Legislation

HOTMA Implementation e-Briefing – Tomorrow

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
HOTMA Implementation
A NAHRO Professional Development e-Briefing
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 11, 2017
1:30 – 3:00 pm EDT

On July 29, 2016, President Barack Obama signed into law the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), legislation that received unanimous, bipartisan support from Congress.

As HUD has begun the process of implementing the provisions in HOTMA, many local agencies are wondering how they will be impacted. Join National NAHRO’s in-house policy experts as they review the key provisions included in HOTMA, discuss HUD’s implementation notices and timeline, and explain what NAHRO is doing to help HUD move forward with implementation of this critically important reform legislation.

Reminder: Whether you’re watching alone or with an audience of 100, only one registration per connected device is required, making NAHRO Professional Development’s e-Briefings an outstanding value!

Online registration closes TONIGHT (Monday, April 10) at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

HUD to Host MTW Listening Sessions

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier today, a NAHRO member forwarded an email sent by General Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryon of HUD’s Office of Public and Indian Housing announcing four listening sessions “for PHAs that are interested in applying to MTW and other industry partners.” Through the listening sessions, HUD hopes to hear feedback on its MTW Operations Notice. The MTW Operations Notice will govern the operation of PHAs that are selected to participate in the 100 PHA Expansion of the MTW Demonstration Program.

HUD is particularly interested in feedback on the following topics:

  • Evaluation and performance assessment;
  • Calculation of funding;
  • Statutory and regulatory waivers; and
  • Regionalization.

The listening sessions will be held in the following cities on the dates listed next to location (click on the location to register):

NAHRO’s comments on the MTW Operations Notice can be found here.

NAHRO Releases Preliminary Joint FY 2018 Budget Recommendations with PHADA and CLPHA

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, April 6, NAHRO released joint budget recommendations with industry groups CLPHA and PHADA. The document containing the recommendations states that the recommendations “are based on the best information available at this time. [The three groups] will submit revised funding recommendations to Congress when more detailed and timely information, such as the President’s FY 2018 budget request and Congressional Justifications, becomes available in May.”

These recommendations would fully fund the Operating Fund and provide enough funding for the Capital Fund for PHAs to begin addressing their capital needs backlog. Additionally, these recommendations would fully fund voucher renewals, fully fund the administrative fee formula, and fully fund project-based rental assistance contracts. The recommendations also provide sustainable funding for other important programs.

NAHRO / PHADA / CLPHA FY 2018 Funding Recommendations (in millions)
Public Housing Operating Fund $5,349
Public Housing Capital Fund $5,000
Emergency Capital Needs $21.5
Resident Opportunities and Supportive Services (ROSS) $35
Jobs Plus $15
Public Housing Financial and Physical Assessment Activities $10
Section 8 Tenant-Based Housing Choice Voucher HAP Renewal $19,390
Section 8 Ongoing Administrative Fees $2,284
Section 8 Project-Based Rental Assistance $11,400
Consolidated Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) Program $95
Choice Neighborhoods Initiative $200

The “Emergency Capital Needs,” “Resident Opportunities and Supportive Services (ROSS),” “Jobs Plus,” and “Public Housing Financial and Physical Assessment Activities” accounts are in addition to the amount requested for the Capital Fund and are not sub-accounts.

The entire document with the FY 2018 budget recommendations–which contains additional information about each of the accounts–can be found here.

HOTMA Implementation e-Briefing on April 11

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

NEXT WEEK!
HOTMA Implementation
A NAHRO Professional Development e-Briefing
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
1:30 – 3:00 pm EDT

On July 29, 2016 President Barack Obama signed into law the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2016 (HOTMA), legislation that received unanimous, bipartisan support from Congress.

As HUD has begun the process of implementing the provisions in HOTMA, many local agencies are wondering how they will be impacted. Join National NAHRO’s in-house policy experts as they review the key provisions included in HOTMA, discuss HUD’s implementation notices and timeline, and explain what NAHRO is doing to help HUD move forward with implementation of this critically important reform legislation.

Reminder: Whether you’re watching alone or with an audience of 100, only one registration per connected device is required, making NAHRO Professional Development’s e-Briefings an outstanding value!

Online registration closes Monday, April 10, at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

HUD Sends Supplementary Email to 2017 HCV Program Renewal Funding Letter

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

Earlier this morning, HUD sent an email to Executive Directors with hyperlinks to items mentioned in their 2017 HCV Program Renewal Funding Letter. Due to the brevity of the message, I’ve reproduced it completely below.

Dear Executive Director,

The purpose of this communication is to follow-up on the March 15, 2017 letter regarding the regarding the status of calendar year 2017 Housing Choice Voucher Program’s renewal funding.  The letter referenced links to the House and Senate 2017 Bills as well as the Field Offices’ Two-year Forecasting Tool, and it has come to HUD’s attention that the links were not active.  Below you will find the links to the House and Senate Bills and to the Two-year forecasting tool.

TBRA Senate Report

TBRA House Report

Forecasting tool link

Thank you for your participation in the HCV program.

The original letter can be found here.

Representatives Tiberi and Neal Introduce Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act

~ Jenny Hsu ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, Representative Pat Tiberi (R-OH) and Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 (H.R. 1661), a comprehensive bill that would strengthen the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC or Housing Credit). This bill serves as the companion legislation to S. 548, which was introduced earlier this month by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT). Rep. Hatch is Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

Similar to the Senate bill, H.R. 1661 seeks to improve LIHTC through provisions that would streamline and modernize the program, as well as increase financial feasibility for projects and encourage development in underserved areas. The legislation would also support the development of rental units that use the Housing Credit in conjunction with multifamily Housing Bonds, which currently provide important financing to about 40 percent of all Housing Credit apartments.

