[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 113 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7789-H7793]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCIL AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2007

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 1980) to authorize appropriations for the Housing Assistance 
Council.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                               H.R. 1980

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

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Housing Assistance Council 
     Authorization Act of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE TO HOUSING ASSISTANCE COUNCIL.

       (a) Use.--The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 
     may provide financial assistance to the Housing Assistance 
     Council for use by such Council to develop the ability and 
     capacity of community-based housing development organizations 
     to undertake community development and affordable housing 
     projects and programs in rural areas. Assistance provided by 
     the Secretary under this section may be used by the Housing 
     Assistance Council for--
       (1) technical assistance, training, support, and advice to 
     develop the business and administrative capabilities of rural 
     community-based housing development organizations;
       (2) loans, grants, or other financial assistance to rural 
     community-based housing development organizations to carry 
     out community development and affordable housing activities 
     for low- and moderate-income families; and
       (3) such other activities as may be determined by the 
     Housing Assistance Council.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized 
     to be appropriated for financial assistance under this 
     section for the Housing Assistance Council--
       (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; and
       (2) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2009, 2010, 2011, 
     2012, 2013, and 2014.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) and the gentleman from New Mexico (Mr. Pearce) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.

[[Page H7790]]

                              {time}  1415


                             General Leave

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks on this legislation and to insert extraneous material thereon.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1980, the Housing Assistance 
Council Authorization Act of 2007.
  I introduced H.R. 1980 earlier this year. It was referred to the 
Committee on Financial Services. Chairwoman Waters held a hearing on it 
in her Housing Subcommittee, and the committee reported it favorably to 
the floor to the point where we are today.
  At this point I will enter into the Record a letter from 266 
organizations in support of the Housing Assistance Council, also known 
as HAC.

