[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 24698]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      AMERICAN HOMEOWNERSHIP AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. MARK GREEN

                              of wisconsin

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 24, 2000

  Mr. GREEN of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased that the House 
today considered S. 1452, the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act, and 
I would like to thank Housing Subcommittee Chairman Rick Lazio for all 
of his efforts to open homeownership opportunities to so many American 
families.
  This bill encompasses many important provisions from H.R. 1776, the 
homeownership bill that passed the House overwhelmingly earlier this 
year. It also includes important provisions to preserve affordable 
housing for seniors, and other low-income and working families.
  I would like to mention two provisions that I introduced (H.R. 2860 
and H.R. 2931) which were included in H.R. 1776, and now S. 1452.
  The first would create a pilot program to assist law enforcement 
officers purchase homes in locally designated ``at risk'' areas. The 
proposal would allow law enforcement officers to purchase homes with no 
downpayment. They must use the property as their primary residence for 
at least 3 years, and have 6 months of service. It is modeled after a 
pilot program that was conducted in Wisconsin. The Milwaukee pilot was 
successful because it offered a ``no downpayment option.'' Seventy-five 
percent of those who participated in the program said they did so 
because of the no downpayment requirement.
  This proposal will not only provide homeownership opportunities for 
law enforcement officers who might otherwise not have the money for a 
downpayment on a home, but will also deter crime. Criminals will be far 
less likely to commit an act of violence if they know a police officer 
lives right next door. Finally, this gives control to local officials, 
allowing mayors to designate the areas they believe need the most 
protection.
  My second provision expands on the Section 8 homeownership rule to 
make it more accessible to persons with disabilities. This provision 
provides incentives for employment and homeownership for the most 
underserved group of homeowners in the country. Nationally unemployment 
rates among the disabled of working age exceed 70 percent and 
homeownership rates at less than 5 percent.
  Two of the biggest barriers to homeownership for persons with 
disabilities are affordability and accessibility. It costs $20-$40 
thousand to customize a home for some disabled individuals. This pilot 
program addresses these problems by allowing disabled families making 
up to 100 percent of the area median income to qualify to use their 
Section 8 voucher for homeownership. The benefit may continue for the 
entire term of the mortgage provided they remain eligible for such 
assistance. It also requires one or more members of the family to have 
achieved employment and participation in a homeownership counseling 
program.
  While I am very pleased with the outcome of the negotiations on S. 
1452, I am concerned at the omission of one provision in particular. 
Section 102 of H.R. 1776 requires the federal government to perform a 
housing impact analysis before it issues new regulations. This 
important provision would give the private sector an opportunity to see 
the impacts on housing before a rule is implemented. Hopefully, this 
would result in less costly regulations that impede homeownership. 
While it was omitted from the final version we considered today, I am 
hopeful we can come back to this next year and pass it into law.
  S. 1452 will help so many Americans achieve the dream of 
homeownership. I am pleased at the House's actions, and am hopeful that 
the other body will quickly take up and pass this extremely important 
legislation.

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