Urge Your Representatives to Sign on to These 302(b) Allocation Letters

NAHMA is asking that members contact their Congressional Representatives and urge them to sign the attached letters that request higher funding levels for Project-Based Section 8 Rental Assistance (PBRA) and other affordable housing programs in the fiscal year 2015 budget. These “Dear Colleague” letters are addressed to the Chairman and Ranking Member of both the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittees on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD). Your Representative’s signature on these letters would show their support for affordable housing and will help the leaders of the T-HUD Subcommittees understand the need to fully-fund these programs.

The first letter is addressed to House T-HUD Subcommittee Chair Tom Latham (R-IA) and Ranking Member Ed Pastor (D-AZ). It was initiated and signed by two Democrats from the House Financial Services Committee, Maxine Waters (CA) and Michael Capuano (MA). The letter cites concern that the Administration’s request of $9.7 billion for the Project-based Section 8 program is significantly less than its FY 2014 request ($10.3 billion) as well as the FY 2013 enacted level. It requests that Latham and Pastor fully fund the PBRA program at $11.5 billion in FY 2015. The deadline for signatures on this letter is March 28th at noon, so please contact your Representatives as soon as possible. Please Contact Esther Kahng at esther.kahng@mail.house.gov for additional information. Click here to view the letter.

The second letter is address to the Senate T-HUD Subcommittee Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME). Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) initiated this letter. It similarly addresses the concern over the Administration’s FY 2015 budget request for PBRA and the need to fund the renewal of all existing contracts for a full 12 months. The submission deadline for this letter is March 31 (may be extended to April 2), so please contact your Senators soon. Please contact Matt Traylor at Matthew_Traylor@merkley.senate.gov for additional information. Click here to view the letter.