                                                   April 16, 2007.
     Hon. David R. Obey,
     Chairman, House Appropriations Committee, Washington, DC.
     Hon. John W. Olver,
     Chairman, Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD, and Related 
         Agencies, House Appropriations Committee, Washington, DC.
     Hon. Jerry Lewis,
     Ranking Member, House Appropriations Committee, Washington, 
         DC.
     Hon. Joe Knollenberg,
     Ranking Member, Subcommittee on Transportation, HUD, and 
         Related Agencies, House Appropriations Committee, 
         Washington, DC.
       Dear Representatives: We urge you to support congressional 
     funding for the Housing Assistance Council (HAC), a national 
     nonprofit intermediary organization, which has been committed 
     for more than 35 years to supporting the development of 
     affordable housing in the nation's most rural and underserved 
     places. HAC has an excellent record as a lender, capacity 
     builder, and information provider and should be included in 
     the 2008 Department of Housing and Urban Development 
     appropriation.
       We, the undersigned 266 organizations, represent vibrant, 
     rural communities across America. Our efforts to build and 
     sustain affordable housing for low-income rural residents are 
     often complicated by funding cuts and capacity challenges. 
     Throughout, HAC has been a staunch advocate, a lender, a 
     source of information and technical advice, and a friend to 
     rural housing providers. At times, when others have ignored 
     rural America's needs, HAC has stood firm and kept rural 
     issues at the forefront of the national discourse.
       Congressional funding allows HAC to support rural 
     communities and provide:
       Lending. HAC has loaned more than $217 million dollars to 
     1,875 organizations to develop 56,000 units of affordable 
     housing. These loans have helped thousands of families own or 
     rent affordable, decent homes in 49 states and the Virgin 
     Islands and Puerto Rico.
       Capacity Building Grants, Technical Assistance, and 
     Training. HAC has raised and distributed more than $5 million 
     in capacity building grants to nurture over 300 local 
     nonprofit organizations engaged in affordable housing 
     development. Grants, supported by technical assistance and 
     training have a ripple effect, enabling recipient 
     organizations to begin to sustain themselves and better serve 
     their communities.
       Research and Information. The HAC website, ruralhome.org, 
     helps to overcome the geographical isolation that impacts 
     many rural communities and brings up-to-date information and 
     technical resources to often disconnected rural communities. 
     Taking Stock and other HAC research provide objective 
     analysis of rural housing and poverty conditions that impact 
     more than 55 million rural residents.
       With continued congressional support, HAC can sustain and 
     expand its exceptional work in the rural communities you 
     represent across America.
       Thank you for your consideration.
       Alabama: Alabama Non Profit Housing Inc., Oneonta; 
     Ecumenical Ministries, Fairhope; Habitat for Humanity Hale 
     County, Inc., Greensboro; HERO, Greenboro; North Glover CDC, 
     Mobile; SE Alabama Self-Help Association, Inc., Tuskegee; 
     Sowing Seeds of Hope, Marion.
       Alaska: Alaska CDC, Palmer; RurAL CAP, Anchorage.
       Arizona: Comm. Action Human Resources Agency, Eloy; Emanika 
     Associates Architects, Inc., Florence.
       Arkansas: CHICOT Housing Assistance Corp., Lake Village; 
     Crawford-Sebastian Comm. Dev. Council, Fort Smith; Delta 
     Studies Center, State Univ.; East AR Strategic Planning 
     Initiative, Brinkley; Eldorado Housing Authority, El Dorado; 
     SACD, Arkadelphia; St. Francis County CDC, Forrest City; 
     Universal Housing Development Corp., Russellsville.
       California: Cabrillo Economic Dev. Corp., Ventura; 
     California Coalition for Rural Housing, Sacramento; 
     California Housing Partnership Corp, San Francisco; 
     California Human Dev. Corp., W. Sacramento; Center for 
     Community Advocacy, Salinas; Comm. Hsng. Improvement Program, 
     Chico; CHISPA, Salinas; Legal Services of Northern 
     California, Chico; Mercy Housing, W. Sacramento; Organizacion 
     en California de Lideres Campesinas, Pomona; National Housing 
     Law Project, Oakland; Peoples' Self-Help Housing Corporation, 
     San Luis Obispo; Rural California Housing Corporation, W. 
     Sacramento; Rural Community Assistance Corp., W. Sacramento; 
     Self Help Enterprises Inc., Visalia; Self-Help Home 
