Novogradac projects more than 65,000 additional rental homes could be financed from 2019 to 2028 if a provision is enacted to establish a minimum 4 percent floor for low-income housing tax credits (LIHTCs) generated by tax-exempt private activity bonds issued for multifamily housing. This would greatly enhance the LIHTC, an incentive that the National Council of State Housing Agencies’ 2016 Factbook reports is already responsible for the creation of more than 1 million affordable rental homes from 1987 through 2016.

As reported previously, the multifamily bond market was robust in 2017 at a record $15.3 billion in bond issuance sustaining the historically high levels from 2016 despite the threat of tax reform. To put these levels into context, it is helpful to revi

In 2017, the 50 states and the District of Columbia reported issuing a record $15.3 billion in multifamily rental housing bonds, representing a 9.3 percent increase from the previous record $14 billion reported issued in 2016, according to the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA). The $21 billion in reported combined multifamily and single family mortgage revenue bond issuance represents a 13.6 percent increase in the portion of the cap used for housing from 2016, when states reported a total of $18.5 billion for housing bond issuance.

Lame-duck sessions of Congress–the final weeks of a two-year term, those that follow an election–are a Rubik’s Cube of legislative periods. There are multiple moving pieces, each affecting others.

For affordable housing, community development and historic preservation advocates, the 2018 lame-duck session could be fertile ground for long-desired legislation. Or Congress could decide to work on the bare minimum before heading home for the holidays. It depends on moving pieces and how they each affect others.