Immediate Advocacy Needed:
Urge Senate and House Democrats to Include
Housing Credit Production Investment in Reconciliation
This week key negotiations over the Build Back Better infrastructure budget reconciliation legislation are taking place between the Senate, House of Representatives, and White House. We urge all AHTCC members to reach out to Democratic Senators and Representatives that represent you and the areas in which you work to ask that they urge Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) to include significant investments in Housing Credit production in the final reconciliation bill. Ultimately, the final or close-to-final reconciliation bill could pass the House as early as next week, making this week essential for advocacy.

Earlier in September, the House Ways and Means Committee advanced their portion of the reconciliation legislation, which included the most significant expansion of the Housing Credit since the program’s inception, including a 9 percent Housing Credit allocation increase and reduction of the bond-financing threshold from 50 percent to 25 percent for seven years (learn more on our blog).

However, with the Senate under tremendous pressure to reduce the overall size of the reconciliation bill in an effort to gain support for passage, the current House reconciliation bill, including Ways and Means Committee-passed provisions, is expected to be reduced in size prior to final passage.

To ensure that the proposed Housing Credit production investments remain in the final reconciliation package, Senate and House Democrats must hear from constituents about the importance of the Housing Credit and keeping the production provisions within the final reconciliation bill.

Advocacy Needed: Contact Senate and House Democrats Today

All affordable housing advocates should weigh in with Senate and House Democratic members, asking that they personally urge congressional leadership to include the House Ways and Means Committee-passed Housing Credit production provisions in the final reconciliation bill. Even if you have already reached out to your congressional delegation, it is important to weigh in again and stay in touch with these offices over the critical days ahead.

Advocacy Steps:
  1. Find the members of Congress who represent you and the areas in which you work.
  2. Access our congressional staff directory to find the appropriate contact information.
  3. Utilize our email template below.
  4. Customize your emails using our additional talking points below.
  5. Contact us for assistance.
Email Template

SUBJECT: Requesting Support for Housing Credit Investments in Reconciliation

[Congressional Staff],

We were thrilled that the House Ways and Means Committee included significant investments in Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (Housing Credit) production in their version of the infrastructure reconciliation bill (see summary here), but we understand there is a lot of pressure to significantly reduce the size and scope of the final reconciliation bill.

We are asking you to weigh in with [Senate/House] leadership to ensure the final reconciliation bill includes the House Ways and Means Committee’s proposed investments in Housing Credit production. These provisions include increasing the annual Housing Credit allocation, and lowering the 50 percent bond financing threshold to 25 percent for seven years to allow more efficient use of Private Activity Bond resources and increase production.

Across the nation and in your state, housing is becoming increasingly difficult to afford. In [applicable state], my organization has [financed/developed/supported the development and preservation of] [number] affordable homes low-income families through the Housing Credit. If not for the Housing Credit, these properties would not be possible.

President Biden called for building or preserving 2 million more affordable homes, highlighting the Housing Credit as the "backbone" of the Build Back Better housing proposal. The Housing Credit production provisions in the legislation advanced by the Ways and Means Committee would finance an additional 1,380,500 additional affordable rental homes over the next ten years than would otherwise be possible. In order to support the President's goal, Congress must pass as much of the House Ways and Means Committee’s $30 billion Housing Credit proposal as possible.

As the Housing Credit is responsible for virtually all affordable housing built over past 35 years, any effort to address the growing affordable housing crisis must include an expansion of the Housing Credit. Other affordable housing programs, which are proposed to be expanded by hundreds of billions of dollars through reconciliation, rely upon Housing Credit investment for affordable housing production - the Housing Credit must also be meaningfully expanded to ensure these investments are successful. Furthermore, expanding the Housing Credit is the most efficient and effective way to use taxpayer resources to increase much-needed production and cannot be replaced by any other program.

We ask that you weigh in with congressional leadership to share support for including these provisions in the final reconciliation bill. Please let me know if I can provide any additional information for you, and thank you for your support of affordable housing.

Thank you,
[Your Name]
Talking Points to Customize Your Emails

For AHCIA Cosponsors (see Senate cosponsors and House cosponsors):
Thank you for your support of the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (S.1136/H.R.2573). The Housing Credit production provisions within the House Ways and Means Committee reconciliation bill stemmed from this consensus legislation, which has a long history of strong bipartisan, bicameral support, last year reaching half of Congress. Additionally, a majority of House Democrats signed on in support of including the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act in reconciliation.

Housing Credit Anecdotes and Information About Your Properties
Consider including additional information about your properties in the state or district to help emphasize the impact of the Housing Credit for the Senator or Representative's constituents.

Additional Resources:
About the AHTCC
Founded in 1988, the AHTCC is a trade organization of housing professionals who advocate for affordable rental housing financed using the Housing Credit. Our for-profit and non-profit members—including syndicators, investors, lenders, developers, legal and accounting professionals, state allocating agencies, public agencies, and coalitions—seek to preserve, expand and improve the Housing Credit and complementary programs through legislative outreach and education.

Our over 200 member organizations have supported the provision of Housing Credit properties in every state and U.S. territory. Our members have syndicated more than one and a half million affordable homes, developed more than half a million affordable homes, and invested more than $35 billion into Housing Credit properties.

Find more information about AHTCC membership here.
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