The President signed a spending package this afternoon that includes a continuing resolution providing funding for the government until Friday, December 7. This averts a government shutdown for the departments and agencies funded by the seven appropriations bills that will not be finalized before the beginning of FY 2019 on October 1. The package also includes an extension of the Violence Against Women Act, which was set to expire on September 30.

Congress approved five spending bills for FY 2019, the highest number in over 20 years. Negotiations were in progress on a four-bill package that included the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) bill, but unfortunately progress stalled this week and the package was never formally introduced. Negotiations broke down over issues with the Interior-Environment and Legislative Branch spending bills; reports are that THUD was easily negotiated.

The expiration of the CR on December 7 ensures that Congress will have to address spending in the lame duck, the time period when Congress returns to Washington after the election before the 115^th Congress adjourns for the final time in December.

HUD has released a notice in the Federal Register announcing an expedited review process for relief from HUD regulatory and/or administrative requirements for PHAs that are located in counties that have received Presidentially-declared Major Distaster Declarations (MDD). PHAs located in areas that received MDDs in CY 2018 may request waivers of HUD requirements and receive expedited review of such requests.

The Notice includes descriptions of the flexibilities that are currently available to MDD PHAs under statutes and/or regulation, certain HUD requirements that, if waived, may facilitate an MDD PHA’s ability to participate in relief and recovery efforts, and environmental review waivers.

NAHRO is keeping our members and all individuals impacted by Hurricane Florence in our thoughts, and are wishing for a safe and rapid recovery. To everyone impacted by the hurricane, please stay safe!

HUD will release two new Notices of Proposed Information Collection in the Federal Register tomorrow. The first notice is a 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection titled Public Housing Reform Act: Changes to the Admission and Occupancy Requirements. The second is a 30-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection titled Assessment of Additional Resource Needs for Smoke-Free Policy. HUD posted a 60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection regarding an assessment of its smoke-free policy in January, 2018. NAHRO’s comments can be found here (members only).

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HUD has announced it will be hosting a public meeting of the Moving to Work Research Advisory Committee on October 10 from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm Eastern Time. The Committee meeting will be held via conference call and is open to the public and accessible to individuals with disabilities.

The meeting will discuss the third cohort of the Moving to Work (MTW) expansion, which focuses on work requirements for public housing and Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) residents. HUD is looking for feedback from the advisory committee on research design, random assignments, and specific policies.

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On September 5, HUD announced that it is awarding $4.8 million in Choice Neighborhood Planning Grants to six communities. The grants, funded through HUD’s Choice Neighborhoods program, will help local leaders craft comprehensive, homegrown plans to revitalize and transform neighborhoods.

Choice Neighborhoods is focused on three core goals: replacing distressed public and assisted housing, improving the outcomes of people living in assisted housing, and creating the conditions necessary for public and private reinvestment in distressed neighborhoods.

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On September 5, HUD announced that it is awarding $18 million to 20 public housing agencies through their Lead-Based Paint Capital Fund Program. The funds are used to ensure public housing developments that were tested and abated over twenty years ago remain lead-free. In FY 2017, Congress appropriated $25 million to be available for competitive grants to PHAs to evaluate and reduce lead-based paint hazards in public housing. According to HUD, “[w]hile lead-based paint was banned for residential use in 1978, many older homes may still contain hazards that require proper cleanup.” Grants are available for risk assessments, abatement, and interim controls as defined in Section 1004 of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act of 1992. These grants are subject to normal PHA regulations.

A list of PHAs receiving awards can be found in HUD’s press release.