| Republicans | Democrats |
| Mike Crapo (R-ID) | Jack Reed (D-RI) |
| Bob Corker (R-TN) | Charles E. Schumer (D-NY) |
| David Vitter (R-LA) | Robert Menendez (D-NJ) |
| Patrick J. Toomey (R-PA) | Jon Tester (D-MT) |
| Mark Kirk (R-IL) | Mark R. Warner (D-VA) |
| Dean Heller (R-NV) | Jeff Merkley (D-OR) |
| Tim Scott (R-SC) | Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) |
| Ben Sasse (R-NE) | Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) |
| Tom Cotton (R-AR) | Joe Donnelly (D-IN) |
| Mike Rounds (R-SD) | |
| Jerry Moran (R-KS) |
January 16, 2015
House Appropriations Republican Subcommittee Members Confirmed
On Wednesday, January 14, the Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Hal Rogers (R-KY), announced the Republican Party’s selection of Subcommittee chairs and members for the 114th Congress.
Transportation, Housing and Urban Development Subcommittee:
Chairman: Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL-25)
Kay Granger (R-TX-12)
David Joyce (R-OH-14)
John Culberson (R-TX-7)
Kevin Yoder (R-KS-3)
David Valadao (R-CA-21)
David Jolly (R-FL-13)
Agriculture Subcommittee:
Chairman: Robert Aderholt (R-AL-4)
Alan Nunnelee (R-MS-1)
Kevin Yoder (R-KS-3)
Tom Rooney (R-FL-17)
David Valadao (R-CA-21)
Andy Harris (R-MD-1)
David Young (R-IA-3)
Democratic leadership in the House has yet to release its selection of Ranking Members for the Appropriations Subcommittees, though committee staff informed NAHMA that the announcement will come sometime next week.
The members of these subcommittees are crucial in securing funding for HUD and Rural Development affordable housing programs. During each appropriations cycle, members of the subcommittees are allocated a certain amount of spending authority from which they specify the individual program funding levels for the upcoming fiscal year. The subcommittee will then prepare the Initial appropriations legislation for the entire Appropriations committee.
“Every single member of the Appropriations Committee plays a vital role in steering federal dollars on behalf of the American taxpayer. The next two years will bring many fiscal challenges, and our Committee members will have an enormous responsibility – but I have full faith everyone is more than up to the task.” Chairman Rogers said in a press release after announcing the subcommittee members.
If you manage or own properties in the Congressional Districts listed above, NAHMA encourages you to meet with the elected representative in order to promote program spending for affordable housing. During our March meeting, members will be visiting with their Representatives/Senators and staff in their DC Congressional offices. To identify your Representatives and Senators, use NAHMA Maps. For assistance in scheduling a meeting please contact Scott McMillen at scott.mcmillen@nahma.org.
Leadership Confirmed for Senate Committees and Finance Committee Discusses Tax Reform
With the recent majority shift in the U.S. Senate from Democrats to Republicans, the two parties have confirmed their respective committee Chairs and Ranking Members for the 114th Congress. Below are the leadership positions for the Finance Committee and the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee:
Finance Committee
Chairman: Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
Ranking Member: Ron Wyden (D-OR)
The Finance Committee has jurisdiction for Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) bills and all other tax legislation. Tax reform will most likely be a major agenda item for members of this committee; Hatch has stated that he will unveil the committee’s 2015 agenda in a speech on Tuesday, January 20, 2015, at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
On Thursday, January 15, Senators Hatch and Wyden released details on how they plan to make progress on tax reform. The Finance Committee will launch five separate bipartisan Finance Committee Tax Working Groups to spur congressional comprehensive tax reform efforts in the 114th Congress. “The groups will analyze current tax law and examine policy trade-offs and available reform options within the group’s designated topic areas. Each group will be co-chaired by one Republican and one Democrat member,” a press release said. The working groups include: 1) Individual Income Tax; 2) Business Income Tax; 3) Savings & Investment; 4) International Tax; and 5) Community Development & Infrastructure.
The five working groups and their co-chairs are listed below:
Individual Income Tax Co-Chairs:
Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) & Senator Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.)
Business Income Tax Co-Chairs:
Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) & Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.)
Savings & Investment Co-Chairs:
Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) & Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio)
International Tax Co-Chairs:
Senator Rob Portman (R-Ohio) & Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
Community Development & Infrastructure Co-Chairs:
Senator Dean Heller (R-Nev.) & Senator Michael Bennet (D-Colo.)
According to Senate Finance Committee staff, the specific tax policies are being divided among these groups; there is no confirmation for which group will handle the LIHTC. It will most likely be the Business Income Tax group since the LIHTC is typically listed as a business tax in Congressional materials. In a press release issued today, Senator Hatch commented on the need for tax reform and his thoughts on what that reform should seek to achieve: “Tax reform is no longer optional, it is essential. If we’re going to get our economy moving again, we need a tax code that will stop standing in the way… Tax reform should significantly reduce much of the economic distortions that are present under the current income tax system and promote growth in our economy. It should eliminate the anticompetitive nature of the current tax system, such as the high U.S. corporate tax rate, which stifles job growth.”
Some details of Hatch’s initiatives are outlined in a recent report from his office, “Comprehensive Tax Reform for 2015 and Beyond” though the LIHTC is only mentioned in passing as one of the largest tax expenditures for 2014 with $6.8 billion provided.
To view a press release on the five working groups in the committee, please click here
To read Senator Hatch’s press release on his principles for tax reform, please click here
Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Committee
Chairman: Richard Shelby (R-AL)
Ranking Member: Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
As the “authorizing committee” for housing issues, consideration of most new housing-related legislation in the Senate begins here. Richard Shelby has taken leadership of this committee; Senator Crapo was the former Chairman. In the 113th Congress, Crapo and then committee Chairman Tim Johnson (D-SD – now retired) were working on a comprehensive housing finance reform package (S.1217). It is unclear if Senator Shelby will continue to pursue this legislation in its current form. He was not a cosponsor of S. 1217.
Legislation to Authorize the Moving to Work Charter Program
On January 8, 2015, Senator David Vitter (R-LA) introduced the “Moving to Work Charter Program Act of 2015” (S.65), a bill which would authorize the Moving to Work Charter program. Moving to Work (MTW) is a demonstration program for public housing authorities (PHAs) to design strategies that help residents find employment and become self-sufficient. It was first created in 1996 with 30 participating PHAs but has seen little expansion since then.
Under this legislation, the Secretary OF HUD would be directed to enter into charter contracts with no more than 250 PHAs to provide locally designed services that facilitate the transition to work and self-sufficiency. The bill requires that 75 percent of the families participating in the program be very low-income (as defined under 42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)(2)), and the PHA must establish a reasonable rent policy, which should be designed to encourage employment, self-sufficiency, and homeownership by participating families. Transition and hardship provisions would be included in the policy.
Families participating in the charter would be provided housing assistance for no more than 5 years. Congress, the Department and the PHAs will monitor the success of the charter through a charter report due annually to HUD.
The bill currently has no cosponsors, and has been referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
To read the text of S.65, please click here
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