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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.

California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) on October 9 signed into law a statewide rent cap of 5 percent plus inflation, along with enhanced tenant eviction protections. California is now the third state in the nation – amid a growing list of other jurisdictions – to enact rent control laws in an attempt to address housing affordability problems.

The Treasury Department on Monday released proposed regulations to clarify the tax consequences of replacing the expiring London Inter-bank Offered Rate (LIBOR) in existing financial contracts, including real estate loans. The proposed rules largely align with Roundtable recommendations submitted over the summer.

Final regulations released by the Treasury Department last Friday and effective October 9 provide new tax guidance on the allocation of liabilities between partners in a real estate partnership. The new rules bring to a conclusion a regulatory project that started over six years ago.

A draft bill to reauthorize the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA) for 10 years is expected to be the focus of next week’s House Financial Services Committee hearing “Protecting America: The Reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program.”

Societal trends and public policy issues affecting commercial real estate are featured in an Oct. 1 interview with Roundtable President and CEO Jeffrey DeBoer (left in photo above) during an episode of the podcast, “Through The Noise.”

The Real Estate Roundtable and more than 150 national trade associations urged Congress this week to reauthorize the Highway Trust Fund – the nation’s primary source for road and mass transit funds – ahead of its September 30, 2020 expiration.

The Trump Administration took a key step on Sept. 30 to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from conservatorship by allowing them to retain a total of $45 billion in earnings annually.

House Financial Services Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) yesterday announced an Oct. 16 subcommittee hearing that will focus on “Protecting America: The Reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Program.”

A “Continuing Resolution” (CR) to fund the government at current levels through November 21 was approved by the Senate yesterday after House passage last week, sending the stopgap measure to President Trump for his signature. A senior White House official said President Trump will sign the CR, which avoids the threat of a government shutdown on October 1, the start of the government’s fiscal year. The measure includes funding for programs of importance to commercial real estate, including the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Regional Center Program and National Flood Insurance Program. (BGov, Sept. 26 and Roll Call, Sept. 23)

The Senate Energy and Natural Resources (ENR) Committee passed a bill on Wednesday that emphasizes voluntary measures and incentives to drive energy efficiency improvements in U.S. buildings, manufacturing, and other economic sectors. • The Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness (ESIC) Act (S. 2137) – sponsored by Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and long endorsed by The Real Estate Roundtable – was advanced by the panel, along with several other energy bills.

The House of Representatives on Sept. 11 passed the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act [H.R. 1595 (116)] – a Roundtable-supported bill that would allow federally regulated banks to provide mortgage and financial services to state-licensed, cannabis-related businesses (“CRBs”) without the threat of federal penalties. (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 25) • The SAFE Banking Act would also provide protection from the threat of federal enforcement action for real estate owners, law firms and other businesses that provide services to state-approved CRBs.

A broad business coalition urged Congress in a September 17 letter to swiftly to pass a long-term reauthorization of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act (TRIA), which is currently set to expire at the end of 2020.

The Treasury Department Treasury yesterday issued proposed regulations to comprehensively implement the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act of 2018 (FIRRMA), which seeks to more closely scrutinize certain investments and real estate transactions potentially affecting national security.