Yearly Archives: 2015

The conference agreement for a multi-year surface transportation authorization was released in Congress this week, with both the U.S. House and Senate set to vote on the measure in the days ahead.

The National Association of Realtors® has joined forces with Boys & Girls Clubs of America in an effort to strengthen communities and support the country’s youth

Informa Exhibitions and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) have announced the results of the 2015 Greenbuild International Conference and Expo, held Nov. 18-20 at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Attendance was 19,058, a significant increase over the 2014 event. There were 548 exhibiting companies participating in 144,300 square feet of exhibit and display space on the trade show floor.

Independent mortgage banks and mortgage subsidiaries of chartered banks reported a net gain of $1,238 on each loan they originated in the third quarter of 2015, down from a reported gain of $1,522 per loan in the second quarter of 2015, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported today in its Quarterly Mortgage Bankers Performance Report.

Mortgage credit availability decreased in November according to the Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI), a report from the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) which analyzes data from Ellie Mae's AllRegs® Market Clarity® business information tool

WSSC’s Patuxent Water Filtration Plant (WFP) received the prestigious President’s Award from the Partnership for Safe Water. The award recognizes utilities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to delivering superior quality drinking water to customers.

The National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) applauds the House of Representatives’ approval of H.R. 1321, the Microbead-Free Waters Act of 2015. This bipartisan bill, sponsored by Reps. Fred Upton (R-MI) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), bans the manufacture of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads by July 1, 2017 and bans the delivery of these products by July 1, 2018.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) applauded today's announcement that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has unveiled a voluntary Construction General Permit (CGP) stormwater compliance template for residential building lots of one acre or less.

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) issued the following statement this morning in response to inflammatory and unfounded allegations in a New York Times story regarding the association's advocacy surrounding housing finance reform.

Consumers Energy employees today presented a $5,000 contribution from the company’s foundation to two United Way agencies, one of several grants that employees are sharing with Michigan nonprofit organizations to celebrate ethics awards they have received.

Congresswoman Aumua Amata, just one day after announcing the dramatic increase to education funding that Congresswoman Amata was able to negotiate with House Education & Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline, which drastically increases the funding for education on the island, the Congresswoman announced that with the passage of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST) yesterday, American Samoa will also see an increase in surface transportation infrastructure funding

As lawmakers draft budget bills ahead of the December 11th deadline, Senator Jon Tester is urging the Senate Appropriations Committee to provide critical support for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) in the final appropriations bil...

After months of deliberation both the House and Senate yesterday by wide margins passed multiyear transportation legislation—the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST). President Obama is expected to sign the bill before current authorization expires at the end of today.

Continuing her efforts to ensure that the voices of affected communities are heard and that their questions and concerns are addressed, Governor Maggie Hassan today sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), reiterating the need ...

A successful Light Up the City Saginaw crime reduction campaign concluded with the presentation of a $10,000 check from Consumers Energy to the Saginaw Witness Assistance Program administered by the Saginaw County Prosecutor’s office

Rep. Todd Rokita (IN-04), the only Indiana majority member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed the bipartisan, bicameral, Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act

In the flurry of legislative business before the year’s end, the House passed two bills this week to reauthorize transportation infrastructure funding and restore local control of primary and secondary education. Congressman John Shimkus (R, Illinois-15) supported both bipartisan measures.

Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson signed onto an amicus brief regarding the recent decision by the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in the American Farm Bureau Federation v. United States Environmental Protection Agency. The brief outlines concerns about the EPA’s overreach in the Chesapeake Bay blueprint, in which the EPA has issued an ultimatum to states that if they don’t follow the federal blueprint, they risk the EPA taking over their water quality plans under the Clean Water Act.

Meridian, a full service real estate developer and owner of medical real estate, is pleased to announce that the firm’s 69,000-square-foot medical office building located at 5900 State Farm Drive in Rohnert Park, Calif. has received the prestigious 2015 HREI Insights Award in the category of “Best Renovated or Repurposed Healthcare Facility.”

The Boston Housing Authority (BHA) announced today that it has selected affordable housing non-profit IBA - Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción as the developer for its West Newton/Rutland Streets properties, which includes the revitalization of 146 units in the public housing site in Boston’s historic South End.