     Improvement Project, Redding; Torres Martinez Desert Cahuilla 
     Indian Nation, Thermal.
       Colorado: Century 21 Real Estate, Pagosa Springs; Colorado 
     Housing, Inc., Pagosa Springs; Grand County Housing 
     Authority, Fraser; Habitat for Humanity of Colorado, Denver; 
     Habitat for Humanity of Montrose Cty, Montrose; Housing 
     Justice, Denver; Housing Resources of Western Colorado, Grand 
     Junction.
       Delaware: Delmarva Rural Ministries, Inc., Dover; NCALL 
     Research Inc, Dover.
       Florida: Coalition of Florida Farmworker Orgs., Florida 
     City; Florida Home Partnership, Inc., Ruskin; Florida Low 
     Income Housing Associates, Inverness; Florida Non-Profit 
     Housing, Inc., Sebring; Homes in Partnership, Inc., Apopka; 
     Indiantown Non-Profit Housing, Indiantown; Rural 
     Neighborhoods, Homestead.
       Georgia: East Athens Development Corp, Athens; GA State 
     Trade Assn. of Nonprofit Developers, Atlanta; Home 
     Development Resources, Inc., Gainesville; Hsng and Econ. 
     Leadership Partners, Inc., Athens; Ropheka Rock of the Word, 
     Inc., Atlanta; Sams Memorial Community Econ. Dev., Darien; 
     Seminole County Training School CDC, Donalsonville; Southwest 
     Georgia HDC, Cuthbert; Washington Clay CDC, Atlanta.
       Hawaii: Hawaii Human Dev. Corp., Honolulu; Self-Help 
     Housing Corp. of Hawaii, Honolulu.
       Idaho: Community Council of Idaho, Caldwell.
       Illinois: Franciscan Ministries, Inc., Wheaton; Housing 
     Action Illinois, Chicago; Illinois Migrant Council, Chicago; 
     YouthBuild McLean County, Bloomington.
       Indiana: Community Action of East Central IN, Richmond; 
     Comm. Action Program of Evansville, Evansville; Heart House, 
     Aurora.
       Iowa: Northeast Iowa CAC, Decorah.
       Kansas: 21st Century Homestead, Altamont; Emporia Comm. 
     Hsng Org., (ECHO), Emporia; Interfaith Housing Services, 
     Inc., Hutchinson; Mental Health Assoc. of the Heartland City, 
     Kansas City; NEK-CAP, Hiawatha; New Beginnings, Inc., 
     Hutchinson; Northwest Kansas Housing, Inc., Hill City; See-
     Kan Cooperative Development, Inc., Sedan.
       Kentucky: Community Housing, Inc., Winchester; FAHE, Berea; 
     Frontier Housing, Morehead; Housing Development Alliance, 
     Hazard; Kentucky Housing Corporation, Frankfort; Kentucky Mnt 
     Hs Dev' Corporation, Manchester; Low Income Hsng Coalition of 
     E. KY, Prestonsburg; McCreary Cty Comm. Hsng Dev. Corp., 
     Whitley City; Owsley County Action Team, Booneville; 
     Partnership Housing, Inc, Booneville.
       Louisiana: United for Fair Economy, Mandeville; Greater 
     North Louisiana CDC, Jonesboro; MET--La. Housing, Hammond; 
     Mt. Olive Waterworks District, Grambling; Project 2000, Inc., 
     Hammond.
       Maine: Bread of Life Ministries, Augusta; Coastal 
     Enterprises, Inc., Wicasset; Community Concepts, South Paris; 
     Rumford Group Homes, Inc., Rumford.
       Maryland: Interfaith Housing Alliance, Inc, Frederick; 
     Southern MD Tri-County CAC, Inc., Hughesville.
       Massachusetts: Hilltown CDC, Chesterfield; RCAP Solutions, 
     Gardner; Rural Development Incorporated, Turners Falls.
       Michigan: Bay Area Housing, Inc, Bay City; Channel Housing 
     Ministries, Inc., Hart; G.A. Haan L.P., Harbor Springs; Human 
     Development Commission, Caro; Jackson Affordable Housing 
     Corp., Jackson; Marquette County Habitat for Humanity, 
     Marquette; NW Michigan Human Services Agency, Traverse; 
     Northern Homes CDC, Boyne City; Saginaw County CAC, Saginaw; 
     Washtenaw Affordable Housing Corp., Ann Arbor.
       Minnesota: American Indians in Unity, Saint Paul; Becker 
     County Housing, Fergus Falls; Grand Portage Indian Housing 
     Authority, Grand Portage; Minnesota Housing Partnership, 
     Saint Paul.
       Mississippi: African American Cultural Society, Starkville; 
     Central Mississippi, Inc. (CMI), Winona; Christian Housing 
     Dev. Org., Inc., Columbus; City of Picayune, Picayune; Delta 
     Foundation, Inc., Greenville; Esther Stewart Buford 
     Foundation, Yazoo City; Southwest Mississippi Opportunity, 
     Inc., McComb; West Holmes Community Dev. Org., Tchula.
       Missouri: Economic Security Corp. of SW Area, Joplin; Green 
     Hills Community Action Agency, Trenton; Missouri Valley CAA, 
     Marshall.
       Montana: Midwest Assistance Program, Lewistown; N. Cheyenne 
     Housing Improvement Prog., Lame Deer; Neighborhood Housing 
     Services, Great Falls.
       Nevada: Rural Community Assistance Corp., Dayton.
       New Hampshire: Laconia Area Community Land Trust, Laconia; 
     NeighborWorks Greater Manchester, Manchester.
       New Jersey: Crusaders CDC, Bridgeton; Mendham Area Senior 
     Housing Corp., Mendham.

