Policy
As a resource of timely information relevant to your housing and community development needs, Minnesota NAHRO provides brief updates featuring policy and budgetary issues at the state and federal level.
Federal budget news has been as dreary as the weather but there is brighter news from the state capitol on bonding for affordable housing. Investments. A quick recap on what's happening with bonding at the Capitol: In the House: The omnibus bonding bill (Rep. Hausman – H.F. 270) passed out of the Capital Investment committee last Thursday, with $35 million for housing infrastructure bonds and $15 for public housing rehabilitation…
This Article is excerpted from the NAHRO Washington Update On March 11, the Senate released what is being referred to as an “expanded Continuing Resolution (CR)” for 2013. The bill effectively “expands” HR 933, which was approved by the House last week, but does not increase the level of overall spending in that bill. Unfortunately the Senate’s expanded CR does not contain the 2013 funding levels for HUD that had…
With proven programs and communities continuing to respond the impacts of the housing crisis as well as the economic recovery, Minnesota NAHRO seeks to garner additional tools and resources for affordable housing. In coordination with our statewide partners, Minnesota NAHRO's state legislative priorities include (see the full document here): Maintain the state appropriations for Minnesota Housing and the homeless supportive services programs at DHS Secure $50 Million Additional State Appropriations…
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Dec. 5 - "Tax Reform" is a hot topic at both the state and federal levels of government. Today, the Property Tax Working Group released its report available here. While it is unclear to what extent the recommendations of the working group will be considered by the Democratic controlled legislature this session, the report provides an excellent overview of the current system, its complexities as well as a historical review. …
Dec. 5 - Minnesota Department of Management and Budget released the state's economic forecast showing a $1.1 billion general fund shortfall for the upcoming 2014-2015 budget period. The amount of the deficit remains unchanged from the last economic forecast released in February despite a $1.3 billion improvement for the current biennium that automatically goes to buy back some of the $2.4 billion that lawmakers borrowed from schools to resolve a…
NAHRO Testifies at Senate Hearing on Rental Assistance, Congress Agrees to 6 month CR Extention Yesterday, NAHRO members testified at a much anticipated hearing on "Streamlining and Strengthening HUD’s Rental Housing Assistance Programs." The hearing covered a variety of topics, particularly reform of the HUD Section 8 voucher program. Also prominently discussed were: legislation involving expanded Moving to Work (MTW) authority, modifications to the Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) program, and HUD’s…
This may be the last week of the session and both the House and Senate have yet to pass a bonding bill. Failure to act on a bonding bill will kill one of the biggest state bonding proposals for affordable housing. The problem? The overall size of the bonding bill is at issue in both the House and Senate. While both proposals include G.O. bonds for public housing rehabilitation and…
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012 -Capitol Rotunda 2PM JOIN US! For the Homes for All Rally in the State Capitol Rotunda at 2pm Tuesday April 17th! Habitat on the Hill-MN Rally is your opportunity to show elected officials that you believe that housing is a key issue for Minnesotans and they should too! Make your voice heard. Invited Speakers Include: Governor Mark Dayton, Sue Haigh, President, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity,…
It was a busy week at the US Capitol! This week National NAHRO hosted its annual Legislative Conference in Washington DC. As the cherry blossoms bloomed and the Supreme Court heard 3 days of oral argument on Obamacare, our Minnesota delegation met with members of Congress to advocate for funding for HUD programs. Our group included seasoned veterans and first time attendees representing all aspects of the housing programs in…
Keep Up The Momentum! Yesterday, the Senate Capital Investment Committee released it's bonding bill which includes $36 million for affordable housing as part of its $500 million package. The bill recommends $30 million for housing infrastructure bonds and $6 million for general obligation bonds for public housing rehabilitation. This is considerably more than the House's $15 million proposal ($10 million for infrastructure bonds, $5 million for general obligation public housing…
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Effective Date August 1, 2012 On behalf of our membership, Minnesota NAHRO spearheaded a change to the Landlord/Tenant laws that impacted the amount PHAs could collect for late fees in recent years. The 2010 statute capped at 8% of total rent the amount of late fees which could be collected. For many PHAs, this limit represented a much lower fee compared to those permitted under HUD guidelines. The bill, signed…
Educate Your Lawmaker Today on Bonds for Housing & Community Development! Sample Letter, 2012 Legislative Agenda & Bonding Fact Sheet provided below This week provides you with an opportunity to talk to your lawmakers at a critical stage in the process. Your state legislator needs to know how the bonding proposal will bring important resources to their district. Please take the time to contact your lawmaker to tell them about…
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Today, Governor Dayton unveiled his $775 million bonding package which includes $32 million for housing. Specifically, the proposal identified $7 million in general obligation bonds for public housing rehabilitation and $25 million in housing infrastructure bonds for housing preservation. See the pdf below for a full list of projects (housing is listed on page 7). The press conference focused on the number of jobs it would produce with the Governor…
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$876M Balance Projected- An Early Christmas gift perhaps? The November forecast, released today by Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), projects the state to have a year end surplus of $876 million. How will the surplus be used? State statute requires the surplus to restore the cash flow account and reserves. While the February forecast will determine the budget for 2012, today's announcement is welcome albeit unexpected news. After four years…
