[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 100 (Wednesday, July 27, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: July 27, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
             HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 1994

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                               speech of

                           HON. DOUG BEREUTER

                              of nebraska

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 22, 1994

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 3838) to 
     amend and extend certain laws relating to housing and 
     community development, and for other purposes:

  Mr. BEREUTER. Mr. Chairman, this Member wants to re-state his 
strenuous opposition to a provision included in H.R. 3838 regarding the 
makeup of Public Housing Authority boards.
  This measure requires 25 percent Public Housing Authority board 
representation by tenants. While the en bloc leadership amendment 
clarified that this requirement does not apply when the county board of 
supervisors is acting as the Board of Commissioners for the PHA, this 
Member still believes the requirement is an unwarranted intrustion by 
the Federal Government into local decision making.
  Nearly all the housing authorities in this Member's district are 
municipal housing authorities, not county housing authorities. 
Therefore the en bloc amendment does nothing to relieve them of this 
inappropriate Federal mandate.
  The make up of local boards and agencies is a matter best left at the 
local level. Government should be from the bottom up, not the top down. 
This provision flies in the face of the American tradition of leaving 
local decisions at the local level. This Member opposes it and hopes to 
see it removed from any conference report agreed to by the House and 
Senate.

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