Message to Senator Voinovich

ATTN: Jan Fowler
Legislative Aide for Tax

Dear Senator Voinovich,

As a proud citizen of Ohio and an alumnae of Kappa Delta Sorority, I am writing to urge you to join 25 other Senate co-sponsors of the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009, or CHIA, S 781. CHIA will help provide modern and affordable housing with the latest fire & life safety systems for all college students and end an arbitrary distinction in tax law that harms some not-for-profit student housing. CHIA allows more not-for-profit entities to use tax-deductible charitable contributions to build, maintain or improve not-for-profit student housing. CHIA will pull the trigger on nearly $1 Billion in shovel-ready projects nationwide over the next decade – including many in our state – that will directly benefit the main street economy of contractors, roofers, plumbers, electricians, and others who will make these needed life-safety upgrades.

Collegiate enrollment is rapidly rising at a time of already severe housing shortages on campuses. Not-for-profit housing fills the gap by providing a critical source of additional, affordable housing for college students. For example, fraternity and sorority houses across the country serve more than 250,000 college students each year.

Unfortunately, the age of fraternity and sorority housing across the nation and in Ohio calls for significant capital improvements for life-saving fire-safety, technology enhancements, and comprehensive maintenance to keep the facilities sustainable for future generations of students. Individual universities are able to use their charitable contributions to build, improve, and renovate residence halls to provide safe housing for students but an arbitrary distinction in the current tax code prevents our fraternities, sororities and other not-for-profit student housing owners from using their charitable contributions to improve and renovate the buildings they own. The result is that the state this not-for-profit student housing is declining and access to affordable housing is scarce in the current economic environment because these groups lack access to the capital needed to make significant improvements.

CHIA will allow donors to inject an estimated $300 Million private dollars into the depressed construction industry nationwide as part of over $1 Billion in shovel ready projects over the next decade. Every dollar raised as a result of CHIA will serve to buy, build, and upgrade non-profit student housing. This is the work of our local plumbers, roofers, carpenters, electricians, and contractors – those that make up our local ‘main street’ economy and who have suffered the most in this economy. CHIA offers a lifeline to maintain these ‘main street’ jobs and family owned businesses through private dollars at over 4000 properties on 800 campuses nationwide – including here in our community.

Passing the Collegiate Housing and Infrastructure Act of 2009 means future generations of students will find better and safer housing on our campus. It is important that federal tax laws and federal education policy encourage private investments that will increase the safety, capacity and capabilities of collegiate housing options available to all students. For those reasons, I strongly encourage you to become a co-sponsor and work to see this bill become law in 2010.