June 16, 2008

Resolution #16: The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) urges Congress to provide formula funding for the program at least at $4.1 billion in FY09 increasing to $8 billion over the next several years.

Resolution #17: Affordable Housing Trust Fund urges the Congress to enact an Affordable Housing Trust Fund as soon as possible to ensure that housing opportunities are available to all Americans.

Resolution #18: Mortgage Foreclosure Crisis urges Congress to pass legislation that helps stabilize neighborhoods, providing flexible and direct funds to local governments so that the most effective response can be designed based on local circumstances.

Resolution #19: Providing Emergency Grants to Stabilize Communities with High Concentrations of Foreclosed Properties urges Congress to include flexible, emergency community stabilization grants that will allow mayors, in partnership with other local community stakeholders, to restore vacant properties and bring them back onto the market as rental and ownership housing in order to arrest and reverse the continued downward cycle, property abandonment, declining property values, shrinking tax base and community asset deterioration through concentrated revitalization efforts.

Resolution #20: Protecting Military Servicemen and Veterans At-Risk of Losing Their Home to Mortgage Foreclosure supports increasing the loan amount eligible for VA-guaranteed refinancing and supports increasing the amount of an original VA-guaranteed home loan, expanding options available to veterans and servicemen seeking to avoid foreclosure; and supports time-limited restrictions on lenders from foreclosing on active-duty servicemen, giving them more time to find a solution and prevent foreclosure of their home.

Resolution #21: Full Funding for Public Housing and Section 8 Programs opposes the proposed HUD fiscal year 2009 budget for the public housing and Section 8 programs and calls upon Congress to appropriate funds to ensure the preservation of this valuable housing resource as follows: $3.5 billion for Public Housing Capital Fund; $5.3 billion for Public Housing Operating Fund; $575 million for HOPE VI Program; and full funding for the Section 8 Program.

Resolution #22: Support for Hope VI Program Reauthorization and Funding urges the U.S. Senate to promptly consider and pass HOPE VI reauthorization; and calls upon Congress to provide FY2009 appropriations for the HOPE VI program at $575 million.

Resolution #23: Promoting Workforce Housing urges Congress and the Administration to consider federal policies, incentives, funding, and program reforms that help localities and businesses to promote development of more economically integrated workforce housing near employment centers and transit corridors.

Resolution #24: Importance of Greening Affordable Housing Developments urges Congress to pass the HOPE VI reauthorization bill and continue to incorporate green criteria into affordable housing and community development programs and legislation on a cost-effective basis.

Resolution #25: America’s Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions endorses America’s Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions and encourages mayors to become signatories of America’s Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions; and encourages mayors to implement America’s Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions in their communities; and advances the America’s Road Home Statement of Principles and Actions to both candidates for president to create a sustainable approach that achieves results in the lives of our poorest neighbors.

Resolution #26: Ending Homelessness for Veterans by Increasing Investment in HUD-VASH Vouchers endorses the HUD-VASH program as an important investment in ending homelessness among veterans; endorses the increased investment in HUD-VASH, including the $75 million in additional funding for new HUD-VASH vouchers included in the President’s FY 2009 budget request, and encourages the Congress to increase this resource to end veteran homelessness.

Resolution #27: Endorsing the Innovation of National Project Homeless Connect to Engage Our Homeless Neighbor and Offer Resources encourages and supports the increased involvement of mayors in creating Project Homeless Connect events and participating in the 2008 National Project Homeless Connect Week and throughout the year in proven strategies that end homelessness; and commends this innovative initiative and encourages mayors to adopt the National Project Homeless Connect model and participate in the 2008 National Project Homeless Connect Week.

Resolution #28: Ending Homelessness of Ex-Offenders Through Second Chance Act endorses the new Second Chance Act legislation that promotes the safe and successful reintegration into the community of individuals who have been incarcerated and supports programs geared toward the rapid re-housing of ex-offenders; and commends the President and Congress for passage and signing into law of “The Second Chance Act” demonstrating that bipartisan approaches to social problems offer an avenue to remedy seemingly intractable obstacles and are encouraged to support implementation of the Second Chance Act with budget resources.

