------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Free $5 Love Reading Risk Free! http://us.click.yahoo.com/3PCXaC/PfREAA/Ey.GAA/tOsolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: CPPH_Info-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------ There are 2 messages in this issue. Topics in this digest: 1. House Finance Committee Recesses w/o action on HR3995 From: Grant 2. If Only... From: Grant ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 1 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 06:39:13 -0700 (PDT) From: Grant Subject: House Finance Committee Recesses w/o action on HR3995 >From Wayne Sherwood Research HOUSE FINANCE SERVICES COMMITTEE RECESSES WITHOUT FURTHER ACTION ON HR3995. This morning (Wednesday), the House Committee on Financial Services had been scheduled to continue its markup of H.R. 3995, the Housing Affordability for America Act of 2002 and H.R. 1701, the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act. The mark-up began last Thursday. At that time, after passing a package of managers amendment to the subcommittee print, the full Financial Services Committee also passed, by a vote of 33 to 28, an Amendment sponsored by Rep. Bernie Sanders (Independent VT) and two others, that would establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund, the purpose of which would be to fund the production of affordable rental housing for extremely low income households using the surplus in the FHA insurance fund. Various projections are that this surplus would be between $20 and $27 billion over the next 10 years. The Administration and Rep. Roukema (R-NJ) chair of the subcommittee, were opposed to using the FHA surplus for this purpose. The Amendment passed last Thursday largely because the Democrats turned out in large numbers and several Republicans were absent. Many expected that today the Republicans would have a full complement, would vote to reconsider the Sanders amendment, and would then defeat it. After that, there was expected to be continued discussion and possible adoption of a rental housing production program in some other form, possibly merely as an earmark in the HOME program. HOME money can already be used for rental housing production. The key feature of the Sanders amendment was to provide a dedicated and hopefully reliable source of new funding. I arrived at the Rayburn House Office Building at 7:45 AM to make sure I got into the committee hearing room, where the mark-up was scheduled to begin at 10AM. The temperature was already well above 90 outside, and people were drooping. The line became very long. A little before 10AM, a staff aide allowed some people into the room, but not all. All the audience seats were filled. Chairman Oxley (R-OH) came into the room, as did many other members of the committee, and gaveled the meeting to order. The Congressional staff stood along the walls. The audience leaned forward. There were expected to be a number of amendments offered today, including possible reconsideration of the Sanders amendment. Instead, Chairman Oxley announced that Rep. Roukema had to return to New Jersey due to illness and regrets that she can't be here today. He than announced that the mark-up was being recessed to consider HR3995 at some indefinite future time, and that the committee would reconvene at 1PM this afternoon to consider HR1701 only. Then he gaveled the meeting to a close, leaving most of the people in the room in stunned silence. One person quickly explained: "The Republicans didn't have the votes to reconsider the Sanders Amendment. The mark-up of 3995 will now probably be postponed until after the July 4 recess." Sanders and the Democrats on the Committee invited people to stay for an informal discussion. Most did. Rep. Sanders (Independent- VT) said that he doesn't think the Republicans have the votes to reconsider his amendment in this committee. He praised the grass-roots lobbying campaign that people have been carrying out, and all the work that people have done, saying that these efforts were the principal reason for what happened today. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) also made a statement. He said your lobbying has been very helpful. Keep doing what you're doing. If they hear from the citizens, they can't ignore that. It proves that it's not just the well-heeled that can exert influence in Congress, and that's a very good sign. An active, engaged, grass roots effort can succeed. Urges people to keep working to keep some version of a low income rental housing production program in this bill. We now have two more weeks to work on this before further committee action. Keep working at the local level during this period, and have people contact their Members. We have a better chance of success now. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) also made a statement. She said that this is a very unusual moment. The lesson is that no matter how difficult things may appear, if you work hard you can succeed. Rep. Mel Watt (D-NC) also made a statement. He praised Barney Frank and Bernie Sanders and all of you in the room today. Keep the pressure on, over the next two weeks, and not just on the people on this Committee, but on all the US Representatives. If the bill moves out of Committee, and goes to the floor of the House, there is expected to be a major debate there, and so all of the Members could be involved at that point. Contact everyone. Keep up the good work. By your efforts can you can change the tone of this whole debate. Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) also made a statement. Thanks to Bernie Sanders for being persistent and for having a strategy, and to all of you. Thanks to you for giving us a glimmer of hope in this place. You are making democracy work. The key thing is to get some kind of housing production program. Housing should be a basic human right. Sheila Crowley, Pres. of the National Low-Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), said "It's extraordinarily wonderful what has happened here today." She praised the members of the committee and their staff, and expressed thanks and appreciation. We want to continue to work with you, including further negotiations as this bill moves forward. Rep. Sanders concluded the discussion by saying: Go out to the country during the two-week break and carry this message to the country and build more support. It was clear that many in the room think that this could turn into a major domestic policy debate this summer, with implications for the fall elections. As housing surfaces as an increasingly important national issue, some said, Republicans may become more wary about being seen as publicly opposing efforts to address this critical national issue. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 27 Jun 2002 11:58:08 -0700 (PDT) From: Grant Subject: If Only... Public Housing ‘One Strike Eviction’ policy sends Pres. Bush packing Supreme Court forgot that the White House was public housing WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a startling display of Keystone government power, a Supreme Court decision resulted in the eviction of President George W. Bush from the White House May 20. U.S. Marshals, Secret Service agents, United Nations Secretary Kofi Annan, and workers from the "Tuff Riders" moving company staged a stand off on the White House lawn for several hours. "Why are you bothering me?" said a somewhat unaware President Bush as the incident began early Monday morning. "It was my brother's daughter with the drugs; not mine. So what if she just left the White House. I'm the president of America's United Countries…ugh States. And that now includes Texas." It all began when, on March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal public housing "one strike and you're out" eviction policy. Under this policy, public housing authorities can evict an innocent family member of people who use drugs, regardless of whether the tenant knew or not. Apparently, the Supreme Court forgot that the White House was public housing. And with two adolescent drinkers, an addicted niece and tons of "recovered" friends it was only a matter of time before Pres. Bush and his family was sent packing, said critics. Though still president, political analysts believe this recent turn of events will weaken George W's presidency considerably for the duration of his term. "How ironic that in the end, it was not Florida voting ballots found in Kathleen Harris' make up kit, Enron, Bin Laden, a pretzel or an inadvertent syllable stuck in his throat, but an unconstitutional public housing policy upheld by Supreme Court justices, one which is made of chocolate," said Calvin Storm of Political Action. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/