[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6002-6006]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         COMMEMORATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE FAIR HOUSING ACT

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the resolution (H. Res. 1095) recognizing and honoring the 40th 
anniversary of congressional passage of title VIII of the Civil Rights 
Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act) and the 20th anniversary of the Fair 
Housing Amendments Act of 1988.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 1095

       Whereas April 11, 2008, marks the 40th anniversary of 
     congressional passage of the Fair Housing Act;
       Whereas September 13, 2008, marks the 20th anniversary of 
     congressional passage of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 
     1988;
       Whereas the Chicago Freedom Movement, led by the Reverend 
     Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr., expanded the fight for civil 
     rights from the South to the North, raised the national 
     consciousness about housing discrimination, and shaped the 
     debate that led to the landmark fair housing legislation, the 
     Fair Housing Act;
       Whereas the National Advisory Commission on Civil 
     Disorders, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson and 
     commonly known as the Kerner Commission, found in 1968 that 
     ``[o]ur nation is moving toward two societies, one black and 
     one white--separate and unequal'';
       Whereas Congress passed the Fair Housing Act as part of the 
     Civil Rights Act of 1968, and President Lyndon B. Johnson 
     signed the Act into law on April 11, 1968, one week after the 
     assassination of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, Jr.;
       Whereas the Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in 
     housing and housing-related transactions on the basis of 
     race, color, national origin, and religion;
       Whereas in section 808 of the Housing and Community 
     Development Act of 1974, Congress amended the Fair Housing 
     Act to include protection on the basis of sex;
       Whereas the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988, passed by 
     overwhelming margins in Congress, included protection on the 
     basis of familial status and disability, created an important 
     enforcement mechanism, and expanded the definition of 
     ``discriminatory housing practices'' to include interference 
     and intimidation, requiring the Department of Housing and 
     Urban Development to issue regulations to implement and 
     interpret the Fair Housing Act and report annually to 
     Congress on the nature and extent of housing discrimination;
       Whereas the intent of Congress in passing the Fair Housing 
     Act was broad and inclusive, to advance equal opportunity in 
     housing and achieve racial integration for the benefit of all 
     people in the United States;
       Whereas housing integration affects educational attainment, 
     employment opportunities, access to health care, and home 
     equity;
       Whereas the majority of Americans support neighborhood 
     integration, and numerous studies have shown the universal 
     benefits of residential integration;
       Whereas more than 4,000,000 violations of fair housing laws 
     still occur each year against people of all protected 
     classes, and testing of the enforcement of fair housing laws 
     continues to uncover a high rate of discrimination in the 
     rental, sales, mortgage lending, and insurance markets;
       Whereas less than 1 percent of violations of fair housing 
     laws are reported each year;
       Whereas fair housing centers funded by Fair Housing 
     Initiatives Program (FHIP) are the frontline in the effort to 
     resolve housing discrimination;
       Whereas in 2006, approximately 27,000 housing 
     discrimination complaints were filed, of which 18,000 
     complaints were resolved by fair housing centers;
       Whereas the Fair Housing Assistance Program (FHAP) funds 
     fair housing grants annually on a non-competitive basis to 
     State and local fair housing enforcement agencies which are 
     used for complaint processing, administrative costs, special 
     enforcement efforts, training and other projects designed to 
     enhance the agency's administration and enforcement of its 
     fair housing law;
       Whereas fair housing education and enforcement play a 
     pivotal role in increasing housing choice and minority 
     homeownership and combating predatory lending; and
       Whereas the Fair Housing Act is an essential component of 
     our Nation's civil rights legislation: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) recognizes and honors the 40th anniversary of the 
     enactment of the Fair Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 3601 et seq.) 
     and the 20th anniversary of the enactment of the Fair Housing 
     Amendments Act of 1988 (Public Law 100-430; 102 Stat. 1619);
       (2) supports activities to recognize and celebrate the 
     important historical milestones represented by the 
     anniversaries of the enactment of the Fair Housing Act and 
     the enactment of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988; and
       (3) encourages all people and levels of government to 
     rededicate themselves to the enforcement and the ideals of 
     fair housing laws.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Conyers) and the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.


