Audio from Oregon House Consumer Protection Hardest Hit Briefing Wednesday May 26th

I have created and posted to the Internet Archive an MP3 audio file HERE of the Hardest Hit briefing before the Oregon House Consumer Protection Committee today, Wednesday May 26th.

(I have not yet listened to the file, and will try to add an observations about file IF I get a chance to listen Thursday or Friday. I encourage OTHERS to HELP me out and listen and if anything is new, add comments using the comment icon at the bottom of this post).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Updated:Oregon Legislature: Two Hardest Hit Hearings Today, With Audio for One AND Some Significant News.

After listening to the audio again, I added the Treasurer's Office as another agency that may be represented on the Board of the new non profit being formed for the Hardest Hit program.
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I listened to the morning Hardest Hit briefing before the Human Resources Subcommittee of the Oregon Emergency Board of the Oregon legislature. In the afternoon I attended the Senate Committee on Consumer and Public Affairs briefing on the Hardest Hit program. 

Only thing newsworthy in the afternoon session was letter from Bend area legislative rep asking that 50%+ of the funding be allocated to hardest hit counties, those 16 counties with unemployment rates of 12% or higher. 

However In the morning briefing I thought there WAS significant news. 

I have created an audio file on the Internet Archive HERE that you can listen to on line or download for yourself. 

My notes of the news from Emergency Board comments made by OHCS staff:

1. OHCS is projecting they will hire 30 term limited staff to help administer the Hardest Hit program. Some of those will likely be hired between July and October with others coming later.
2. OHCS is projecting 80% of allocated resources will go to 20 counties with 20% going to the remaining 16 counties. The 20 counties include 16 with unemployment 12% or higher PLUS Clackamas, Marion, Multnomah, and Yamhill Counties. There was no mention of any allocations to specific counties.
3. OHCS continues to say that they plan to use a single 120% median STATEWIDE family income for eligibility. (As previously posted HERE, such a limit would disadvantage residents in Portland Metro counties, and Deschutes County).
4. Composition of the Non profit Board being formed may include OHCS staff, as well as staff from Governor's office, DCBS, the Treasurer's Office and possibly the Oregon Llegislature.

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Today's House Financial Services Preservation Hearing: PDF AND Audio/Video Recordings Posted.

The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity held a hearing today (Wednesday March 24th) on a previously introduced housing preservation bill from Chair Frank (H.R. 4868).

I have assembled all the written testimony from that hearing into a single PDF file HERE. (Witness list is pasted below at bottom of this post).

Audio/Video Files (1 hour, 48 minutes):

• I have also created an AUDIO recording of the hearing and have posted it to the Internet Archive page HERE. (File is 74 MB's). [Notes; 1.You may also play audio file on line as streaming audio, look in left pane of the Internet Archive page. 2. I noticed that MP3 file not playing properly on my Iphone, but works fine when playing on PC. Have tried a couple of solutions but not fixed yet, so for now, play file on your PC].
  
• The VIDEO recording I created is posted on a separate Internet Archive page HERE. I posted as a MPEG 4 file,but it is HUGE at 465 MB's).
  

Some provisions of the bill were opposed by some of committee Republicans and by those testifying; look at the written testimony for details.

Witness list, in order of testimony:

• Ms. Carol Galante, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Multi-Family Housing, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Ms. Tammye Treviño, Administrator, Rural Housing Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture
• Mr. George Caruso, Executive Vice President, Edgewood Management Corporation, on behalf of the National Affordable Housing Management Association
• Mr. Toby Halliday, Vice President for Public Policy, National Housing Trust, on behalf of the National Preservation Working Group
• Mr. Ricky Leung, Treasurer, National Alliance of HUD Tenants, and President of the Cherry Street Tenants Association
• Ms. Michelle Norris, Senior Vice President, Acquisitions and Development, National Church Residences, on behalf of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
• Mr. Raymond K. James, Partner, Coan and Lyons on behalf of the National Leased Housing Association
• Mr. William C. Shumaker, President of the Board, the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, and Vice President of The Provident Companies

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.

Video: Yesterday's House Financial Services Committee Hearing on FHA Reform.

I have posted to the Internet Archive a video HERE of the House Financial Services Subcommittee hearing held on FHA Reform on Thursday March 11, 2010.

Website for the hearing, with prepared written testimony and draft legislation is HERE.

Video is available for viewing on line OR it can be downloaded in a several different formats, including formats that work with IPOD/Iphone etc. (Video file sizes are large so you will need a broadband connection if you want to download files).

Originally created and posted on the Oregon Housing Blog.