Spotlight On... Hill UpdateHouse Passes HUD Funding Bill
House and Senate negotiators worked out a fiscal year (FY) 2008 spending bill for the Departments of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development. It was passed by the House on November 14 by a vote of 270 - 147. The Senate did not act on it before recess. The bill includes $1.586 billion for HUD Homeless Assistance Grants, a $144 million increase over FY 2007. This level includes $25 million for a rapid re- housing pilot for homeless families. According to the conference report accompanying the measure, the pilot would be used to "conduct a demonstration program on the effectiveness of rapid re-housing programs in reducing the number of homeless families... Selected programs should provide families with housing placement services, short-term housing assistance, including up to 18 months of rental assistance, and an array of appropriate services for families."
The appropriations bill also includes $16.4 billion for the tenant based section 8 program to renew existing vouchers and fund new ones, including:
Funding for most other programs would be the same as in FY 2007 with a few exceptions. Public Housing would get nearly $400 million more, mostly for operating expenses; Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) would receive a $79 million increase; and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) would receive $300 million, a $14 million increase.
The President has vowed to veto the bill, clouding its future. The House vote was eight votes short of the level that would be necessary to override a veto. Unless Congress and the Administration come to agreement, or Congress is able to override the promised veto, HUD programs would likely continue to be funded at last year's level.
House Fails to Override Veto of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Funding Bill
On November 15, the House fell two votes short of overriding the President's veto of a bill to fund the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. The bill would have increased funding for several homelessness programs, including:
Affordable Housing Fund Bill Introduced
On November 16, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced the Government Sponsored Enterprise Mission Improvement Act of 2007 (S. 2391). The bill would strengthen the affordable housing mission of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It would also create an affordable housing fund by setting aside 0.042 percent of the unpaid principle balance of new business purchases. The fund would be split into two programs-65 percent would be for an Affordable Housing Block Grant Program that would develop and preserve rental and homeownership housing for very low and extremely low income households, and 35 percent would be used for a Capital Magnet Fund in the Department of Treasury. For the first year, all of the Affordable Housing Block Grant Program's funds would be used to help address the sub-prime mortgage crisis.
Congress is on Recess
Congress will return the week of December 3.
-
$11 million increase for Grants for the Benefit of Homeless Individuals targeted to providing services in permanent supportive housing;
-
$15 million increase for Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs;
-
$20 million increase for Health Care for the Homeless programs.
-
$75 million for approximately 7,500 - 10,000 new Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (VASH) vouchers for homeless veterans;
-
$30 million for approximately 4,000 new vouchers for non-elderly people with disabilities; and
-
$30 million for approximately 4,000 new Family Unification Program (FUP) vouchers for families that would otherwise be separated because of a housing problem.
|
Legislative Updates 
