Bruce F. Vento

I did submit this amendment for the Record yesterday. What it seeks to do is to reduce funding for the manned space program and transfer some money in the FEMA emergency food and shelter program.

This is an entirely voluntary program on the part of the Nation and on the part of private landowners. We have provided the impetus, the United States has, to provide encouragement, the education, the preservation of these sites on a…

I represent a largely urban area, but there is a 2-year notice provision that is given prior to the Man and The Biosphere listing. These voluntary listings that do not affect sovereignty. That is the intention. I regret that it engendered…

That is not the gentleman's point. The point is that we do not always authorize a specific amount. Now, the gentleman may object to the fact that there is not a specific amount authorized, but general authority exists within the rules of…

I just want to say I think the gentleman is making a very good statement in pointing out the preparation and the information that is available to the public generally and to Members of Congress specifically, and I realize that many of us…

I think that this amendment, while well intentioned, I think offers false hope as to what the consequence of it will be. It will hurt, it will hurt the people that we are supposed to and holding ourself up to help, not really representing…

I cannot differ with the gentleman in terms of some of the deplorable problems that have occurred, but is it not the function of the Inspector General of HUD that has done some of the criticism or the GAO or the oversight work of our…

I am pleased because I would not want the gentleman to think that there is not concern or opposition about his amendment or that it solves the problem, because I do not think it does.

I think most of us could concede that income mix, H.R. 2's policy is going to be successful in terms of the working poor. The question is, at what price? At what cost? What happens? Do we have 16 million families in 4 million units? That…

I think the point here is that under the preferences set up in this bill that there will be no new applicants under 35 percent of income. They could apply but the fact is the local housing authority will decide whether an upper income…

This is brought before us as a contest between the insurance agents and the banks. The truth of the matter is, of course, even if we could define the word insurance, which is, of course, itself a monumental task today, we would not, in…

I commend the gentleman. We have worked on these amendments for 2 years. Unfortunately, this year we have not had any hearings on FHA, but these are good amendments. They ought to be incorporated. I still am concerned about the…

I just think it points right out to this offset agreement where they demand that the product, not just that they transfer the technology and then they produce it and then the next thing you know they are selling it back to us, our own…

Mr. Chairman, the fact is when this was taken to court, the Secretary was forbidden to use his discretion. He said that this waiver, he could not apply any of these standards, and his attorneys, the attorneys for both the Secretary of…

I just want to assure the gentleman that, first of all, I do not look for a banning of all timber harvest, and this is based more on economics than it is based on anything else. The fact is that I understand the gentleman's need for jobs…

I believe that these programs ought to stand on their own. The fact is you go to that auction house, you do not start off with the Government giving you an extra $164 million in order to build the roads.

I want to just turn to page 50 of the bill that the gentleman is commenting on and I want to point out it says on line 16 that not to exceed $50 million to remain available until expended may be obligated for the construction of forest…

It is provided that $50 million out of the $164 million is an obligation of direct spending, direct subsidy by this Congress to those timber interests.

I think that my colleague from Wisconsin mischaracterized the statement of the gentleman from Wisconsin [Mr. Barrett] that Mr. Barrett is suggesting that this amendment or this language, which reiterates the 1937 and 1949 housing goal…

Also, the 10 percent that we are talking about here may make up 50, 60 percent of the whole timber base in that forest.

I commend the gentleman for this, his observation. There are many things, all these riders do not belong in a spending bill. This is not just about spending. It is about bad policy and it is about bad priorities in this bill. In fact, the…

I would ask, is it not essentially one of the ways of protecting these resources that we have charged them to in fact go into the courts, to implement the laws, to educate about the laws that are passed by the Commonwealth of Virginia, or…

Well, there are some that are eliminated. I think that is a mistake. In cutting this, you are really forcing change at a rapid pace. We ought to give them an opportunity to survive so that we can fulfill the essential mission that we…

I think it is also very evident that truth in lending is an enormously important legislation to inform the consumer and to provide for reputable lenders the opportunity to share information so there is a good understanding in terms of…

Is the gentlewoman suggesting that Colorado has overappropriated and California has overappropriated, in other words, they have actually given away or granted water rights that do not exist?