Buying your first home is a milestone in most anyone’s life. One of the obstacles that you might face, however, is getting the money together for that all-important down payment. So let’s talk about ways to save or acquire that money.

First, though, think about how much money you will need. If you are looking at an FHA loan, then the minimum down payment required is 3 1/2 percent of the purchase price and with a conventional loan you will be required to have at least (at least!) 5 percent down.

Ways to save up for a down payment

• Roth IRA – You might be surprised to learn that you can withdraw money without penalty from your no fee Roth IRA for the purpose of financing a home if you are a first time home buyer. The restrictions are that the money has to be in the IRA account for at least 5 years previous to withdrawing it, and there is a $10,000 limit. If you don’t have a Roth IRA, well, now is always a good time to start one.
• Start a “hands off” account – This one is easy – start a savings account, preferably a high-yield one, for your down payment money. Deduct a set amount per paycheck and have it automatically deposited so you don’t ever see the money.
• Frugality – Stop going to Starbucks and sell the Escalade! Or at the very least buy coffee instead of the Venti extra shot Soy Chai Latte and downsize to a Scion XB.
• Increase your income – Although this option may take awhile to pan out, you can try the following: go for a promotion or raise, ask for overtime if you are an hourly worker, get a second job or start a side business.
• Invest – Along with starting your down payment savings account, you can also put some of your money into a Certificate of Deposit (CD). CDs have a higher interest rate than savings accounts, although you have to leave your money in for a specified time like 6 months or a year. You can also try investing in some short term stocks if you feel knowledgeable about that type of investing.
• Tax returns and gifts – If you get a tax return each year, that money can go into your down payment savings account. The same is true for cash gifts for a birthday, graduation or anniversary.

Although saving money seems difficult, if you break it up and save over time you can reach your goal. If you follow some or all these suggestions, you should be well on the way to buying your first home.

I’m going to erase this when i’m done, but I’m using it now.

The strangest thing happened today.  I was teaching my Agency and the Use of Social Media at the Arizona School of Real Estate & Business and as part of the class, I wrote this quick and dirty post to demonstrate how you can write a blog post and have it broadcast to Twitter, facebook and LinkedIn all at the same time.

I had every intention of erasing the post — as you can see above —  but while I was driving home I received a notice that this post had been indexed by google.

To be honest, I have no clue why google chose to index this page so quickly when other posts take days before they are indexed.  When I received the alert, I had not added any SEO components either on page or off page.

So, I decided to not erase it and add this explanation of why I have such a lame post on my website.

FHA Interest Rates

Many believe that there will be an increase in interest rates in 2010.  The question that most have isn’t “if”, but “when”.  A number of economists and news sources have predicted that a significant increase in FHA interest rates will happen within the next few months, while others suggest that it will not happen until the fall.

What Are Interest Rates Going To Do?

Aside from the general agreement that “they’ll probably go up”, no one seems to know for sure.  We are now into the fourth year of the housing crisis and it is hard to see an end.  In his recent news article, Trey Bowden said it best:

The questions on most homeowners’ minds are: “When will we see an end to the current housing crisis?” “How much longer will lenders remain skeptical?” “What are interest rates going to do?” “Is the housing market going to show signs of loosening up this year?” “Even with the federal tax credit, is it time to buy a new home?”

How Does The Interest Rate Affect My Loan?

Simply put, the higher the interest rate, the higher your monthly payment will be.  Therefore, the amount that you can qualify for to buy a house will be lower.

FHA considers a borrower’s income adequate for a loan if the proposed total mortgage payment does not exceed 31% of gross stable monthly income.

With that being said, consider the following example:

Assume that the average household income is about $50,000 per year (or 4,166.67 per month) and the total amount of your other debt does not affect the 31% FHA housing ratio.

To fall within traditional FHA debt-to-income guidelines (31%), your total monthly payment can not exceed $1,291.67 (4,166.67 * 31%).

For the purposes of this example (using current mortgage insurance premium requirements), we’ll say that you are putting 3.5% down and your total monthly taxes, insurance payments are $150.00.

