Extensions of Remarks E237 EXTENSIONS of REMARKS
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February 26, 1998 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks E237 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS AFFORDABLE HOUSING hearings, we learned that most of the build- reducing the national debt and ensuring the IMPROVEMENT ACT ingsÐan estimated 73 percentÐplaced in long-term solvency of the Social Security sys- service between 1992 and 1994 were newly tem. HON. NANCY L. JOHNSON constructed; the rest were existing and reha- After decades of deficit spending, Congress OF CONNECTICUT bilitated buildings. Many older neighborhoods and the Administration have taken the difficult steps necessary to eliminate the budget deficit IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES have extensive stocks of housing that could be rehabilitated and converted to low-income and restore overdue fiscal responsibility to the Thursday, February 26, 1998 rental use or improved for continued low-in- federal government. From an all-time high of Mrs. JOHNSON of Connecticut. Mr. Speak- come rental use. However, these projects are $290 billion just six years ago, the unified er, today the gentleman from Washington [Mr. often more expensive and more difficult to de- budget deficit is projected to be eliminated as METCALF] and I are introducing the Affordable velop. The bill would create a preference for soon as this year, with some forecasters now Housing Improvement Act, a measure that projects which contribute to ``a concerted com- predicting a growing surplus in the unified would: Increase the cap on the low-income munity revitalization plan,'' and it would require budget. housing tax credit, which has not been ad- States to include ``whether the project includes Despite this good news, we must put these justed for inflation since it was originally en- the use of existing housing as a part of a com- near-term projections in the broader context of acted in 1986; index the cap for inflation; im- munity revitalization plan'' in the selection cri- the long-term budget outlook and remember plement several administrative reforms rec- teria. that those decades of deficit spending have ommended by the U.S. General Accounting The measure would allow combining the saddled the federal government with a pub- Office and the Ways and Means Subcommit- housing credit with HOME funds in high cost licly-held debt of nearly $3.8 trillion. This year, tee on Oversight; allow the use of the credit areas, and it would allow the use of the credit the interest payments alone on the debt will for developing community service areas for for community service areas for programs account for 14% of all federal spending or programs such as child care, Head Start, and such as child care, Head Start, and job train- roughly 244 billion taxpayer dollars. These are job training, designed to serve individuals in ing. dollars which could have been used much the community who may not live in the credit- We also learned of several opportunities to more wisely, and unless Congress preserves financed housing but who meet the income re- improve the administration of the credit and the projected surpluses, this debt is the legacy quirements of the housing credit program; and they are included in this bill. The bill would: re- we are poised to leave to our children and encourage the use of the credit to revitalize quire the submission of a timely and com- grandchildren. existing communities. prehensive market study to the allocating Congress must take advantage of the cur- Last year, the Oversight Subcommittee held agency for a proposed development, prepared rent economic growth and positive budget out- two hearings on the administration of the low- by a neutral party commissioned by the devel- look to reduce this debt burden and address income housing tax credit program. We oper and approved by the allocating agency; the solvency of critical programs such as So- learned that: require that a written explanation be available cial Security. Reduced government borrowing The need for low income housing is greater to the general public for any allocation of cred- will increase economic growth, raise future than ever. Census data showed an unmet de- its which is not made in accordance with es- standards of living, encourage greater saving mand for affordable housing of more than 5 tablished priorities and collection criteria; re- and investment, and help prepare our nation million units in 1996. The Census Bureau quire allocating agencies to include in their for the retirement of the baby-boom genera- projects that this number will climb to 8 million qualified allocation plans requirements for reg- tion. units by the year 2000. ular site visits and enforcement of habitability Certainly, we will have debates over addi- The program provides better housing than requirements; require that State agency fees tional spending and targeted tax relief, but I traditional public housing programs because be limited to no more than the