LSA Washington – February 23, 2009

A regular publication from the LSA Public Policy Office

 FY09, FY10 Budgets on Deck in Congress

With the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act signed into law last Tuesday, February 17, the White House and Congress now turn their attention to the federal budget for fiscal years 2009 and 2010. Last fall, movement on all but three appropriations bills (Defense, Military Construction-VA and Homeland Security) for FY09 were stopped in committee in the House and a continuing resolution  was passed to fund the federal government at the FY08 levels until March 6, 2009. This week, Congress returns from their President's Day recess and is expected to start work on an omnibus FY09 appropriations bill to ensure its passage by the March 6 deadline. 

On Tuesday, February 24, President Obama will address a joint session of Congress and is expected to highlight key elements of his proposed budget outline for FY10. The president described the FY10 budget outline, which will be released on Thursday, as "sober," with a focus on deficit reduction through decreased war spending and increased taxes on certain investment income. Congress is expected to take up their versions of the FY10 budget after the FY09 omnibus bill has passed, with the President's full budget proposal expected to be released in late March or early April.

--Lisa Hassenstab

HUD Secretary Donovan States Support for National Housing Trust Fund

On February 13, Shaun Donovan, the new Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, announced the Administration's continued support for dedicated funding for the National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF). Speaking at a conference at New York University which focused on the housing crisis, Secretary Donovan said President Obama would “keep his pledge” to fund the NHTF at a “significant level." It is expected that the NHTF will receive dedicated funding in the FY10 federal budget. 

Secretary Donovan also outlined five major areas where he believes HUD can be a leader "to turn the direction of housing policy of this country." He delineated those five as "remaking our mortgage system; dealing with the persistent rental-housing crisis that far too many low-income Americans face; beginning to use HUD and our housing policy as a force for broader sustainability within our economy and within our country; re-energizing efforts around fair housing; and fifth, allowing HUD to become a leader on research and evaluation." (Source: NY Times)

--Lisa Hassenstab

February 26 LSA-DN Public Policy Call to Focus on Supportive Housing

On February 26 at 3:00 p.m. ET, Ann O'Hara, Associate Director with the Technical Assistance Collaborative, will discuss the Section 811 Supportive Housing for Persons with Disabilities program and the need for legislative reforms. To register, please e-mail advocacy@lutheranservices.org by noon on February 25 and specify "Section 811" in the subject line. You may also register online or participate in a discussion forum about this month's topic by visiting www.lsadnadvocacy.org.

--Heather Ansley

Advocacy Resource of the Week

Are you following your members of Congress on Twitter? Almost 70 members of Congress have Twitter accounts, and many of them post personally to their accounts on a regular basis. To find out if your federal elected officials are on Twitter, see the list on Congresspedia; many state officials are also on Twitter, so be sure to search for them as well. For more information on Twitter and how to use it in your public policy advocacy efforts, contact Lisa Hassenstab.

LSA Annual Conference Corner

Have you registered yet for the 2009 LSA Annual Conference? The April 28-May 1 LSA Annual Conference in Washington, DC offers unparalleled opportunity to network with partners in Lutheran social ministry while learning from some of the nation's leading experts in the arenas of non-profits and social ministry. Early bird registration runs through March 25, and organizations registering four or more people are eligible for a group discount, as well! Online conference registration is quick and easy, and you can find more information about the conference, including a full listing of breakout sessions, on LSA's website.

Upcoming LSA Public Policy Conference Calls

Please join the LSA public policy team and featured speakers for a series of conference calls on LSA's priority issues. To RSVP for the calls, please e-mail the LSA DC office.