[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 177 (Thursday, November 15, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2429-E2430]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 3074, TRANSPORTATION, HOUSING AND URBAN 
       DEVELOPMENT, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 14, 2007

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 
3074, the FY08 Transportation and Housing and Urban Development 
Appropriations Bill, but to voice my concerns over the lack of a 
provision omitted from the final conference report.
  The Conference Report before us today addresses many of the problems 
facing Americans today. It helps to provide affordable housing for 
those Americans who need it most and modernizes our transportation 
infrastructure to enhance safety on our Nation's roads, our railways, 
and airplanes. This legislation also works to ensure the viability of 
mass transit operations throughout the Nation, all of which are 
necessary to reduce traffic congestion, lessen our dependence on 
foreign oil, and reduce our contribution to global warming. This is a 
strong, essential bill, and I will be supporting its passage, but I 
would like to express one concern I have with the conference report.
  As a way to provide Federal housing assistance to tribal members in a 
way that recognizes self-determination and self-government, Congress 
enacted the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination 
Act and as part of it, the Indian Housing Block Grant, IHBG, program. 
This program provides an allocation of funds on a formula to help 
tribes address their housing needs. Beginning in 2000, the Census 
allowed respondents to claim that they are American Indian Alaska 
Native in combination with other racial groups, or AIAN only. In 
response, HUD shifted the basis for the needs portion of the IHBG 
distribution from single-race to multi-race.
  This unilateral decision by HUD to change its distribution formula 
has adversely impacted many of our Nation's tribes, as there was a 
large shift in funding among NAHASDA recipients. Compounded with the 
little to no funding increases that Native American housing programs 
have received in the past several years, tribes and their housing 
entities have been left without the resources they need to provide 
housing services for their members. This year's House passed T-HUD 
appropriations bill recognized that this change has adversely impacted 
many Native American tribes. Additionally, it directed the GAO to 
conduct a study to analyze the impact of these funding changes and 
report its findings to Congress. Unfortunately, the Conference Report 
removed the language requiring the study.

[[Page E2430]]

  One of the greatest challenges facing Native Americans is the lack of 
sufficient housing. Approximately 40 percent of on-reservation housing 
is considered inadequate--often overcrowded and lacking basic 
facilities, such as electricity and plumbing. The study requested by 
the House only asked the GAO to study the impact of funding changes on 
the housing needs of tribal communities, and I do not see how this 
study could do anything but help. We must have all information possible 
as we continue to address the need for adequate housing on tribal 
lands.

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