Deadline Approaching for Congress to Complete Fiscal Year 2017 Appropriations
The current continuing resolution (CR) is set to expire on April 28 and Congress must pass a funding bill to keep the government operating. Yesterday, NAHMA and industry colleagues met with staff for Senate Appropriations Committee, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD). The purpose of this meeting was to discuss the funding challenges for HUD affordable housing programs in FY2017 and FY2018. For FY2017, the coalition advocated the importance of passing the Senate’s full-year spending bill and avoiding another continuing resolution. Regarding FY2018, we advocated rejecting harmful cuts to HUD programs, as proposed in President Trump’s FY18 budget request. The THUD staff was understanding and informed us that they opposed the harmful cuts, as well. They would also like to pass a full year spending bill and avoid another CR. Unfortunately, the THUD staff also informed us that there is no consensus in Congress about how lawmakers would move forward to finalize funding bills for FY17.
With Congress in recess until April 24, it leaves only a few days for them to pass funding bills and avoid a government shutdown. We were informed there are really two options on the table at this time: Congress would pass a full CR for the rest of the year or Congress would pass a hybrid version in which some agencies receive a CR and others, such as HUD, receive a full funding bill. We communicated that HUD needs a full funding bill and that a CR for the remainder of FY2017 would be harmful to tenants, since HUD rental assistance programs require funding increases to address increased housing costs.
On Monday morning, NAHMA will post a grassroots alert asking members to contact their lawmakers during the April Recess period and advocate the passage of funding bills to avoid another CR. Next week, NAHMA will also meet with HUD Secretary Carson’s Chief of Staff to advocate a similar message.
Bills Introduced to Address Homelessness
On March 28, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Susan Collins (R-ME) introduced bipartisan legislation (S. 743) to strengthen the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH). USICH is an independent agency that coordinates federal efforts to combat homelessness, working across 19 federal agencies and departments and with partners in both the public and private sector to find ways to streamline and improve service delivery to people experiencing homelessness. USICH is the only agency at the federal level charged specifically with addressing homelessness. However, the Trump Administration’s FY18 budget request calls for the elimination USICH. The Reed-Collins bill would eliminate the sunset date for USICH. Without the Reed-Collins bill, USICH would have to close on October 1, 2017.
Similarly, Representative Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Financial Services, introduced the Ending Homelessness Act of 2017 this week. The bill provides over “$13 billion in new funding over five years to federal programs and initiatives that will help the over 500,000 Americans who are currently homeless.” The bill also eliminates the end date for USICH.
Legislation Introduced to Regulate Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Loans
This week, the Protecting Americans from Credit Entanglements Act (PACE Act) of 2017 was introduced in both the House (H.R. 1958) and Senate (S. 838). The PACE Act would amend the Truth in Lending Act(TILA) to ensure that PACE lenders are subject to the same disclosure requirements that apply to traditional lenders, including providing to consumers the annual percentage rate, a schedule of payments, and the total cost of the loan. Homeowners will also be notified that they will be taking a lien on their home. The Pace Act was introduced in the Senate by Senators Tom Cotton (R-AR), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and John Boozman (R-AR); and in the House by Representatives Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Ed Royce (R-CA).