The U.S. Senate passed two bills last evening previously passed by the House. Both bills still need President Obama's signature to become law, but that's expected to happen quickly.

The Senate passed HR 5623, which extends the mandatory closing date to qualify for the homebuyer tax credit. The contract deadline does not change - homebuyers must have a contract signed by April 30, 2010 (an exception for active duty military) - but the previous closing deadline of June 30, 2010, has been extended to Sept. 30, 2010. The National Association of Realtors estimates that the approved bill will  benefit more than 14,000 deals in Florida.

Congress once again reauthorized a short-term extension for the National Flood Insurance Program to Sept. 30, 2010. The bill, HR 5569, makes the program retroactive to May 31, 2010, the date the program went on hiatus.