                             General Leave

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include 
extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Michigan?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may 
consume.
  House Resolution 1095 recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Fair 
Housing Act, enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.
  On April 11, 1968, days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Fair Housing 
Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, 
religion or national origin. Twenty years later today, the law was 
expanded by the Fair Housing Amendments Act to include protections 
against discrimination based also on sexual orientation, familial 
status, and disability.
  Many may not recall Dr. King's advocacy for fair housing, but he 
recognized the tremendous costs our society pays if patterns of 
segregated living continues, as it has.
  While there is no question that the Fair Housing Act has become a 
powerful tool for advancing civil rights, there is much more to be 
done. For instance, most Americans still live in communities largely 
divided by race, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance.
  An estimated 3.7 million people are discriminated against in housing 
transactions every single year. This number doesn't even include 
instances of discrimination against persons with disabilities, nor does 
it reflect discriminatory lending in insurance practices, planning and 
zoning, or other forms of profiling. We have so much more to do.
  Enforcement is a key area where we need further improvement. For 
example, while 27,000 complaints of housing discrimination were filed 
with the Federal Government last year, Housing and Urban Development 
issued 31 charges, and the Justice Department filed 35 cases.
  Landlords, real estate agents, lenders, insurance agents, and others 
know they face limited risk of prosecution for discrimination. Even 
those who are prosecuted often pay such a minor penalty that 
discrimination today becomes just another cost of doing business. It's 
no surprise that housing providers continue to discriminate and 
communities across our Nation sadly remain highly segregated.
  The most recent manifestation of discrimination in housing is the 
current sub-prime foreclosure crisis, which presents some of the 
greatest fair housing and civil rights issues facing our Nation today. 
Fueled by reverse red-lining practices, the sub-prime foreclosure 
crisis is now causing extreme havoc for minority owners who were 
targeted for predatory home loans that stripped away their home equity 
and put their houses at risk of foreclosure. It's also affected 
financing markets all over the world.
  If left unchecked, the foreclosure crisis threatens to wipe out many 
of the advances the country has made in the 40 years since the passage 
of the Fair Housing Act.
  To be an effective tool in our fight against discrimination, the Fair 
Housing Act must be enforced, and we need to augment it with tough 
anti-predatory lending legislation, which is what I intend to do.

[[Page 6003]]

  We should also enact legislation permitting bankruptcy judges to 
restructure home mortgages so deserving families can save their homes 
from foreclosure and, thereby, stem falling housing prices in 
communities all across our Nation.
  After centuries of discrimination and denied opportunities, enactment 
of the Fair Housing Act 40 years ago marked a milestone in our Nation's 
efforts to achieve equal housing opportunities.
  And so today, we celebrate the Fair Housing Act's 40th anniversary 
with, I hope, a renewed commitment to achieving and furthering its 
goals by supporting this resolution.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CHABOT. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1095, 
a resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the passage of the 
Fair Housing Act.
  On April 4, 2008, just 11 days ago, this Nation joined together to 
pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., and recognize his contributions to this Nation.