The House bill has bipartisan support and there are  16 other original co-sponsors, 13 of which are Ways and Means Committee members. Unlike S. 548, the House bill would not phase-in a 50 percent increase to the Housing Credit cap. However, H.R. 1661 takes significant steps to strengthen LIHTC and NAHRO joins the ACTION Campaign (a coalition of over 2,000 national, state and local affordable housing stakeholders) in endorsing this critical legislation, while encouraging Congress to include a cap increase in any final tax legislation.

More information on H.R. 1661 by the ACTION Campaign can found here:

NAHRO Releases 2017 Legislative and Regulatory Agenda

~ Georgi Banna ~ Leave a comment

2017 Leg Agenda CoverAs the 2017 Washington Conference begins this week, we are proud to present NAHRO’s 2017 Legislative and Regulatory Agenda.

This year’s agenda builds on our previous Transition 2017, Legislative and Regulatory Year in Review – 2016 documents. It also serves as an extension of our outreach to the new Congress, which introduces NAHRO and its positions. The 2017 Legislative and Regulatory Agenda provides specific priorities and positions that will guide the NAHRO legislative and regulatory roadmap for the coming year.

This agenda is not intended to catalogue all the efforts and policies that NAHRO will actively pursue in 2017. There are many issues — including ones that may rise in priority as federal policymakers act over the course of the year — that will feature prominently in NAHRO’s efforts on behalf of its members and the communities they serve.

Our most vulnerable citizens find a safe harbor and a place to call home in the work of public housing authorities and community development agencies. NAHRO members will continue to meet the challenge of building stronger communities and ensuring that all Americans have a stable, affordable place to call home in which they can live, grow and thrive.

Please read, review, and share NAHRO’s 2017 Legislative and Regulatory Agenda, and feel free to use it to develop and coordinate your agency, local, county, state and regional legislative and regulatory advocacy plans for 2017.

New and updated legislative and regulatory information is available on the Congressional Relations and Policy & Program Development webpages on the NAHRO website and on the NAHRO Blog.

Senators Reintroduce the Bipartisan Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act

~ Jenny Hsu ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) introduced the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017 (S. 548), a comprehensive bill that would strengthen and expand the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit). This legislation is very similar to the version of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (S. 3237) introduced by the same Senators last year, but with minor modifications.

Earlier this week, Senator Cantwell released a new report that chronicles the nationwide shortage of affordable housing. In her press release, Senator Cantwell said, “[w]e are facing pressures from all sides: demand for rental housing has increased by 21 percent, but we are building units at the lowest rate since the 1970s. If we do not act to increase the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit-our best way to build new affordable homes-by 2025 over 15 million Americans could be spending half of their income on rent. This is unacceptable.”

S. 548 seeks to take steps towards addressing the affordable housing deficit by increasing the overall Housing Credit authority by 50 percent. The legislation also includes other provisions that would streamline and modernize the Housing Credit, increase financial feasibility for projects, and encourage development in underserved areas. The legislation would also support the development of rental units that use the Housing Credit in conjunction with multifamily Housing Bonds, which currently provide important financing to about 40 percent of all Housing Credit apartments.

S. 548 has bipartisan support on the Hill and there are currently eleven other original co-sponsors to the bill: Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), and Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Dean Heller (R-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Todd Young (R-IN), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Brian Schatz (D-HI). Also recently, over 2,000 organizations across the country, including NAHRO, signed on to the ACTION Campaign’s letter to Congress in support of S. 548.

More information on the bill by the ACTION Campaign can found here:

HUD Publishes PIH Notice on Limiting Payments to Influence Federal Transactions, Anti-Lobbying, and Disclosure Requirements

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ Leave a comment

On March 3, HUD published PIH-2017-04 (HA) titled “Limitations on Payments to Influence Federal Transactions for PIH Programs and PHA Anti-Lobbying Certification and Disclosure Requirements.” According to this notice, PHAs are required to submit the following, if they have received over $100,000 in federally appropriated funds:

  • Certification of Payments to Influence Federal Transactions (Form HUD-50071) – for PHAs to certify that they have not and will not make prohibited payments from federally appropriated funds; and
  • Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) – for PHAs that have used non-federally appropriated funds for influencing or attempting to influence executive or legislative branch personnel in connection with new funding, renewal funding, changing policy, or changing legislation.

PHAs are prohibited from using federally appropriated funds for lobbying activities. PHAs’ contributions to trade associations are not lobbying activities under this notice, nor do the certification and disclosure requirements in this notice apply to PHA contributions to trade associations. The requirements of this notice apply to all PHAs, including MTW agencies.

The notice also outlines record retention and other responsibilities of both PHAs and HUD Field Offices.

Additional information on the notice will be provided to NAHRO members in upcoming coverage.

The full notice can be found here.

Senate Confirms Dr. Ben Carson as HUD Secretary

~ Tushar Gurjal ~ 2 Comments

Earlier today, the United States Senate confirmed Dr. Ben Carson as the 17th Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. He was confirmed on a vote of 58 to 41. NAHRO has invited Secretary Carson to speak at the 2017 NAHRO Washington Conference. NAHRO has also invited the Secretary to listen to the concerns of PHAs and RDAs as part of the countrywide listening tour he mentioned during his confirmation hearing. We look forward to working with him.

[3/3/17 Edit – HUD’s press release can be found here.]