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More and more building owners, including federal agencies, are using “smart” systems to improve the functionality of their facilities. These new systems can improve functionality and make it easier to maintain and operate the building. Yet, at the same time they can also expose the building to potential threats from hackers and others with malicious intent

U.S. Forest Service Removes Vast Majority of Parcels From April 20 Lease Sale DALLAS - The U.S. Forest Service today withdrew 31,169 acres of national forest lands in Texas from a Bureau of Land Management fossil fuel auction slated for April 20 in Santa Fe, N.M. The move responds to concerns raised by environmental groups and local governments about fracking impacts, and comes one day before the Friday public protest deadline on the lease-sale plan

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement after the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced plans to provide grants to two health centers in Flint, Michigan for additional lead testing and other services

USGBC released its LEED in Motion: Hospitality report, which showcases tremendous industry growth in green building and defines the scale-up opportunities for the hospitality sector. More than 109 million square feet of hotel space is currently LEED-certified, and the report highlights some of the most impressive LEED-certified hotels throughout the world.

Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), in conjunction with Destination DC, the District of Columbia’s official tourism and marketing office, will host a Capitol Hill event on Friday, February 19, 2016, from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., in 345 Cannon House Office Building (Cannon Caucus Room) to showcase D.C.’s local restaurants, nightlife, museums, shops, theaters, neighborhoods, and other tourist attractions to congressional and other regional staffers.

Ed Brady, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Bloomington, Ill., issued the following statement regarding former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recently announced economic revitalization agenda

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced 38 People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) grants to university student teams for proposed projects to develop new, sustainable products and strategies. Each team will receive up to $15,000 for their proposals.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Census Bureau jointly announced the following new residential construction statistics for January 2016

A Fort Buchanan Army Reserve Staff Sergeant was sentenced today to 21 months in prison for bulk cash smuggling of $113,050 and theft of government property worth $6,302.69 while serving in Afghanistan

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.

In a letter sent to the chairmen and ranking members of two House committees, the National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty (NLCHP) yesterday announced their support for U.S. Representative Jeff Denham’s Federal Asset Sale and Transfer Act (FAST Act) and the changes it contains to Title V of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act

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.

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