[[Page H7791]]

       New Mexico: Centro Fuerza Y Unidad, Mesquite; City of 
     Lordsburg, Lordsburg; Eastern Plains Housing Dev. Corp., 
     Clovis; Greater Hidalgo Area Chamber of Comm., Lordsburg; 
     Habitat for Humanity--Gila Region, Silver City; HELP-New 
     Mexico, Inc, Albuquerque; Hsng Authority of the City of Las 
     Cruces, Las Cruces; Navajo Partnership for Housing, Inc., 
     Gallup; Santo Domingo Tribe, Santo Domingo, Pueblo; Siete del 
     Norte, Embudo; SW Neighborhood Housing Services, Albuquerque; 
     Supportive Housing Coalition of NM, Albuquerque; Tierra del 
     Sol Housing Corporation, San Miguel.
       New York: ADD Community Services Programs, Inc., Wappingers 
     Falls; Bishop Sheen Ecumenical Hsng Fdn, Inc., Rochester; 
     Cuba CDC, Cuba; Hudson Valley Housing Development Finance 
     Corp., Wappingers Falls; NYS Rural Advocates, Blue Mntn Lake; 
     NYS Rural Housing Coalition, Albany; Rural Development 
     Leadership Network, Prince St. Stn; Rural Opportunities, 
     Inc., Rochester.
       North Carolina: Design Corps, Raleigh; Habitat for Humanity 
     of Moore County, Aberdeen; Herrington Village, Ltd., 
     Elizabeth City; Hinton Rural Life Center, Hayesville; Housing 
     Assistance Corporation, Hendersonville; Inez Community 
     Development Co., Greensboro; Lincoln Apartments, Inc., 
     Durham; Moore County Habitat for Humanity, Aberdeen; Mount 
     Sinai Homes, Fayetteville; Mountain Projects Inc., 
     Waynesville; North Carolina Housing Coalition, Raleigh; 
     Panola Heights Housing Dev. Corp., Tarboro; Princeville 
     Housing Development Corp., Princeville; Robeson County CDC, 
     Rowland; Southern Real Estate Mgmt & Cons., Durham; Telamon 
     Corporation, Rowland, Rowland.
       North Dakota: Southeastern North Dakota CAA, Fargo; Spirit 
     Lake CDC, Saint Michael; Standing Rock Housing Authority, 
     Fort Yates.
       Ohio: Adams Brown Counties. Econ. Op. Inc., Winchester; 
     COHHIO, Columbus; Habitat for Humanity of Morrow Cty, Mt. 
     Gilead; Rural Appalachian Housing Dev., Glouster.
       Oklahoma: Latimer County Housing Authority, Stigler; Native 
     American Housing Services, Inc., McLoud; Tri-County Indian 
     Nations CDC, Ada.
       Oregon: CASA of Oregon, Newberg; Junction City/Harrisburg/
     Monroe Habitat for Humanity, Junction City; LeBanon Area 
     Habitat for Humanity, Lebanon; Rural Collaborative, Portland; 
     Umpqua CDC, Roseburg.
       Pennsylvania: Alliance for Better Housing, Kennett Square; 
     Columbia County Housing Corporation, Bloomsburg; Housing 
     Alliance of Pennsylvania, Glenside; Livable Hsng & Comm. Dev. 
     Software, York; Sisters of St. Francis, Aston; Threshold 
     Housing Development, Inc., Uniontown; Trehab, Montrose.
       South Carolina: Allendale County ALIVE, Allendale; CDC of 
     Marlboro County, Bennettsville; Lowcountry Hsng and Econ. 
     Dev. Fdn, Charleston; United Methodist Relief Center, Mt. 
     Pleasant.
