Senate Committee Hearing Examines Path to Equitable Recovery During COVID-19
On Thursday, the Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, Chaired by Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH), held a hearing entitled, The Coronavirus Crisis: Paving the Way to An Equitable Recovery. The hearing featured testimony from Youngstown, Ohio Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, Mr. John A. Costa, International President, Amalgamated Transit Union, AFL-CIO/CLC; and Mr. Jyoshu Tsushima, Staff Attorney, Legal Aid Society of Columbus. Witnesses discussed their priorities for COVID-19 recovery, including the need for immediate assistance and equitable relief. Mayor Brown testified that small- to medium-size businesses are bearing the brunt of the pandemic, especially minority-owned businesses, and described how the COVID-19 pandemic has revealed the health, social, economic and racial disparities of the community. Mayor Brown cited a lack of livable-wage jobs and the decline of the affordable housing stock as major hindrances in current and future recovery efforts. Witnesses also described the need for linking additional federal assistance with a long-term coordinated strategy for housing, transportation and small-businesses. Prior to the hearing, NAHMA provided comments to the Senate Banking Committee advocating for additional emergency rental assistance and providing recommendations for implementation of the current and future Emergency Rental Assistance programs.
To view the full Senate Banking Committee hearing, The Coronavirus Crisis: Paving the Way to An Equitable Recovery, click here.
House on Path to Pass $1.9 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Bill
Next Monday, February 22, the House Budget Committee will begin to consider President Biden’s $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill, with a full House vote scheduled for later in the week. Congressional Democrats plan on having President Biden sign the legislation before the current unemployment benefits expire on March 14. Along with including substantial resources for affordable housing, the COVID-19 bill also includes additional $1,400 direct stimulus checks, a $15 federal minimum wage, and would increase temporary federal unemployment benefits from $300 to $400 per week and extend benefits through August 29, 2021. The bill is expected to pass the Senate in the coming weeks with a simple majority vote as long as there are no defections from Democrat Senators.
Once the COVID-19 bill is signed into law, Congress and the Biden Administration plan on focusing on infrastructure development and additional long-term economic recovery legislation based on President Biden’s Build Back Better plan. With regards to appropriations, February 1 was the official deadline for the Biden Administration to submit to Congress its budget for fiscal year 2022, but a variety of delays have pushed back the timeline and a release date has not yet been officially established. It is expected that the President Biden’s Proposed Budget will be made public shortly after the passage of the COVID-19 relief bill.
New Congress Focuses on Housing
Members of the 117th Congress have started to gather focus on the housing needs of providers and the residents they serve, and have introduced several bills aimed at providing additional housing support and assistance. Representative Antonio Delgado (D-NY) has introduced H.R. 199, the Direct Support for Communities Act, which would provide funding for cities, counties, and other units of general local government to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19, regardless of size. The bill would create a funding mechanism that allows smaller communities direct access to federal funding, and would allow distressed communities to avoid layoffs, ensure timely vaccine distribution, grow availability of testing, and continue meeting the housing needs of their residents. H.R. 199 was referred to the House Committee on Appropriations and to the House Committee on the Budget for further consideration.
To view the full bill text of the Direct Support for Communities Act, click here.
H.R. 152, Ensuring Homeowner and Occupant Monetary Encouragement and Stability Act (Ensuring HOMES Act), introduced by House Financial Services Committee Member Representative Bobbie Rush (D-IL), would establish a Tenant Protection Program that would provide loans to landlords who waive rent during the COVID-19 emergency pandemic period. The bill would provide for forgiveness of these loans if the landlord provides lease extensions and agreed not to evict tenants. The Ensuring HOMES Act also includes additional housing protections such as prohibiting mortgage holders and lenders from requiring payment on a mortgage deferred during the COVID-19 emergency period until the later of (1) the last day of the loan term, or (2) the end of the deferral period. The bill would apply retroactively to the beginning of the COVID-19 emergency pandemic and would also apply to any future COVID-19 emergency declaration. H.R. 152 has been referred to the House Financial Services Committee for further consideration.
To view the full bill text of the Ensuring HOMES Act, click here.
Representative Al Green, (D-TX), also a member of the House Financial Services Committee, introduced H.R.165, Improving Access to Homes for Heroes Act of 2021. This bill would require public housing agencies to consider the housing needs of veterans when creating their annual plans and housing strategies, in consultation with agencies that serve veterans. Similarly, the bill would instruct the Department of Housing and Urban Development to revise its regulations to require jurisdictions that receive funding from HUD to include information relating to veterans in their consolidated plans. HUD would also be required to conduct an assessment of the housing needs of very low-income veteran families and report annually on its activities relating to veterans. H.R. 165 was referred to the House Financial Service Committee for further consideration.
To view the full bill text of the Improving Access to Homes for Heroes Act, click here.