Policy

Policy News & Information

Decisions made in Washington, DC affect even the most remote corners of rural America. Affordable housing everywhere in the country is impacted by what federal agencies do, what Congress does, even what the Supreme Court decides. HAC follows federal policy and government actions closely and gives rural housing stakeholders the information they need. Details about the most recent government funding, laws, regulations, and more are provided on this page. HAC provides summaries and key facts in the biweekly HAC News newsletter and on its social media streams.

Carson Confirmed as HUD Secretary

U.S. Senate has confirmed Dr. Ben Carson as the 17th Secretary of HUD on Thursday, with a vote of 58 to 41. In his confirmation hearing on January 24, Carson […]

Duty to Serve Final Rule Issued

The Federal Housing Finance Agency issued a final rule to implement the Duty to Serve provisions which require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to serve three specified underserved markets – […]

Rural Rental Preservation Data Dashboards Launched

Oct. 28, 2016 – USDA Rural Development/Rural Housing Service has launched a website providing data that can be searched and manipulated by users interested in preservation of rural rental housing. […]

USDA to Help Nonprofits Preserve Rental Housing

October 26, 2016 – USDA has announced a new effort to increase nonprofit participation in preservation of Section 515 rural rental housing. Changes will take effect on March 1, 2017. […]

USDA Releases Maturing Mortgage Dates for Multifamily Loans

In an update to the issue of maturing rural multifamily mortgages, USDA released a loan level database of all rural multifamily loans and their projected “exit” or maturity date. These […]