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Leaders in Congress, HUD Urged to Adopt Strong Housing Agenda
 Addressing a wide range of legislative and regulatory issues with serious repercussions for the nation’s supply of affordably priced housing, NAHB President David Wilson last week met with HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson and congressional leaders to urge Washington policymakers to pursue a strong national agenda for housing.
In his visit with Secretary Jackson, Wilson said that NAHB is committed to continuing to work with HUD to overcome regulatory barriers within the department and other federal agencies as well as at the state and local levels. He also thanked Jackson for having NAHB First Vice President David Pressly participate in last month’s rollout of the “Why Not In Our Community?” report, which examines the impact of regulatory barriers on affordable housing and will serve as an important reference as efforts in this area go forward.
Wilson also said that NAHB is interested in working with the Administration and the Congress to institute reforms that will enhance the operational soundness of the Section 8 program and allow the many local public housing authorities that administer the program to increase the number of households it assists.
Seeking to build bipartisan consensus for housing priorites among Washington power brokers, Wilson held a productive meeting with newly-elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean. Discussions focused on workforce housing and the need to enact policies that would make homeownership more affordable for firefighters, teachers police officers and other public servants.
 On Capitol Hill, Wilson met with influential lawmakers including Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Sens. Lincoln Chafee (R-R.I.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.), House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas), House Financial Services Committee Ranking Member Barney Frank (D-Mass.) and Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-Pa.), who also serves on the House panel.
Wilson raised several NAHB priorities during his discussions in Washington, D.C. last week:
- Reform of the federal storm water permit program. NAHB is urging members of Congress to call on the Environmental Protection Agency to work towards a simpler, fairer permit program that does not add significantly to the cost of new homes, can be achieved with minimal paperwork, is enforced at the state level and focuses on protecting the environment.
- Enactment of common-sense changes to the Endangered Species Act that would protect the environment and accommodate local economic growth. Specifically, Wilson cited home builder support for soon-to-be-released legislation by Rep. Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.) that would reform the critical habitat designation process by requiring consideration of the economic impact on landowners.
- Adoption of a meaningful regulatory framework for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) — Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and the Federal Home Loan Banks — that ensures their continued safety and soundness. At the same time, Wilson cautioned that any changes to the current regulatory structure must ensure that the GSEs are able to continue to fulfill their congressional mandate to provide low-cost and readily available housing credit to consumers.
- Approval of association health plan legislation pending in both chambers of Congress (S. 406 and H.R. 525) that would enable small businesses to provide quality, affordable health coverage for their employees. Studies by the Small Business Administration, the General Accountability Office and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) have all found that association health plans could help small businesses lower administrative costs by 13%-30% per year.
- Cosponsorship of legislation to be released shortly in the House and Senate that calls for creating a homeownership tax credit. The measure would provide a maximum 50% tax credit to developers and investors who build owner-occupied new and rehabilitated homes in distressed areas. When enacted, it is expected to spur the construction or rehabilitation of 50,000 new homes annually.
To read health plan legislation, click here and enter the bill number in the box at the upper left.
For further information, e-mail Michael Strauss at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8252.
Photos by Herman Farrer
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