Sessions
Click Here to Download Legislative Conference Final Program!
Highlights & Featured Speakers...
- "Perspectives on the Federal Budget" session featuring remarks from nationally recognized experts on the federal budget;
- Updates on TRA, Choice Neighborhoods and Section 8;
- Presentations from Hill Staff on the direction of our key committee of jurisdiction;
- Confirmed speakers include HUD Secretary Donovan; U.S. Representative Judy Biggert (R-IL-13th); David Walker, Founder and CEO, Comeback America Initiative, and former U.S. Comptroller General; Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist, The Washington Post, and Policy Analyst, MSNBC; Bob Bixby, Director, Concord Coalition; Isabel V. Sawhill, Director, Budgeting for National Priorities Project, and Co-Director, Center on Children and Families, Brookings Institution; and Andrew Moylan, Vice President, Government Affairs, National Taxpayers Union.
Added Value...
NAHRO 2011 Legislative Conference Recordings – COMPLIMENTARY for attendees! This year, conference attendees receive the recorded sessions complimentary! Register for the 2011 Legislative Conference and receive access to up to 26 hours of audio synchronized to PowerPoint™ presentations and handouts as an attendee benefit via NAHRO's Live Learning Center. This virtual library will allow you to review the seesions you attended and attend the sessions you couldn't because of scheduling conflicts!
SUNDAY, MARCH 27
5:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Perspectives on the Federal Budget
Congress is moving with deliberate speed to address the federal budget deficit and other issues affecting the health of our economy. Domestic discretionary spending levels will be impacted by legislative efforts to get our financial house in order. Learn how housing and community development programs will be impacted taking into account today’s budget limitations and constraints. Get a more complete and well-rounded understanding of how issues related to the federal overall will impact federal spending on programs used by the NAHRO membership. Budget issues, jobs, curbs on federal spending and efforts to rain in the deficit will be at the top of the agenda for the 112th Congress. How will you be affected? How will your work be affected? And, how can a better understanding of the federal budget in 2011 enable you to be a more effective industry advocate? This is a must attend session to prepare you for your Hill visits and your outreach to members of Congress in the year ahead.
Moderator:
Chuck Conlon, Editor, CQ Budget Tracker
Chuck Conlon has written and edited CQ’s Budget Tracker since its launch in early 2004. For nine years prior to his work with CQ’s Budget Tracker, Mr. Conlon covered budget and appropriations bills and a wide range of other legislation for CQ’s House Action Reports. Prior to 2005, he wrote on similar issues with the Democratic Study Group in the House of Representatives for eight years. He also worked in legislative affairs for several years at a Washington, DC trade association.
Panelists:
Robert L. Bixby, Executive Director, The Concord Coalition
Robert L. Bixby is executive director of The Concord Coalition, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to fiscal responsibility. He was named executive director in 1999, after serving as the organization’s policy director, national field director, and in other capacities since 1992. He frequently represents the Coalition’s views on budget and entitlement reform at congressional hearings and in the national media. Before joining The Concord Coalition, Mr. Bixby practiced law and served as the chief staff attorney for the Court of Appeals in Virginia.
Isabel V. Sawhill, Director, Budgeting for National Priorities project, and Co-Director, Center on Children and Families, The Brookings Institution
Isabel V. Sawhill is a senior fellow in Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. She serves as director of the Budgeting for National Priorities project and co-director of the Center on Children and Families. Prior to joining Brookings, Dr. Sawhill was a senior fellow at The Urban Institute. She also served as an associate director at the Office of Management and Budget from 1993 to 1995, where her responsibilities included all of the human resource programs of the federal government, accounting for one third of the federal budget. She has been a Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law School, Director of the National Commission for Employment Policy, and President of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management. She also serves on a number of boards and has authored and edited numerous books and articles.
To obtain additional publications, articles, and speeches by Isabel Sawhil, please visit http://www.brookings.edu/experts/sawhilli.aspx.
Andre Moylan, Vice President, Government Affairs, National Taxpayers Union
Andrew Moylan is Vice President of Government Affairs for the National Taxpayers Union (NTU) where he lobbies on federal and state issues, conducts policy research and analysis, assists in taxpayer education efforts, and formulates reports and opinion pieces.
Andrew’s writings have appeared in such publications as the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Times, Investor’s Business Daily, and Forbes Magazine. He has been instrumental in NTU’s efforts to create broad coalitions in support of pro-taxpayer energy policy, government transparency, and the elimination of wasteful spending.
Andrew is a graduate of the University of Michigan with a degree in Political Science. He previously served with the Center for Educational Freedom at the Cato Institute. In addition, he completed internships in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives with members from his home state of Michigan.
MONDAY, MARCH 28
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Opening Plenary Session
Keynote Address:
Eugene Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning Columnist, The Washington Post and Political Analyst, MSNBC
Eugene Robinson has the ear of inside-the-beltway political insiders. With more than 25 years of reporting experience, his incisive political commentary is welcome on news programs such as MSNBC’s Hardball, Countdown and The Rachel Maddow Show and NBC’s Meet the Press. Widely recognized for his uncanny ability to speak truth to power, Robinson is a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer who brings audiences a tested perspective on today’s political news while looking to the future in analyzing the 2012 elections. In his various roles at The Washington Post and while reporting abroad, Robinson has witnessed firsthand the revolution taking place online and in the 24/7 news cycle and has seen how the news media is influencing American culture. As one of the most prominent African-American intellectuals on the culture scene and author of the recently released Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America, Robinson also shares with audiences his understanding of race relations in the United States and explains why many popular conceptions are now obsolete.
10:15 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Community Development/Affordable Housing Update
Officials from HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development will provide updates on core CPD programs. Programs and issues to be covered include the Community Development Block Grant program, the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, implementation of the Housing Trust Fund, impending changes to the Home Investment Partnership (HOME) program’s regulations, implementation of McKinney-Vento homeless assistance program reforms, and the President’s FY 2012 budget proposal’s treatment of CPD programs.
Congressional Staff Forum
House and Senate committee staff, along with staff from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Relations, have been invited to discuss the issues members of Congress will face in the 112th Congress and will offer insight and perspective on specific program, policy, and funding issues impacting NAHRO members. Invites have been extended to staff from the Appropriations, Financial Services, Banking, and Budget Committees. Our invited guests will also review their role as staff to our key committees of jurisdiction, how these committees operate, and the differences between their role and the role of staff from the offices of individual members of Congress both on and off the committee’s they serve. We have also asked our guests to suggest how and when NAHRO members should communicate, educate and inform the Hill members and our key committees of jurisdiction. First time Washington visitors and seasoned veterans alike, this is a must attend session for those who will be working with members of Congress in the year ahead.
Current Issues in Public Housing
Join us for an interactive panel discussion focused on public housing. Topics to be presented by HUD Public Housing staff include Physical Needs Assessments, the Public Housing Assessment System, the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, and the administration’s FY 2012 budget request for the Operating Fund.
Section 8 Programs Update
Officials from HUD's Office of Public and Indian Housing and Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) will provide updates on Section 8 programs. Programs and issues to be covered include HUD’s priorities within the HCV program, FY 2011 HAP and administrative fee funding, PHAs’ voucher and budget utilization, HUD’s shortfall and over-utilization prevention efforts, FMC’s planned reconciliations of all PHAs' Net Restricted HAP Assets, Unrestricted Net Assets and Cash/Investments, various voucher programs and demonstrations for special populations, planned IT improvements related to the Next Generation Voucher Management System, and the roles and responsibilities of HUD field and regional offices.
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Afternoon Plenary Session
Featured Speakers:
Shaun Donovan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
On January 26, 2009, Shaun Donovan was sworn in as the 15th United States Secretary for Housing and Urban Development. He has devoted his career to ensuring access to safe, decent, and affordable housing and he will continue that effort in the Obama Administration. Secretary Donovan believes that America's homes are the foundation for family, safe neighborhoods, good schools, and solid businesses. He has a strong commitment to make quality housing possible for every American.
David Walker, Founder and CEO, Comeback America Initiative, and former U.S. Comptroller General
Called the "Paul Revere on the unsustainable fiscal outlook for our country," David Walker is the authority on addressing the fiscal challenges that lie ahead for America—and what we must do about them now.
During his nine-year tenure as the U.S. Comptroller General, David Walker traveled the country sounding the alarm to Americans about unsustainable fiscal policies that threaten to derail the nation’s future. Walker is still sounding the alarm today as the founder and CEO of the Comeback America Initiative, an organization dedicated to educating and engaging the public, and assisting key policymakers in making government more future-focused, results-oriented, responsive, efficient, equitable and sustainable. Walker presents the facts and discusses specific proposed solution to the nation’s impending fiscal crisis—and how we can fix it to ensure that our country enjoys a sustainable economy for generations to come. He has authored three books including his most recent Comeback America: Turning the Country Around and Restoring Fiscal Responsibility. His single-mindedness in his mission of restoring fiscal sustainability caught the attention of Sundance film veteran Patrick Creadon, who featured Walker in the acclaimed film on the American financial crisis entitled I.O.U.S.A.
4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
NAHRO's Legislative & Regulatory Agenda Briefing
Review NAHRO’s Legislative Agenda for the new 112th Congress with the NAHRO congressional and policy staff. Learn about NAHRO positions and recommendations on key industry concerns which will enable you to educate and inform decision-makers in Washington, the media, and leaders in your community.
TUESDAY, MARCH 29
8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Hill Preparedness Briefing & Continental Breakfast
On Capitol Hill, NAHRO staff will prepare the membership for Advocacy Day meetings at a special preparedness briefing. This is a critically important time—we will need to effectively educate and inform decision-makers about the programs we administer, and the resources necessary to administer them to address ongoing needs in communities across the country. Attend this event to receive helpful suggestions on messaging and communications while on the Hill, tips on how to conduct a successful meeting with Hill staff, as well as additional program and policy information and points of emphasis that will help make your visits more productive. Transportation to Capitol Hill will be provided.
Congressional Member Availabilities
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear directly from elected officials from Congress throughout the day. Member availabilities will inform attendees about the FY 2011 federal budget and the issues affecting the FY2011 appropriations for HUD and other government agencies. A schedule for these individual events will be provided during the conference. NOTE: Congressional member availability is subject to changes in the congressional calendar.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 30
8:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Town Hall Meeting with Candidates & Advocacy Awards Breakfast
Join your peers to honor the NAHRO's 2011 Legislator of the Year and Mary K. Nenno Advocacy Award recipients as well as congratulate our 2011 “What Home Means to Me” poster contest winner. You will also hear from those running for elective office including their plans for guiding NAHRO over the next two years.
