[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 44 (Thursday, April 18, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E583]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  LEGISLATION TO AMEND THE NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING LOAN PILOT PROGRAM

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                       HON. ENI F.H. FALEOMAVAEGO

                           of american samoa

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 18, 2002

  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce legislation 
which will amend the Native American Housing Loan Pilot Program by 
making spouses of qualified Native Americans, including American 
Samoans, Native Hawaiians, Native Alaskans and American Indians, 
eligible to obtain VA home loans.
  While veterans living in most of our nation have been able to obtain 
home loans guaranteed by the federal government for decades, certain 
segments of our veteran population did not obtain this benefit until 
the 1990s. Many American Samoan, Native Hawaiian, Native Alaskans and 
Native American Indian veterans who lived on native lands were not 
eligible for home loans because, among other reasons, fee simple title 
to the land could not be acquired. Without clear title to the land, 
commercial banks would not make home loans and, without commercial 
loans, the Department of Veterans Affairs could not offer assistance to 
these veterans.
  In 1992, Congress created a pilot program to address this problem. 
This program was created through Sec. 8 of P.L. 102-547 and is now 
called the Native American Housing Loan Pilot Program. The Native 
American Housing Loan Pilot Program provides VA direct housing loans to 
Native Americans who, because of where they live, are not eligible for 
the national VA home loan guarantee program. Pacific Islanders, Native 
Hawaiians, Native American Indians and Native Alaskans all benefit from 
this program.
  For nine years, this program has been a tremendous success--hundreds 
of loans have been made and the default rate is very low. However, this 
direct loan program does not solve the housing problem for veterans 
married to American Samoans, Native Hawaiians, Native Alaskans and 
Native American Indians.
  In American Samoa, for example, there are many non-Samoan veterans 
married to a Samoan spouse who are ineligible to obtain VA home loans. 
These non-Samoan veterans are surprised to find out first, that the 
national VA home loan program is not available to them, and second, 
that they are ineligible to participate in the Native American Housing 
Loan Pilot Program, which is operational in American Samoa.
  The bill I introduce today will expand the eligibility of the program 
by making spouses of qualified American Samoans, Native Hawaiians, 
Native Alaskans and Native American Indians eligible to obtain VA home 
loans.
  This would be a small adjustment to the current eligible population 
and would be made available only in those few areas in which the 
national VA home loan program has not been implemented.
  I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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