Action Digest

Jun 12, 2012

UPCOMING MARK UPS

HUD and Rural Housing Appropriations

The Timeline
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) marked up its FY13 spending bill for HUD programs last Thursday. In addition, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies (Agriculture) marked up its FY13 spending bill for rural rental housing programs last Wednesday. Both bills underfund important housing programs. The bills are expected to go to the Full House Committee on Appropriations the week of June 18.

The Asks
Reach out to your Representative this week if he or she sits on the Appropriations Committee. Urge your Member to do three critical things:

  1. Support full funding for Tenant-Based Rental Assistance, Public Housing, Project-Based Rental Assistance, and other housing programs that are underfunded in the THUD Subcommittee bill.
  2. Oppose adding any policy provisions to the THUD bill that would harm extremely low income households.
  3. Support full funding for rural rental housing programs, by at least restoring levels to those set in FY11.

The Tools


American Community Survey (ACS) Funding

On May 9, the House passed its Commerce, Justice, and Science spending bill. The bill included an amendment to eliminate all funding for the ACS. The data provided by the ACS is critical for determining the need for affordable housing at the local level. It is important that the Senate version of the bill include funding for the ACS, and continues to require mandatory response to the survey. Urge your Senators to support these priorities. To learn more, read NLIHC’s Memo to Members article.

Housing Reform – Affordable Housing and Self-Sufficiency Act (AHSSIA)

AHSSIA was approved by the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Insurance, Housing and Community Opportunity on April 13. To date, a full Committee mark-up is not scheduled. To learn more about AHSSIA, read NLIHC’s Memo to Members article.

PENDING BILLS

Contact your Members of Congress and encourage them to co-sponsor the following:

H.R. 3619: To make the Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act permanent

The Ask
Urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 3619, a bill introduced by Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), which would permanently extend federal protections for renters facing foreclosure. The current Protecting Tenants at Foreclosure Act is set to sunset in 2014.

The Tools


S. 489 & H.R. 1477: To provide critical funding for the National Housing Trust Fund

The Ask
Urge your Senators to co-sponsor S. 489, and your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 1477. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Representative Elijah Cummings (D-MD) introduced bills that would capitalize the NHTF through profits from the Treasury Department’s sale of Troubled Asset Relief Program warrants. These bills would provide much needed funding for the NHTF.

The Tools

  • For more information on the bills, view our NHTF fact sheet.
  • View current co-sponsors of S. 489 and H.R. 1477 by looking the bills up here.
  • To contact your Members of Congress, call the Congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351, or visit our website and enter your zip code.

S. 1989 & H.R. 3661: To establish minimum credit rates for Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) projects

The Ask

Urge your Senators to co-sponsor S. 1989, introduced by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). Urge your Representative to co-sponsor H.R. 3661, introduced by Representatives Patrick Tiberi (R-OH) and Richard Neal (D-MA). The bills would establish a minimum credit amount that LIHTC developments would receive, protecting them from reductions in investor equity that can be used to build affordable housing.

The Tools

  • To learn more, view NLIHC’s fact sheet.
  • View current co-sponsors of S. 1989 and H.R. 3661 by looking the bills up here.
  • To contact your Members of Congress, call the Congressional switchboard at 877-210-5351, or visit our website and enter your zip code.


UPDATE AND THANK YOU

Thank Senators for Their Work on the Senate THUD Spending Bill

In April, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD) spending bill that increased levels above the President’s budget on several important housing programs and rejected policy provisions that would harm extremely low income households.

If one or both of your Senators sits on the Senate Appropriations Committee, please reach out and express your thanks and the importance of this vote in ensuring that the lowest income Americans have safe, decent and affordable homes.

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