Amendment Process for H.R. 1461, Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005
AMENDMENT PROCESS FOR H.R. 1461, FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE REFORM ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - October 20, 2005)
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, will the gentleman yield?
Mr. SESSIONS. I yield to the gentleman from Maryland.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I would ask the gentleman: the bill which you just indicated would be on the floor next week and you asked for amendments to be filed in a timely fashion is a very important bill. It came out, as you pointed out, with overwhelming bipartisan support. I think you said 65-7. Since that time, it is my understanding that there has been some change in the bill. In particular, I refer to the provision which deals with the ability of those who may receive dollars under the provisions of the bill for the purposes of constructing affordable housing, that if they receive Federal funds that they will be unable to thereafter participate in encouraging voter registration drives or getting more people on the rolls to vote. That is something that I think the whole House ought to address.
I believe the ranking member is going to ask that that be struck from the bill so that there not be a preclusion on voter registration drives or participation. The Catholic Conference is very concerned about that. I would presume a number of faith-based organizations are very concerned about that provision. I may have a discussion briefly with the acting majority leader on that issue as well.
But can the gentleman tell me whether or not he believes the Rules Committee will allow the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) to offer an amendment which would put the bill back in the position which 65 people in the committee supported at the time it was reported out.
I thank my colleague for yielding and would ask him if he can give us some thought on that issue, which we feel very strongly about, and hope that that amendment can be protected and made in order by the committee and that we will have a full and fair debate on the floor of the House with reference to that amendment.
Mr. SESSIONS. Reclaiming my time, I appreciate the gentleman not only asking these questions but bringing up and talking about some important issues.
First of all, I would be the first one to admit that we have for the last few weeks been dealing with issues related to Katrina and other important matters as it relates to housing.
To answer the gentleman most directly, I must say that the instructions that I have given are that we are going back to the bill of July 14. There have been no changes made at this time to that. That will be the text that will be considered by the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee, as we deliberate, we take into consideration amendments of how people would wish for the bill to be changed, new thoughts and ideas; and that will be just as current as the filing date that we have set. So it is my hope that you would have the opportunity to work with Members of your party, and that this announcement would be available for Members of my party to say that we are open to any amendment, any thought process that people would like to come to the Rules Committee.
It is not unusual for us to hold hearings and take testimony that may take hours and hours and we hear from people. That thought process will be considered next week. The chairman of the Rules Committee, the gentleman from California, has instructed me to advise Members that we will be ready to do business next week and be open to the amendment process as Members choose.
Mr. HOYER. I thank the gentleman for that information. There has been some suggestion, I understand, however, that although the bill may be in the same shape now, that there is a manager's amendment proposed and that the vote on the manager's amendment, which we presume, we have not seen it, would cover a multitude of subjects that are in the bill; that the vote on the issue that I have raised could be made on that manager's amendment. Therefore, you would have to vote against the manager's amendment if it changes the provision to which I referred.
I would hope, and this is not a question, just an expression, that the majority would make in order an amendment so that we could have a debate on that issue if in fact the manager's amendment does what we are concerned about and some people are proposing undermining the ability of some groups, faith-based groups. That is why the Catholic Conference is so concerned about it, faith-based groups or other groups who would build affordable housing, get money under the bill and then be precluded from participating in any efforts, not partisan efforts but nonpartisan efforts to get people on the rolls.
I would just urge the gentleman, who is a distinguished member of the Rules Committee, to consider, very hopefully, favorably the request of Ranking Member Frank to have made in order an amendment to deal with that subject. I thank the gentleman for yielding.
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