Recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act) and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1095, ``Commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the Fair Housing Act'', introduced by a fellow Texan, Representative Al Green.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low- income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws.

However, according to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), more than 10,000 people filed housing discrimination complaints last year, mostly from persons with disabilities. HUD also found that race-based housing discrimination was the second most frequent reason individuals filed complaints.

Of the more than 10,000 complaints filed last year, 43 percent alleged discrimination against persons with disabilities while 37 percent alleged racial discrimination. Most complainants claimed to be victims of discrimination in the terms and conditions of the sale or rental of housing, or outright refusal to rent.

The Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity at HUD stated that ``Forty years after the passage of the Fair Housing Act, an alarming number of families are still being denied housing and still need the protections this landmark law offers.'' Assistant Secretary Kim Kendrick's remarks only underscore the importance of HUD's continued enforcement, instruction, and outreach activities to ensure that all Americans have equal access to housing opportunities.

Currently HUD has placed fair housing advertisements on more than 900 movie screens throughout the country. These advertisements inform viewers that it is unlawful to discriminate in the sale, rental, or financing of housing and provided HUD's toll-free telephone number, for those that may have experienced or witnessed unlawful discrimination.

Another part of HUD's outreach in this area is its training program, Fair Housing Accessibility FIRST, which has trained 1,351 individuals in 22 training sessions in 17 states on the Fair Housing Act's design and construction requirements for multifamily housing.

Texas

On March 27th, HUD announced that the Texas State Program and the cities of Houston and New Braunfels will receive a total of $234,868,077 to support community development and produce more affordable housing. HUD's annual funding will also provide down payment assistance to first-time homebuyers; assist individuals and families who might otherwise be living on the streets; and offer real housing solutions for individuals with HIV/AIDS.

This funding will help Texas to reconstruct its neighborhoods and affordable housing stock by helping communities to improve their infrastructure or assisting families to purchase their first home, HUD is helping improve neighborhoods from the ground up.

The funding announced includes: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds; HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME) funding; American Dream Down payment assistance; Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG); and, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA).

Since 1974, HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program has provided more than $120 billion to state and local governments to target their own community development priorities. The rehabilitation of affordable housing and the improvement of public facilities have traditionally been the largest uses of CDBG although the program is also an important catalyst for job growth and business opportunities. Annual CDBG funds are distributed to communities according to a statutory formula based on a community's population, poverty, and age of its housing stock, and extent of overcrowded housing.

HOME (HOME Investment Partnerships Program) is the largest federal block grant to state and local governments designed exclusively to produce affordable housing for low-income families. Since 1992, more than 600 communities have completed more than 834,000 affordable housing units, including 352,000 for new homebuyers. In addition, 186,000 tenants have received direct rental assistance.

The American Dream Down payment Initiative (ADDI) helps first-time homebuyers with the biggest hurdles to homeownership--down payment and closing costs. The program was created to assist low-income first-time homebuyers in purchasing single-family homes by providing funds for down payment, closing costs, and rehabilitation carried out in conjunction with the assisted home purchase. Since the program's inception, ADDI has assisted nearly 29,000 families to purchase their first home.

Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) helps local communities to meet the basic shelter needs of homeless individuals and families. These grants also provide transitional housing and a variety of support services designed to move the homeless away from a life on the street toward permanent housing. This block grant program, along with more than $14 million HUD awarded New Orleans and Jefferson Parish by competition, helps thousands of local homeless assistance programs to help those who would otherwise be living on the streets.

HUD's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) grants are distributed to states and cities based on the number of AIDS cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The grants provide resources for operating community residences and providing rental assistance and support services to individuals with HIV/AIDS and their families. In addition, the HOPWA program also helps many communities develop strategic AIDS housing plans and fill in gaps in local systems of care. A stable home environment is a critical component for low-income persons managing complex drug therapies and potential side effects from their treatments.

Subprime Mortgage Crisis and Housing

Over the past year, we have seen a crisis in subprime mortgage lending, which has threatened the stability of the housing market and the livelihoods of large numbers of Americans. This Democratic Congress is committed to strengthening the housing market and stabilizing the economy, and we have passed important legislation to address this crisis.

