Matteo Renzi: “I am pleased to have on the House floor today H.R. 797, the Native American Housing Enhancement Act which I introduced…”

“I am pleased to have on the House floor today H.R. 797, the Native American Housing Enhancement Act which I introduced earlier this year with my colleague Mr. Matheson of Utah. While visiting with my Navajo and Apache constituents, I have learned that there is a need for a focus on long term housing planning. If we can help tribes be flexible with their grant money we will see great projects such as Apache Dawn, a multi-phase construction development by the White Mountain Apache that was built because they were able to be flexible and creative with their funding. This bill makes three changes to help Native American communities in rural Arizona, and across the nation, better address their housing needs. The first section of this bill will clarify that tribes are allowed unrestricted access to new NAHASDA funds even if they still retain program income from previous years. Currently a tribes' grant money may be restricted if that tribe is receiving program income in excess of their operating costs. This clarification is crucial to ensure that we are not creating a disincentive for tribes to create income or plan for their future developments.”