[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 114 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S10419]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. THOMPSON (for himself and Mr. Lieberman):
  S. 1516. A bill to amend title III of the Stewart B. McKinney 
Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11331 et seq.) to reauthorize the 
Federal Emergency Management Food and Shelter Program, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Governmental Affairs.


   LEGISLATION TO RE-AUTHORIZE THE EMERGENCY FOOD AND SHELTER PROGRAM

  Mr. LIEBERMAN. Mr. President, I am proud to join Chairman Thompson in 
introducing a bill that will re-authorize a small but highly effective 
program, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, or EFS for short. The 
EFS program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, supplements community efforts to meet the needs of the homeless 
and hungry in all fifty states. I am pleased that my friend, Chairman 
Thompson, is sponsoring this legislation. Our Committee on Governmental 
Affairs has jurisdiction over the EFS program, and it is my hope that 
together we can generate even more bipartisan support for a program 
that makes a real difference with its tiny budget. The EFS program is a 
great help not only to the Nation's homeless population but also to 
working people who are trying to feed and shelter their families at 
entry-level wages. Services supplemented by the EFS funding, such as 
food banks and emergency rent/utility assistance programs, are 
especially helpful to families with big responsibilities but small 
paychecks.
  One of the things that distinguishes the EFS program is the extent to 
which it relies on non-profit organizations. Local boards in counties, 
parishes, and municipalities across the country advertise the 
availability of funds, decide on non-profit and local government 
agencies to be funded, and monitor the recipient agencies. The local 
boards, like the program's National Board, are made up of charitable 
organizations including the National Council of Churches, the United 
Jewish Communities, Catholic Charities, USA, the Salvation Army, and 
the American Red Cross. By relying on community participation, the 
program keeps administrative overhead to an unusually low amount, less 
than 3%.
  The EFS program has operated without authorization since 1994 but has 
been sustained by annual appropriations. The proposed bill will re-
authorize the program for the next three years. It will also authorize 
modest funding increases over the amounts appropriated in recent years. 
From 1990 the EFS program was funded at approximately $130 million 
annually, but that number was cut back by appropriators in fiscal year 
1996 and has held steady at $100 million since then. Creeping inflation 
has taken an additional bite: $130 million in 1990 dollars is 
equivalent to $165.6 million today. The draft legislation will 
authorize increases to $125 million in the coming fiscal year and an 
additional five million dollars each of the following two years. 
Although the increases will not bring the program's funding up to its 
previous levels, they will provide additional aid to community-based 
organizations struggling to meet the needs of the homeless and working 
poor in an era of steep budget cuts.
  In summary, Mr. President, FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program 
is a highly efficient example of the government relying on the 
country's non-profit organizations to help people in innovative ways. 
The EFS program aids the homeless and the hungry in a majority of the 
nation's counties and in all fifty states, and I ask my colleagues to 
support this program and our re-authorizing legislation.
  Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be 
printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the bill war order to be printed in the 
Record, as follows:

                                S. 1516

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       Section 322 of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 11352) is amended to read as follows:

     ``SEC. 322. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       ``There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this 
     title $125,000,000 for fiscal year 2000, $130,000,000 for 
     fiscal year 2001, and $135,000,000 for fiscal year 2002.''.

     SEC. 2. NAME CHANGE TO NOMINATING ORGANIZATION.

       Section 301(b) of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11331(b)) is amended by striking 
     paragraph (5) and inserting the following:
       ``(5) United Jewish Communities.''.

     SEC. 3. PARTICIPATION OF HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS ON LOCAL 
                   BOARDS.

       Section 316(a) of the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless 
     Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 11346(a)) is amended by striking 
     paragraph (6) and inserting the following:
       ``(6) guidelines requiring each local board to include in 
     their membership not less than 1 homeless individual, former 
     homeless individual, homeless advocate, or recipient of food 
     or shelter services, except that such guidelines may waive 
     such requirement for any board unable to meet such 
     requirement if the board otherwise consults with homeless 
     individuals, former homeless individuals, homeless advocates, 
     or recipients of food or shelter services.''.
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