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As reported in the April 14 edition of Capitol Express, the Senate small business jobs bill (H.R. 4849) and tax extenders bill (H.R. 4213) are the most promising vehicles for passing A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign proposals to revitalize the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. The recently passed health care reform legislation used previously identified offsets and created a $30 billion revenue gap for the tax extenders bill. The Senate has delayed consideration of the bills as a result of ongoing efforts to fill funding gaps.
The chairs of the House Ways and Means and the Senate Finance committees met to consider moving the $8 billion Build America Bond provisions from the small business jobs bill to the tax extenders bill. Its removal could speed consideration of the extenders bill.
The Campaign continues to seek co-sponsors for Sen. Jeff Bingaman’s (D-N.M.) LIHTC bill (S. 3141) and a forthcoming bill sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), which will likely be introduced the week of April 26. Visit the A.C.T.I.O.N. Campaign website for more information on efforts to revitalize the LIHTC program.
On April 22, the House Financial Services Committee amended and advanced the Green Resources for Energy Efficient Neighborhoods Act (GREEN Act; H.R. 2336) by voice vote. The GREEN Act encourages energy efficiency, conservation and development of renewable energy sources for housing, commercial structures and other buildings. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.), Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.) and 18 other representatives, also has a strong focus on green building and energy efficiency retrofits for federally assisted housing. Enterprise commended the bill sponsors for their leadership in advancing this important legislation.
More information on the committee markup is available at the House Financial Services Committee website. More information on the GREEN Act is available at the Enterprise Legislative Information webpage or through the Library of Congress website.
The Rural Housing Preservation and Stabilization Act of 2010 (H.R. 5017) was advanced by voice vote through the House Financial Services Committee on April 22. The bill makes changes to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Housing Service Section 502 program. Further information on the bill and the committee markup is available at the House Financial Services Committee website.
The Department of Treasury and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have released a request for comments on the future of the housing finance system, including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Comments are due July 21. More details on the Treasury and HUD notices (Docket numbers TREAS-DO-2010-0001 and HUD-2010-0029) are available online through the Government Printing Office. Visit the HUD website to view the full GSE comment press release. Previous Enterprise comment letters on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac’s role in the development of affordable housing are available on the Enterprise Testimony and Public Comment webpage.
The Department of Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) Fund held a series of national listening sessions where attendees discussed the Fund’s authorizing statute and the recent CDFI Fund Request for Comments. The sessions began April 19 in Washington, D.C., and concluded April 23 in Los Angeles. View the full press release at the CDFI Fund website. Responses to the request for comments are due by May 7.
On April 21, Vice President Joe Biden announced on behalf of the Department of Energy (DOE) that 25 communities were selected to receive $452 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding to accelerate energy efficiency building retrofits. The DOE also announced that day it will award $28 million to states to “lower the cost and increase the availability of energy efficiency retrofits,” and that it will make $30 million available to accelerate weatherization innovation. To view the press releases on the Vice President’s announcement, state funds for energy efficiency retrofits and weatherization funds, visit the DOE website.
On April 22, HUD released a Notice of Proposed Information Collection on the ARRA Green Retrofit Program. This notice gives the public and other federal agencies an opportunity to provide feedback on the data collection requirements of this program. Comments are due to HUD by June 21. The HUD Notice (Docket number FR—5380-N-15) is available online through the Government Printing Office.
The Home Star Energy Retrofit Act of 2010 (H.R. 5019) was advanced by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce by a vote of 30-17. As detailed in recent editions of Capitol Express, HomeStar would provide rebates to homeowners who invest in energy efficiency improvements. Visit the Committee website for more information on the Home Star markup.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced April 19 that it will award $78.9 million in brownfield revitalization funding to communities across the country. Funding can be used for “assessment, cleanup and redevelopment of brownfields properties.” More information on the EPA brownfield awards is available at the EPA website.
For witness testimony and archived webcasts, visit the hearing webpages:
In March, AARP released Strategies to Meet the Housing Needs of Older Adults. The report reviews policies and recommendations for development of housing and communities where seniors can successfully age in place. The full AARP report is available at the organization’s Public Policy Institute website.
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