In the News

House Approves Amendment to Limit "Disparate Impact"

June 17, 2015    

Recently, the House of Representatives passed an amendment to H.R. 2578, the Fiscal Year 2016 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act, authored by Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., that would limit disparate impact prosecutions. The amendment would bar the Department of Justice from using...

Report: Renters Competing for Fewer Affordable Units Nationwide

June 17, 2015    

A report recently issued by the Furman Center at New York University and Capital One examined rental housing affordability trends in the nation’s largest metropolitan areas (New York; Los Angeles; Chicago; Houston; Philadelphia; Dallas; San Francisco; Washington, D.C.; Boston; Atlanta; and...

HUD Seeks Input Regarding Small Area FMRs

June 17, 2015    

On June 2, in a Federal Register notice, HUD announced its intention to amend Fair Market Rent (FMR) regulations for the Housing Choice Voucher program. The notice seeks public comment regarding the use of small area FMRs (SAFMRs) in certain metropolitan areas. HUD proposes to use SAFMRs in the...

Obama Threatens to Veto GOP Spending Bill for Transportation, HUD

June 17, 2015    

President Obama has threatened to veto a $55 billion Republican funding bill for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. The White House recently stated that Obama would reject the measure, which is known as THUD, on the grounds that it underfunds federal...

THUD House Appropriations Bill Includes Cuts to Housing Programs

May 19, 2015    

House Appropriations Transportation-HUD subcommittee recently approved a FY 2016 Transportation Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill that would provide $42 billion for HUD, an increase of $1 billion above the FY 2015 enacted level and $3 billion below the Obama administration...

HUD Reaches Settlement with Ohio Housing Authority

May 19, 2015    

HUD recently announced a voluntary compliance agreement with the Medina Metropolitan Housing Authority in Medina, Ohio, resolving allegations the housing authority discriminated against African Americans in the administration of its Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program, a violation of Title...

HUD Reaches Settlement with Pennsylvania Housing Authority

May 19, 2015    

HUD recently announced a conciliation agreement with the Housing Authority of the City of Hazleton, Pa., settling allegations the housing authority discriminated against Hispanic households. The agreement resolves claims that the housing authority violated the housing rights of Spanish-speaking...

House Financial Services Committee Member Introduces Public Housing Bill

May 19, 2015    

On May 1, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Committee on Financial Services, introduced H.R. 2231, the “Public Housing Tenant Protections and Reinvestment Act of 2015.” The bill would authorize full funding of the public housing program and seeks to provide additional...

Study: PHAs Underfunded When Administering HCV Program

April 17, 2015    

HUD recently released its Housing Choice Voucher Administrative Fee Study. Congress directed HUD to gather comprehensive and detailed data on the administrative costs associated with operating the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. The HCV program is administered by approximately 2,300 local...

Davis-Bacon Wage Requirements for Project-Based Vouchers

April 17, 2015    

The Davis–Bacon Act of 1931 is a U.S. federal law that sets the requirement for paying the local prevailing wages on public works projects for laborers and mechanics. It applies to “contractors and subcontractors performing on federally funded or assisted contracts in excess of $2,...

HUD Issues Notice on Project-Based Rental Assistance and Income-Based Use Restriction Transfers

April 17, 2015    

On March 31, HUD published a notice in the Federal Register establishing the terms and conditions by which HUD will approve an owner’s request to transfer the project-based rental assistance, statutorily required income-based use restrictions, and debt held or insured by HUD at a...

HUD Announces 2015 Annual Adjustment Factors

March 16, 2015    

On Feb. 9, 2015, a Notice of the Revised Contract Rent Annual Adjustment Factors (AAFs) for 2015 was published. AAFs established by this notice are used to adjust contract rents for units assisted in certain Section 8 housing assistance payment programs during the initial (that is, pre-renewal)...