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Edited on Tue Jun-17-08 09:30 AM by karynnj
The NYT has a nice article that is clearly designed to push Senator Reed of Rhode Island as a VP choice. I like Reed, though he is extremely not exciting, and he does bring a lot that Obama needs - with to my knowledge little negative ballance - and Obama doesn't need an exciting VP. So, why am I angry and contemplating cancelling the NYT? The article's title and much of its content portrays the Affordable Housing Fund, as Reed's - something he has fought for since his re-election in 2002. Now any major legislation, and this is major, has many people how deserve credit. Here, credit is given primarily to Reed and to the Banking Chair, Dodd - some is even given to Shelby who agreed to it. However, in true NYT fashion, the bill's sponsor , John Kerry is not even mentioned, nor is the similar amendment, S.AMDT.3839 to H.R.8, that narrowly failed 45-52, where 50 was needed on 7/14/2000, also sponsored by Kerry, where Reed was not a co-sponsor. (Here is a link to the article: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/washington/17reed.html?_r=1&scp=3&sq=Reed&st=cse&oref=slogin ) Am I over re-acting? Here is the info on S 3839 from 2000: S.AMDT.3839 Amends: H.R.8 Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. (submitted 7/13/2000) (proposed 7/13/2000)
AMENDMENT PURPOSE:
To establish a National Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury of the United States to provide for the development of decent, safe, and affordable housing for low-income families.
TEXT OF AMENDMENT AS SUBMITTED: CR S6737-6739
STATUS:
7/13/2000:
Amendment SA 3839 proposed by Senator Kerry. (consideration: CR S6646-6648)
7/14/2000:
Considered by Senate. (consideration: CR S6767-6768)
7/14/2000:
Amendment SA 3839 not agreed to in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 45 - 52. Record Vote Number: 189.
COSPONSORS(5):
Sen Sarbanes, Paul S. - 7/13/2000
Sen Inouye, Daniel K. - 7/13/2000
Sen Dodd, Christopher J. - 7/13/2000
Sen Wellstone, Paul D. - 7/13/2000
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. - 7/13/2000
Here is the info on the current amendment:
S.2523
Title: A bill to establish the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury of the United States to provide for the construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of decent, safe, and affordable housing for low-income families.
Sponsor: Sen Kerry, John F. (introduced 12/19/2007) Cosponsors (22)
Latest Major Action: 12/19/2007 Referred to Senate committee. Status: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Jump to: Summary, Major Actions, All Actions, Titles, Cosponsors, Committees, Related Bill Details, Amendments
SUMMARY AS OF:
12/19/2007--Introduced.
National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act of 2007 - Amends the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act to establish in the Treasury a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund available to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to provide assistance to states, Indian tribes, insular areas, and participating local jurisdictions to increase the supply of decent quality affordable housing, especially for low-income, extremely low-income, and very poor families.
Prohibits the use of appropriations to the Fund for a fiscal year unless the amount equal to the net increase in the negative credit subsidy for specified mortgage insurance programs is first made available for: (1) single family housing mortgage insurance; (2) housing counseling; and (3) mortgage insurance technology, procedures, processes, program performance, and salaries.
Limits Federal Housing Administration (FHA) mortgage insurance premium increases.
Specifies affordable housing eligibility criteria for a rental dwelling unit and one- to four-family owner-occupied housing, including a priority to families on section 8 rental assistance or public housing waiting lists.
Requires the Secretary to establish a green housing clearinghouse for Fund grantees and recipients.
Declares that nothing in this Act allows any payments under it for any individual or head of household that is not a legal U.S. resident.
