Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act of 2015
Floor Speech
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Mr. ROTHFUS. I thank the chairman.
Mr. Chairman, for decades, the Federal Government has spent over $1.6 trillion in an attempt to accomplish the laudable goal of ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable, decent housing.
I have visited many affordable housing sites during my time in Congress to listen to the concerns of residents, managers, and community leaders. In fact, just 2 weeks ago, I visited a public housing facility that is managed by the Housing Authority of Beaver County. These meetings and visits have underscored the importance of our housing assistance programs. If administered correctly, these efforts can be truly transformative for hardworking Americans. I have met many Pennsylvanians who have improved their lives and who have brightened their families' futures thanks, in part, to targeted Federal housing assistance provided to them in their time of need.
However, there are also cases in which outdated rules, waste, fraud, abuse, and general inefficiency have made it difficult to direct resources to those who need them the most. There are also instances in which housing assistance programs have failed to help people lift themselves out of poverty. Members of both parties recognize this reality and have worked together to identify areas for improvement. H.R. 3700, the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act, is a bipartisan, commonsense bill that addresses many of these issues.
Among other things, this legislation makes it easier for tenants, owners, and investors to navigate rental assistance programs by reducing duplicative and inefficient regulations that make it harder to rent or to operate affordable housing. The Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act also incorporates safeguards to prevent well-off families from using scarce public housing units. We can all agree that housing assistance programs should be reserved for those who need help the most. This legislation also provides flexibility to public housing agencies in using Federal funds to meet local needs more effectively.
I am a proud cosponsor of this legislation, and I encourage my colleagues to support this bipartisan effort to improve Federal housing assistance. We owe it to the many Americans who rely on these programs to enact this legislation's reforms.
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