Under these circumstances the approximate results are:

• 5.0% FHA Interest Rate = $200,000 purchase price
• 5.5% FHA Interest Rate = $190,000 purchase price
• 6.0% FHA Interest Rate = $181,000 purchase price
• 6.5% FHA Interest Rate = $171,000 purchase price

FHA Interest Rate for Today

In the top, right corner of this site you’ll find the current US average mortgage rates.
You can use this tool to see what are the current interest rates and to see what the recent interest rate trend has been.

If you are planning on buying a home in 2010, I recommend that you frequently visit the site to check on current interest rates.

FHA Mortgagee Letters

With all of the recent changes in the mortgage industry and the departure of subprime and other non-traditional mortgage products, the market share of FHA insured loans has swelled to 30% of all purchase mortgages. Politicians, advocacy groups and a sizeable percentage of the American public are afraid that Federal Housing Administration has become “the new subprime”.

HUD leaders have recently announced major initiatives to mitigate risk that include additional oversight of underwriting standards, increasing the required amount of mortgage insurance premiums and reviewing poor-performing, FHA-approved mortgage lenders.

It is important for mortgage and real estate professionals to keep abreast of the material changes to the Federal Housing Administration’s policies. To do so, I recommend that they read the HUD issued FHA Mortgagee Letters as they are released.

HUD issues FHA Mortgagee Letters to inform lenders about operations, policies, procedures, and changes. Between 1989 and 2009, they have issued an average of 42 a year. Last year, HUD issued 53. All of the Mortgagee Letters can be found on HUD’s website.

Here is a short list of some of the most recent relevant FHA Mortgagee Letters:

FHA Mortgagee Letters
10-02     Increase in Upfront Premiums for FHA Mortgage Insurance
09-53     Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA) and FHA Related Policies
09-50     2010 FHA Max Loan Limits
09-46a   Temporary Guidance for Condominium Policy
09-46b  Condominium Approval Process for Single Family Housing
09-32     Revised Streamline Refinance Transactions
09-29     Appraisal Portability
09-28     Appraiser Independence
09-19     Condominium Approval Process – Single Family Housing
09-15     Using First Time Home Buyer Credits for Downpayment
09-08    Limits on Cash-Out Refinances

Mortgagee letters are informational memos issued by HUD for clarification of new and existing HUD policies.

The goals of the Federal Housing Administration are: to improve housing standards and conditions; to provide an adequate home financing system through insurance of mortgage loans and to stabilize the mortgage market.

The FHA “Kiddie Condo” program has become a popular option for many parents with children attending college.

Many parents have a desire to help send their children to college.  Some, with the help of a financial planner, estimate the cost of future college tuition years in advance and start saving little by little.  Whether this is the case or not, all parents who would like to help send their child to college realize that student housing is potentially a substantial portion of the cost of an college education.

Right now there is good news.  Your student housing expense can be dramatically reduced through the utilization of the FHA Kiddie Condo program.  The combination of mortgage rates near an all-time low and the large supply of affordable houses has created an opportunity to own for less than it costs to rent.

The FHA “Kiddie Condo Program” is a nickname given to the FHA mortgage guideline that allows for a non-occupant co-signer to qualify for the loan. The actual occupant of the home does not have to have employment, income or assets. However, the occupant’s credit must meet FHA’s qualification standards.

The “program” became popular as a method for parents who were sending their children away to college to buy them a home (or condo) to live in as opposed to paying rent – hence the nickname “kiddie condo”. However, the occupant is not required to actually be a college student.

The benefits of the program included the fact that the home can be purchased as a primary residence for the occupant. As such, the non-occupying parent only has to invest a minimum down payment amount into the property.