       South Dakota: Inter-Lakes Comm. Action Partnership, 
     Watertown; Oti Kaga, Inc., Eagle Butte.
       Tennessee: Affordable Housing Resources, Nashville; Buffalo 
     Valley, Inc, Hohenwald; Carey Counseling Center, Paris; 
     Crossville Housing Authority, Crossville; Eastern Eight CDC, 
     Johnson City; Foothills CDC, Alcoa; Hawkins Habitat for 
     Humanity, Rogersville; Joshua & Nehemiah Comm. Ministry, 
     Jackson; Riverview Kansas CDC, Memphis.
       Texas: Action Gypsum, LP, Houston; Amigos del Valle, 
     Mission; Association of Rural Comm. in Texas, Austin; Comm. 
     Council of Southwest Texas, Uvalde; CDC of South Texas, Inc., 
     McAllen; Futuro Communities, Uvalde; Housing Plus, Inc., 
     Harlingen; Lower Valley Housing Corp., Fabens; McAllen 
     Affordable Homes, McAllen; Motivation, Education and 
     Training, Inc., Austin; Organizacion Progresiva de San 
     Elizario, San Elizario; Paso del Norte Civil Rights Project, 
     El Paso; Proyecto Azteca, San Juan; Self-Help Housing of East 
     Texas, Newton; South Texas Civil Rights Project, San Juan; 
     Texas C-BAR, Austin; Urban County Program, College Station; 
     Walker-Montgomery CHDO, New Waverly.
       Utah: Mountain Lands Comm. Housing Trust, Park City; 
     Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corp., Logan; Rural Housing 
     Dev. Corp. of Utah County, Provo.
       Vermont: Brattleboro Area Comm. Land Trust, Battleboro; 
     Lamoille Housing Partnership, Inc., Morrisville; RNA 
     Community Builders, Rutland; Vermont Affordable Housing 
     Coalition, Burlington; Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, 
     Montpelier.
       Virginia: Bay Aging, Urbanna; Blue Ridge Housing 
     Development Corp., Roanoke; Community Housing Partners Corp., 
     Christiansburg; HOPE Community Services, Farmville; Mountain 
     Shelter, Wytheville; Rappahannock Tribe, Inc., Indian Neck; 
     Southeast RCAP, Roanoke; Trailview Development, Abingdon; 
     Volunteers of America, Alexandria.
       Washington: Diocese of Yakima Housing, Yakima; Homes for 
     Islanders, Friday Harbor; Kitsap County Consolidated Hsng 
     Auth., Silverdale; Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing, 
     Yakima; Okanogan County CAC, Okanogan; Shelter Resources, 
     Inc., Bellevue; WA State Farmworker Housing Trust, 
     Bellingham; WA State Housing Finance Commission, Seattle, 
     Whatcom Skagit Housing, Bellingham.
       West Virginia: Comm. Homebuyer Investment Program, 
     Wheeling; Harts Community Development Inc., Harts; Housing 
     Authority of Mingo County, Williamson; Stop Abusive Family 
     Environments, Welch; Telamon Corporation, Martinsburg; 
     Woodlands Development Group, Elkins.
       Wisconsin: America's Dream, Inc., Seymour; Coalition of 
     Wisconsin Aging Groups, Madison; Southeast Wisconsin Housing 
     Corporation, Burlington; UMOS, Milwaukee.
       Wyoming: Habitat for Humanity of the Greater Teton Area, 
     Jackson.

