Yearly Archives: 2016

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julián Castro launched the “Prosperity Playbook” community tour today in Kansas City, MO. The “Prosperity Playbook” will be a compilation of online resources written for and by state and local decision makers. This online toolkit will inform community planning and help local leaders think regionally about how to expand affordable housing opportunity and forge greater economic mobility in communities across the nation

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced more than $660 million in grant allocations to 587 Native American tribes in 35 states (see list below). Indian Housing Block Grant (IHBG) allocations are distributed each year to eligible Indian tribes or their tribally designated housing entities for a range of affordable housing activities.

Diane Yentel, veteran affordable housing policy expert and advocate, has been named as the new President and CEO of the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) by the coalition’s board of directors. She will replace Sheila Crowley, the coalition’s long time President and CEO, who is retiring. The transition will take place in April.

U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz today announced the availability of up to $7 million to establish a technical assistance regional energy providers’ network to Indian tribes and Alaska Native communities. Participants will be chosen through a competitive process and will receive five weeks of intensive training through the Department of Energy, DOE’s national labs and other entities, giving tribal communities and Alaska Native villages the knowledge, skills and resources needed to implement successful strategic energy solutions.

USGBC has announced the results of the Dodge Data & Analytics World Green Building Trends 2016 SmartMarket Report, to which USGBC is a contributing partner. The new report, conducted in nearly 70 countries, demonstrates that global green building continues to double every three years. The report also finds emerging economies like Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia and South Africa will be engines of green growth, with development varying from twofold to sixfold over current green building levels

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro today announced HUD is allocating more $1.8 billion to public housing authorities in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to make needed capital improvements in their properties. See attached funding chart and view funding by public housing authority.

the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced $55.5 million to 75 Native American communities throughout the country to improve housing conditions and stimulate community development, including construction projects and local jobs for low- and moderate-income families. The grants are provided through HUD’s Indian Community Development Block Grant (ICDBG) Program, which supports a wide range of community development and affordable housing activities. See attached list of grantees and read individual project summaries.

USDA Rural Development Under Secretary Lisa Mensah joined Congressman Robert Aderholt in DeKalb County today to announce $2.8 million in federal funding to the city of Rainsville. USDA Rural Development is awarding an $830,000 grant and a $1,970,000 loan to upgrade the city’s sewer system.

Despite divisions on a controversial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), a senior member of the normally bipartisan House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and one of the “Big Four” transportation leaders who wrote the recently-enacted surface transportation bill, got her major priorities for the District of Columbia and the nation into the bill, which passed the committee last night

Remodelers who are certified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work on homes that may contain lead paint under the Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule now have the option to complete refresher training online, according to an EPA announcement. However, EPA recertifications obtained via an online refresher course will be valid for only three years, versus five years for hands-on training courses, and can only be exercised every other recertification cycle.

The public is invited to learn how native plants can enhance the beauty of yards and gardens, attract beneficial birds and insects, and improve the health of local creeks and the Chesapeake Bay. The free morning workshop will be held on Saturday, March 26 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., at the Barrier Islands Center, 7295 Young Street in Machipongo.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) has named Salefish, a software company from Concord, Ontario, Canada, as the Global Innovation Award winner for 2015. The annual award recognizes cutting-edge, advanced and original product offerings and/or marketing strategies by global or domestic member companies that offer products or services from developers, builders, subcontractors, remodelers and lenders to consumers.

nment Reform, issued the following statement after the Chairman announced a hearing with Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to examine the Flint water crisis

February 11, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved H.R. 4441, the Aviation Innovation Reform and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act, a bill to reauthorize for six years the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) programs. A key component of the AIRR Act is the transfer air traffic control services from the FAA to a non-profit, user-fee-supported corporation

The Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ) and Keith Ellison (D-MN), and 33 members of Congress sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch urging a thorough investigation now that a criminal inquiry has been announced for the Flint water crisis.

On February 9, President Obama released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Budget Request(link is external), including a proposal to fund the HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) program at $950 million–matching the $50 million increase in funding that HOME supporters and Congressional champions secured in the FY 2016 budget. Now it is Congress’s turn to start drafting its 2017 budget. It is critical that HOME supporters let Congress know just how important this program is to our communities and the families we serve.

The National Association of Real Estate Editors has issued a call for entries for NAREE's 66th Annual Journalism Competition. Winners will be announced at NAREE's New Orleans journalism conference June 8-11, 2016, which will draw hundreds of journalists and real estate industry speakers.

"Yesterday the Supreme Court decided narrowly in a 5-4 vote to stay the Clean Power Plan while the DC Circuit Court reviews the merits of the legal challenges opposing the rule. While it is unfortunate to see a legal "pause" button pushed for states already underway with their planning processes, it is important to recognize that this in no way reflects a final decision on the merits or legality of the Clean Power Plan.

The Justice Department today announced that Morgan Stanley will pay a $2.6 billion penalty to resolve claims related to Morgan Stanley’s marketing, sale and issuance of residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS). This settlement constitutes the largest component of the set of resolutions with Morgan Stanley entered by members of the RMBS Working Group, which have totaled approximately $5 billion.