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Home , Barbara Lee, Bill Hagerty, Brendan Boyle, Bryan Steil, Catherine Cortez Masto, Cynthia Lummis

Congressional Advocacy and Key Housing Committees

By Kimberly Johnson, Policy Analyst, • The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, NLIHC and Urban Affairs. obbying Congress is a direct way to advocate • The Senate Committee on Appropriations. for the issues and programs important to • The Senate Committee on Finance. you. Members of Congress are accountable to See below for details on these key committees Ltheir constituents and as a constituent, you have as of December 1, 2019. For all committees, the right to lobby the members who represent members are listed in order of seniority and you. As a housing advocate, you should exercise members who sit on key housing subcommittees that right. are marked with an asterisk (*). CONTACT YOUR MEMBER OF HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONGRESS COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL To find the contact information for your Member SERVICES of Congress, visit NLIHC’s congressional Visit the Committee’s website at http:// directory at http://capwiz.com/nlihc/dbq/officials, financialservices.house.gov. or call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224- 3121. The House Committee on Financial Services oversees all components of the nation’s housing MEETING WITH YOUR MEMBER OF and financial services sectors, including banking, CONGRESS insurance, real estate, public and assisted Scheduling a meeting, determining your main housing, and securities. The Committee reviews “ask” or “asks,” developing an agenda, creating laws and programs related to HUD, the Federal appropriate materials to take with you, ensuring Reserve Bank, the Federal Deposit Insurance your meeting does not veer off topic, and Corporation, government sponsored enterprises following-up afterward are all crucial to holding including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and effective meetings with Members of Congress. international development and finance agencies such as the World Bank and the International For more tips on how to lobby effectively, refer to Monetary Fund. the lobbying section of this chapter. The Committee also ensures the enforcement of KEY CONGRESSIONAL housing and consumer protection laws such the COMMITTEES “U.S. Housing Act,” the “Truth in Lending Act,” the “Housing and Community Development Act,” The following are key housing authorizing and the “Fair Credit Reporting Act,” the “Real Estate appropriating committees in Congress: Settlement Procedures Act,” the “Community • The House of Representatives Committee on Reinvestment Act,” and financial privacy laws. Financial Services. The Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance • The House of Representatives Committee on oversees HUD and the Government National Appropriations. Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae). The Subcommittee also handles matters related to • The House of Representatives Committee on housing affordability, rural housing, community Ways and Means. development including Opportunity Zones, and

NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION 2–21 government sponsored insurance programs such • (MA) as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Minority Members (Republicans) the National Flood Insurance Program. • Patrick McHenry (NC), Ranking Member *Members marked with an asterisk sit on the Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance. • Frank D. Lucas (OK)

Majority Members (Democrats) • * (FL) • (CA), Chair • (MO) • Carolyn B. Maloney* (NY) • * (MI) • Nydia M. Velázquez* (NY) • Steve Stivers* (OH), Subcommittee Ranking Member • * (CA) • (MO) • (NY) • Andy Barr (KY) • David Scott (GA) • Roger Williams (TX) • * (TX) • (AR) • * (MO), Subcommittee Chair • (MN) • (CO) • Lee M. Zeldin* (NY) • Jim A. Himes (CT) • (GA) • (IL) • Alexander X. Mooney (WV) • * (OH) • (OH) • * (CA) • (NC) • (NJ) • (TN) • Vicente Gonzalez* (TX) • * (IN) • * (FL) • Anthony Gonzalez (OH) • (GU) • John Rose* (TN) • * (IA) • * (WI), Subcommittee Vice Ranking • (IL) Member • (MA) • * (TX) • * (NY) • (SC) • Stephen F. Lynch (MA) • * (TX) • (NC) • (MI) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS • Madeline Dean (PA) Visit the committee’s website at http://appropriations. • Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY) house.gov. • Jesús “Chuy” García (IL) The House Committee on Appropriations • (TX) is responsible for determining the amount of funding made available to all authorized • (GA) programs each year.

2–22 2021 ADVOCATES’ GUIDE The Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing, • * (NY) and Urban Development and Related Agencies • (CA) (THUD) determines the amount of government revenues dedicated to HUD and other relevant • * (VA) agencies, including the United States Interagency • * (MD) Council on Homelessness. • (IL) *Members marked with an asterisk sit on the • (NV) THUD Subcommittee. Minority Members (Republicans) Majority Members (Democrats) • (TX), Ranking Member • Rosa DeLauro (CT), Chair • Harold Rogers (KY) • (OH) • (AL) • David Price* (NC), Subcommittee Chair • Michael Simpson (ID) • Lucille Roybal-Allard (CA) • John Carter (TX) • (GA) • (CA) • (CA) • (OK) • Betty McCollum (MN) • Mario Diaz-Balart* (FL), Subcommittee Ranking • Tim Ryan (OH) Member • C. A. (MD) • * (AR) • Debbie Wasserman Shultz (FL) • (NE) • (TX) • Charles Fleischmann (TN) • (ME) • Jamie Herrera Beutler (WA) • Mike Quigley* (IL) • (OH) • (WA) • (MD) • (PA) • (NV) • (NY) • Chris Stewart (UT) • (WI) • Stephen Palazzo (MS) • * (MA) • (CA) • * (CA) • (WA) • (FL) • (MI) • (IL) • John Rutherford* (FL) • * (NJ) • (VA) • * (MI) • (PA) • * (CA) • * (CA) • (FL) • * (IA) • (AZ) • * (TX) • (HI)

NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION 2–23 House of Representatives • Stacey E. Plaskett (VI) Committee on Ways and Means Minority Members (Republicans) Visit the committee’s website at http://waysandmeans. • (TX), Ranking Member house.gov. • (CA) The Committee on Ways and Means is the • (FL) chief tax writing committee in the House of Representatives and has jurisdiction over • Adrian Smith (NE) taxation, tariffs, many programs including Social • Kenny Marchant (TX) Security, Medicare, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), and unemployment • (NY) insurance. • Mike Kelly (PA)

Majority Members (Democrats) • George Holding (NC) • (MA), Chair • (MO) • (TX) • (SC) • Mike Thompson (CA) • (AZ) • John Larson (CT) • (IN) • (OR) • Darin LaHood (IL) • (WI) • (OH) • (NJ) • (TX) • Danny Davis (IL) • Drew Ferguson (GA) • Linda Sanchez (CA) • (KS) • (NY) SENATE COMMITTEE ON • (AL) BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN • Suzan DelBene (WA) AFFAIRS • (CA) Visit the committee’s website at www.banking.senate. gov. • (WI) The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and • (MI) Urban Affairs oversees legislation, petitions, and • (PA) other matters related to financial institutions, • (VA) economic policy, housing, transportation, urban development, international trade and finance, • Dwight Evans (PA) and securities and investments. • (IL) The Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, • Tom Suozzi (NY) and Community Development oversees mass transit systems, general urban affairs and • (CA) development issues and is the primary oversight • (FL) committee for HUD. The subcommittee oversees • (CA) HUD community development programs, the FHA, the Rural Housing Service, Fannie Mae and • (NV) Freddie Mac, and all issues related to public and

2–24 2021 ADVOCATES’ GUIDE private housing, senior housing, nursing home SENATE COMMITTEE ON construction, and indigenous housing issues. APPROPRIATIONS *Members marked with an asterisk sit on the Visit the committee’s website at http://www. Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and appropriations.senate.gov. Community Development. The Senate Committee on Appropriations Majority Members (Democrats) is responsible for determining the amount • (OH), Chair of funding made available to all authorized programs each year. • Jack Reed* (RI) THUD has jurisdiction over funding for the • Robert Menendez* (NJ) Department of Transportation and HUD, • * (MT) including community planning and development, • (VA) fair housing and equal opportunity, the FHA, Ginnie Mae, public housing, and indigenous • (MA) housing issues. • * (MD) *Members marked with an asterisk sit on the • * (NV) THUD Subcommittee.

• * (MN), Subcommittee Chair Majority Members (Democrats) • (AZ) • (VT), Chair • * (GA) • * (WA) • * (GA) • * (CA)

Minority Members (Republicans) • Richard Durbin* (IL) • Patrick Toomey (PA), Ranking Member • Jack Reed* (RI) • * (AL) • Jon Tester (MT) • (ID) • (NH) • (SC) • (OR) • * (SD), Subcommittee Ranking • * (DE) Member • * (HI), Subcommittee Chair • (NC) • (WI) • John Kennedy (LA) • Christopher Murphy* (CT) • * (TN) • * (WV) • * (WY) • Chris Van Hollen* (MD) • * (KS) • (NM) • * (ND) Minority Members (Republicans) • * (MT) • Richard Shelby* (AL), Ranking Member • Mitch McConnell (KY) • * (ME), Subcommittee Ranking Member • (AK)

NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION 2–25 • * (SC) • Thomas Carper (DE) • * (MO) • Benjamin Cardin (MD) • Jerry Moran (KS) • Sherrod Brown (OH) • * (ND) • (CO) • * (AR) • Bob Casey (PA) • * (WV) • Mark Warner (VA) • John Kennedy* (LA) • (RI) • Cindy Hyde-Smith (MS) • (NH) • * (IN) • Catherine Cortez Masto (NV) • Bill Hagerty (TN) • Elizabeth Warren (MA)

• (FL) Minority Members (Republicans) • (IA), Ranking Member SENATE COMMITTEE ON FINANCE • (TX) Visit the committee’s website at www.finance.senate. gov. • (SD) The Senate Committee on Finance oversees • (NC) matters related to taxation and other general • (OH) revenue measures, including health programs under the “Social Security Act” such as Medicare, • Patrick Toomey (PA) Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance • Tim Scott (SC) Program, as well as TANF and health and human • (LA) services programs financed by a specific tax or trust fund. • (OK)

Majority Members (Democrats) • Steve Daines (MT) • (OR), Chair • (IN) • (WA) • (NE) • (MI) • (WY) • Robert Menendez (NJ)

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