                              {time}  1300

  Thus, it's only fitting that we recognize one aspect of Dr. King's 
legacy, passage of the Fair Housing Act, which was signed into law by 
President Lyndon Johnson on April 11, 1968, just one week after Dr. 
King's tragic assassination.
  The act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and 
financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, and 
later handicap and family status, was another tool to give meaning to 
the rights and protections afforded to all citizens by the 
Constitution.
  Passage of the Fair Housing Act was a fitting memorial to Dr. King, 
as his name was closely associated with fair housing legislation since 
the 1966 ``open housing'' marches in Chicago.
  At the same time, Senator Edward Brooke, the first African American 
ever to be elected to the Senate by popular vote, helped facilitate 
this Act's passage by describing his difficulties finding housing for 
his new family following his service in World War II.
  The first official appointed to administer the act was former 
Governor George Romney. Secretary Romney assumed his position of 
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after serving as Governor of 
Michigan, where he successfully campaigned for the ratification of a 
State constitutional amendment that prohibited discrimination in 
housing.
  Since its enactment, the Fair Housing Act has prevented both 
countless instances of specific discrimination as well as broader 
patterns or practices of discrimination in housing programs. In 
addition, the act serves to punish those who attempt to disguise their 
discriminatory motives by giving false information to potential 
homebuyers, or by manipulating zoning codes. It prohibits sexual 
harassment in housing, and enables the disabled to more easily 
assimilate into our communities.
  Madam Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't also commend and 
recognize the chairman of the Judiciary, Mr. Conyers, both for his 
remarks, and also working with myself in a bipartisan manner on the 
issue that he raised about those that find themselves at risk of having 
their homes foreclosed upon. And I agree with him that we ought to give 
the bankruptcy judges additional powers to modify those particular 
agreements so that they can have a better chance of retaining their 
homes. That certainly would move forward those that find themselves at 
risk of losing their own homes. Again, I want to thank the chairman of 
the committee for working with us in a bipartisan manner on that issue.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution today, 
and in celebrating the 40th anniversary of passage of the Fair Housing 
Act.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. 
Chabot), the ranking member, for his great work on the matter.
  And now I recognize the Reverend Al Green of Texas, the author of 
this idea, for 4 minutes.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. However, the 
promotion I cannot claim. I'm still a lowly Member of the House of 
Representatives, not yet made it to that lofty level of being a 
reverend, but you are very kind. And I thank you for the many years of 
work that you have dedicated to this very issue that we have on the 
floor today. In fact, it can be said that your great work has caused us 
to have this opportunity to be here today.
  I also would like to thank the ranking member, Lamar Smith, for his 
work in helping us to bring this to the floor, and the manager of the 
time, Member Steve Chabot, for your services that you've rendered as 
well. And I appreciate especially the comments that you've made today.
  In celebrating or commemorating or recognizing the 40th anniversary 
of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, we are, in truth, recognizing the 
efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King because it was Dr. Martin Luther King 
who went to Memphis some 40 years ago to help what we call sanitation 
workers today, but back then we called them garbage men.
  Dr. King had a basic premise of trying to help somebody. And to him, 
these persons, although known as garbage men, they were somebody. And 
he went there to help them in their efforts to obtain equal justice. 
And while there, the unfortunate circumstance occurred, and we lost Dr. 
King prematurely. But I do believe that he did not live in vain.
  There is a spiritual song styled, ``If I can help somebody as I 
travel along, if I can help someone with a word or a song, if I can 
help someone from doing wrong, then my living shall not be in vain.'' 
Dr. King lived not in vain because this act, the Fair Housing Act, was 
passed after his demise. There are some historians who contend that it 
was his demise, in fact, that created the opportunity for it to pass as 
timely as it did.
  And I am honored that Dr. King took up the cause of the lowly garbage 
men. However, 40 years later, there is still great work to be done, as 
has been indicated by the chairman, because 40 years later there are 
approximately four million acts of housing discrimination each year in 
this country. Forty years later, approximately 27,000 acts of housing 
discrimination and complaints are filed annually. Forty years later, 13 
fair housing groups have closed their doors due to a lack of funding. 
Forty years later, 26 fair housing centers, or one-quarter of all fair 
housing centers, have either closed their doors or are at risk of 
closing their doors due to a lack of funding.
  Forty years later, 87 percent of African Americans, Latinos and Asian 
Americans meet with real estate agents and experience some form of 
steering. Steering occurs when the agent will send a person of one 
ethnicity to an area where persons of this ethnicity may be residing, 
whites to white neighborhoods, blacks to black neighborhoods, or 
neighborhoods that are going into some form of transition. Forty years 
later, 20 percent of the African Americans and Latinos trying to buy or 
rent homes have their cause ignored.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman's time has expired.
  Mr. CONYERS. I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.
  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Less than 1 percent of housing discrimination 
acts are reported 40 years later.
  So we need to do something to change this. We need to fully fund the 
fair housing programs. FHIP, the Fair Housing Initiative Program, 
should be fully funded to about $52 million.
  This program allows us to do what is known as testing, the means by 
which we acquired the empirical evidence that housing discrimination 
has actually occurred. There is no substitute for FHIP and the testing 
that takes place.
  But also there is a piece of legislation, the Fair Housing Act of 
2007, or H.R. 2926, which will give HUD some additional authority, will 
establish competitive grants, will help us to examine the causes of 
housing discrimination and talk about what we can do and, in fact, 
conclude what we can do to make remedies.

