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U.S. Senators Chris Coons and Tom Carper (both D-DE) today sent a letter to House-Senate conferees negotiating a final Highway and Transportation Bill compromise, urging them to focus on our nation’s crumbling infrastructure by shortening the authorization period for the bill and using the savings to maximize annual investment levels for all surface transportation programs

U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Calif.) questioned U.S. Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chair Mary Jo White on the SEC's actions related to risk-sharing by the GSEs during a House Financial Services Committee hearing entitled “Examining the SEC’s Agenda, Operations, and FY 2017 Budget Request."

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced a $1 million grant to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) to conduct research on the effects of drought and extreme weather on the state’s water resources. The study will examine the conditions that contribute to the current drought, looking at the effect decreased water supply and unpredictable water quality have on agriculture, the environment, and the hydropower sector in both urban and rural settings

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), ranking member of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee and one of the “Big Four” transportation leaders that got the House to pass a six-year surface transportation bill, today spoke out about urgent priorities for the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the first Conference Committee meeting to reconcile the Senate and House transportation reauthorization bills.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for October 2015

Congresswoman Katherine Clark introduced the Higher Education Access and Success and Foster Youth Act, legislation to empower homeless and foster students to obtain higher levels of education and to lift traditional barriers to entry.  Education advocates report that current higher education policies regarding students’ independence, financial aid eligibility, and recruitment programs create barriers for homeless and foster youth trying to navigate a complex higher education system.

A Methuen business executive pleaded guilty today to participating in a conspiracy to defraud banks and mortgage companies by engaging in sham “short” sales of residential properties in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts

The Obama Administration is committed to addressing climate change, promoting clean energy, and creating good paying jobs.  That is why, at a National Community Solar Summit at the White House today, the Administration is announcing 68 cities, states, and businesses are joining together to promote community solar, with an emphasis on scaling up solar for low- and moderate- income households.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) today announced a Conciliation Agreement with Mortgage One, Inc., of Sterling Heights, Michigan, resolving allegations of lending discrimination againstan applicant with disabilities.  HUD claimed Mortgage One and loan officer Nancy Doody required the mortgage applicant to provide intrusive and unnecessary documentation regarding his disabilities before approving his FHA-insured mortgage. 

Attorney General Matt Denn’s office has filed suit against the owner of three Delaware manufactured housing communities for attempting to financially pressure tenants to give up their legal right to arbitrate proposed rent increases

Mayor Eric Garcetti today joined Vice President Joe Biden and leaders in the clean-technology industry for a roundtable discussion on renewable energy, green business, and public-private partnerships in Los Angeles.

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the House-Senate Conference Committee for the next transportation bill, vowed to fight for robust funding for transportation programs that create jobs and support Illinois’ priority infrastructure projects. Durbin – who took a leadership role in passing the bipartisan Senate version of the transportation bill – is committed to producing a long-term reauthorization of transportation programs that will provide the certainty that businesses and state governments, like Illinois, need to plan critical infrastructure projects and create good-paying jobs

The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to cap the salaries of the CEOs of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac modeled on H.R. 2243, the Equity in Government Compensation Act of 2015, as introduced by U.S. Representative Ed Royce (R-Calif.). The bill is the first major standalone legislation enacted that deals with the GSEs since they were placed into conservatorship should the President sign it into law as expected.

A technology developed at the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been honored by R&D Magazine as a winner of a coveted R&D 100 award as well as an Editor's Choice award.

Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) made the following comments today about the financial condition of the Federal Housing Administration’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance (MMI) Fund. An independent actuarial analysis released today shows the MMI Fund’s capital ratio stands at 2.07 percent—the first time since 2008 that FHA’s reserve ratio meets the legally required threshold of 2 percent.

The Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program recognized the cities of Covington, Gainesville, Pembroke, Rome, Thomasville, Valdosta, Vienna and Washington for their efforts to increase affordable housing and to revitalize their communities at the “Celebrating a Decade of Success” awards event held October 21 at the UGA Georgia Center in Athens.

Bill Shelton, director of the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD), received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Excellence in Virginia Government Awards (EVGA) Luncheon hosted by the Virginia Commonwealth University L. Douglas Wilder School. This award recognizes a Virginian whose career represents the highest values of public service and citizenship and who has made a substantial contribution to the good of the commonwealth

Volunteers and donations are needed for the upcoming Project Homeless Connect, which helps thousands of people who are homeless and at-risk or becoming homeless connect with agencies and organizations that offer housing, job training, mental health counseling, substance abuse treatment and other services

Senator John Hoeven today joined state, local and university leaders in dedicating the North Dakota Agriculture Experiment Station Research Greenhouse Complex, a $33.5 million state-of-the-art facility at North Dakota State University (NDSU) that provides enhanced education and advanced research in plant breeding, genetics, horticulture, entomology, plant pathology, plant nutrition and associated disciplines.

Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the settlement of a dissolution action against a cooperative housing corporation, Ft. George Apt. Corp., and its shareholders, the affiliated entities Fort George Property, LLC, Fort George Realty, LLC, and NY Tryon Realty LLC. The settlement resolves allegations that Ft. George Apt. Corp. exploited the rent stabilization exemption available to housing cooperatives – an exemption that is meant to promote homeownership by protecting individual homeowners, not landlords. Under the settlement, all tenants residing in the building will be entitled to rent-stabilized leases at affordable rents.