  Madam Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to thank my good 
friend Congresswoman Waters for working closely with me as she helped 
navigate this important rural housing legislation to this floor. I also 
want to recognize the important role her staff played in bringing this 
bill to the floor today. I commend Mikael Moore and Nat Thomas with 
Chairwoman Waters, as well as Jeff Riley with Congressman Frank for 
their time and efforts and patience and understanding while working on 
this important legislation. I also want to acknowledge the good work of 
Jaime Lizarraga.
  In my capacity as chairman of the Congressional Rural Housing Caucus, 
I introduced H.R. 1980, the Housing Assistance Council Authorization 
Act of 2007, that supports rural communities' efforts to provide 
quality and affordable housing. It authorizes the Department of Housing 
and Urban Development to provide the Housing Assistance Council, known 
as HAC, with funds for technical assistance, for training, as well as 
support and advice. These types of assistance will help develop the 
business and administrative capacities of rural community-based housing 
development organizations. Also, this bill will provide the Housing 
Assistance Council with funds to use to make loans, grants, or provide 
other financial assistance for community-based housing development 
organizations, which will help them develop affordable housing options 
for low- and moderate-income families throughout rural America.
  HAC will use some of these funds received as a result of this 
authorizing language and the appropriations process for below-market 
lending to local community and faith-based home builders with an 
emphasis on first-time low-income homeownership, particularly for 
minorities. When repaid, HAC will lend the funds again to new 
borrowers. The new capital will be used throughout rural America, 
including in five very high need areas: Appalachia, the Lower 
Mississippi Delta and Southeast, the Southwest border region, Native 
American areas, and migrant farm worker regions throughout the country. 
These are areas where property rates and housing need are very high, 
development capacity is very low, and conventional financing tools do 
not always work.
  The Housing Assistance Council has extensive experience and is 
uniquely qualified to carry out this work. HAC's 35-year-old nonprofit 
loan fund, where this new capital would be used, has lent over $220 
million during their existence to nearly 1,900 organizations to develop 
almost 60,000 homes, and the fund has a loss rate of less than 1 
percent. Madam Speaker, these loans have helped thousands of families 
own or rent affordable, decent homes in 49 States and the Virgin 
Islands and Puerto Rico, and has helped Proyecto Azteca in my 
congressional district. It is important to note that HAC is the only 
national assistance organization devoted solely to rural housing and 
community development.
  Madam Speaker, 20 percent of our Nation's population lives in rural 
communities; yet far too many of these families live in conditions that 
are poor, inadequate, or run-down. This bill will go a long way towards 
improving the overall quality of life of rural Americans by providing 
them with the resources they need to improve the quality of housing in 
rural America.
  In conclusion, I want to thank again Congresswoman Maxine Waters and 
Chairman Barney Frank for their support for this important legislation 
and for bringing this bill to the floor for a vote today.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  I rise today to support H.R. 1980, the Housing Assistance Council 
Authorization Act of 2007, and would like to compliment the gentleman 
from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) for his work on this and also Chairwoman 
Waters for bringing this important initiative for rural communities to 
the floor today.

