To meet the need for electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure expansion, CDFA recommends the creation of a new Exempt Facility Bond category for vehicle recharging stations that would complement existing federal programs by making bonds available for the rapid expansion of charging infrastructure. CDFA also recommends that several existing federal financing programs be modified to allow for the financing of EV charging stations.

Financing infrastructure has become one of the nation's most pressing concerns. The Intro Infrastructure Finance WebCourse will bring together development finance experts from different infrastructure disciplines to analyze the financing tools being used nationwide. This interactive web course will help communities understand the fundamental concepts behind infrastructure projects with a focus on raising capital to achieve local and regional needs.

Members of the Senate Finance Committee vied on Wednesday to add and preserve resource-specific tax credits to the Clean Energy for America Act, a bill intended to replace some 40 individual tax incentives with broader and more uniform tax credits tied to carbon emissions reductions. While Democratic members of the committee generally supported the bill, Republicans rejected the final version.

The Biden-Harris Administration is proposing a bold investment in America's housing infrastructure to make housing more affordable for working and middle-class families. The American Jobs Plan pairs $213 billion in direct funding with more than $100 billion in new and expanded tax credits with bipartisan support to build and modernize housing across the country.

A bipartisan proposal to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on highways advanced through a Senate committee Wednesday even as negotiations on a much bigger package continued to struggle — offering a possible off-ramp for Congress to make some progress on infrastructure this year. The bill, approved unanimously by the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, would allocate $311 billion over five years for roads and highways.

A revival of direct-pay Build America Bonds received bipartisan support Tuesday from the Democratic chairman and ranking Republican of the Senate Finance Committee. Other senators and the witnesses also advocated the restoration of tax-exempt advance refundings and an expansion of private activity bonds as lawmakers explored options for financing infrastructure.

This legislation includes $35 billion of new investment to support drinking water and wastewater infrastructure projects. Most funds are allocated to the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. A significant proportion of authorized funds specifically target the water systems and infrastructure needs of disadvantaged populations, including low-income communities, rural areas, and tribal lands.

Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) this week reintroduced the Move America Act to bring billions of dollars to grow and repair infrastructure through an expansion of private activity bonds and the creation of an infrastructure tax credit. S. 1403 would allocate Move America Bonds to states, based on population size.

Treasury invites the public to comment on the SSBCI program design and implementation to support new and existing small businesses. Responses may be used by Treasury to assist in developing program design and guidance. Responses may also be used to inform Treasury's allocation of technical assistance funding to states, territories, and Tribal governments, the Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), and programs implemented directly by Treasury. Responses must be received by June 4, 2021 to be assured of consideration.

The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) announced that it will reconsider its final rule to modernize the agency's regulations for the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and will not implement much of the evaluation criteria in the May 2020 rule. The announcement says the OCC will continue to implement certain provisions that had a compliance date of Oct. 1, 2020.

U.S. SBA announced that it is accepting applications for its new Community Navigator Pilot Program. This new initiative, established by the American Rescue Plan, will leverage a community navigator approach to reach the smallest businesses, with a priority focus on those owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as women and veterans.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced the launch of the Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Program, which will provide $350 billion in emergency funds to eligible entities including state, local, territorial, and tribal governments. Eligible entities may use Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to stabilize revenue downturns and address budget shortfalls.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Marcia L. Fudge announced the allocation of $5 billion in American Rescue Plan funds for emergency housing vouchers for individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. The supplemental funding is allocated through the Emergency Housing Voucher program. Through this program, HUD is providing 70,000 housing choice vouchers to local public housing authorities.

The USDA announced $92.2 million in competitive grant funding under the 2018 Farm Bill's Local Agriculture Market Program (LAMP). The LAMP grants are funded through the Farmers Market program as part of USDA's Pandemic Assistance for Producers Initiative. These grants support the development, coordination, and expansion of direct producer-to-consumer marketing, local and regional food markets and enterprises, and value-added agricultural products.

As of the May 10 deadline, every eligible state and local government had submitted to the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) a Notice of Intent to Apply (NOI) to the State Small Business Credit Initiative program (SSBCI 2.0). Treasury has been actively soliciting feedback from stakeholders through listening sessions and written comments in an effort to inform forthcoming program rules and the application process. Preliminary allocation amounts for a portion of available funding have been made public for states, territories, and Washington, D.C., however, SSBCI 2.0 capital has not yet been disbursed.

HUD announced that it is making $20,229,156 available to fair housing organizations across the nation working to fight housing discrimination. The funds will support a variety of activities, including fair housing testing, education and outreach, and capacity building, and are being provided through the Department's Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP).