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Earlier today, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) held a hearing titled “Housing Vulnerable Families and Individuals: Is There A Better Way?” to explore the efficacy of place-based rental assistance, including public housing and project-based rental assistance (PBRA), and whether Congress should replace these programs with tenant-based Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers (vouchers).

Be one of the first to own an original Yusuf Ibrahim. How about a oneof-a kind Anya Baker? Those are just a couple of the artists whose work will be featured in the National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) Educational Foundation poster auction during the association’s fall meeting in October. Besides the auction, the three-day event includes the keynote luncheon, educational panels, committee meetings and networking opportunities. Preregister before Sept. 30 and save $50

The House Committee on Natural Resources held an oversight hearing on the impacts of the Obama Administration’s Council on Environmental Quality’s (CEQ) controversial Final Guidance for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions

Nationwide housing starts fell 5.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.14 million units in August, according to newly released data from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department. Overall permit issuance edged 0.4 percent lower.

Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill., issued the following statement following the release of a Senate report stating that new federal regulations defining “waters of the U.S.” represent extreme overreach of federal authority.

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) announced the award of two contracts to prepare for the construction of a new U.S. Courthouse in Nashville, Tennessee. The agency has awarded an approximately $1.8 million demolition services contract to Katmai Support Services, a small business located in Smyrna, Tennessee. Katmai will demolish the vacant TennCare building, located at the intersection of Church Street and Rosa Parks Boulevard, to make way for the new Federal Courthouse. GSA also awarded a $3.2 million contract in July for design services to Michael Graves and Associates, Inc. and Thomas Miller & Partners, LLC as a joint venture.

The National Association of Realtors® is declaring a major victory against patent abuse in a settlement with Data Distribution Technologies, a subsidiary of the patent enforcement firm General Patent Corporation. DDT sued and threatened several real estate businesses in the past over use of a technology-related patent, but NAR challenged the patent’s validity before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and filed a declaratory judgment lawsuit on behalf of NAR members.

The vast majority of real estate firms have an optimistic outlook for the future of the industry’s profitability and growth, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2016 Profile of Real Estate Firms. Profitability expectations have declined from the 2015 survey, mainly due to inventory shortages and home-price growth, but real estate firms remain confident about their overall future profitability.

Thirty-six states added construction jobs between August 2015 and August 2016 while construction employment increased in only 24 states between July and August, according to analysis of Labor Department data released today by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association officials said demand for construction appears to be cooling in some markets but added that many firms report they would be expanding their headcount if they could find qualified workers to hire.

Since 2003, the National Association of Realtors® has dedicated September as Realtor® Safety Month; this year, as part of ongoing efforts to keep its members safe, NAR has an updated safety report available for members, firms and associations and a mobile app that has been expanded to include safety features

The U.S. wind energy industry today welcomed the support of a bipartisan group of 20 governors for further steps by federal agencies that could expedite siting of new wind farms, on land and offshore.

Single-family home construction is currently lacking in 80 percent of measured metro areas despite steady job creation and the low activity is creating a housing shortage crisis that is curtailing affordability and threatening to hold back prospective buyers in many of the largest cities in the country, according to new research from the National Association of Realtors

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in September jumped six points to 65 from a downwardly revised August reading of 59 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. This marks the highest HMI level since October 2015.

In accordance with the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act, HUD published a Notice in the Sept. 16, 2016, Federal Register identifying Federal buildings and other real property HUD has reviewed for suitability for use to assist the homeless. The properties were reviewed using information provided to HUD by Federal landholding agencies or by GSA regarding their inventories of excess or surplus property. The list includes buildings and properties in Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, and Maryland.

The National Institute of Building Sciences has completed development of a new guideline to help building owners and their design teams utilize building information modeling (BIM). The National BIM Guide for Owners (NBGO) draft is now available for public review and comment until Monday, October 31.

The Public Utilities Commission of Nevada (PUCN) adopted regulations today that protect NV Energy customers who had installed a solar system, or submitted an interconnection request, prior to Dec. 31, 2015.  The new “grandfathering” rules will allow those existing NV Energy solar customers to operate under previous net metering rules.  Following is a statement from Sean Gallagher, the vice president of state affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA)

A World Trade Organization (WTO) appellate body issued a report today affirming the United States victory in the U.S. challenge to India’s “localization” rules, which discriminated against imported solar cells and modules under India’s National Solar Mission. Following is a statement from Christopher Mansour, vice president of federal affairs for the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), on the decision

New House Education and the Workforce Committee Composite Retirement Plan Concept Will Provoke Vital Debate on the Best Way to Protect Workers, Retirees and Employers. The chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America, Stephen E. Sandherr, issued the following statement today in response to the House Education and the Workforce Committee’s newly released composite retirement plan concept

The design and construction of healthier buildings is a key business benefit for building owners, developers, managers and investors, according to the results of a new SmartMarket Report released today by Dodge Data & Analytics and to which the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a contributing partner.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) Builder Applications Survey (BAS) data for August 2016 shows mortgage applications for new home purchases increased by 5 percent relative to the previous month. This change does not include any adjustment for typical seasonal patterns