[[Page 6004]]

  If we want to live not in vain as Dr. King did, let's help somebody. 
Let's do something about discrimination in housing and make real the 
great American ideal of owning a home.
  Mr. CONYERS. I am pleased now to recognize a senior member of the 
House Judiciary Committee, Mel Watt, for as much time as he may 
consume. And I note that, although the gentleman from Texas is not a 
minister, we may all agree that he is a good preacher.
  Mr. WATT. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1095, the 
resolution recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act.
  The Fair Housing Act, title VIII of the Civil Rights Act, was passed 
by Congress and signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in April of 
1968, only 1 week after the assassination of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther 
King.
  This landmark act, the primary purpose of which is to prohibit 
discrimination in housing, introduced meaningful Federal enforcement 
mechanisms for buyers and renters. The Federal Housing Act initially 
prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion and 
national origin. Sex was subsequently added to the list of protected 
classes in 1974, and disability and family status were added in 1988.
  Forty years later, in 2008, effective and meaningful enforcement of 
these fair housing laws continues to be critically important. It is 
essential that we continue to combat housing discrimination, which 
still exists today, not just by enacting laws, but by enforcing those 
that we have on the books already.
  This is a meaningful piece of legislation, and I'm honored to pay 
tribute to the importance of it, but more importantly, to pay tribute 
and to recognize that enforcement continues to be a problem, and that 
discrimination in housing continues to exist.
  With that, I thank the gentleman for the time.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased now to recognize the 
Honorable Maxine Waters of California for as much time as she may 
consume.
  Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak in strong support of 
this resolution offered by my colleague, Mr. Green, from Houston 
commemorating the 40th anniversary of title VIII of the Civil Rights 
Act of 1968 and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act 
of 1988.
  The history of the Fair Housing Act embodies both our Nation's most 
noble instincts and recent behavior by our Federal Government, which 
should make none of us proud.
  On April 11, 1968, one week to the day after the assassination of Dr. 
Martin Luther King, Jr., Congress passed and the President signed into 
law the Federal Fair Housing Act which now prohibits discrimination in 
housing based on race, national origin, religion, color, sex, familial 
status and disability.
  Acting on this legislation, which has been stalled in this body for 
over 2 years, was a fitting tribute to Dr. King and reflected a belief 
that something constructive could be achieved in the aftermath of days 
of unrest in cities across the country.
  In 1988, the law was amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act, 
which significantly strengthened the enforcement powers of the act, 
giving the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Justice the 
authority to mandate and to enforce the expanded and comprehensive 
requirements of the act. Unfortunately, while we can be proud of 
passing these landmark statutes, the sad fact is that the Fair Housing 
Act remains the least enforced of our Nation's civil rights laws.
  Through the work of local housing groups like the Housing Rights 
Center in my district in Los Angeles, we know that more than 3.7 
million people are discriminated against in housing transactions every 
year, and we are on the brink of an economic crisis fueled by a failed 
subprime lending market built primarily on borrowers and neighborhoods 
of color.
  The current foreclosure crisis is the outgrowth of persistent 
discrimination in housing, lending and insurance markets that took 
place under the negligent eyes of the very Federal agencies charged 
with enforcing our Nation's antidiscrimination laws. In 2007, the U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development issued only 31 charges of 
discrimination, and the Department of Justice filed just 35 cases.
  Sadly, the risk posed by lax enforcement of the Fair Housing Act is 
no less than the resegregation of America. While we have made some 
progress in reducing levels of residential segregation, most Americans 
live in communities largely divided by race and ethnicity. Perhaps more 
distressingly, our children are attending increasingly segregated 
schools. Recent research demonstrates that by 2000, minority students 
were in schools with substantially fewer white students than was the 
case a decade earlier. We must reduce those troubling trends.
  To that end, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution offered 
by Mr. Green, whose dedication to the housing needs of America and 
America's most vulnerable households is second to that of no other 
member of the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee, which I 
chair.
  Additionally, in my role as Chair, I'm joining Mr. Green in 
rededicating myself to the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, 
starting with making plans for a joint hearing with the Constitution 
Subcommittee, chaired by Mr. Nadler of New York, to hold the inadequate 
efforts of both HUD and the Department of Justice up to congressional 
scrutiny.

