To express the Sense of the Senate regarding Philadelphia Housing Authority's "Moving to Work Agreement" with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

At the appropriate place, insert the following

Expressing the Sense of the Senate regarding extending the “Moving to Work Agreement” between the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the same terms and conditions for a period of one year.

Whereas, the current “Moving to Work Agreement” between the Philadelphia Housing Authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is set to expire on March 31, 2008;

Whereas, Philadelphia Housing Authority has used this agreement to leverage private and public resources to develop mixed-income communities that address the needs of the very poor while reshaping entire communities, and estimates that it will lose $50 million as a result of the agreement expiring;

Whereas, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has refused to grant Philadelphia Housing Authority a 1-year extension of its current agreement under the same terms and conditions;

Whereas, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development alleges that Philadelphia Housing Authority is in violation of fair housing requirements;

Whereas, Philadelphia Housing Authority denies this assertion and is challenging the matter in Federal District Court;

Whereas, there is a suspicion of retaliation with regard to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's refusal to grant a one-year extension of Philadelphia Housing Authorities current agreement under the same terms and conditions;

Whereas, it was discovered that two senior level officials at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development had the following email exchange, referring to Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl R. Greene:

Then-Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Orlando J. Cabrera wrote, “Would you like me to make his life less happy? If so, how?”

Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity Kim Kendrick wrote, “Take away all of his Federal dollars?”

Then-Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing Orlando J. Cabrera wrote, “Let me look into that possibility.”

Whereas, these emails were the subject of questioning by Senator Casey to U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson at a March 12, 2008 hearing before the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs; and by Senator Specter to Secretary Jackson at a March 13, 2008 hearing before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies;

Whereas, Philadelphia Housing Authority's allegation of retaliation appears to be substantiated by these newly discovered emails;

Whereas, the expiration of the current agreement is imminent and will negatively impact 84,000 low-income residents of Philadelphia: Now, therefore, be it:

Resolved, that it is the Sense of the Senate that Philadelphia Housing Authority should be granted a one-year extension of its “Moving to Work Agreement” with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the same terms and conditions as the current agreement.