Consider the following scenario:

• 2010
• Parent(s) lives in California
• Daughter or son lives in Arizona and is attending college
• Current rent for a decent 2 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment is around $800
• Home built in 2000 with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms is selling for $70,000
• FHA “Kiddie Condo” program allows the parent to buy the home with as little at 3.5% down ($2,450)
• Seller pays the majority of closing costs
• Total monthly PITI payment is less than $575 a month
• Child lives in home for 3 years. The downpayment spread over 3 years equates to $68 a month

Now consider the cost savings if the occupying child rents out the extra bedroom for $300 a month. In this scenario, they will be paying a net amount of $350 a month and own the home.

A parent should consider using the FHA “Kiddie Condo” program and taking advantage of the current FHA interest rates and low housing costs when determining how to efficiently help send their child to college.

Please contact me with questions.

Steve Lines
Authorized FHA Loan Consultant and Co-Branch Manager
480-344-3662 (direct)
480-329-3346 (mobile)
slines@bestfhalender.com (email)
www.twitter.com/stevelines
www.linkedin.com/in/stevenlines
Read my articles on the FHA Mortgage Blog

FHA Foreclosure Guidelines

Are you looking to buy a home after foreclosure and would like to know the FHA foreclosure waiting period?  FHA foreclosure guidelines render THREE a magic number.

“Three Is a Magic Number” was one of the original songs from the Schoolhouse Rock! Series that aired on Saturday mornings during the ‘70’s.
The first verse of the song says:

Three is a magic number,
Yes it is, it’s a magic number.
Somewhere in the ancient, mystic trinity
You get three as a magic number.

For the numerous US households that experienced a foreclosure in recent years and want to buy a house again, three is a magic number.

According to realtytrac.com, there were 1,285,873 properties with foreclosure filings in the United States in 2007.  The western states of California, Colorado, Arizona and Nevada all posted foreclosure rates among the nation’s top 10 in 2007, and all these states documented more than 1 percent of their households entering some stage of foreclosure during the year.

With a total of 481,392 foreclosure filings on 249,513 properties during the year, California documented the highest number of foreclosure filings and the most properties in some stage of foreclosure in 2007. The state’s 2007 foreclosure rate — 1.9 percent of its households entering some stage of foreclosure during the year — ranked fourth highest among the states.

Nevada posted the nation’s highest state foreclosure rate for 2007, with 3.4 percent of its households entering some stage of foreclosure during the year — more than three times the national average.

It can be logically assumed that the majority of these households did not move far from their foreclosed homes.  Many of them are working on maintaining or salvaging their credit history in hopes of again becoming eligible for a mortgage loan despite their foreclosure.

2007 Foreclosure Map

Why is Three A Magic Number for FHA Mortgages?

FHA guidelines state that the minimum waiting period is three years for a borrower whose house has been foreclosed or who has given a deed-in-lieu of foreclosure. This is a much shorter waiting period than that which is required by Fannie Mae (5 to 7 years).

During the three years they are waiting, it is imperative that the households re-establish credit. My recommendation – although every credit scenario is different – is that they maintain at least three open credit accounts without late payments. If any of the accounts are revolving (e.g. credit cards), the account balance should be maintained below 33% of the limit in order to maximize the account’s positive impact on the three credit scores.

FHA loans also have a low and flexible down payment requirement which helps overcome another significant barrier to entry to re-homeownership. The current minimum down payment required under FHA guidelines is 3.5% (ok, not exactly three, but close enough). Compare this to the Fannie Mae minimum requirement of 10% for a buyer with a previous foreclosure.

Finally, three is a magic number because IRS guidelines define a first-time homebuyer as any individual (and spouse if married) who has not had present ownership interest in a qualifying principal residence during the previous three-year period. As a result, a household that can use an FHA loan to buy another home three years after foreclosure can typically take advantage of first-time homebuyer programs and incentives such as the existing $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit that was recently extended to April 30, 2010.

The past and the present and the future … give you three as a magic number.

For the many households that have experienced foreclosure in recent years, FHA’s three-year post-foreclosure waiting period offer a faster route to re-homeownership.

Please contact me with questions.

