NCSHA 2011 Legislative and Regulatory Priorities

The National Council of State Housing Agencies (NCSHA) is a national, nonprofit organization created by the nation’s state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to advance through advocacy and education their efforts to provide affordable housing to those who need it.  NCSHA’s legislative and regulatory priorities, adopted annually by its Board of Directors after consultation with all state HFAs, set the agenda for NCSHA’s advocacy before Congress, the Administration, and the federal agencies concerned with housing, including HUD, USDA, and the Treasury.  NCSHA is committed to leading advocacy efforts on them in collaboration with other housing stakeholders who share them.

NCSHA’s overarching goal is an affordably housed nation.  To achieve this, NCSHA is committed to protecting, expanding, and increasing the effectiveness of federal affordable housing programs responsive to the wide range of housing needs HFAs serve, including the need for homeowner and rental housing, affordable housing in rural areas, and supportive housing for persons with special needs and individuals and families that are experiencing homelessness. 

NCSHA also recognizes the importance of affordable housing preservation, the Federal Housing Administration, and a strong secondary mortgage market that engages HFAs as preferred affordable lending partners and responds to their capital and liquidity needs.  NCSHA also supports programs that help HFAs improve affordable housing energy-efficiency and facilitate sustainable development, including directing revenues generated by energy-related legislation to HFAs.  NCSHA also supports Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) reform that increases investor interest in purchasing Housing Bonds and Credits and enhances rural and smaller markets’ access to CRA-motivated investment while not negatively impacting investment in other such areas.  NCSHA recognizes that disaster-affected areas may need additional resources and program flexibility to address their disaster-related housing needs.

In pursuit of this goal, NCSHA in 2011 will seek:

• To protect, strengthen, and expand the production potential of the tax-exempt Housing Bond and Low Income Housing Tax Credit programs.
   
• A strong secondary mortgage market system with a robust affordable housing mission that engages HFAs as preferred affordable housing lending partners in meeting the needs of low and moderate-income families, enables them to fully implement their lending programs, and responds to their capital and liquidity needs. 
   
• To work with the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) it regulates to strengthen and expand HFA-FHLB partnerships.
   
• Increased HOME funding and HOME program changes to increase flexibility, improve efficiency, and eliminate needless bureaucracy.
   
• Section 8 funding adequate to renew all authorized vouchers; provide for new ones; compensate PHAs fairly for their administrative costs; and honor and, if expiring, extend existing project-based assistance commitments.  NCSHA will also seek to reduce the voucher program’s administrative burden on PHAs and prioritization of state HFAs in any rebidding of Section 8 contract administration contracts.
   
• New state-administered funding for project-based operating subsidies to support affordable rental housing development and preservation and tenant-based rental assistance to support state-determined priorities unmet under the Housing Choice Voucher program, with maximum flexibility for program administrators and limited federal regulation.
   
• Dedicated and sustainable funding for the state-administered National Housing Trust Fund, with maximum flexibility for program administrators and limited federal regulation.
   
• Expanded federal commitment to address the preservation of affordable rental housing in a comprehensive manner, including additional resources, changes to existing housing programs, and the creation of new ones to support state and federal preservation efforts.