costs incurred believe these discussions should be within the private investors have a stake in making sure by an allocating agency in administering the framework established by last year's historic the structures are well-built and maintainedÐ tax credit program; and provide that States bipartisan budget agreement. Furthermore, I a condition of receiving the credit. that over-allocate their share of credits will ex- believe the economic benefits of debt retire- Investor demand for the credit has in- perience a reduction in the following year's tax ment far outweigh the short term impact of creased since its enactment in 1986. This credits. spending increases or tax cuts and therefore greater demand has stimulated more competi- Mr. Speaker, the Clinton administration has should be our first priority as we begin to craft tion, resulting in an increase in private equity proposed increasing the per capita cap, and this year's budget. The resolution I introduce today states sim- raised per credit dollar. Nationwide, developer the gentleman from Nevada [Mr. ENSIGN] has demand for housing credits now exceeds sup- introduced a bill to increase the per capital ply that during this year's budget process, ply by more than 200 percent. This means cap and index it for inflation as well. I support Congress should focus on reducing the pub- States have a wider variety of proposals from their efforts. But we must improve the credit. licly held debt, addressing the solvency of the which to choose. I would encourage my colleagues to join the Social Security system, and maintaining the Mr. Speaker, this is a good program. It en- gentleman from Washington and me in spon- fiscal discipline which put us on the path to a joys strong support on both sides of the aisle. soring the Affordable Housing Improvement balanced budget. Now is not the time to let It combines good public policy with private Act of 1998. spending fever grip Congress and I urge all of my colleagues to support this common sense sector innovation and efficiency. But it can be f improved. initiative. In our hearings, we learned that 43 percent INTRODUCTION OF A RESOLUTION f URGING CONTINUED FISCAL DIS- of the households in properties placed in serv- PERSONAL EXPLANATION ice between 1992 and 1994 were one-person CIPLINE households and 24 percent were two-person HON. BILL REDMOND households. Only one-third of the units were HON. JIM DAVIS OF NEW MEXICO occupied by three or more people. To encour- OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES age the States to allocate credits for develop- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ments for families with children, the bill will re- Thursday, February 26, 1998 quire allocating agencies to include ``tenant Thursday, February 26, 1998 Mr. REDMOND. Mr. Speaker, I ask unani- populations of individuals with children'' in cri- Mr. DAVIS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, today I mous consent to insert into the RECORD imme- teria they use in allocating credits. introduce a resolution calling on Congress to diately after Roll Call Vote number 19 that I The bill would also encourage the use of the maintain fiscal discipline during this year's would have voted in the negative on this credit to revitalize existing communities. In our budget process and to focus our attention on amendment. I was unavoidably detained. · This ``bullet'' symbol identifies statements or insertions which are not spoken by a Member of the Senate on the floor. Matter set in this typeface indicates words inserted or appended, rather than spoken, by a Member of the House on the floor. E238 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD Ð Extensions of Remarks February 26, 1998 A TRIBUTE TO R. GRAYDON were the ``aspirations of the Islamic Revolu- Last year I sought a General Accounting Of- BRIGGS OF GRAND LEDGE, tion.'' In this regard President Khatami indi- fice (GAO) study to determine exactly the MICHIGAN cated that the Iranian and American people amount needed to preserve these treasures. cherished similar ideals. The Congressional Black Caucus requested HON. NICK SMITH Despite these hopeful statements, however, the GAO to conduct this survey, and after a OF MICHIGAN the members of the Baha'i faith in Iran still are year long undertaking, this comprehensive re- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES subject to systematic persecution aimed at the port was given to me on February 6th. destruction of this community in its own home- Every HBCU responded to the GAO survey. Thursday, February 26, 1998 land. Although the number of executions of The report documents 712 historic properties Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I rise members of the Baha'i faith are down from the owned by these institutions, and projects a today to pay tribute to R. Graydon Briggs of level of killing that occurred during the earlier cost of $755 million to renovate and preserve Grand Ledge, Michigan for his outstanding phases of the Iranian revolutionÐtwo were these sites.