The Council of Development Finance Agencies is pleased to congratulate Chris Lawson, Executive Director of The Hamilton Mill in Cincinnati, OH, as the newest graduate of the prestigious Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) program. Mr. Lawson joins the ranks of fellow graduates who are recognized as the most qualified leaders in the development finance industry.

The Senate gave overwhelming bipartisan approval on Tuesday to a $1 trillion infrastructure bill to rebuild the nation's deteriorating roads and bridges and fund new climate resilience and broadband initiatives, delivering a key component of President Biden's agenda. The vote, 69 to 30, was uncommonly bipartisan.

The Senate voted to kick off a debate over Democrats' budget blueprint that, once adopted by both chambers, will unlock the door to a yet-to-be-written $3.5 trillion package of new spending and tax breaks for families and lower-income workers, and to combat the effects of climate change.

New funding opportunities available for essential public services and facilities in rural areas will be highlighted during our next installment of the CDFA Federal Financing Webinar Series on August 24th. Panelists include the EDA's Deputy Assistant Secretary for Regional Affairs, Craig Buerstatte, and the USDA Rural Development's Joseph Ben-Israel, who is Assistant Deputy Administrator for the Community Facilities Programs.

The Working Farms Fund is an ambitious new program that buys large tracts of farmland in danger of being developed and leases it to farmers, helping them save enough to buy it — with a guarantee that local institutions like universities and hospitals will purchase as much food as the farmers want to sell them. The program is part of a new, national agricultural push by the Conservation Fund, a nonprofit organization that balances environmental preservation and economic development.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investing $167 million in 12 states to deploy broadband infrastructure in rural areas without sufficient access to high-speed internet. The investments being announced are part of the $550 million Congress allocated to the second round of the ReConnect Program.

Don't miss out on the pre-order sale for CDFA's latest edition of the "Practitioner's Guide to Economic Development Finance," featuring added discussion on topics like social and racial equity, expanded chapters covering new tools like Opportunity Zones, and updates to federal tools, case studies, and tax code laws. Place your order online by August 16th to get 15% off this new publication.

Qualified opportunity funds (QOFs) tracked by Novogradac raised $17.52 billion in equity as of midyear, according to the Novogradac Opportunity Zones Investment Report: Data Through June 30, 2021.

A new white paper and research memo focus on how local leaders can strategically deploy recovery funds while driving an inclusive small business recovery. The publication argues that to do both these things well, local leaders across sectors must engage their state governments now and that state governments should do the same with local leaders.

U.S. Sens. Ron Wyden and Sherrod Brown introduced legislation that would lower the cost of rent for families across the country. The Renters Tax Credit Act of 2021 would establish a new renters tax credit to make housing more affordable for low-income households, and would authorize states to allocate a capped amount of renters credits to owners or developers of rental housing for a credit period of up to 15 years.

Representatives Mikie Sherill (NJ-11) and Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ-09) introduced the Revamping Appropriate Incentives for Solar Energy for (RAISE) the Roof Act, which clarifies and expands the solar investment tax credit (ITC) to include integrated solar roofs. This move would maximize the positive climate and economic impacts of the next generation of solar energy technology.

Invest Atlanta is recruiting a Director of Invest Atlanta's American Recovery Plan Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Programs. Reporting to the President & CEO. The Director of Invest Atlanta's American Recovery Plan Local Fiscal Recovery Funds Programs will oversee the design and delivery of all ARP-funded programs by Invest Atlanta and WorkSource Atlanta to ensure value for money, probity, and compliance with Federal regulatory and reporting requirements and internal policies.

The Council of Development Finance Agencies seeks a motivated, well-organized and energetic individual to fill the position of Coordinator, Research & Technical Assistance. This position is critical to the continued success of CDFA's education, advocacy, research, resources and networking efforts.

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