Resolution #29: Endorsing 10-Year Plans to End Chronic Homelessness endorses and encourages mayors to develop and implement 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness for their communities; and encourages mayors to adopt the national innovations identified through 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness that are leading to reductions in chronic and street homelessness; and endorses the targeting of federal resources to housing first and rapid re-housing strategies and other innovations in 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness that have demonstrated the result of reducing and ending the homelessness of our poorest neighbors.

Resolution #30: The Selection of “Community Champions” by Mayors to Inspire 10-Year Planning Efforts with Jurisdictional Leaders endorses the national innovation of the Community Champion; and encourages mayors to adopt the Community Champion innovation in the development and implementation of the 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness in their communities.

Resolution #31: Housing First and Rapid Re-Housing as Key Strategies in Ending Homelessness and Creating Results in 10-Year Plans recognizes Housing First and Rapid Re-housing as key strategies in ending the homelessness of the most vulnerable and disabled people in our communities; and recognizes the effectiveness of the partnership between mayors and the U. S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, manifested in the development of 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness that are leading to reductions in chronic homelessness.

Resolution #32: Endorsing 10-Year Plan to End Chronic Homelessness endorses and encourages mayors to develop and implement 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness for their communities; and encourages mayors to adopt the national innovations identified through 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness that are leading to reductions in chronic and street homelessness; and endorses the targeting of federal resources to housing first and rapid-re-housing strategies and other innovations in 10-Year Plans to End Homelessness that have demonstrated the result of reducing and ending the homelessness of our poorest neighbors.

Resolution #33: Endorsing the National Partnership to End Homelessness endorses the National Partnership to End Homelessness developed by the U. S. Interagency Council on Homelessness; and encourages mayors to affirm the National Partnership by committing to creating new partnerships that further the development and implementation of local 10-Year Plans to end chronic homelessness in their communities.

Resolution #34: Supporting Innovative Policies to End and Prevent Chronic Homelessness Across the Nation supports the increased investment in proven strategies that end chronic homelessness, with a strong focus on permanent housing with supportive services; and urges Congress to appropriate $2 billion in HUD’s Homeless Assistance Grants program, which would enable communities to develop 15,000 units of permanent supportive housing; and continues to endorse and urges Congress to create new permanent funding sources for supportive services for the homeless within the Health and Human Services budget.

Resolution #35: Protecting Main Street Small Business Owners from Predatory Lenders strongly supports small businesses and the independent business owners located in our cities and will protect them from predatory lenders offering exploitive merchant cash advances; and that the mayor in each of our cities shall educate Main Street business owners and the small business community of the dangers of merchant cash advances and promote to them alternative lending sources that are more affordable; and to protect the general health and viability of their small business communities, cities should investigate whether they can effectively regulate or ban merchant cash advances.

Resolution #36: Supporting Cities Increased Hurricane and Tornado Preparedness supports the collaboration between government, research and industry in the development of better building science and improved building codes for their citizens; and adopt the latest building guidelines related to storm protection in an expedient fashion the such as the International Code Council – 500 related to storm shelter guidelines and other wind borne debris codes used for hurricane protection; and asks Congress to consider funding initiatives for those families directly impacted by severe storm weather such as assisting homeowners to rebuild with confidence with grant money specifically for storm protection incentives for in-home storm shelters or hurricane impact resistant windows; and encourages city residents to be prepared as an extremely active tornado and hurricane season are upon us by visiting local city websites or www.ready.gov for information as to how to be better prepared for an extreme weather event.

local city websites or www.ready.gov for information as to how to be better prepared for an extreme weather event.

Resolution #83: Federal Home Loan Banks urges the Congress to pass an amendment to Section 149(b) of the Internal Revenue Code adding “any letter of credit issued by a FHLBank” to the list of permissible letters of credit enhancing tax exempt bonds; and support legislation, regulatory changes and other initiatives designed to expand the ability of FHLBanks to serve the housing, community and economic development and public finance needs of cities through their investment authority, introduction of new business activities, and development of new initiatives.