Steve Lines
Authorized FHA Loan Consultant and Co-Branch Manager
480-344-3662 (direct)
480-329-3346 (mobile)
slines@bestfhalender.com (email)
www.twitter.com/stevelines
www.linkedin.com/in/stevenlines
Read my articles on the FHA Mortgage Blog

I found this guy playing the bongos over the Blind Melon version and I enjoyed it so much that I figured that would add it too.

This morning, President Barack Obama signed into law H.R. 3548 bill, The Unemployment Compensation Extension Act that includes the extension, modification and expansion of the first time home buyer tax credit.

President Obama said, “Although it will take time and it will take patience, I am confident that our economy will recover. I am confident that we’re moving in the right direction. And I promise that I won’t rest until America prospers once again.”

Over the past few months, there has been a debate as to whether or not the first time home buyer tax credit should be extended. I believe that there are valid points made people on both sides of the argument.

At this point, my thought is that regardless of whether you believe that it should have been extended or not, the fact is … it has. As such, if you are a home buyer and you are looking to buy a home in the next year, do it during the extension period and take advantage tax credit.

Lastly, do I think that the home buyer tax credit will be extended again?  We’ll have to see, but I personally think that the answer will be NO, it will not be extended.  The current political thought is that for economic stimulus to work, it must create a sense of urgency.

For those interested, here is a link to the NAR Issue Brief that summarizes the Homebuyer Tax Credit changes.

As expected, the U.S. House of Representatives decided today to extend and expand the first time homebuyer tax credit. The legislation passed with a vote of 403 to 12.

First Time Home Buyers

Now that it has passed both the Senate and the House, it will be forwarded to President Obama for his signature.

The extension to the homebuyer tax credit is part of H.R. 3548 Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009 and was added through Senate Amendment. 2722.

Yesterday I provided the actual text of the amendment as it pertains to the extension, modification and expansion of the first time home buyer tax credit while reporting on the Senate vote.

Today, Jay Thompson, a known real estate expert, provided a good summary of the details of the extended home buyer tax credit on his site. I recommend reading it.

For more detailed information on the first time home buyer tax credit click here.

The U.S. Senate late Wednesday unanimously (98-0) passed H.R. 3548: Unemployment Compensation Extension Act of 2009. This bill will extend unemployment benefits and also significantly expanding a homebuyer tax credit.  The bill is now being sent to the House and it is anticipated that it will receive a vote as early as tomorrow.  Assuming it passes, it will then be forwarded to President Obama for his signature.

The extension to the homebuyer tax credit was added to H.R. 3548 through Senate Amendment. 2722.

Below I have included the actual text of the amendment to H.R. 3548 as it pertains to the extension, modification and expansion of the first time home buyer tax credit.

