	Recent Developments

On December 16, 2014, the President signed into law the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of FY2015 ( P.L. 113-235 ), which included $3.066 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and a $500 million loan commitment ceiling for the CDBG Section 108 loan guarantee program. FY2015 Appropriations

The CDF account administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) includes the Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), and Section 108 loan guarantees. The Administration's FY2015 budget proposal would decrease total funding for CDF activities by $230 million from $3.100 billion in FY2014 to $2.870 billion. The proposed budget would decrease total funding for the CDF account and the CDBG formula grants by 7.6%, reducing funding for CDBG formula grants from $3.030 billion appropriated in FY2014 to $2.800 billion. 4745 ) recommended $3.060 billion for activities funded under the CDF account, including $3.0 billion for CDBG formula grants awarded to states, entitlement communities, and insular areas. Senate Appropriations Committee-Passed Bill (S. 2438)

On June 5, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported its version of the THUD Appropriations Bill for FY2015, S. 2438 . The Senate Committee-passed bill ( S. 2438 ) recommended $3.090 billion for activities funded under the CDF account, including $3.020 billion for CDBG formula grants awarded to states, entitlement communities, and insular areas. 113-235

On December 16, 2014, the President signed into law the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act ( P.L. 113-235 also supported a fee-based loan commitment ceiling of $500 million for the CDBG Section 108 loan guarantee program. FY2014 Appropriations

		The Administration's Budget Request

The Obama Administration's budget request for FY2014, released on April 10, 2013, included $3.143 billion for activities funded under HUD's CDF account. The Administration's FY2014 budget proposal would have increased total funding for CDF activities by a modest $8 million from $3.135 billion in FY2013 to $3.143 billion. It would have redirected most of the $280 million to two other activities within the CDF account: 
$75 million for regional planning grants; and $200 million for a new Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative intended to assist local governments in identifying and demolishing an oversupply of abandoned and foreclosed properties. As reported by the Senate committee, the bill also supported the Administration's budget request calling for the conversion of Section 108 loan guarantees to a fee-based program, and an increase in the program's loan guarantee commitment to $500 million for FY2014 from the $229 million approved for FY2013. The report ( S.Rept. 2610)

The House Appropriations Committee reported the THUD Appropriations Act for FY2014 on July 2, 2013. On June 30, 2014, the House began floor consideration of the bill. H.R. 113-76

On January 17, 2014, President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2014, P.L. 113-76 , which includes $3.100 billion in funding for the Community Development Fund. The act also appropriated $70 million in CDBG competitively awarded funds to Indian tribes. In addition to an increase in the loan commitment ceiling, the Administration proposed revamping the program by charging a fee-based assessment to borrowers accessing the program, which would have eliminated the need for an appropriated credit subsidy. H.R. 113-6

The 112 th Congress began, but did not complete, consideration of appropriation measures that would have provided full year funding for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies for FY2013, before adjourning. On March 6, 2013, the House approved H.R. On March 26, 2013, the President signed into law P.L. 152 , a FY2013 disaster supplemental appropriations bill to support disaster relief and recovery activities for victims of Hurricane Sandy and other disasters occurring in 2011, 2012, and 2013. 113-2 by the President on January 29, 2013, included $16 billion for HUD, all allocated to the CDF, and subject to sequestration under the Budget Control Act, as amended. 2610 .
On March 4, 2014, the Obama Administration released its FY2015 budget request, which included $2.870 billion for activities under the Community Development Fund (CDF) administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), including $2.8 billion for formula grants. On June 5, 2014, the Senate Appropriations Committee reported S. 2438, its version of the Departments of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Bill for FY2015 (THUD), which recommended $3.090 billion for activities funded under the Community Development Fund (CDF) account, including $3.020 billion for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) formula grants. On June 10, 2014, the House approved its version of the THUD bill for FY2015, H.R. 4745, which recommended $3.060 billion for CDF activities, including $3.0 billion for CDBG formula grants. On December 16, 2014, the President signed into law the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act of FY2015 (P.L. 113-235), which included $3.066 billion for the CDBG program and a $500 million loan commitment ceiling for the CDBG Section 108 loan guarantee program.
On January 17, 2014, President Obama signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act for FY2014, P.L. 113-76, which included $3.100 billion in funding for the CDF, including $3.030 billion for formula allocations to CDBG entitlement communities, states, and insular areas. The act also appropriated $70 million in competitively awarded funds to Indian tribes and converted Section 108 loan guarantees to a fee-based program.
On July 30, 2013, the House began floor consideration of H.R. 2610, a bill that would have appropriated funds for THUD for FY2014. On July 31, 2013, the Senate began consideration of S. 1243, its version of the THUD Appropriations Act for FY2014. The bill, which was reported by the Senate Appropriations Committee on July 27, 2013 (S.Rept. 113-45), recommended $3.295 billion for activities funded under the CDF account.
The Obama Administration's budget request for FY2014, released on April 10, 2014, included $3.143 billion for activities funded under HUD's CDF account. The Administration's FY2014 budget proposal would have increased total funding for CDF activities by a modest $8 million from $3.135 billion in FY2013 to $3.143 billion. The proposed budget would have reduced funding for CDBG formula grants by $280 million to $2.798 billion and would have redirected most of those funds to two other activities within the CDF account:
$75 million for regional planning grants, which was a component of the Administration's Sustainable Communities Initiative; and $200 million for a new Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative that was intended to assist local governments to identify and demolish an oversupply of abandoned and foreclosed properties.
The Administration's FY2014 budget included a proposal that doubled the Section 108 loan guarantee program's loan commitment ceiling from $229 million in FY2013 to $500 million in FY2014. In addition, the Administration proposed revamping the program by charging a fee-based assessment to borrowers accessing the program, which would have eliminated the need for an appropriated credit subsidy. The House Appropriations Committee report accompanying H.R. 2610 supported the Administration's Section 108 loan guarantee proposals that recommended an increase in the loan commitment ceiling and conversion of the program to a fee-based approach.
The 112th Congress began, but did not complete, consideration of appropriation measures that would have provided full-year funding for THUD for FY2013, before adjourning. The 113th Congress took up consideration of HUD's FY2013 appropriations as part of a larger measure providing consolidated appropriations for a number of federal departments. On March 26, 2013, the President signed into law P.L. 113-6, the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2013. The act included $3.1 billion for CDF activities. In late January 2013, Congress approved and the President signed P.L. 113-2, a disaster supplemental appropriation that included $15.2 billion for CDBG disaster relief and recovery activities in response to Hurricane Sandy and other disasters. Both the CDF FY2013 regular appropriation and the CDF disaster funds were subject to 5% sequestration mandated by the Budget Control Act.