                              {time}  1315

  The best way to celebrate the anniversary of the Fair Housing Act is 
to take concrete actions to enforce both its letter and spirit.
  Mr. Chairman of our Judiciary Committee, whose lifelong work has been 
to end discrimination and to enforce fair housing and to enforce civil 
rights, I just thank you for having the opportunity to work with you.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I recognize now the gentlewoman from 
Oakland, California, a valuable member of the House (Ms. Lee), for such 
time as she may consume.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Michigan will note that 
there are only 3 minutes remaining.
  Ms. LEE. Let me first say to the chairman of the Judiciary Committee, 
I want to thank you also for staying the course for freedom, justice, 
and equality for so many years. Thank you, Mr. Conyers, and thank you 
for yielding.
  Madam Speaker, let me say that I rise in strong support of H. Res. 
1095, and I also must thank Congressman Al Green for introducing this 
very important resolution but also for his consistent voice for liberty 
and justice for all. Thank you, Congressman Green.
  The Fair Housing Act was critical in ending the rampant 
discrimination in the housing industry 40 years. Today the Fair Housing 
Act continues to play a vital and significant role in ensuring fair and 
equal access to housing for all Americans.
  It is in part due to the failure, however, of this administration to 
enforce these civil rights laws that led to the predatory lending 
practices that fueled the housing crisis our Nation now faces.
  Just like many other innovative and progressive ideas about equality 
and fairness, I must remind us of the fact that the Fair Housing Act 
had a California precursor: the Rumford Fair Housing Act, one of the 
first fair housing laws in the Nation. Former Assemblyman William Byron 
Rumford, the first African American from Northern California elected to 
the California legislature, and whose seat I was later honored to hold, 
passed this landmark bill in 1963, and today I also honor his memory 
and his legacy.
  But like many today who argue that the housing and financial services 
industries do not need further oversight or regulation, I must remind 
us also that during this period, a candidate for governor over 40 years 
ago, Ronald Reagan, fought very hard against fair housing laws. But, 
thankfully, Ronald Reagan lost his fight to make housing discrimination 
the law in California, and 40 years ago the Congress passed the Fair 
Housing Act to outlaw discrimination in housing in every State of the 
union. Like my colleagues, I also honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther

[[Page 6005]]

King, Jr. today as we pass this resolution.
  Unfortunately, today the promise of fair housing remains unfulfilled. 
De facto segregation has kicked in. Subprime mortgages have unfairly 
hit African Americans and the Latino community and other communities of 
color. So we must work to educate Americans about their right to fair 
housing and work together to enforce the law. And we must fully fund 
fair housing programs to at least the tune of $84 million in fiscal 
2009.
  So, Madam Speaker, we must recommit ourselves today to make these 
critical investments a guarantee for fair housing for all Americans. 
Housing should be a basic human right in our great country.
  Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 
1095, ``Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act'', 
introduced by a fellow Texan, Representative Al Green.
  The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the nation's 
housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly 
among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-
income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with 
disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes 
economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair 
housing laws.
  However, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development 
(HUD), more than 10,000 people filed housing discrimination complaints 
last year, mostly from persons with disabilities. HUD also found that 
race-based housing discrimination was the second most frequent reason 
individuals filed complaints.
  Of the more than 10,000 complaints filed last year, 43 percent 
alleged discrimination against persons with disabilities while 37 
percent alleged racial discrimination. Most complainants claimed to be 
victims of discrimination in the terms and conditions of the sale or 
rental of housing, or outright refusal to rent.
  The Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD 
stated that ``Forty years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, an 
alarming number of families are still being denied housing and still 
need the protections this landmark law offers.'' Assistant Secretary 
Kim Kendrick's remarks only underscore the importance of HUD's 
continued enforcement, instruction, and outreach activities to ensure 
that all Americans have equal access to housing opportunities.
  Currently HUD has placed fair housing advertisements on more than 900 
movie screens throughout the country. These advertisements inform 
viewers that it is unlawful to discriminate in the sale, rental, or 
financing of housing and provided HUD's toll-free telephone number, for 
those that may have experienced or witnessed unlawful discrimination.
  Another part of HUD's outreach in this area is its training program, 
Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST, which has trained 1,351 individuals 
in 22 training sessions in 17 states on the Fair Housing Act's design 
and construction requirements for multifamily housing.