MAJOR ACTIONS:
***NONE***
ALL ACTIONS:
12/19/2007:
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S16014-16015)
12/19/2007:
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
TITLE(S): (italics indicate a title for a portion of a bill)
***NONE***
COSPONSORS(22), ALPHABETICAL : (Sort: by date)
Sen Boxer, Barbara - 3/11/2008
Sen Brown, Sherrod - 2/25/2008
Sen Casey, Robert P., Jr. - 5/8/2008
Sen Collins, Susan M. - 12/19/2007
Sen Domenici, Pete V. - 12/19/2007
Sen Durbin, Richard - 2/25/2008
Sen Kennedy, Edward M. - 12/19/2007
Sen Landrieu, Mary L. - 5/14/2008
Sen Lautenberg, Frank R. - 3/13/2008
Sen Leahy, Patrick J. - 5/2/2008
Sen Levin, Carl - 4/2/2008
Sen Lieberman, Joseph I. - 4/2/2008
Sen Menendez, Robert - 4/2/2008
Sen Obama, Barack - 5/15/2008
Sen Reed, Jack - 12/19/2007
Sen Sanders, Bernard - 12/19/2007
Sen Schumer, Charles E. - 12/19/2007
Sen Snowe, Olympia J. - 12/19/2007
Sen Specter, Arlen - 5/14/2008
Sen Stabenow, Debbie - 4/2/2008
Sen Whitehouse, Sheldon - 5/2/2008
Sen Wyden, Ron - 4/23/2008
COMMITTEE(S):
Committee/Subcommittee: Activity:
Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Referral, In Committee
RELATED BILL DETAILS:
***NONE***
AMENDMENT(S):
***NONE***
Here is Kerry's Senate speech:
"By Mr. KERRY (for himself, Ms. SNOWE, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. DOMENICI, Mr. SCHUMER, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. KENNEDY, and Mr. REED):
S. 2523. A bill to establish the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Treasury of the United States to provide for the construction, rehabilitation, and preservation of decent, safe, and affordable housing for low-income families; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Mr. KERRY. Mr. President, while we are facing new difficulties in the mortgage and subprime markets, we cannot forget the ongoing and deepening crisis that affordable rental housing presents for our Nation. Long-term changes in the housing market have dramatically limited the availability of affordable rental housing across the country and have severely increased the cost of rental housing that remains. As a result, more and more families are forced to pay more than 50 percent of their income for housing. In 2005, a record 37.3 million households paid more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs, according to the Nation's Housing 2007 Report from the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. Approximately 17 million families paid more than half of their incomes on housing costs. This is unacceptable. Our Nation must act to ease this rental housing crisis by producing more affordable housing options.
We can no longer ignore the lack of affordable housing and the impact it is having on families and children around the country. I believe it is time for our Nation to take a new path--one that insures that all Americans, especially our poorest children, have the opportunity to live in decent and safe housing.
Housing construction is a critical part of our economy. Unfortunately, just yesterday the Commerce Department reported that construction of new homes dropped by 5.5 percent last month, the lowest level since April 1991. The overall construction decline left home building 24.2 percent below the level of activity a year ago. Residential construction has seen the largest share of job losses, more than 192,000 since March 2006.
The question is, what do we do today to face--and to finance--this mounting challenge?
In September 2000, I wrote and introduced the original National Affordable Housing Trust Fund legislation. Today, along with Senator SNOWE, I am again proposing to address the severe shortage of affordable housing by introducing legislation that will establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund and begin a rental housing production program.
The Affordable Housing Trust Fund that is established in this legislation would create a production program that will ensure 1.5 million new rental units are built over the next 10 years for extremely low-income families and working families. The goal is to create long-term affordable, mixed-income developments in areas with the greatest opportunities for low-income families. Sixty percent of Trust Fund assistance will be awarded to participating local jurisdictions. Forty percent of Trust Fund assistance will be awarded to States, Indian Tribes and insular areas. A proportionate amount of funds to the States must go to rural areas. If the total amount available for the Trust Fund is less than $2 billion, then there is a $750,000 minimum funding threshold for local jurisdictions.
All funding from the Trust Fund must be used for low-income families, defined as those families with incomes below 80 percent of the State or local median income. However, if the funding for the trust fund is less than $2 billion for any year, then the income ceiling is reduced to 60 percent of local median income.
The funding from the Trust Fund can be used for construction, rehabilitation, acquisition, preservation incentives, and operating assistance to ease the affordable housing crisis. Funds can also be used for downpayment and closing cost assistance by first time homebuyers.
The Trust Fund will be funded through amounts transferred from the Federal National Mortgage Association and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation under Title XIII of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992. It will also be funded through any amounts appropriated under the authorization in the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2007,
relating to the use of FHA savings for an affordable housing grant program. Finally, the Trust Fund will be funded through any amounts as are or may be appropriated, transferred or credited to such fund under any other provisions of law.
