press some final results are still in questions). The Democratic Party still maintains a majority in the US Senate. NH&RA will be providing additional coverage on the leadership and priorities of the next Congress in the upcoming weeks.

The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association is now accepting registrations for the 2011 Annual Meeting and Pre-Conference Symposium on New Markets Tax Credits, scheduled February 23-26, 2011 in Bonita Springs, Florida.

United States Senate Committee on Finance has scheduled a hearing on December 2, entitled “Tax Reform: Historical Trends in Income and Revenue.”

A bipartisan group of 26 senators yesterday sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus and Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley urging a two-year extension of the Section 1603 Payments for Specified Energy Property in Lieu of Tax Credits Program during the lame-duck session.

President Barack Obama will nominate North Carolina Banking Commissioner Joseph A. Smith Jr. to be the new director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA).

The Congressional Budget Office has released its cost estimate for the Public Housing Reinvestment and Tenant Protection Act of 2010 (H.R. 5814).

On Monday, September 27, President Obama signed the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 into law. The legislation passed the House by a 237 to 187 vote; the Senate version of the bill was passed the previous week.

The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association’s Legislative Leadership Council convened for the first time on September 28, in Washington DC and met with Assistant Secretary for Public & Indian Housing Sandra Henriquez, DAS for Public Housing Investment Dominque Blom and DAS for Multifamily Housing Carol Galante.

NH&RA is pleased to offer the PowerPoint slide presentations for sessions exhibited during the 2010 Fall Developers Forum, October 18 & 19 in Boston, Mass.

The National Housing & Rehabilitation Association and its sub-council, the National Council of Affordable Housing Market Analysts (NCAHMA) each hosted highly successful conferences in October to close NH&RA’s 2010 meeting schedule.