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Commercial real estate executives report solid fundamentals are countering concerns about economic uncertainty and geopolitics, maintaining an optimistic outlook for market conditions in 2020, according to The Real Estate Roundtable’s 2019 Q4 Economic Sentiment Index released today.

The Roundtable submitted energy and climate policy recommendations to the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis on Thursday, while members of the House Ways and Means Committee unveiled a draft legislative package of more than 20 energy tax incentives – including incentives to promote commercial and residential building energy efficiency.

Commercial real estate executives report solid fundamentals are countering concerns about economic uncertainty and geopolitics, maintaining an optimistic outlook for market conditions in 2020, according to The Real Estate Roundtable’s 2019 Q4 Economic Sentiment Index released today.

Congress this week passed a four-week spending bill that was by signed President Trump last night to fund the government beyond Nov. 21 and avoid a shutdown. The Continuing Resolution (CR) locks in current funding levels for government operations until Dec. 20 – including the National Flood Insurance and EB-5 investment programs.

A seven-year reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) passed the House this week (H.R. 4634) as the Senate Banking Committee advanced a similar bill (S. 2877). Both bills would reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program (TRIP) through December 31, 2027.

Legislation to reauthorize Brand USA – the organization that promotes the U.S. globally as a travel destination – easily cleared a markup by the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Commerce on Nov. 14.

As Congress strives to address the challenges of controlling the use of shell companies engaged in money laundering, tax evasion and terrorism financing, a number of legislative proposals are being considered that could impair capital formation and threaten important privacy protections for real estate. In two recent comment letters (Nov. 6 industry coalition letter and a Nov. 13 broad business coalition letter), The Roundtable and other organizations detail their concerns about the measures.

A bipartisan, seven-year TRIA reauthorization bill – the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 2877) – was introduced in the Senate yesterday by Thom Tillis (R-NC) along with 15 original cosponsors – including Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Ranking Member Sherrod Brown (D-OH).

In response to allegations that the Treasury Secretary improperly intervened in the designation of certain census tracts as Opportunity Zones, key Democratic lawmakers put forward proposals this week to enhance Opportunity Zone information reporting, reform aspects of the tax incentives, and formally investigate the reports of wrongdoing.

The Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Thursday held a hearing, "Examining Bipartisan Bills to Promote Affordable Housing Access and Safety," to discuss bipartisan legislation aimed at expanding access to affordable housing generally and improving safety conditions in federally-assisted housing specifically.

A comprehensive legislative overhaul of the EB-5 investment program was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday – as the both the program’s expiration and the effective date for new agency regulations are expected on November 21.

The House Financial Services Committee yesterday unanimously (57-0) passed the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 4634) – a "clean" seven-year extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), which is a top policy priority of The Real Estate Roundtable…

Leading industry experts convened on Oct. 30 at the National Press Club in Washington for an in-depth discussion on IRS Notice 2007-55, which levies discriminatory tax penalties on foreign investment in U.S. real estate and infrastructure...

This week’s Real Estate Roundtable Fall 2019 Meeting in Washington featured discussions with congressional lawmakers on national policy issues affecting economic growth, job creation, local communities and the commercial real estate industry...

An Oct. 17 hearing before the House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis, “Solving the Climate Crisis: Cleaner, Stronger Buildings,” focused on reducing carbon pollution and improving resilience in residential and commercial buildings across the nation as a method of countering the effects of climate change.

The House Financial Services Committee held an Oct. 22 hearing – “The End of Affordable Housing? A Review of the Trump Administration’s Plans to Change Housing Finance in America” to review the Trump administration’s plans to change housing finance in the U.S.

The U.S. House of Representatives on Oct. 22 passed the Corporate Transparency Act of 2019 ( H.R. 2513), which would require corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs) to report their beneficial owners to the Treasury Department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The bill – introduced by Reps. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Peter King (R-NY) – would shift the FinCEN reporting requirements from banks to the business community, requiring every business with fewer than 20 employees to register their beneficial owners with FinCEN.

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) formally introduced H.R. 4634 – the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 – on October 16 and stated it will be part of an October 29-30 full committee markup. The announcement came before a joint House subcommittee hearing, which focused on the program and a possible fourth reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA).

The Real Estate Roundtable on October 4 joined an amicus brief filed with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), to emphasize the critical need for foreign-born workers to fill labor shortages in construction, hospitality, building maintenance, and other real estate sector jobs. 

Reforms to the Volcker Rule, which aimed to restrict proprietary trading practices at banks, received final approval Oct. 8 by the Federal Reserve and four other regulatory agencies.