HUD

HUD has issued a final rule (Docket No. FR”“5508″“F”“02) regarding disparate impact liability under the Fair Housing Act. The final rule formalize HUD’s recognition of disparate impact liability and, for purposes of providing consistency nationwide, formalizes a burden-shifting test for determining whether a given practice has an unjustified discriminatory effect, leading to liability under the Fair Housing Act.

HUD recently issued Housing Notice 2013-05 to detail recent changes regarding processing of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) multifamily mortgage insurance applications for transactions in New York and New Jersey, the communities hardest hit by Hurricane Sandy.

H&RA member firm, Goulston & Storrs recently released an article detailing the recent rule changes in Massachusetts that would impact preservation deals.

HUD recently issued a Federal Register Notice seeking public comment on the redesign of the American Housing Survey (AHS) for 2015 and beyond.

President Obama singed the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 (H.R. 152) on January 29. H.R. 152, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a measure of 241-180 and the Senate by a margin of 62-36, was originally sponsored by House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and will provide an additional $50.5 billion for recovery and rebuilding activities for regions impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

HUD has issued a set of draft documents for public comment for its Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) Program.

Registration is now open for HUD’s Green Academy, a pilot initiative that will offer green building training to HUD grantees and other affordable housing organizations.

The Public and Affordable Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) and the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) recently released the National Housing Preservation Database, which was created in an effort to provide communities with the information they need to effectively preserve their stock of public and affordable housing.

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services Chairman Jeb Hensarling today announced subcommittee assignments for the panel’s Republican members. Chairman Hensarling will serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees, as will former Chairman Spencer Bachus, who is serving as chairman emeritus in the 113th Congress.

Smart Growth America recently published a report entitled “Federal Involvement in Real Estate: A call for examination”, to look at the effectiveness of various federal real estate investment programs and determine how well these programs influence development.

HUD recently released a Federal Register Notice to solicit comments on the Senior Preservation Rental Assistance Contracts (SPRACs) awards processes. The Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2010, signed into law in January 2011, authorizes HUD to provide SPRACs with 20-year terms to prevent displacement of elderly residents of certain projects assisted under HUD’s Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly program in the case of refinancing or recapitalization and to further preserve and maintain affordability of Section 202 Direct Loan projects.

HUD recently released a HOME Investment Partnership (HOME) Program and Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) guidebook which provides technical guidance to HOME Participating Jurisdictions (PJs) on projects that combine HOME Program funds with LIHTCs.