U.S. Representatives Greg Pence and Mark Meadows introduced legislation to provide the General Services Administration with the flexibility to pilot the use of public-private partnerships. H.R. 4485, the Public-Private Partnerships for Prosperity (P4) Act of 2019, directs GSA to identify 5-10 eligible projects to acquire public buildings using public-private partnerships.

Representatives David B. McKinley, P.E., (W.Va.-1), Carol Miller (W.Va.-3) and Alex Mooney (W.Va.-2) introduced legislation that would direct the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to provide funds to help in the creation of an Appalachian petrochemical hub.

With just one day left before a congressional recess, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to approve a House-passed continuing resolution to keep the government open until Nov. 21. Over the past several weeks, the Appropriations Committee has been marking up bills at the subcommittee level and passing them out of full committee.

The Senate moved the ball forward by "marking up" and passing their agriculture appropriations bill out of both the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee and full Senate Appropriations Committee including $23.1 billion in discretionary funding for many of the major programs and functions of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced the introduction of the Affordable Housing Incentive Act to address the shortage of affordable housing options, particularly in cities with competitive real estate markets. The bill would create tax incentives for property owners who sell to public housing agencies, thereby increasing the stock of affordable housing options.

The Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee approved its FY2020 appropriations bill with funding to advance transportation infrastructure development, housing assistance, and community development.

The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies approved a $151.7 billion appropriations bill to support federal agriculture and nutrition programs in FY2020.

The short-term outlook for the enactment of congressional legislation to reinstate advance refundings or expand the use of tax-exempt private activity remains pessimistic through the 2020 presidential election. That was the message Columbia, South Carolina Mayor Steve Benjamin gave attorneys attending a National Association of Bond Lawyers workshop in Chicago.

Twenty-five years ago the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act of 1994 established the CDFI Fund to encourage small businesses, affordable housing, the availability of commercial real estate, and human development. The legislation improved the supply of capital, credit, private investment, and development services in low-income areas.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $144 million to improve rural water infrastructure in 25 states. USDA is investing in 45 projects through the Water and Waste Disposal Loan and Grant program. Funds can be used for drinking water, stormwater drainage, and waste disposal systems in rural communities with 10,000 or fewer residents.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's CDFI Fund awarded 73 organizations more than $9.16 million in awards. The FY2019 CDFI Program and Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA Program) Technical Assistance Awards will allow certified and emerging CDFIs to build their capacity to provide services to low-income and underserved people and communities.

The Governmental Accounting Standards Board is expected to propose three alternatives for counties and cities to adjust their hedges or interest rate swaps after Libor expires at the end of 2021. Additionally, industry experts expect GASB to review the comments it has received on its proposed guidelines for P3s and issue a final rule in the first quarter of 2020.

The Indiana Finance Authority is restating its current bond trust indenture and its wastewater and drinking water state revolving fund trust indentures ahead of pricing $200 million of bonds from the program. The change comes as the IFA finalizes a drawdown loan of up to $436 million provided under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014.

Earlier this year, the CDFI Fund issued a Request for Public Comment on the fiscal year (FY) 2020-2022 CDFI Program and Native American CDFI Assistance Program (NACA Program) Application. After reviewing the comments received, the CDFI Fund has decided to proceed with updating the certification requirements to apply for a CDFI Program or NACA Program Financial Assistance award.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) released today the Notice of Allocation Availability (NOAA) for the calendar year (CY) 2019 round of the New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC Program). The NOAA makes up to $3.5 billion in tax credit allocation authority available for the CY 2019 round.

The Department of Commerce is seeking public input on aligning federal economic development programs to facilitate investment in qualified Opportunity Zones. The request for information notice is available in the Federal Register until October 18.