HUD and USDA under Continuing Resolution through early December
Ahead of this week’s fiscal deadline, Congress passed a government funding bill that covers the Depts. of Defense, Labor, HHS and Education for fiscal year 2019 (FY19), while enacting a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) for those agencies not covered, including HUD and USDA. The President has signed the bill today, which provides funding at last year’s (FY18) levels for HUD, USDA, and a few other federal agencies through December 7, 2018.
The Continuing Resolution provides lawmakers time to reach an agreement on full-year FY19 funding for HUD and USDA. Both the House and the Senate have made progress on separate FY19 funding bills for housing and community development programs; while the differences between the House and Senate versions of the funding bills are relatively minor, NAHMA supports the Senate’s bill, which would provide higher overall funding levels.
NAHMA continues to push for a full-year funding bill for HUD, USDA, and other federal agencies as soon as possible to avoid funding delays and shortfalls associated with the uncertainty of Continuing Resolutions. Lawmakers will likely wait until after the November elections to continue their work on appropriations bills; we will continue to keep members up-to-date.
Two Affordable Housing-related Bills Introduced: Increasing Housing Access and Combating Lead
This week, Senator Warren (D-MA) introduced a comprehensive bill to make housing more affordable. The far-reaching legislation would increase federal investment in housing programs, alleviate restrictive zoning laws that contribute to the cost of housing development, increase fair housing protections, and provide mortgage assistance to historically underserved populations and homeowners impacted by the great recession.
Specifically, the “American Housing and Economic Mobility Act” (
S.3503) calls for using federal funds to build 3.2 million affordable housing units over ten years, which Warren says would bring rents down 10% and create 1.5 million new jobs. The bill would also create an infrastructure grant program to incentivize local governments to address restrictive zoning laws, while also broadening Community Reinvestment Act requirements to include credit unions and community banks. The measure also provides down payment assistance aimed at borrowers historically denied mortgages, as well as families who have not recovered from losing homes during the financial crisis.
The bill, which is one of a number of recent housing initiatives proposed by prominent lawmakers, also proposes adjusting the Fair Housing Act to include protections for gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, and source of income. To fund the proposals, the bill would repeal recent estate tax cuts for wealthiest families.
Separately, a pair of
bills were introduced in the House and Senate this week to protect families living in federally-assisted housing from lead found in drinking water. According to a
press release by Senators Duckworth (D-IL) and Young (R-IN), and Representative Kildee (D-MI), the bills would require HUD to inspect for lead service lines, create a grant program to address lead contamination, and allow for a cross-check for lead in water when remediating a home for lead found in paint.
Senate’s “Rural Summit” examines economy, healthcare in rural America
This week, NAHMA staff attended the U.S. Senate Democratic Rural Summit to examine strategies for investing in economic opportunity for rural communities. The Summit included a number of prominent lawmakers, as well as business owners, farmers, journalists, executives, and community members from across rural America.
In a passionate discussion on how to improve the quality of life in rural America, panelists discussed infrastructure and housing investment, access to healthcare through local clinics and telemedicine, internet access for students, workers, and businesses, and growing industries to replace jobs lost to technological advancements. To read the Joint Economic Committee’s accompanying report on “Investing in Rural America,” click
here.
