[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 147 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. RES. 147

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the House of 
Representatives should participate in and support activities to provide 
    decent homes for the people of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 13, 1997

 Mr. Lewis of California (for himself, Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Gephardt, Mr. 
 Stokes, Mr. Lazio of New York, Mr. Kennedy of Massachusetts, and Ms. 
 Norton) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Banking and Financial Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the House of 
Representatives should participate in and support activities to provide 
    decent homes for the people of the United States, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas the United States promotes and encourages the creation and 
        revitalization of sustainable and strong neighborhoods in partnership 
        with States, cities, and local communities and in conjunction with the 
        independent and collective actions of private citizens and 
        organizations;
Whereas establishing a housing infrastructure strengthens neighborhoods and 
        local economies and nurtures the families who reside in them;
Whereas an integral element of a strong community is a sufficient supply of 
        affordable housing;
Whereas such housing can be provided in traditional and nontraditional forms, 
        including apartment buildings, transitional and temporary homes, 
        condominiums, cooperatives, and single family homes;
Whereas for many families a home is not merely shelter, but also provides an 
        opportunity for growth, prosperity, and security;
Whereas homeownership is a cornerstone of the national economy because it spurs 
        the production and sale of goods and services, generates new jobs, 
        encourages savings and investment, promotes economic and civic 
        responsibility, and enhances the financial security of all people in the 
        United States;
Whereas the United States is the first country in the world to make owning a 
        home a reality for a vast majority of its families; however, more than 
        one-third of the families in the United States are not homeowners;
Whereas a disproportionate percentage of non-homeowning families in the United 
        States are low-income families;
Whereas the National Partners in Homeownership, a public-private partnership 
        comprised of 63 national organizations under the leadership of the 
        Department of Housing and Urban Development, has established a goal of 
        reaching an all-time high homeownership level in the United States by 
        the end of the 20th century;
Whereas there are many other nonprofit and for-profit organizations that, in 
        partnership with the Federal Government and local governments, strive to 
        make the American dream of homeownership a reality for low-income 
        families;
Whereas national organizations such as the Fannie Mae Foundation, Freddie Mac, 
        the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, the Enterprise Foundation, 
        the Housing Assistance Council, and the Neighborhood Reinvestment 
        Corporation, in conjunction with local organizations, have developed 
        thousands of homes each year for low-income families and have, in the 
        process, reduced urban decay and blight and fostered business activity;
Whereas the community building activities of neighborhood-based nonprofit 
        organizations empower individuals to improve their lives and make 
        communities safer and healthier for families;
Whereas one of the best known nonprofit housing organizations is Habitat for 
        Humanity, which builds simple but adequate housing for less fortunate 
        families and symbolizes the self-help approach to homeownership;
Whereas Habitat for Humanity provides opportunities for people from every 
        segment of society to volunteer to help make the American dream a 
        reality for families who otherwise would not own a home; and
Whereas the second week of June 1997 is National Homeownership Week: Now, 
        therefore, be it
    Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives 
that--
            (1) everyone in the United States should have a decent home 
        in which to live;
            (2) the Members of the House of Representatives should 
        demonstrate the importance of volunteerism;
            (3) the Members of the House of Representatives and Habitat 
        for Humanity, with support from the National Partners in 
        Homeownership, should sponsor and construct, commencing on June 
        5, 1997, two homes in the Anacostia neighborhood of the 
        District of Columbia, each to be known as a ``House That 
        Congress Built'';
            (4) each ``House That Congress Built'' should be 
        constructed primarily by Members of the House of 
        Representatives and their families and staffs, involving and 
        symbolizing the partnership of the public, private, and 
        nonprofit sectors of society;
            (5) each ``House That Congress Built'' should be 
        constructed with the participation of the family that will own 
        the home;
            (6) upon completion and initial occupancy of the homes in 
        the fall of 1997, the Members of the House of Representatives, 
        their families and staffs, and local and national leaders from 
        the public and private nonprofit sectors of society should 
        participate, together with each family that will own a ``House 
        That Congress Built'', in an event to celebrate the occasion;
            (7) in the future, the Members of the House of 
        Representatives and their families and staff should participate 
        in similar house building activities of Habitat for Humanity in 
        their own districts as part of National Homeownership Week; and
            (8) these occasions should be used to emphasize and focus 
        on the importance of providing decent homes for all of the 
        people in the United States.
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