Housing Matters Policy Update: 4-6-17 – North Carolina Housing Coalition

Federal Update

Rep. Holding and Budd sign on as co-sponsors to LIHTC Bill

North Carolina Representatives Holding and Budd have signed on to co-sponsor HR 1661 – The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act of 2017. Read more about this and the North Carolina Housing Coalition’s role.

The ACTION Campaign will be submitting a letter to Congress demonstrating our strong support for HR 1661. Read the letter and sign on to support the Tiberi-Neal legislation. The deadline for signing on to the letter is Friday, April 7.

Gov. Perdue set to be confirmed as next Secretary of USDA

Former Georgia governor Sonny Perdue appeared before the Senate Agriculture Committee on March 23. The committee voted on March 30 to recommend Perdue be confirmed as Secretary of Agriculture. A vote in the full Senate has not yet been scheduled, but confirmation is expected.

Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) is urging members to support adequate funding levels for rural housing programs administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The deadline for Senators to sign on to the rural housing Dear Colleague letter is Friday, April 21.

Tax March

On April 15, advocates from across the nation will march on Washington, D.C. and in more than 90 cities to demand transparency in government and fairness in our tax code. The Tax March takes place just as Congress and the administration turn their attention to comprehensive tax reform. The United for Homes (UFH) campaign is an official partner of the march, which calls for modest reforms to the mortgage interest deduction (MID) — a $70 billion tax write-off that largely benefits high income households — to better serve low and moderate income homeowners and to reinvest the savings into providing affordable rental homes to people with the greatest needs. North Carolina will host marches in Charlotte, Raleigh and Mooresville. You can find out more about the march, here.

State Update

CDBG-Disaster Relief Draft Plan Public Comment

North Carolina is seeking public comment on the state’s Action Plan to use $198.5 million in its initial allocation of federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds. The CDBG-DR Action Plan will direct the state’s recovery for the initial federal funding awarded in January; Cooper plans to ask Congress for additional funds now that damage assessments have been compiled across all 50 disaster-affected counties, although early indications are that additional funds will not be made available. To learn more click here.

Public comment on the “North Carolina CDBG-DR Action Plan” began March 31, 2017 and will conclude on April 14, 2017. The Action Plan comment form is available online in English and Spanish.

C-PACE Bill Filed

A bill was filed on March 30 that assists building and property owners finance energy efficiency, renewable energy, green and high performance upgrades and improvements. SB 493 is the North Carolina Building Performance Association’s Commercial Property Assessed Capital Expenditures (C-PACE) enabling legislation with bill sponsors Sen. Gunn and Sen. Tucker. The legislation allows building and property owners to upgrade the energy, water, durability and other performance features of their buildings and properties via municipally-approved but privately financed property tax assessments. C-PACE provides 100% up-front financing through private market banks for up to 25 year terms and can carry over from one property owner to the next. To learn more about PACE, click here.

Local Update

Greensboro Housing Summit

The Greensboro Housing Coalition held their annual housing summit on March 29th. The purpose of this gathering was to hear exciting updates, commit to collaboration, and establish powerful actions for the future. A detailed assessment of the event and the state of housing in Greensboro can be found here.

Winston Salem Fair Housing Summit

The Human Relations Commission of Winston Salem will host their 12th Annual Fair and Affordable Housing Summit on April 20, 2017 at 11:30 a.m. at the Benton Convention Center. Registration is required. Please e-mail Jayme Waldeck or call 336-734-1228.

Raleigh Fair Housing Conference

The City of Raleigh, the Raleigh Fair Housing Hearing Board, and the Fair Housing Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina are proud to announce the 14th Annual Raleigh Fair Housing Conference. Registration is open, space is limited to 200 registrants. You must be 18 years or older and pre-register to attend.

City of High Point Housing Summit

The High Point Human Relations Division is excited to present its first Housing Summit. The purpose of this Summit is to bring together housing professionals, realtors, property managers and those interested in maintaining affordable housing in High Point for all citizens. We will explore the connections of fair and affordable housing as well as possible future collaborations that will positively impact the continuum of housing in High Point. The keynote speaker for the event will be NCHC Local/Regional Policy Officer Tyran Hill. Register here.