Rick Lazio

I would say that the very essence of H.R. 2 is local flexibility. That is not in current law. Current law suggests, again, go back to the same old Washington prescription. This is why we want to have this kind of flexibility so that…

the language of the gentleman's amendment is that anybody above 50 percent is excluded, and that is what the gentleman from Iowa [Mr. Leach] is taking.

I wish every public housing authority throughout the Nation was a high performing, competent housing authority that performed to levels of excellence, and if that were the case, as the saying goes, if men were angels, we would not need…

It is absolutely the responsibility of the committee in terms of oversight. It is absolutely the responsibility of the inspector general. It is absolutely the responsibility of the General Accounting Office, to the extent that they are…

I would be happy to advocate to the Committee on Appropriations for additional vouchers, choice-based vouchers. If we could find an appropriate basis to fix an authorization number, I would even be willing, in the event this amendment…

Mr. Chairman, I want to say, first of all, that under the terms of H.R. 2, the bill we are debating today, we do authorize incremental or new vouchers. In the language of the bill we simply authorize that such sums as may be necessary are…

let me just say I think, to paraphrase a 20th century President, we have nothing to fear but fear itself on this, and what we want to do is create the sense of ideas of innovation. We should not be afraid of new ideas, we should not be…

Title IV of this bill would provide maximum flexibility for new ideas, new innovation. It does not preclude the housing authorities from participating in the new idea. It simply says that a municipal leader, a mayor, would be able to come…

I would just say in the gentleman from Massachusetts' amendment, the eligibility for choice-based assistance is restricted to families with incomes of 50 percent or below of median income.

Under the terms of H.R. 2 we ask every tenant to pay a minimum rent. That minimum rent can be set by the local housing authority at between $25 and $50 per month. There are people who object to the fact that a minimum rent is established…

I think this is a very valid, very progressive amendment. I think the gentleman speaks to some of the concerns that many of us have in terms of assuring that more Americans have the benefit of public housing. I should say, I am concerned a…

I think that the gentleman's idea and obviously his passion are right on the mark, and I will do whatever I can to work in conference, if this bill is adopted, and I am hopeful it will, with the VA's strong support, that we will be able to…

let me just comment that in fact there is no doubt that we need to look to new tools to develop additional units of housing, affordable housing, wherever we can. That is really the intent of H.R. 2. Within H.R. 2 we are allowing for those…

The reality is; the reality is that we are asking for a sense of mutual obligation and responsibility just like we were talking about in terms of community service and community work; that yes, they will be helped; yes, they will receive…

Sure. There is something called the 602(b)s, and they are a cap on the money that each of the 13 appropriations bills can spend. The way the rules work are that we cannot take money from another 602(b) area to put it into a separate and…

The idea that money alone will fix the problem is wrong, it is not factual, and the fact that we need to create environments where competitive forces reign, where we demand levels of excellence in terms of management and we begin to change…

I would say firstly that the object of H.R. 2 is to make sure there are no bad housing complexes.

I think what distinguishes us is the fact that, under our program, under this bill, we are hopeful of creating environments where poor people can actually transition out, where we can actually make more availability. We are going to spend…

I want to establish that the idea that more money and more money and more money is the answer to poverty is contradicted by the chart right behind the gentleman, which shows that since 1982, as median income has been going down, operating…

reclaiming my time, there is absolute local flexibility in terms of community work requirement. Any tenant and any housing authority can choose any number of ways in which they can fulfill that requirement. This is basically about ensuring…

let me say, when we spend $37 billion additional dollars, which is over half of the increase in discretionary spending, to meet the needs for affordable housing where we subsidize units that does not run with the people, that means every…

it is the intent and the desire of myself and, I think, other Members in support of the bill that residents who are working and who are earning more are not forced to leave Cabrini Green but can stay there and continue to be role models in…

Now, there are people who argue against change in this body, there are people who argue that what we are doing is fine, that it is OK to maintain super concentrations of poverty, that we should not be worried about transforming people to…

The idea, Mr. Chairman, that community work or self-sufficiency is wasteful or ridiculous or foolish I think mocks the attempts that some communities are making from Charlotte to Milwaukee to try and incorporate the sense of reconnecting…

that is true. I would also add that this bill saves money. It saves in administrative expenses. And, yes, in this one area there are some additional requests in terms of expanding the mission, but overall this bill is a saver both for…