Watch it Live at 1PM ET: Bipartisan Policy Center to Launch Housing Commission Today

Former HUD Secretaries Martinez and Cisneros and Senators Bond and Mitchell to craft detailed vision for the future of U.S. housing policy

WASHINGTON, Oct. 26, 2011  /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) will launch a bipartisan Housing Commission today at a press conference in Washington, D.C. at 1:00PM ET.

The event will be webcast live here: http://www.bipartisanpolicy.org/news/multimedia/housinglaunch.

Today's press conference follows this week's announcement of a new Obama Administration proposal that will make it easier for many American homeowners to refinance their mortgages.  Former Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Henry Cisneros and Mel Martinez, former Senator Kit Bond, and former Senate Majority Leader and BPC Founder George Mitchell, will participate in a moderated panel discussion with former U.S. Representative Rick Lazio and take questions from the audience at the press conference.

The bipartisan Commission will develop consensus recommendations on the most effective way to meet the future housing needs of an increasingly diverse American society.  BPC's Housing Commission will include some of the nation's leading housing experts and will develop a comprehensive, politically viable plan for consideration by the administration and Congress.  

Julia Stasch, Vice President of U.S. Programs at The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, BPC President Jason Grumet, and Pamela Patenaude, former HUD Assistant Secretary for Community Planning and Development and now Director of BPC's Housing Commission, will also make remarks at the event.  

WHO:
Former Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Henry Cisneros and Mel Martinez
Former Senators Kit Bond and George Mitchell

WHAT:
Launch of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Housing Commission

WHEN:
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Press conference begins at 1:00PM ET

WHERE:
Bipartisan Policy Center
1225 I Street NW
Suite 1000, 10th floor
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 204-2400

The event is open to press, but space is limited.  Please RSVP to [email protected].  Press set up begins at 12:00PM.

Reporters unable to attend in person can submit questions to [email protected] or by tweeting @BPC_Bipartisan with the hashtag #BPCHousing.  

About the Bipartisan Policy Center:
Founded in 2007 by former Senate Majority Leaders Howard Baker, Tom Daschle, Bob Dole and George Mitchell, the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) is a non-profit organization that drives principled solutions through rigorous analysis, reasoned negotiation, and respectful dialogue. With projects in multiple issue areas, BPC combines politically-balanced policymaking with strong, proactive advocacy and outreach.  For more information, please visit our website: www.bipartisanpolicy.org.  

SOURCE Bipartisan Policy Center