"This will require waiving statutory and regulatory provisions related to income certifications, minimum rent contributions, waiting list rules, initial inspection requirements and voucher payment standards, among others," he said.

Wilson also urged Congress to allow those uprooted by Katrina the opportunity to rapidly move into units financed with Low Income Housing Tax Credits without placing an undue burden on apartment owners. This can be accomplished, he suggested, by implementing consistent program waivers for all Department of Housing and Urban Development programs.

To help new construction and rehab activities swiftly advance in the long-term, Wilson called on lawmakers to provide waivers to statutory and regulatory provisions in the FHA mortgage insurance, HOME, Community Development Block Grant, Section 108 Loan Guarantee and USDA Rural Housing Service programs.

Critical to the massive repair and replacement effort is the need for large amounts of building materials. To assist builders in their reconstruction efforts, Wilson said the federal government could help ease the impact of price spikes and shortages by rescinding tariffs on key building components.

"Exorbitant duties imposed on Canadian lumber and Mexican cement, as well as new duties on Brazilian plywood, have increased the cost of housing and contributed to shortages of materials," Wilson said, adding that the recovery from the four major hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast region in 2004 is still incomplete, hampered by a lack of roofing, concrete and other vital materials.

"Requirements for wood products and cement cannot be met from domestic sources even during normal times, and materials costs and shortages will only be exacerbated by Katrina rebuilding efforts," he said. "Therefore, NAHB urges Congress to ask the U.S. Department of Commerce to lift the tariffs currently in place on lumber, cement and plywood."

Finally, NAHB urged lawmakers to take additional steps to address labor needs in the region, streamline the construction permitting process and create additional tax incentives for redevelopment and construction.