Due to the lack of regulation by the federal government, many loans were accompanied by fraud, predatory lending, inadequate information and other failures of responsible marketing. With exceptionally high (and rising) foreclosure rates across the country, homeowners all over America are losing their homes.

The sub-prime mortgage crisis has impacted families and communities across the country. Home foreclosure filings rose to 1.2 million in 2006--a 42 percent jump--due to rising mortgage bills and a slowing housing market. Nationally, as many as 2.4 million sub-prime borrowers have either lost their homes or could lose them in the next few years.

It is critical that we address this crisis. The Bush administration and the mortgage industry must reach agreement that matches the scale of the problem. If you produce an inadequate agreement, or fail outright, the cost to our economy will be incalculable. The freeze on foreclosures would give the housing market time to stabilize and homeowner's time to build equity.

The 110th Congress has demonstrated its commitment to moving America in a New Direction by raising the minimum wage, implementing the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, opposing the war in Iraq, improving children's health care coverage, increasing aid to the Gulf Coast, passing energy reform, instituting fiscal discipline through pay go budgeting, raising ethical standards for lobbying, and increasing oversight over the Bush Administration on a range of issues including Iraq, FISA, the CIA interrogation tapes, and the Jena 6 cases.

We have also made efforts to strengthen the housing market, including continued efforts to end discriminatory practices and stabilize the economy. Expanding affordable housing and mortgage opportunities for all American families is of paramount importance.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1095) recognizing and honoring the 40th anniversary of congressional passage of title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (the Fair Housing Act) and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

House Resolution 1095 recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act, enacted as Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968.

On April 11, 1968, days after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, color, religion or national origin. Twenty years later today, the law was expanded by the Fair Housing Amendments Act to include protections against discrimination based also on sexual orientation, familial status, and disability.

Many may not recall Dr. King's advocacy for fair housing, but he recognized the tremendous costs our society pays if patterns of segregated living continues, as it has.

While there is no question that the Fair Housing Act has become a powerful tool for advancing civil rights, there is much more to be done. For instance, most Americans still live in communities largely divided by race, according to the National Fair Housing Alliance.

An estimated 3.7 million people are discriminated against in housing transactions every single year. This number doesn't even include instances of discrimination against persons with disabilities, nor does it reflect discriminatory lending in insurance practices, planning and zoning, or other forms of profiling. We have so much more to do.

Enforcement is a key area where we need further improvement. For example, while 27,000 complaints of housing discrimination were filed with the Federal Government last year, Housing and Urban Development issued 31 charges, and the Justice Department filed 35 cases.

Landlords, real estate agents, lenders, insurance agents, and others know they face limited risk of prosecution for discrimination. Even those who are prosecuted often pay such a minor penalty that discrimination today becomes just another cost of doing business. It's no surprise that housing providers continue to discriminate and communities across our Nation sadly remain highly segregated.

The most recent manifestation of discrimination in housing is the current sub-prime foreclosure crisis, which presents some of the greatest fair housing and civil rights issues facing our Nation today. Fueled by reverse red-lining practices, the sub-prime foreclosure crisis is now causing extreme havoc for minority owners who were targeted for predatory home loans that stripped away their home equity and put their houses at risk of foreclosure. It's also affected financing markets all over the world.

If left unchecked, the foreclosure crisis threatens to wipe out many of the advances the country has made in the 40 years since the passage of the Fair Housing Act.

To be an effective tool in our fight against discrimination, the Fair Housing Act must be enforced, and we need to augment it with tough anti-predatory lending legislation, which is what I intend to do.

We should also enact legislation permitting bankruptcy judges to restructure home mortgages so deserving families can save their homes from foreclosure and, thereby, stem falling housing prices in communities all across our Nation.

After centuries of discrimination and denied opportunities, enactment of the Fair Housing Act 40 years ago marked a milestone in our Nation's efforts to achieve equal housing opportunities.

And so today, we celebrate the Fair Housing Act's 40th anniversary with, I hope, a renewed commitment to achieving and furthering its goals by supporting this resolution.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), the ranking member, for his great work on the matter.

And now I recognize the Reverend Al Green of Texas, the author of this idea, for 4 minutes.

I yield the gentleman 1 additional minute.

