[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 18]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 26599]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



      AMERICAN HOMEOWNERSHIP AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2000

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. PATSY T. MINK

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 5, 2000

  Mrs. MINK of Hawaii. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 5640, 
especially subtitle B of title V. The title expands housing assistance 
for native Hawaiians by extending to them the same types of Federal 
housing programs available to American Indians and Alaska Natives. The 
provision authorizes appropriations for block grants for affordable 
housing activities and for loan guarantees for mortgages for owner- and 
renter-occupied housing. It authorizes technical assistance in cases 
where administrative capacity is lacking. The block grants would be 
provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development to the 
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands of the government of the State of 
Hawaii.
  This is the fourth time this year that the House will consider a bill 
containing these important provisions for Native Hawaiian housing.
  I thank the chairman of the Banking Committee [Mr. Leach], ranking 
member [Mr. LaFalce], the chairman of the Housing Subcommittee [Mr. 
Lazio], and the ranking member of subcommittee [Mr. Frank] and the 
gentleman from Indiana [Mr. Bereuter] for their assistance in 
incorporating the provisions for native Hawaiian housing in the bill. 
they have worked tirelessly to craft a bill that both Houses can 
support so that Congress will be able to enact a housing bill this 
year.
  Passage of this bill is critical because within the last several 
years, three studies have documented the housing conditions that 
confront native Hawaiians who reside on the Hawaiian home lands or who 
are eligible to reside on the home lands.
  In 1992, the National Commission on American Indian, Alaska Native, 
and Native Hawaiian Housing issued its final report to Congress, 
``Building the Future: A Blueprint for Change.'' In its study, the 
Commission found that Native Hawaiians had the worst housing conditions 
in the State of Hawaii and the highest percentage of hopelessness, 
representing over 30 percent of the State's homeless population.
  In 1995, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued 
a report entitled, ``Housing Problems and Needs of Native Hawaiians.'' 
This report contained the alarming conclusion that Native Hawaiians 
experience the highest percentage of housing problems in the Nation--49 
percent--higher than that of American Indians and Alaska Natives 
residing on reservations (44 percent) and substantially higher than 
that of all U.S. households (27 percent). The report also concluded 
that the percentage of overcrowding within the Native Hawaiian 
population is 36 percent compared to 3 percent for all other U.S. 
households.
  Also, in 1995, the Hawaii State Department of Hawaiian Home Lands 
published a Beneficiary Needs Study as a result of research conducted 
by an independent research group. This study found that among the 
Native Hawaiians population the needs of Native Hawaiians eligible to 
reside on the Hawaiian home lands are the most severe. 95 percent of 
home lands applicants (16,000) were in need of housing, with one-half 
of those applicant households facing overcrowding, and one-third paying 
more than 30 percent of their income for shelter.
  H.R. 5640 will provide eligible low-income Native Hawaiians access to 
Federal housing programs that provide assistance to low-income 
families. Currently, those Native Hawaiians who are eligible to reside 
on Hawaiian home lands but who do not qualify for private mortgage 
loans, are unable to access such Federal assistance.
  I look forward to enactment of the bill because it is so important to 
the native people of Hawaii.

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