Other Housing Initiatives

Last year I voted for the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 which was signed into law on July 30, 2008.  This legislation provides mortgage refinancing assistance, which will save families from losing their homes and protect neighboring home values. The new law also expands programs run by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that will allow borrowers in danger of losing their home to refinance into lower-cost government-insured mortgages they can afford to repay.

I also supported the Neighborhood Stabilization Act of 2008, which provides $15 billion in loans and grants to states to acquire vacant, foreclosed homes. The legislation would allow local communities to rehabilitate foreclosed properties, which drive down surrounding home values, and place these homes back on the market. This bill passed the House in May of 2008.