Providing for Consideration of H.R. 1461, Federal Housing Finance Reform Act of 2005
PROVIDING FOR CONSIDERATION OF H.R. 1461, FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE REFORM ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - October 26, 2005)
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Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the problem is, I tell the former Speaker from the Florida legislature, you do not have the courage of your convictions on your side. You are not prepared to put your proposition to a democratic vote on your side.
Mr. Speaker, once again this House majority is resorting to heavy-handed tactics that are designed to do one thing only, to achieve a preordained result by shutting down a full and fair debate in this House.
Let me remind my colleagues what the chairman of the Rules Committee, Mr. Dreier, said on this floor 12 years ago, in March 1993: ``Frankly, it seems to me that the process of representative government means that a person who represents 600,000 people here should have the right to stand up and put forth an amendment and then have it voted down if it is not supportable. We are simply asking that we comply with the standard operating rules of this House.''
Why will you not do that today? Because you do not have the confidence you have the votes. Again, today, the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier) and his Republican colleagues are violating their own promise to allow free and fair debates. It is another stark example of the arrogance of power and the abuse of power.
This Republican majority has blocked Mr. Frank's amendment, as well as other Democratic amendments, and thus stifled, shut down, democracy and stifled debate.
The manager's amendment, among other provisions, will prohibit nonprofit organizations from using their own funds, I tell the gentleman from Florida, their own funds, from voter registration drives or get-out-the-vote activities for a period beginning 12 months before a grant application until it is over.
Mr. Speaker, it is outrageous that this House would take such an action, any action that would inhibit or prevent anyone from engaging in nonpartisan voter registration, unless, of course, you fear the wrath of the voters in response to your abuse of power. Let us be clear. This provision is nothing more than a transparent attempt to disenfranchise voters who otherwise may not register to vote.
The gentleman mentioned the Catholic Conference. Let me read just two sentences, I hope I have the time to do it: ``Proposals that would limit eligible recipients to organizations that have as their primary purpose the provision of affordable housing would effectively prevent Catholic dioceses, parishes and Catholic charity agencies from participating in affordable housing programs.''
That is the Catholic Conference of Bishops speaking. They say it would force Catholic agencies, not ACORN, would force Catholic agencies to choose between participating in affordable housing fund programs, or engaging in constitutionally protected voter registration and lobbying activities with their own funds.
This is Catholic bishops, I tell my friend, speaking. These provisions are an outrage, and this process is an outrage. As one Member of this body complained, once again the vast majority of Americans are having their representatives in Congress gagged by the closed-rule committee.
That was the gentleman from California (Mr. Dreier), the now-chairman of the Rules Committee. This undermines democracy in this the People's House. What a shame.
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