[[Page H7792]]

  This legislation recognizes the work of the Housing Assistance 
Council in providing housing opportunities for low-income families in 
rural communities, and most of the Second District is rural communities 
in New Mexico. There are many others across this country, but we feel 
the direct impact in New Mexico.
  Although HAC has received funding through HUD appropriations since 
the early 1980s, the program has never been authorized. This bill would 
formally authorize assistance councils, which is important to ensure 
the continued success of the program and long-term goal of aiding 
individuals in low-income housing.
  The Housing Assistance Council is unique in nature and the only 
nonprofit designed to help improve rural housing. HAC should be 
particularly praised for its work on self-help housing initiatives, 
which promote personal stability and financial responsibility for low-
income housing.
  Again I want to thank my colleagues for acknowledging the Housing 
Assistance Council's important contribution to affordable housing for 
rural communities, and I urge my colleagues to support this 
legislation.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I want to yield 5 minutes to my good 
friend the gentleman from New Hampshire, Congressman Paul Hodes, who 
has already made a mark in Congress during his first year in office.
  Mr. HODES. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 1980.
  Rural poverty is a particularly harsh brand of indigence. It tends to 
be more extreme than urban poverty, and because it develops in areas 
far from television cameras and daily newspapers, to most people in 
this country, rural poverty is faceless. But its presence and its 
consequences are very real, and they present formidable challenges to 
both our country and our conscience.
  In my own home State of New Hampshire, we have largely a rural State. 
Our cities by some measures are hardly cities. They are large towns. 
And while we are known for the beauty of our mountains and our lakes 
and our tourist economy as well as our high tech economy, there are 
pockets of intransigent rural poverty throughout our State. In the far 
north the rate of poverty is much higher than it is in most other 
places in the State, and generally the poverty rate in rural areas of 
the country is 14.6 percent, which tops that of most urban areas.
  People who are living in rural poverty face numerous challenges. 
Inaccessibility of housing with high rents. In New Hampshire the 
average price for an apartment for a family of four is now $1,000, and 
this is at a time when folks who are living in rural areas are facing a 
softer economy and gas prices which are rising, and the challenge of 
finding a decent place to live for people who live in rural areas is a 
powerful challenge. People who live in rural areas are farther from 
basic services. They are less likely to take advantage of them.
  There is a desperate need in parts of our country, including my own 
State. And as the people's House, we have a moral imperative to help 
children and parents trapped in destitution.
  H.R. 1980 and H.R. 1982, which will come to the floor later, are 
compassionate, responsible bills which encourage the development of 
low- and moderate-income housing in our most stricken areas. There is 
no doubt, because I have seen it with my own eyes on numerous occasions 
at home, that a clean, safe place to live is often the first step on 
the road to self-sufficiency. We are not talking about handouts. 
Encouraging economic development in poor areas helps creates jobs and a 
solid tax base, which build toward self-sustaining prosperity.
  Madam Speaker, H.R. 1980 and its companion 1982 are wise, 
compassionate investments in our country's future. I urge my colleagues 
to support their passage.
  I appreciate the opportunity to speak on this important bill.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I 
yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  This legislation is very important to many parts of Texas. As you 
know, when they redrew the lines of the Congressmen in Texas, I was 
given a 375-mile-long geographic area that had 90 communities. The 
greatest majority, 90 percent, were small rural communities who were 
asking when is Congress going to recognize the great need that we have 
for housing assistance?
  And I want to give you just one example of the route that I 
mentioned, Proyecto Azteca, which is one where people build their own 
homes. They provide the labor to build those homes with the supervision 
of some professional supervisors in construction of residential homes. 
The only assistance that we give them is the purchasing of the 
materials, the building materials, which amounts to about $30,000. And 
I wish you could see these homes. I wish you could see the fine work 
that is done in these three-bedroom, one-bath homes that many have been 
built in our area with this type of assistance.
  So I give this example because there are many serving in Congress who 
have never visited colonias like those that are in some parts of the 
southwestern part of the United States.
  So I say that this type of legislation is something that is going to 
go a long ways in helping provide many, many more affordable homes.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1980, the 
Housing Assistance Council Authorization Act of 2007.
  This bill authorizes $10 million for the Housing Assistance Council, 
HAC, in Fiscal Year 2008 and $15 million in Fiscal Years 2009-2014. 
HAC, a nonprofit corporation, is the only national intermediary focused 
solely on the tremendous affordable housing needs of rural areas and 
small towns.
  HAC assists in the development of both single-family homes and multi-
family housing, and promotes homeownership for working low-income rural 
families. HAC maintains a special focus on high-need groups and 
regions: Indian country, the Mississippi Delta, farm workers, the 
Southwest border colonias, and Appalachia. In just the past 8 years, 
HAC has provided over $105 million in aid to hundreds of organizations 
in 160 Congressional districts. Since inception in 1971, HAC has helped 
build 60,000 affordable homes in 49 states and 2 territories.
  The funds authorized by H.R. 1980 will allow HAC to continue 
successfully assisting a national network of rural nonprofit, public 
and for profit builders. Specifically, HAC could continue providing 
grants, loans, technical assistance, training, and other support to 
build the capacity of rural community-based housing development 
organizations to create and sustain safe affordable housing. The bill 
also enables HAC to offer vital help to specific housing projects and 
initiatives these groups undertake.
  I am especially pleased that this funding will enable HAC to bring 
its expertise to bear on the problem of rural homelessness. While my 
District does not encompass rural areas, it does have as many as 10,000 
persons on any given night. And though it may not seem so at first 
blush, homelessness in central Los Angeles is related to rural 
homelessness.
  Specifically, in the absence of an adequately resourced network of 
housing and service providers in their home communities, poor rural 
folks who fall into homelessness often leave their family and social 
networks and move to larger urban areas in the hope of finding jobs, 
housing, and social services.
  While migrating from the countryside to the city, and vice versa, is 
an important and time-honored American tradition, these vulnerable 
households--often with few skills and suffering from disabilities or 
chronic health problems--too often experience homelessness again in the 
destination city. There, they enter public and private systems of care 
already stressed to the breaking point--as tragically exemplified by a 
recent ``60 Minutes'' story on so-called ``hospital patient-dumping'' 
in Los Angeles.
  H.R. 1980 will enable HAC to help interrupt this tragic cycle, by 
building the capacity of their network of housing developers and social 
service providers to care for the homeless and at-risk in their own 
hometowns--where they are most likely to escape homelessness and re-
enter the economic mainstream.
  Mr. HINOJOSA. Madam Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and 
I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hinojosa) that the House suspend the rules 
and pass the bill, H.R. 1980.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.

[[Page H7793]]

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________