I am pleased now to recognize a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee, Mel Watt, for as much time as he may consume. And I note that, although the gentleman from Texas is not a minister, we may all agree that he is a good preacher.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased now to recognize the Honorable Maxine Waters of California for as much time as she may consume.

Madam Speaker, I recognize now the gentlewoman from Oakland, California, a valuable member of the House (Ms. Lee), for such time as she may consume.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. However, the promotion I cannot claim. I'm still a lowly Member of the House of Representatives, not yet made it to that lofty level of being a reverend, but you are very kind. And I thank you for the many years of work that you have dedicated to this very issue that we have on the floor today. In fact, it can be said that your great work has caused us to have this opportunity to be here today.

I also would like to thank the ranking member, Lamar Smith, for his work in helping us to bring this to the floor, and the manager of the time, Member Steve Chabot, for your services that you've rendered as well. And I appreciate especially the comments that you've made today.

In celebrating or commemorating or recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, we are, in truth, recognizing the efforts of Dr. Martin Luther King because it was Dr. Martin Luther King who went to Memphis some 40 years ago to help what we call sanitation workers today, but back then we called them garbage men.

Dr. King had a basic premise of trying to help somebody. And to him, these persons, although known as garbage men, they were somebody. And he went there to help them in their efforts to obtain equal justice. And while there, the unfortunate circumstance occurred, and we lost Dr. King prematurely. But I do believe that he did not live in vain.

There is a spiritual song styled, ``If I can help somebody as I travel along, if I can help someone with a word or a song, if I can help someone from doing wrong, then my living shall not be in vain.'' Dr. King lived not in vain because this act, the Fair Housing Act, was passed after his demise. There are some historians who contend that it was his demise, in fact, that created the opportunity for it to pass as timely as it did.

And I am honored that Dr. King took up the cause of the lowly garbage men. However, 40 years later, there is still great work to be done, as has been indicated by the chairman, because 40 years later there are approximately four million acts of housing discrimination each year in this country. Forty years later, approximately 27,000 acts of housing discrimination and complaints are filed annually. Forty years later, 13 fair housing groups have closed their doors due to a lack of funding. Forty years later, 26 fair housing centers, or one-quarter of all fair housing centers, have either closed their doors or are at risk of closing their doors due to a lack of funding.

Forty years later, 87 percent of African Americans, Latinos and Asian Americans meet with real estate agents and experience some form of steering. Steering occurs when the agent will send a person of one ethnicity to an area where persons of this ethnicity may be residing, whites to white neighborhoods, blacks to black neighborhoods, or neighborhoods that are going into some form of transition. Forty years later, 20 percent of the African Americans and Latinos trying to buy or rent homes have their cause ignored.

Less than 1 percent of housing discrimination acts are reported 40 years later.

So we need to do something to change this. We need to fully fund the fair housing programs. FHIP, the Fair Housing Initiative Program, should be fully funded to about $52 million.

This program allows us to do what is known as testing, the means by which we acquired the empirical evidence that housing discrimination has actually occurred. There is no substitute for FHIP and the testing that takes place.

But also there is a piece of legislation, the Fair Housing Act of 2007, or H.R. 2926, which will give HUD some additional authority, will establish competitive grants, will help us to examine the causes of housing discrimination and talk about what we can do and, in fact, conclude what we can do to make remedies.

If we want to live not in vain as Dr. King did, let's help somebody. Let's do something about discrimination in housing and make real the great American ideal of owning a home.

Madam Speaker, I am pleased to speak in strong support of this resolution offered by my colleague, Mr. Green, from Houston commemorating the 40th anniversary of title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968 and the 20th anniversary of the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988.

The history of the Fair Housing Act embodies both our Nation's most noble instincts and recent behavior by our Federal Government, which should make none of us proud.

On April 11, 1968, one week to the day after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Congress passed and the President signed into law the Federal Fair Housing Act which now prohibits discrimination in housing based on race, national origin, religion, color, sex, familial status and disability.

Acting on this legislation, which has been stalled in this body for over 2 years, was a fitting tribute to Dr. King and reflected a belief that something constructive could be achieved in the aftermath of days of unrest in cities across the country.