SEC. 11. EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT.
(a) Extension of Application Period.–
(1) IN GENERAL.–Subsection (h) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended–
(A) by striking “December 1, 2009” and inserting “May 1, 2010”,
(B) by striking “Section.–This section” and inserting “Section.–
“(1) IN GENERAL.–This section”, and
(C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(2) EXCEPTION IN CASE OF BINDING CONTRACT.–In the case of any taxpayer who enters into a written binding contract before May 1, 2010, to close on the purchase of a principal residence before July 1, 2010, paragraph (1) shall be applied by substituting `July 1, 2010′ for `May 1, 2010′.”.
(2) WAIVER OF RECAPTURE.–
(A) IN GENERAL.–Subparagraph (D) of section 36(f)(4) of such Code is amended by striking “, and before December 1, 2009”.
(B) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.–The heading of such subparagraph (D) is amended by inserting “AND 2010” after “2009”.
(3) ELECTION TO TREAT PURCHASE IN PRIOR YEAR.–Subsection (g) of section 36 of such Code is amended to read as follows:
“(g) Election to Treat Purchase in Prior Year.–In the case of a purchase of a principal residence after December 31, 2008, a taxpayer may elect to treat such purchase as made on December 31 of the calendar year preceding such purchase for purposes of this section (other than subsections (c), (f)(4)(D), and (h)).”.
(b) Special Rule for Long-Time Residents of Same Principal Residence.–Subsection (c) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(6) EXCEPTION FOR LONG-TIME RESIDENTS OF SAME PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE.–In the case of an individual (and, if married, such individual’s spouse) who has owned and used the same residence as such individual’s principal residence for any 5-consecutive-year period during the 8-year period ending on the date of the purchase of a subsequent principal residence, such individual shall be treated as a first-time homebuyer for purposes of this section with respect to the purchase of such subsequent
residence.”.
(c) Modification of Dollar and Income Limitations.–
(1) DOLLAR LIMITATION.–Subsection (b)(1) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
“(D) SPECIAL RULE FOR LONG-TIME RESIDENTS OF SAME PRINCIPAL RESIDENCE.–In the case of a taxpayer to whom a credit under subsection (a) is allowed by reason of subsection (c)(6), subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) shall be applied by substituting `$6,500′ for `$8,000′ and `$3,250′ for `$4,000′.”.
(2) INCOME LIMITATION.–Subsection (b)(2)(A)(i)(II) of section 36 of such Code is amended by striking “$75,000 ($150,000” and inserting “$125,000 ($225,000”.
(d) Limitation on Purchase Price of Residence.–Subsection (b) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(3) LIMITATION BASED ON PURCHASE PRICE.–No credit shall be allowed under subsection (a) for the purchase of any residence if the purchase price of such residence exceeds $800,000.”.
(e) Waiver of Recapture of First-Time Homebuyer Credit for Individuals on Qualified Official Extended Duty.–Paragraph (4) of section 36(f) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
“(E) SPECIAL RULE FOR MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES, ETC.–
“(i) IN GENERAL.–In the case of the disposition of a principal residence by an individual (or a cessation referred to in paragraph (2)) after December 31, 2008, in connection with Government orders received by such individual, or such individual’s spouse, for qualified official extended duty service–
“(I) paragraph (2) and subsection (d)(2) shall not apply to such disposition (or cessation), and
“(II) if such residence was acquired before January 1, 2009, paragraph (1) shall not apply to the taxable year in which such disposition (or cessation) occurs or any subsequent taxable year.
“(ii) QUALIFIED OFFICIAL EXTENDED DUTY SERVICE.–For purposes of this section, the term `qualified official extended duty service’ means service on qualified official extended duty as–
“(I) a member of the uniformed services,
“(II) a member of the Foreign Service of the United States, or
“(III) an employee of the intelligence community.
“(iii) DEFINITIONS.–Any term used in this subparagraph which is also used in paragraph (9) of section 121(d) shall have the same meaning as when used in such paragraph.”.
(f) Extension of First-Time Homebuyer Credit for Individuals on Qualified Official Extended Duty Outside the United States.–
(1) IN GENERAL.–Subsection (h) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by subsection (a), is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(3) SPECIAL RULE FOR INDIVIDUALS ON QUALIFIED OFFICIAL EXTENDED DUTY OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES.–In the case of any individual who serves on qualified official extended duty service (as defined in section 121(d)(9)(C)(i)) outside the United States for at least 90 days during the period beginning after December 31, 2008, and ending before May 1, 2010, and, if married, such individual’s spouse–
“(A) paragraphs (1) and (2) shall each be applied by substituting `May 1, 2011′ for `May 1, 2010′, and
“(B) paragraph (2) shall be applied by substituting `July 1, 2011′ for `July 1, 2010′.”.
(g) Dependents Ineligible for Credit.–Subsection (d) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking “or” at the end of paragraph (1), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (2) and inserting “, or”, and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(3) a deduction under section 151 with respect to such taxpayer is allowable to another taxpayer for such taxable year.”.
