{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=56376e76-8882-4112-88a4-784a84d6b4fa", "Heitkamp Hosts Housing Summit with Fargo Community Leaders", "2013-08-16", "2013", "2013-08", "Democrat", "House", "ND", "Heidi Heitkamp", "H001069", "www.heitkamp.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FARGO, N.D. \u2013 U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today hosted a housing summit with Fargo community leaders to talk about the housing issues in North Dakota and seek solutions to address them.\u00a0 Heitkamp also discussed bipartisan legislation she helped introduce in the Senate to help reform the nation\u2019s housing finance system, which would support affordable homeownership in North Dakota while protecting American taxpayers.\r\nThe housing summit follows a series of discussions Heitkamp held throughout North Dakota in March to address the state\u2019s housing crisis -- one of her top priorities.\u00a0 As a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development, Heitkamp is in a unique position to fight for more quality, affordable housing options.\r\n\u201cNorth Dakota families shouldn\u2019t have to choose between putting a roof over their head or feeding their kids.\u00a0 But as the lack of reasonably priced housing options has dwindled, too many families have been forced to make that kind of terrible decision,\u201d said Heitkamp.\u00a0 \u201cToday, I brought together area leaders to talk about how we can address this challenge head on.\u00a0 Last March, I held housing discussions across the state and took North Dakotans\u2019 thoughts and ideas back to Washington.\u00a0 I plan to do the same after today\u2019s summit and will keep fighting for a solution.\r\n\u201cIn order to fully address this housing crisis, we also need to fix our broken housing finance system \u2013 which is why I helped write bipartisan legislation to do just that.\u00a0 In order to build a strong housing finance system nationally, we need one that works for everyone -- including rural communities.\u00a0 That\u2019s what this bill would accomplish.\u201d\r\nThe housing summit brought together representatives from local housing authorities, community organizations, city offices, real estate agencies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, among others.\u00a0 They joined for a variety of panel discussions, including overviews of the housing issues North Dakota faces; issue updates on affordability, infrastructure, and financing; and a comprehensive look at what actions need to be taken moving forward.\u00a0 Heitkamp hosted another housing summit in Mandan on August 15.\r\nNorth Dakota faces a housing crisis because of the state\u2019s economic boom.\u00a0 It\u2019s estimated that by 2025, North Dakota will need 30 percent more housing units.\r\nBackground:\r\nHeitkamp\u2019s Efforts to Improve North Dakota\u2019s Housing\r\n \r\nReforming the Country\u2019s Housing Finance System. \u00a0In June, Heitkamp helped introduce strong, comprehensive legislation to reform America\u2019s broken housing finance system. With a bipartisan group of Senators, Heitkamp crafted a bill to protect taxpayers from future economic downturns while responsibly preserving the availability of the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage for homebuyers.\u00a0 She specifically drafted provisions in the bill to make sure rural communities, like many in North Dakota, receive the resources they deserve, and guarantee that community banks and credit unions have access to the secondary housing market so they can compete and provide long-term mortgages to homebuyers.\r\n \r\n \r\nFighting for More Affordable, Quality Housing Throughout North Dakota.\u00a0 Heitkamp worked with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to see that new Fair Market Rents \u2013 to help reduce housing costs for low-income households \u2013 were increased to appropriate levels for oil-impacted areas of North Dakota where rents have quickly soared and families need assistance to afford housing. Heitkamp is continuing to have HUD look into this issue so that more North Dakota families could benefit from increased assistance in high-cost areas. \r\n \r\n \r\nRaising Awareness About North Dakota\u2019s Unique Housing Needs.\u00a0 In March, Heitkamp held meetings in Bismarck, Minot, Williston, Valley City, Dickinson, and Fargo with state, local, and federal officials to hear about their housing situations and discuss ideas to address the unique housing issues across the state.\r\n \r\n\u00a0###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.heitkamp.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ContentRecord_id=56376e76-8882-4112-88a4-784a84d6b4fa"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7360703311860561, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}