U.S. federal legislative agenda

Our Government Relations and Advocacy team works with legislators and housing regulators to increase support for affordable homeownership and eliminate poverty housing. We monitor public policies related to housing, community and international development. We advocate policy choices that increase access to decent, affordable housing for people around the world.

To accomplish our goals, we are supporting and focusing our legislative efforts on the following initiatives. Detailed information about these programs and policies can be found on our Public policy briefs page.

Increase the production and preservation of affordable housing in the U.S.

• Create an affordable housing trust fund to assist in the production of new affordable housing and the rehabilitation of existing housing.
  Status: Two years ago, the House of Representatives passed a bill in support of a national affordable housing trust fund. This legislation has been introduced in the Senate and awaits consideration.
• Create a homeownership development tax credit to stimulate the production of homes for low- and moderate-income homebuyers.
  Status: There continues to be heavy competition from other congressional tax relief priorities, most notably, the alternative minimum tax.

Maintain federal resources that support the work of Habitat affiliates nationwide.

• Funding from the Corporation for National and Community Service supports volunteer service programs that partner with our ministry. These programs include: AmeriCorps*State/National, AmeriCorps*VISTA, AmeriCorps*NCCC and Senior Corps. CNCS volunteers have played a central role in our hurricane recovery efforts on the Gulf Coast.
• The Community Development Block Grant provides grants to states, cities and counties for economic development, including affordable housing.
• The Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program funds land purchases and provides infrastructure for the construction of homes for low-income families.
• HUD’s Section 4 Capacity Building fund provides our affiliates with technical assistance, training and hiring of staff to increase home production.
• The HOME Program assists our affiliates with funding for predevelopment, land acquisition, construction, and rehabilitation in their communities.

Improve federal housing oversight.

• Congress should use their oversight authority to find solutions to the instability in the mortgage markets.
• Expand financial literacy and homeownership counseling programs that teach consumers responsible borrowing practices.
• Support regulatory reform proposals that highlight the affordable housing missions of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and the Federal Home Loan Bank. Congress should ensure that reform legislation from these Government-Sponsored Entities will accomplish the following three goals:
  1) Creation of a new GSE affordable housing fund
  2) Enhancement of the GSE affordable housing goals
  3) Preservation of GSE flexibility to offer innovative products and underwriting techniques.

Improve the security of land tenure for women.

• Congress should pass the Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive Act.
• The GROWTH Act would make women’s economic opportunities a priority of U.S. foreign assistance programs to eliminate barriers to women by,
  1) Improving and protecting their property rights
  2) Helping them start and grow their own businesses
  3) Ensuring full access to employment markets and benefits of international trade agreements

Pursue international poverty reduction initiatives.

• Draw attention to and increase U.S. Poverty-Focused Development Assistance funds for our top shelter-related priorities:
  1) Housing microfinance
  2) Secure tenure/land titling
  3) Slum upgrading
• Support funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which directly sustains our work with orphans and vulnerable children in Africa.
• Maintain the Millennium Challenge Corporation, which awards U.S. foreign assistance to nations that rule justly, invest in their people and encourage economic freedom. These nations identify their own development objectives and formalize their plans through public compacts with the MCC. These compacts should be fully implemented and evaluated for their effectiveness.
• Congress should co-sponsor the Global Poverty Act, which requires the government to implement a poverty-reduction strategy and report annually on its effectiveness.
  Status: The Global Poverty Act passed the House in 2007 and awaits Senate consideration.