[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9916]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS

  (Mr. HIGGINS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. HIGGINS. Mr. Speaker, I am grateful that yesterday the House 
adopted my amendment to prevent communities that have experienced 
recent population loss from being excluded from the Community 
Development Block Grant program.
  Since the creation of the Community Development Block Grant program 
in 1974, HUD has designated ``entitlement communities,'' which included 
cities with a population of at least 50,000. For 40 years, HUD has 
allowed cities that have had their populations fall below 50,000 to 
continue to participate in the program.
  Unfortunately, HUD signaled a desire to change course and to remove 
these cities from the program. This would have devastated 127 cities in 
31 States, including the city of Niagara Falls in my congressional 
district.
  The Community Development Block Grant program has become a foundation 
for community and economic development across the Nation and in western 
New York.
  I am pleased that communities who rely on this funding will continue 
to have access to this critical resource.

                          ____________________