The National Affordable Housing Trust Fund bill is cosponsored by a bipartisan group of Senators. Earlier this year, the House of Representatives passed legislation, introduced by House Financial Services Chairman BARNEY FRANK, to establish a National Affordable Housing Trust Fund by a 264-148 vote. It has been endorsed by more than 5,700 community organizations led by the National Low-Income Housing Coalition and including the National Association of Realtors, the National Association of Home Builders, Children's Defense Fund, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Coalition for the Homeless, and others. I am pleased that Senator REED, within the Government Sponsored Enterprise Mission Improvement Act, included legislative language within the Affordable Housing Block Grant section to provide grants to an Affordable Housing Trust Fund.
Enacting the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund will help reverse the recent declines in housing jobs, starts, permits and construction in every State. It will help small businesses across the Nation continue to produce the jobs that are critical to our economic security today and in the future.
During this time of rising rents, increased housing costs, and the loss of affordable housing units, it is incomprehensible that we are not doing more to increase the amount of housing assistance available to working families. The need for affordable housing is severe. Many working families have been unable to keep up with the increase in housing costs. In 2005, one in seven households was considered to be ``severely housing cost burdened.''
For too many low-income families and their children, the cost of privately owned rental housing is simply out of reach. Today, working families in this country increasingly find themselves unable to afford housing. According to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, in Massachusetts, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is almost $1,200 per month. In order to afford this apartment without paying more than 30 percent of income on housing, a household must earn over $47,000 per year. This means teachers, janitors, social workers, police officers and other full-time workers are having trouble affording even a modest two-bedroom apartment.
The cost of rental housing keeps going up. According to the Consumer Price Index, CPI, contract rents began to rise above the rate of inflation in 1997 and have continued every year since. Rental costs have outpaced renter income gains for households across the board. Low wage workers have been hardest hit by the increase in the cost of rental housing.
Because of the lack of affordable housing, too many families are forced to live in substandard living conditions putting their children at risk. Children living in substandard housing are more likely to experience violence, hunger, lead poisoning and to suffer from infectious diseases such as asthma. They are more likely to have difficulties learning and more likely to fall behind in school. Our Nation's children depend upon access to affordable rental housing.
At the same time the cost of rental housing has been increasing, there has been a significant decrease in the number of affordable rental housing units. According to Real Capital Analytics, the number of rentals in larger multifamily properties converted to for-sale units jumped from just a few thousand in 2003 to 235,000 in 2005. New construction of multifamily buildings intended for rental use dipped from 262,000 units in 2003 to 184,000 in 2006. Simultaneously, the number of renter households increased by 1.2 million. The decline in affordable rental units has already forced many working families eligible for Section 8 vouchers in Boston to live outside the city because there are no available rental housing units that accept vouchers.
The loss of affordable housing has exacerbated the housing crisis in this country, and the Federal Government must take action. We need to enact the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund to jumpstart the production of affordable housing in the U.S.
Decent housing, along with neighborhood and living environment, play enormous roles in shaping young lives. Federal housing assistance over the past generation has helped millions of low-income children across the Nation and has helped in developing stable home environments. However, changes in the housing market clearly show that we need to take additional steps to both produce and maintain affordable housing units. Otherwise, many more children and their families will live in substandard housing or will become homeless. These children are less likely to do well in school and less likely to be productive citizens. They deserve our best efforts and require our help.
I ask all Senators to support the National Affordable Housing Trust Fund Act. "
Now as there are always multiple bills doing similar things, I looked through this Congress's housing bills by Reed. There are bills Reed introduced that deal with the housing crisis - including S1518 (which does not have a trust fund) and 2391, from last November that has no co-sponsors and while it calls for funds for affordable housing, it does not call for a trust fund. Nothing that sounds like the Kerry bill.
In addition, Kerry had this press release: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=273x148851
This is a bill that he has introduced every Congress since 2000. Barney Frank is the lead sponsor in the House of the same measure. I have no idea which of them led most on this.
It is clear though that the NYT that let the Republicans in 2004 take credit away from Kerry for legislation that was his, if he was not the lead sponsor listed first, now is incapable of giving credit even when he IS listed as the sponsor.
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