In 1988, the law was amended by the Fair Housing Amendments Act, which significantly strengthened the enforcement powers of the act, giving the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Justice the authority to mandate and to enforce the expanded and comprehensive requirements of the act. Unfortunately, while we can be proud of passing these landmark statutes, the sad fact is that the Fair Housing Act remains the least enforced of our Nation's civil rights laws.

Through the work of local housing groups like the Housing Rights Center in my district in Los Angeles, we know that more than 3.7 million people are discriminated against in housing transactions every year, and we are on the brink of an economic crisis fueled by a failed subprime lending market built

primarily on borrowers and neighborhoods of color.

The current foreclosure crisis is the outgrowth of persistent discrimination in housing, lending and insurance markets that took place under the negligent eyes of the very Federal agencies charged with enforcing our Nation's antidiscrimination laws. In 2007, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development issued only 31 charges of discrimination, and the Department of Justice filed just 35 cases.

Sadly, the risk posed by lax enforcement of the Fair Housing Act is no less than the resegregation of America. While we have made some progress in reducing levels of residential segregation, most Americans live in communities largely divided by race and ethnicity. Perhaps more distressingly, our children are attending increasingly segregated schools. Recent research demonstrates that by 2000, minority students were in schools with substantially fewer white students than was the case a decade earlier. We must reduce those troubling trends.

To that end, I urge my colleagues to support this resolution offered by Mr. Green, whose dedication to the housing needs of America and America's most vulnerable households is second to that of no other member of the Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee, which I chair.

Additionally, in my role as Chair, I'm joining Mr. Green in rededicating myself to the enforcement of the Fair Housing Act, starting with making plans for a joint hearing with the Constitution Subcommittee, chaired by Mr. Nadler of New York, to hold the inadequate efforts of both HUD and the Department of Justice up to congressional scrutiny.

The best way to celebrate the anniversary of the Fair Housing Act is to take concrete actions to enforce both its letter and spirit.

Mr. Chairman of our Judiciary Committee, whose lifelong work has been to end discrimination and to enforce fair housing and to enforce civil rights, I just thank you for having the opportunity to work with you.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 1095, a resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Fair Housing Act.

On April 4, 2008, just 11 days ago, this Nation joined together to pay tribute to the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and recognize his contributions to this Nation.

Thus, it's only fitting that we recognize one aspect of Dr. King's legacy, passage of the Fair Housing Act, which was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on April 11, 1968, just one week after Dr. King's tragic assassination.

The act, which prohibits discrimination in the sale, rental and financing of housing based on race, religion, national origin, sex, and later handicap and family status, was another tool to give meaning to the rights and protections afforded to all citizens by the Constitution.

Passage of the Fair Housing Act was a fitting memorial to Dr. King, as his name was closely associated with fair housing legislation since the 1966 ``open housing'' marches in Chicago.

At the same time, Senator Edward Brooke, the first African American ever to be elected to the Senate by popular vote, helped facilitate this Act's passage by describing his difficulties finding housing for his new family following his service in World War II.

The first official appointed to administer the act was former Governor George Romney. Secretary Romney assumed his position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after serving as Governor of Michigan, where he successfully campaigned for the ratification of a State constitutional amendment that prohibited discrimination in housing.

Since its enactment, the Fair Housing Act has prevented both countless instances of specific discrimination as well as broader patterns or practices of discrimination in housing programs. In addition, the act serves to punish those who attempt to disguise their discriminatory motives by giving false information to potential homebuyers, or by manipulating zoning codes. It prohibits sexual harassment in housing, and enables the disabled to more easily assimilate into our communities.

Madam Speaker, I would be remiss if I didn't also commend and recognize the chairman of the Judiciary, Mr. Conyers, both for his remarks, and also working with myself in a bipartisan manner on the issue that he raised about those that find themselves at risk of having their homes foreclosed upon. And I agree with him that we ought to give the bankruptcy judges additional powers to modify those particular agreements so that they can have a better chance of retaining their homes. That certainly would move forward those that find themselves at risk

of losing their own homes. Again, I want to thank the chairman of the committee for working with us in a bipartisan manner on that issue.

I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution today, and in celebrating the 40th anniversary of passage of the Fair Housing Act.

Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.