                                 Texas

  On March 27th, HUD announced that the Texas State Program and the 
cities of Houston and New Braunfels will receive a total of 
$234,868,077 to support community development and produce more 
affordable housing. HUD's annual funding will also provide down payment 
assistance to first-time homebuyers; assist individuals and families 
who might otherwise be living on the streets; and offer real housing 
solutions for individuals with HIV/AIDS.
  This funding will help Texas to reconstruct its neighborhoods and 
affordable housing stock by helping communities to improve their 
infrastructure or assisting families to purchase their first home, HUD 
is helping improve neighborhoods from the ground up.
  The funding announced includes: Community Development Block Grant 
(CDBG) funds; HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funding; American 
Dream Down payment assistance; Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG); and, 
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA).
  Since 1974, HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program 
has provided more than $120 billion to state and local governments to 
target their own community development priorities. The rehabilitation 
of affordable housing and the improvement of public facilities have 
traditionally been the largest uses of CDBG although the program is 
also an important catalyst for job growth and business opportunities. 
Annual CDBG funds are distributed to communities according to a 
statutory formula based on a community's population, poverty, and age 
of its housing stock, and extent of overcrowded housing.
  HOME (HOME Investment Partnerships Program) is the largest federal 
block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to 
produce affordable housing for low-income families. Since 1992, more 
than 600 communities have completed more than 834,000 affordable 
housing units, including 352,000 for new homebuyers. In addition, 
186,000 tenants have received direct rental assistance.
   The American Dream Down payment Initiative (ADDI) helps first-time 
homebuyers with the biggest hurdles to homeownership--down payment and 
closing costs. The program was created to assist low-income first-time 
homebuyers in purchasing single-family homes by providing funds for 
down payment, closing costs, and rehabilitation carried out in 
conjunction with the assisted home purchase. Since the program's 
inception, ADDI has assisted nearly 29,000 families to purchase their 
first home.
  Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) helps local communities to meet the 
basic shelter needs of homeless individuals and families. These grants 
also provide transitional housing and a variety of support services 
designed to move the homeless away from a life on the street toward 
permanent housing. This block grant program, along with more than $14 
million HUD awarded New Orleans and Jefferson Parish by competition, 
helps thousands of local homeless assistance programs to help those who 
would otherwise be living on the streets.
  HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grants are 
distributed to states and cities based on the number of AIDS cases 
reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grants 
provide resources for operating community residences and providing 
rental assistance and support services to individuals with HIV/AIDS and 
their families. In addition, the HOPWA program also helps many 
communities develop strategic AIDS housing plans and fill in gaps in 
local systems of care. A stable home environment is a critical 
component for low-income persons managing complex drug therapies and 
potential side effects from their treatments.