(h) IRS Mathematical Error Authority.–Paragraph (2) of section 6213(g) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended–
(1) by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph (M),
(2) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (N) and inserting “, and”, and
(3) by inserting after subparagraph (N) the following new subparagraph:
“(O) an omission of any increase required under section 36(f) with respect to the recapture of a credit allowed under section 36.”.
(i) Coordination With First-Time Homebuyer Credit for District of Columbia.–Paragraph (4) of section 1400C(e) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking “and before December 1, 2009,”.
(j) Effective Dates.–
(1) IN GENERAL.–The amendments made by subsections (b), (c), (d), and (g) shall apply to residences purchased after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) EXTENSIONS.–The amendments made by subsections (a), (f), and (i) shall apply to residences purchased after November 30, 2009.
(3) WAIVER OF RECAPTURE.–The amendment made by subsection (e) shall apply to dispositions and cessations after December 31, 2008.
(4) MATHEMATICAL ERROR AUTHORITY.–The amendments made by subsection (h) shall apply to returns for taxable years ending on or after April 9, 2008.
SEC. 12. PROVISIONS TO ENHANCE THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER TAX CREDIT.
(a) Age Limitation.–
(1) IN GENERAL.–Subsection (b) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by this Act, is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(4) AGE LIMITATION.–No credit shall be allowed under subsection (a) with respect to the purchase of any residence unless the taxpayer has attained age 18 as of the date of such purchase. In the case of any taxpayer who is married (within the meaning of section 7703), the taxpayer shall be treated as meeting the age requirement of the preceding sentence if the taxpayer or the taxpayer’s spouse meets such age requirement.”.
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.–Subsection (g) of section 36 of such Code, as amended by this Act, is amended by inserting “(b)(4),” before “(c)”.
(b) Documentation Requirement.–Subsection (d) of section 36 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by this Act, is amended by striking “or” at the end of paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (3) and inserting “, or”, and by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
“(4) the taxpayer fails to attach to the return of tax for such taxable year a properly executed copy of the settlement statement used to complete such purchase.”.
(c) Restriction on Married Individual Acquiring Residence From Family of Spouse.–Clause (i) of section 36(c)(3)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by inserting “(or, if married, such individual’s spouse)” after “person acquiring such property”.
(d) Certain Errors With Respect to the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit Treated as Mathematical or Clerical Errors.–Paragraph (2) of section 6213(g) the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended by this Act, is amended by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph (N), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (O) and inserting “, and”, and by inserting after subparagraph (O) the following new subparagraph:
“(P) an entry on a return claiming the credit under section 36 if–
“(i) the Secretary obtains information from the person issuing the TIN of the taxpayer that indicates that the taxpayer does not meet the age requirement of section 36(b)(4),
“(ii) information provided to the Secretary by the taxpayer on an income tax return for at least one of the 2 preceding taxable years is inconsistent with eligibility for such credit, or
“(iii) the taxpayer fails to attach to the return the form described in section 36(d)(4).”.
(e) Effective Date.–
(1) IN GENERAL.–Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the amendments made by this section shall apply to purchases after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENT.–The amendments made by subsection (b) shall apply to returns for taxable years ending after the date of the enactment of this Act.
(3) TREATMENT AS MATHEMATICAL AND CLERICAL ERRORS.–The amendments made by subsection (d) shall apply to returns for taxable years ending on or after April 9, 2008.

Senate negotiators have reached a tentative deal to extend the existing first time home buyer tax credit. The current tax credit is set to expire at the end of November.

To be clear, the current 8000 first time home buyer tax credit has not yet been extended. But this current agreement is the first sign of life that has indicated that Congress potentially intends to do so.

8000 Tax Credit Extended

The agreement would extend the existing 8000 tax credit for first time home buyers and expand the credit to include current homeowners who want to move in order to give the weakened real estate market a bigger boost.

Senators have not agreed on how the tentative deal would come up for a vote, but both Democratic and Republican sources have said they are considering adding the housing credit to a bill that would extend unemployment benefits.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated she also is interested in extending the homeowner credit, but House leaders have yet to endorse any one bill.

As I reported previously, there are currently five bills that have been introduced in Congress that would extend the existing tax credit. However, none of these have moved farther than the “referred to committee” status.