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<br />8A <br />Page 9 <br /> <br />"Best Practices" may be used to develop specific programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions <br />or may be incorporated into broader climate change-related planning. <br /> <br />ILG is the nonprofit research arm of the League of California Cities and the California State <br />Association of Counties. <br /> <br />Green Purchasing Workshop Offered by U.S. Communities <br /> <br />The League of Califomia Cities, along with U.S. Communities and the California State <br />Association of Counties (CSAC), will present a Green Purchasing Workshop in Sacramento on <br />July 16. <br /> <br />This is the seventh and final regional workshop designed to help local officials gain knowledge <br />from local and national experts about green purchasing best practices and the tools they need to <br />successfully achieve their cities' green purchasing goals. The seminar is free and includes a <br />boxed lunch. <br /> <br />Seminar Details <br />Date: Wednesday, July 16, 2008 <br />Time: 9 a.m. -4 p.m. <br />Location: CSAC Conference Center, 1020 11 th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 <br /> <br />Advanced registration is requested so appropriate lunch arrangements can be made. For more <br />information or to register, please contact Laura Li at lIi@counties."QIQ or (916) 327-7500 ext. 560. <br /> <br />Hundreds of California cities use U.S. Communities for efficient and cost-effective purchasing, <br />including the purchase of a wide range of green products. For more information about U.S. <br />Communities, visit www.uscommunities.orq. <br /> <br />U.S. House Passes Mortgage Relief Legislation <br />Bills Now Go to Senate <br /> <br />Cities across the nation achieved a major victory on May 8 when the U.S. House of <br />Representatives passed HR 3221, The American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention <br />Act, and HR 5818. The Neighborhood Stabilization Act. Both bills would help homeowners avoid <br />foreclosure and ease the burden of vacant housing on cities and towns. <br /> <br />The National League of Cities (NLC) worked actively with House leadership to craft and advance <br />this legislation to help cities respond to the home foreclosure crisis, and strengthen and stabilize <br />the housing market <br /> <br />HR 3221 would stabilize and strengthen the declining housing market by authorizing up to $300 <br />billion in new federal mortgage loan guarantees. The guarantees would help at-risk borrowers <br />with adjustable rate mortgages keep their homes by helping them refinance into federally-insured <br />conventional mortgages. <br /> <br />HR 5815 would direct $7.5 million in federal grants and $7.5 million in federal loans to the states <br />to be used by state, county and local governments and nonprofit organizations to stabilize <br />neighborhoods distressed by rising rates of vacant housing caused by foreclosure. The House <br />also passed an amendment that would direct the grants and loans authorized under the bill to go <br />directly to local governments heavily affected by foreclosure. <br /> <br />The bills will now be heard in the Senate. Although they passed the House with strong bipartisan <br />support. with nearly 40 RepUblicans joining Democrats on the two bills, the measures did not gain <br />veto-proof majorities. As a result, the Senate may choose to scale the bills down to levels more in <br />line with President Bush, who threatened to veto the House-passed legislation. <br /> <br />A complete description of the legislation may be found in the May 12 issue of the NLC's Nation's <br />Cities Weekly, available at www.nlcorq. <br /> <br />9 <br />