House Passes Bill to Help Struggling Homeowners Avoid Foreclosure

On September 18, the House of Representatives voted 348 to 72 to approve the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007 [H.R. 1852].  The legislation seeks to revitalize the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which was established to provide a reliable source of affordable fixed rate mortgage loans.  Among its other provisions, H.R. 1852 extends FHA-backed loans to many otherwise qualified borrowers who are struggling to meet their current mortgage payments.  It is estimated that some 2 million Americans will see their mortgage payments jump over the next two years because of an increase in adjustable-rate mortgages.  The number of homeowners receiving foreclosure notices hit a record high in the spring, for the third quarter in a row – driven up by problems with subprime mortgages.

The Senate is currently working on similar legislation.  For additional information on H.R. 1852, click here.

Michigan Lawmakers Protest Federal Department’s Endorsement of Foreign Vehicles

Last week, all 15 members of Michigan’s delegation in the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), Michael Leavitt, to protest an e-mail message sent to the Department’s 67,000 employees that encouraged the purchase of foreign vehicles.  The letter read, in part: “The HHS should refrain from steering its employees toward certain brands and models.  What authority does your agency have in advising employees on a private purchase?  It seems to us the time and effort that went into producing this document could have been better spent preventing disease, assuring food quality and drug safety, improving children’s health, and other programs the HHS has authority over.” 

To view the full text of the Michigan Delegation’s letter to Secretary Leavitt, click here.

House Approves Bill to Address Airline Delays

On September 20, the House of Representatives approved legislation [H.R. 2881] to modernize our nation’s aging air traffic control system.  As just about anyone who travels by airplane can attest, the skies over America have been anything but friendly lately.  The first half of 2007 has been the worst in history for airline delays.  Through July, more than one-quarter of flights were delayed, and over 6 percent of flights arrived more than one hour late. 

H.R. 2881 provides the resources needed to increase capacity and safety within the U.S. aviation system and modernize the Air Traffic Control system.  The legislation also gives the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the authority it needs to address the problem of the airlines scheduling more flights than the system currently can handle.  The House adopted H.R. 2881 on a vote of 267 to 151.  The legislation must now be considered in the U.S. Senate. 


The Week Ahead

This week the House of Representatives will consider a compromise version of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill.  The House is also expected to take up a stopgap spending bill to fund the federal programs until Congress finalizes the regular appropriation bills for fiscal year 2008, which begins on October 1.  House lawmakers will also debate H.R. 2693, the Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act; H.R. 3567, the Small Business Investment Expansion Act; and H.R. 3121, the Flood Insurance Reform and Modernization Act.

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