Ask Your Mayor, County Executive, or County Board Chair to Sign Letter to Congress Supporting the Housing Credit!
As you know, the Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) of 2023, S. 1557 and H.R. 3238, was introduced on May 11. ACTION is partnering with the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment on a letter from local government leaders to leaders in Congress underscoring local elected leaders’ support of the AHCIA. Our goal is to show the strong support of mayors, county executives, and county board chairs from around the country for the expansion and strengthening of the Housing Credit.
- Please reach out and ask your local government leaders to sign on in support of the AHCIA of 2023. The deadline for signatures is September 7, 2023.
- A number of mayors signed a similar letter in 2021. Please be sure to mention to your mayor if they supported in the past.
- Share ACTION’s state and district factsheets on the Housing Credit impact locally with your local government leaders to make the case that they should weigh in with Congress by signing the letter.
If you or your government leaders have questions about the bill or the letter, please email ACTION at actioncampaign@enterprisecommunity.org.
How will this letter help us advance the Housing Credit?
If we are able to garner strong support from local officials, the letter will help signal to Congressional leaders the importance of passing the AHCIA to key stakeholders at the local level, which will be critical if and when negotiations over tax legislation begin. The letter also will be a key tool as we keep pushing to add new cosponsors, as members of Congress like to see support from their local officials when deciding whether to cosponsor legislation.
As we reported in our August newsletter, the AHCIA has been breaking records since its introduction just three months ago, securing the support of one-third of Congress. The House version of AHCIA is now the most cosponsored of all bipartisan tax bill introduced in the 118th Congress thus far! The bill reached 156 House cosponsors with two new additions this week added during a proforma session. The cosponsors continue to be evenly split between Republicans and Democrats and is gaining support at more than twice the speed it did when introduced in the previous Congress. We also have 28 cosponsors in the Senate, also evenly divided, which is more Senate Republican cosponsors on the bill than there were in the entirety of the previous Congress.
Having the highest number of cosponsors for the AHCIA is the best way we can prepare for any opportunities to advance tax legislation this year. While that opportunity is not yet clear, we will be ready to demonstrate the success and widespread support—and this local government support letter will be a critical tool in making that case.
Amplify this letter on social media!
Another great way to help get the word out on this opportunity for mayors, county executives, and county board chairs to weigh in is to share it with your peer organizations and networks. In addition to email, please consider sharing these messages on Twitter and LinkedIn!
Take Action on Twitter
Calling all #mayors, #countyexecutives, and #countyboardchairs: Join the @HousingACTION, @mayorsandceos, @leagueofcities and @NACoTweets in signing this letter to Congress on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit https://forms.gle/rngEo6aYoUcoAJS99 #affordablehousing
Take Action on LinkedIn
The Affordable Housing Credit Improvement Act (AHCIA) of 2023, S. 1557 and H.R. 3238, was introduced on May 11. The ACTION Campaign is asking mayors, county executives, and county board chairs from around the country to sign on to a letter to Congress calling for the expansion and strengthening of the #HousingCredit. ACTION is being joined by partners at the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and Mayors & CEOs for U.S. Housing Investment. Read more about the letter and how local government leaders can sign onto the letter on the ACTION blog. https://rentalhousingaction.org/2023/08/17/call-to-action-2023-sign-on-letter-for-local-government-leaders
#AffordableHousing #LIHTC
