Collegiate Housing & Infrastructure Bill

The easy way to generate a letter/email to your representative is at this website:www.fraternalcaucus.org Then click on the “register” button on the left side.

Chapter houses seem to have an insatiable need for renovation. As the houses age and are subjected to “accelerated depreciation” by the residents, house corporations are challenged to keep the housing safe and competitive with other forms of university housing. Universities have long had the advantage of being able to use tax deductible contributions to maintain their property.

The Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act (HR 1547/S 781) would level the playing field by allowing non-university owned not-for- profit student housing, like fraternities and sororities, to enjoy the benefit of tax deductible donations. The effects of this bill will improve the housing capacity and life-safety challenges that currently face much of the college student housing market nationally.

This bill would permit house corporations to receive grants of tax- deductible contributions made to recognized foundations to use for fire and life safety renovations as well as structural and cosmetic reconstruction plus maintenance and operations without being subject to the “educational purpose test” as required under current law.

Sigma Chi has joined in a cooperative effort to lobby passage of this badly needed legislation. For more on this coalition and the good work it does, see Capital Fraternal Caucus www.fraternalcaucus.org. Please consider registering on the site (Sigma Chi will get recognition for this).

To help promote passage of this bill, the Grand Trustees strongly urge every Sigma Chi house corporation member as well as their family and friends to send messages of support to your elected federal representatives: The Capital Fraternal Caucus website makes this easy. Sigma Chi will get points for each message sent. Grand Trustee Chairman Bruce Morgan Casner is the Chairman of Sigma Chi’s Governmental Affairs Committee and sits on the Capital Fraternal Caucus Executive Committee as well. He assures us that these kinds of communications do make a difference.

Do it now!!

The easy way to generate a letter/email to your representative is at this website:www.fraternalcaucus.org Then click on the “register” button on the left side.

5 thoughts on “Collegiate Housing & Infrastructure Bill

  1. Bruce Morgan Casner

    Brothers–

    Thanks for picking this item up from The SigHouse and distributing it!

    All best & IN HOC,

    –Bruce

    Bruce Morgan Casner E ’71
    Chairman,
    Board of Grand Trustees
    Sigma Chi Fraternity
    1332 Independence Avenue SE
    Washington DC 20003
    (202)543-4600
    sigmachi@casner.com

  2. Bill Palmer

    NOTICE:
    The link provided in the article takes you to a letter writing campaign for the WRONG BILL! (Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2007 – S. 638 – and not Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009 (H.R. 1547/S.781)

    The Correct way to support the bill is to go to the http://www.fraternalcaucus.org website, click on REGISTER, in the left hand menu, and follow the prompts to write your representatives on the bill. They have an already scripted letter (so you don’ t have to write your own, and it’s quick and easy), but you can add your own comments too, if you prefer.

    1. Seth Downs Post author

      Funny they have Ted Stevens as a Senator for Alaska. Also of note – after you fill out the form it tells you how many from your chapter have filled out the petition – we have 2 as of today. Brothers this bill would be a HUGE help for the future of our chapter. Please make the 5 minute investment in our chapter and fill it out.

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