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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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RNC Delegates Invited to Take “Crash Course” in Housing

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008   

St. Paul, MN – Delegates to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul have an opportunity to get the latest on the nation's housing crunch. They've been invited to a forum today featuring housing and financial officials from around the country. Conference spokesman Chip Halbach says the convention is a good way to reach policymakers.

"The housing event is to lay out for the delegates and staffs of the Congressional offices some of the priority issues facing the country."

Halbach, who is executive director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership, cites affordability as a big problem, with wages that aren't keeping up with housing costs, and mortgages that are getting more expensive and difficult to find. That's pushing people out of the market.

"Millions of people are forced to rent, but also forced to pay extremely high portions of their income for rental."

In Minnesota, about 200,000 households are in that situation. Halbach says they're paying almost half their income for housing.

Halbach adds it's also important that policymakers keep up with the latest developments in regard to what he calls the "continuing deterioration" of the nation's housing infrastructure.

"With the sustained disinvestment in public housing and other types of federally-assisted housing, there's a need to bring people attending the RNC up to speed on this."

The current top priority, according to Halbach, is the foreclosure crisis. A similar event was held last week in Denver during the Democratic National Convention. Halbach says the winning party will set the housing agenda for the next four years, and it's important that everyone understands the issues involved.



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