Sample Letter, Contact Information & MHFA 2012 Bonding Request (attached below) Dear Governor Dayton: Create Jobs by Issuing Bonds for Housing Rehabilitation, Preservation & to Address Foreclosure As a member of Minnesota NAHRO, I urge you to include in your recommendation $40 million in bonds for housing: 10 million in general obligation bonds to finance public housing rehabilitation and $30 million to address preservation and foreclosure. This proposal will help…
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Call Senators Klobuchar & Franken today! Senator Amy Klobuchar: 202-224-3244 Senator Al Franken: 202-224-5641 This week the U.S. Senate votes on the FY12 appropriations bill for HUD, Rural Housing and the Census Bureau (H.R. 2112). Contact our Senators and ask them to: Prevent amendments that would harm housing programs Oppose this bill because it underfunds affordable housing programs Senators need to know that H.R. 2112 would: Cut the Public Housing…
Want state resources for public housing rehab projects? Take this survey... For the 2012 Session, Commissioner Tingerthal indicated that MHFA will seek $40 million in bonding authority to address affordable housing initiatives. Of this amount, $10 million will be for public housing rehabilitation projects.To support this effort, Minnesota NAHRO continues to collect information on how PHAs have funded public housing rehabilitation projects in the past and how they would use…
While Early in the Process, Proposed HUD Budget Reflects Deep Cuts Link to FY12 HUD Appropriations Chart Proposed The funding levels reflected in the chart above are below what had been anticipated and are well below what has been provided for housing and community development programs in previous years. While this is only the first step in a long process, most people believe that Congress will keep the government running…
Beginning this week, Minnesota Housing convenes a series of meetings to discuss various focus areas for the Affordable Housing Plan. The input will then be used by Minnesota Housing to develop its program budget for the 2012 – 2013 Affordable Housing Plan. Click here to register for the meetings listed below. · Neighborhood Revitalization Funding Needs: Wednesday, June 8, 9am to Noon · Single Family Housing Needs: Wednesday, June 8, 1pm to 3:30pm · …
NAHRO & HUD Set the Record Straight on this Cost Effective Program On Friday, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing focused on the HOME program, prompted by the Washington Post’s stories from last month. HUD Assistant Secretary Mercedes Marquez presented a spirited defense of the HOME program, which has created more than one million affordable homes. NHC’s Open House Blog has a report on the hearing, plus links…
Bonding Day at the Capitol a Big Hit On Tuesday, Minnesota NAHRO members teamed up with Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Community Land Trust Coalition to talk bonding with lawmakers. On short notice we had over 20 folks head to the capitol. Our message: ensure resources for affordable housing are a part of the final bonding bill this session. $20 million in bonds for housing generates jobs, preserves important…
Jobs Budget Bill Goes to the Governor – Veto Likely? The Jobs Conference Committee wrapped up its work early this week and the key elements of the budget bill presented to the Governor are outlined below. Compared to other budget areas, the bill differs little from the Governor's position and represents roughly 17% cut to agency budgets including MHFA and DEED. Unfortunately, the elimination of DEED’s World Trade Office by…
Bonding Day at the Capitol - Tuesday May 17th We are in the final days of the 2011 Legislative Session and still need your help to ensure that State Legislators invest in affordable housing. Will you join Minnesota NAHRO to make sure a bonding bill includes resources for affordable housing during the final negotiations of the 2011 State Legislative Session? A bonding bill that includes housing will not only create jobs, but…
Minnesota NAHRO, Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity and Minnesota Community Land Trust Coalition are joining forces to ensure the bonding bill includes resources for housing. Why now? In the final weeks of session, the bonding bill will take shape and lawmakers need to hear from you about this critical financing tool. Currently, the bonding bill does not address housing but our friends in the legislature believe we can change this. …
Spring Recess begins today for state lawmakers so they will be “in district” through April 26th. With them close to home, you have the perfect opportunity to set up a meeting or attend a local event without the travel hassle. This is also a critical time in the budget process and they need to hear from you about how the budget proposals impact the programs you administer. To assist you…
Senators and Representatives Vote Tomorrow On Thursday, April 14, the House and Senate will vote on the FY11 appropriations “deal” that was struck late last Friday between the White House and House Republicans to prevent a government shutdown. They agreed to $38.5 billion in spending cuts. Yesterday, the details of the deal became public. They include deep cuts to many HUD and rural housing programs, as well as…
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This week, the State House and Senate passed the "Jobs Bill" containing significant funding reductions to housing and community development programs across the state. See our earlier post comparing the current budget proposals and the attached chart. The next step is conference committee where the differences will be resolved. In addition, lawmakers will be in district for Spring Recess, April 19-25. The next few weeks provides you with an opportunity…
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Impact on Housing & Community Development Programs It has been a busy week at the state capitol with long budget hearings necessary to meet today’s committee deadline. We now have the initial budget proposals from the Governor, the Senate and the House. As illustrated by the attached comparison chart, stark differences exist in their approaches to balancing the budget. While this is the starting point for negotiations, the differing…
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