Congress is returning to Washington from an in-district work period this week after passing a series of bipartisan bills. The congressional leaders of both parties were pleased with the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) reauthorization and a separate $95 billion supplemental defense bill to supply aid to allies in Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan. On April 20, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.-4) faced down a potential rebellion by the far-right flank of the House Republican caucus by bringing the defense supplemental to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives and passing it with strong bipartisan support. Curiously, the threats to Speaker Johnson’s role by far-right members such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.-14) appears to have backfired, as House Democrats have now indicated they will oppose any attempt to depose the Speaker. The package also comprised of a fourth bill that included a ban on the social media app TikTok in the United States if its Chinese owners do not divest their stake within a year. On April 23, the U.S. Senate approved the legislation with a bipartisan vote of 79-18, and the bill was signed into law the following day by President Joe Biden.
The Senate will continue working on a crucial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill this week, with a first procedural vote coming as early as Wednesday. The deadline for passing this bill is May 10. It is expected that a bevy of additional amendments, including those unrelated to the FAA, will be added to this must-pass bill. NAA will keep an eye on any housing-related activity and any opportunities to include our industry priorities. Meanwhile, in response to the recent incidents of antisemitism throughout the country, the House is expected to take up a bipartisan antisemitism bill sponsored by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.-17). The bill requires the Department of Education to enforce expanded efforts to combat antisemitism on campuses via federal anti-discrimination laws.
In encouraging news for the industry, the House Financial Services Committee on April 18 voted to advance out of committee H.R. 802, The Respect State Housing Laws Act, by a bipartisan vote of 29-21. In the markup hearing, Chairman Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.-10), along with Reps. Barry Loudermilk (R-Ga.-11) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.-5), all individually made vigorous cases in support of H.R. 802. Democratic Representative Vicente Gonzalez (D-Tex.-34), a bipartisan lawmaker and strong supporter of our industry, voted to advance the bill. NAAPAC has played a pivotal role in strengthening relationships with members on both sides of the aisle while helping to educate lawmakers about the potential operational impacts these restrictions place on housing providers. NAA, along with a coalition of industry organizations, shared a letter for the record stressing the importance of ending lingering COVID-era challenges from the CARES Act of 2020. NAA has continued to see growing interest among congressional lawmakers about the top three legislative issues raised by our members at the Advocate conference. We are grateful to everyone who has discussed the importance of S. 3755/H.R. 802, The Respect State Housing Laws Act, S. 1688/H.R. 3507, The Yes in My Backyard Act, and S. 32/H.R. 4606, The Choice in Affordable Housing Act with their federal lawmakers. To date, post-meeting reports indicate that over 32 members of Congress agreed to take the actions our advocates requested.
We would like to invite you to join the NAA's monthly Advocacy and Legal Webinar (ALW) series. This is an opportunity to learn more about the NAA's Government Affairs team and the work they are doing. During the webinar, NAA discusses its federal advocacy efforts, state and local trends from across the country, and provides the latest legal news that can help you stay compliant. If you're interested in attending the next ALW on May 15, 2024, please register using the link provided here.
If you have additional questions about how your NAAPAC is working to support our legislative champions, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected].