Senator Susan Collins Named NAHRO's Legislator of the Year

WASHINGTON, March 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) was named as the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Legislator of the Year on Tuesday night. The award, which was presented to Senator Collins at NAHRO's annual Legislative Conference, honors federal legislators for their efforts in support of responsible policies impacting the provision of safe and affordable housing in quality communities. Collins is the second legislator from Maine to receive the award.

"Economic development cannot be successful unless it is grounded in community development and housing stability," said Senator Collins in a speech upon receiving the award.  "Across the country we see the impact of homelessness and the need for affordable housing.  We can also see the positive effects that HUD's rental assistance programs, such as section 8 and public housing, have when used as part of broader innovative solutions by local communities and their partners."

NAHRO selected Collins for the award because she is and has been outspoken on efforts to end homelessness, has supported the community development block grant program, and is concerned with reducing the number of homeless veterans. She worked to help end the federal government shutdown, and supported finding alternatives to the across-the-board spending cuts enacted by sequestration in order to reduce the national deficit.

Collins has also demonstrated a commitment to regular order and bipartisanship in Congress. She was a member of the panel that wrote the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bill for Fiscal Year 2014. When the bill came before a full Senate session for a vote, she made a speech calling for support of a cloture motion on the bill, which failed to pass, 54-43. The bill would have maintained funding for such programs as Community Development Block Grants.

Collins, first elected in 1996, is serving her third term in the Senate. She is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and the ranking member for the Senate THUD Appropriations Subcommittee.

NAHRO, established in 1933, is a membership organization of 23,000 housing and community development agencies and professionals throughout the United States whose mission is to create affordable housing and safe, viable communities that enhance the quality of life for all Americans, especially those of low- and moderate-income. NAHRO's membership administers more than 3 million housing units for 7.6 million people. 

Contact:
Emily Pasi
202-289-7223
[email protected]

SOURCE National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials