[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9156]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mr. BLUNT (for himself, Mr. Reed, Mr. Scott, and Mr. 
        Menendez):
  S. 1344. A bill to promote the development of local strategies to 
coordinate use of assistance under sections 8 and 9 of the United 
States Housing Act of 1937 with public and private resources, to enable 
eligible families to achieve economic independence and self-
sufficiency, and for other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, 
Housing, and Urban Affairs.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today Senator Blunt and I are reintroducing 
the Family Self-Sufficiency Act, and we are pleased to be joined in 
this effort in this Congress by our colleagues, Senators Scott and 
Menendez.
  The Family Self Sufficient, FSS, Program is an existing Department of 
Housing and Urban Development, HUD, employment and savings incentive 
initiative for families that use section 8 vouchers or live in public 
housing. FSS provides participants access to the resources and training 
that enable them to pursue higher paying employment opportunities and 
meet financial goals, while putting FSS families in a better position 
to save by establishing an interest-bearing escrow account for them. 
Upon graduation from the FSS program, the family can use these savings 
to pay for job-related expenses, such as additional workforce training 
or the purchase or maintenance of a car needed for commuting purposes. 
In short, FSS is all about giving our constituents the incentives and 
the tools to move up the economic ladder.
  Our bipartisan legislation enhances the FSS Program by streamlining 
the administration of this program, broadening the supportive services 
that can be provided, and extending the reach of the FSS Program to 
tenants who live in privately owned properties with project-based 
assistance. In short, we make the FSS Program easier to administer and 
more effective.
  First, to streamline the FSS Program, our bill would permanently 
combine two separate but similar FSS Programs into one. Under the 
existing authorization, HUD is supposed to operate one FSS Program for 
those families served by the Housing Choice Voucher Program and another 
for those families served by the Public Housing Program. This is the 
case even though the purpose of each FSS Program--to increase economic 
independence and self-sufficiency--is identical. Unfortunately, without 
a permanent change in the authorization, public housing agencies, PHAs, 
may at some point in the future have to operate essentially two 
programs to achieve the same goal. With our bill, PHAs would be 
relieved of this unnecessary burden permanently.
  Second, our legislation broadens the scope of the supportive services 
that may be offered to include attainment of a high school equivalency 
certificate, education in pursuit of a postsecondary degree or 
certification, and financial literacy, such as training in financial 
management, financial coaching, and asset building. Providing families 
in need with affordable rental housing is critical, but combining this 
resource with the support and services to help families get ahead 
increases the effectiveness of this Federal investment. Our legislation 
makes it easier for FSS participants to obtain the training necessary 
to secure employment and the education to make prudent financial 
decisions to protect and grow their earnings.
  Lastly, our bill permanently extends the FSS Program to families who 
live in privately owned properties subsidized with project-based rental 
assistance. It shouldn't matter what kind of housing assistance a 
family gets. Families seeking to achieve self-sufficiency shouldn't be 
held back by this sort of technicality.
  I thank Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Compass Working 
Capital, Housing Partnership Network, Preservation of Affordable 
Housing, National Housing Conference, Stewards of Affordable Housing 
for the Future, National NeighborWorks Association, National 
Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, Public Housing 
Authority Directors Association, Public Housing Association of Rhode 
Island, and Rhode Island Housing for their support. I also thank 
Senator Blunt, Senator Menendez, and Senator Scott for their 
partnership and I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan bill, 
which will help give those receiving housing assistance a greater 
chance to build their skills and achieve economic independence.

                          ____________________