                  Subprime Mortgage Crisis and Housing

  Over the past year, we have seen a crisis in subprime mortgage 
lending, which has threatened the stability of the housing market and 
the livelihoods of large numbers of Americans. This Democratic Congress 
is committed to strengthening the housing market and stabilizing the 
economy, and we have passed important legislation to address this 
crisis.
  Due to the lack of regulation by the federal government, many loans 
were accompanied by fraud, predatory lending, inadequate information 
and other failures of responsible marketing. With exceptionally high 
(and rising) foreclosure rates across the country, homeowners all over 
America are losing their homes.
  The sub-prime mortgage crisis has impacted families and communities 
across the country. Home foreclosure filings rose to 1.2 million in 
2006--a 42 percent jump--due to rising mortgage bills and a slowing 
housing market. Nationally, as many as 2.4 million sub-prime borrowers 
have either lost their homes or could lose them in the next few years.
  It is critical that we address this crisis. The Bush administration 
and the mortgage industry must reach agreement that matches the scale 
of the problem. If you produce an inadequate agreement, or fail 
outright, the cost to our economy will be incalculable. The freeze on 
foreclosures would give the housing market time to stabilize and 
homeowner's time to build equity.
  The 110th Congress has demonstrated its commitment to moving America 
in a New Direction by raising the minimum wage, implementing the 
recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, opposing the war in Iraq, 
improving children's health care coverage, increasing aid to the Gulf 
Coast, passing energy reform, instituting fiscal discipline through pay 
go budgeting, raising ethical standards for lobbying, and increasing 
oversight over the Bush Administration on a range of issues including 
Iraq, FISA, the CIA interrogation tapes, and the Jena 6 cases.
  We have also made efforts to strengthen the housing market, including 
continued efforts to end discriminatory practices and stabilize the 
economy. Expanding affordable housing and mortgage opportunities for 
all American families is of paramount importance.


                               CONCLUSION

  The 40th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act comes only a few weeks 
after the Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr. and--oh how fitting. The things he fought for then, the principles 
he gave his life for are still ideals we fight for today. We must 
continue the fight to end discrimination not just

[[Page 6006]]

in the area of housing but in education, in healthcare, in politics. 
Madam Speaker, I remind colleagues of the importance of the Fair 
Housing Act, what it has meant to all Americans.
  Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I rise to commend my colleague 
Congressman Green for sponsoring this resolution to recognize and honor 
the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of title VIII of the 
Civil Rights Act of 1968, the Fair Housing Act, and the 20th 
anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. It is important 
that we honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King and reflect on how 
far we have come. It is equally important, as we witness tens of 
thousands of Americans who risk losing their homes to foreclosure this 
year, that we rededicate ourselves to standing firm for those 
victimized by this economy or victimized by residual discrimination. We 
must continue to encourage all people and all three levels of 
government to rededicate themselves to the enforcement and the ideals 
of fair housing laws.
  The fair provision of housing and economic opportunity--and 
especially the drive to ensure safe shelter for those in need--has been 
a compelling foundation of my career in public service. As a council 
member and subsequently as mayor of Alexandria, I served as vice 
chairman of the Alexandria Economic Opportunity Commission when the 
commission began its efforts to ensure local, State, and Federal action 
to bring down the barriers in rental housing that so discriminated 
against single women with children.
  The enactment of the Fair Housing Act of 1988 was a testament to many 
of our former colleagues in this region, including former Congresswoman 
Gladys Spellman, former Senator Charles MacMathias, and former 
Delegate, Reverend Walter Fauntroy. That enactment was an honor to them 
and to thousands of Americans who joined in a national effort to seek 
justice and enduring rights for women in that most fundamental of human 
needs: shelter.
  In Alexandria, our commission--and our city--focus on special 
populations, such as at-risk preschool children and teens, the 
homeless, ex-offenders, single parents, as well as the low-income 
community in general. These populations, our most vulnerable, face 
enough of an uphill struggle everyday as it is without governmentally 
permitted discrimination. I am proud at what we were able to accomplish 
so many years ago, but I remain committed the vision that Dr. King and 
others set before us, which we honor and remember today.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman from Michigan has 
expired.
  Mr. CHABOT. 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 Michigan (Mr. Conyers) that the House suspend the rules 
and agree to the resolution, H. Res. 1095.
  The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the 
rules were suspended and the resolution was agreed to.
  A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.

                          ____________________