[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 61 (Tuesday, April 17, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H3434-H3435]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TREATING CERTAIN COMMUNITIES AS METROPOLITAN CITIES FOR PURPOSES OF 
               COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the 
rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1515) to amend the Housing and Community 
Development Act of 1974 to treat certain communities as metropolitan 
cities for purposes of the community development block grant program.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1515

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

     SECTION 1. METROPOLITAN CITIES.

       Paragraph (4) of section 102(a) of the Housing and 
     Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302) is amended 
     by adding at the end the following new sentence: 
     ``Notwithstanding any other provision of this paragraph, with 
     respect to any fiscal year beginning after the date of the 
     enactment of this sentence, the cities of Alton and Granite 
     City, Illinois, shall be considered metropolitan cities for 
     purposes of this title.''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) and the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Shimkus) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Massachusetts.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time 
as I may consume.
  Madam Speaker, this is a bipartisan bill that passed our committee 
unanimously. It addresses a series of glitches which have resulted in 
the communities of Alton and Granite City, Illinois, losing their 
status as entitlement communities under the community development block 
grant program.
  These are both cities that have done a very good job of using these 
funds. There is no reason why they should not continue to be allowed to 
enjoy this. The events which led to this having happened are 
complicated, and even more relevant, quite boring, so it does not seem 
to me that the House would much care about them.
  The relevant point is that there is a unanimous view on the part of 
our committee, and this has been urged on us by the gentlemen from 
Illinois, Mr. Shimkus and Mr. Costello, that we

[[Page H3435]]

should restore Alton and Granite City to their rightful places as 
entitlement cities, and I hope the House will do that.
  I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of this resolution that would 
restore the entitlement status to Alton and Granite City for 
consideration in the community development block grant program.
  I want to thank my colleague and friend, Congressman Costello, who 
will be following me, for his leadership on this. This is a snafu that 
happens in government, and we are glad to come together, united, to 
attempt to fix this.
  The bottom line geographical issues are that I am from Collinsville, 
Illinois, in Madison County. I represent half that county. Granite City 
and Alton are actually in Madison County. Congressman Costello 
represents those communities ably and well. So we come together to try 
to fix this.
  I want to thank the chairman of the committee, who heard our concerns 
and moved this expeditiously, along with the ranking member, Mr. 
Bachus, and my good friend, Judy Biggert, who helped in the process.
  We look forward to a time when Alton and Granite City can get 
involved in the process and make applications through the CDBG for the 
needed infrastructure developments that are available through that 
Federal program.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he 
may consume to the prime author of this bill, who is a very vigorous 
advocate for one of the communities he represents, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Costello).
  Mr. COSTELLO. Madam Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Financial 
Services Committee not only for yielding time to me, but for handling 
this bill in a very quick fashion and getting it to the floor today.
  I think everything that needs to be said about this legislation has 
been said by the chairman and my colleague from Collinsville, Illinois.
  I urge passage of this legislation.
  H.R. 1515 would allow the cities of Alton and Granite City in 
Illinois to maintain principal city designation for entitlement 
purposes under the Community Development Block Grant program.
  Alton and Granite City have been a part of the Madison County CDBG 
program since its inception in 1975 for purposes of receiving grants as 
entitlement communities under the CDBG program.
  In 1999, Alton and Granite City deferred their entitlement status so 
Madison County would not lose entitlement status as a county.
  This agreement proved to be satisfactory until the OMB changed 
definitions. OMB no longer recognizes the ``central city'' status. The 
new ``principal city'' designation requires a minimum population of 
50,000, which neither community meets.
  As a result, both communities lost entitlement status for purposes of 
the CDBG program, while all other ``central city'' communities were 
grandfathered into the program.
  HUD has determined that Alton & Grantie City are the only communities 
to have lost CDBG entitlement status in the Nation as a result of the 
recent OMB changes in how counties are defined.
  As a result, Granite City and Alton are no longer part of an 
entitlement community.
  At no time did the cities or the county believe that, by deferring 
their status in previous years, they would be jeopardizing future 
funding.
  Madam Speaker, I again thank Chairman Barney Frank, Ranking Member 
Bachus, and Congressman Shimkus, for working together in a bipartisan 
manner to address this unique situation.
  Other information:
  Both communities are older industrial cities that have suffered from 
job losses and have higher than local, State and national unemployment 
levels. Both have had large employers, including steel mills in both 
cities, close. Both have an older housing stock and lower income 
residents. Additionally, both have a disproportionate share of public 
housing, in comparison to the balance of the region.
  Alton population: 30,500; Granite City population: 31, 301.
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance 
of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) that the House suspend the 
rules and pass the bill, H.R. 1515.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

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