Shelley Capito

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Chairman, I would now like to yield 9 minutes to the ranking member of the full committee, Mr. Bachus of Alabama.

Ms. CAPITO

Ms. CAPITO. Madam Chairman, I yield myself 5 minutes. Today's HOPE VI program is the direct result of the 1992 report submitted to Congress by the National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing that said approximately 6 percent of the 1.4 million existing public housing apartments were severely distressed and recommended that they be removed from the housing stock. Since Congress began appropriating funds for HOPE VI in 1992, the program has been revitalizing and replacing some of the most dangerous and dilapidated public housing units in the country with mixed-income communities. These grants play a vital role in a community's redevelopment and have changed the physical characteristics of public housing from high-rise tenements to attractive, marketable units that blend in with the surrounding neighborhood and help residents attain self-sufficiency. While the goals of the program are to be commended, and HOPE VI projects remain popular with many Members of Congress, it is not without faults. The HOPE VI program has been criticized by the administration, which argues that grantees spend their money too slowly, and by tenant advocates, who claim the program displaces more families than it houses in new developments. Also, there are those who argue that HOPE VI is not an efficient method for meeting the current and future capital needs of public housing programs. The bill we are considering today, H.R. 3524, makes several significant changes to the underlying program. I want to commend Chairman Frank, Chairwoman Waters, and Congressman Shays for their bipartisan work on this bill. I know that Congressman Shays has worked hard to address some of the concerns raised by HUD and by those on this side of the aisle regarding the bill. Certainly, the manager's amendment moves in the right direction. However, there are still several areas of disagreement on this legislation, such as the elimination of demolition-only grants, implementing one-for-one replacement requirements, and mandating HOPE VI developers comply with the Green Communities Green Building Rating System. The HOPE VI program has been a program that has worked. Through public-private partnerships, we have changed the physical shape of public housing by establishing positive incentives for resident self- sufficiency and comprehensive services that empower residents. We must take care not to make this program so prescriptive that developers and nonprofits find the program too difficult in which to participate. Several years ago, I spoke at the opening ceremonies at Orchard Manor in Charleston, West Virginia. Orchard Manor is now a beautiful complex of townhouses, duplexes and apartments that began its transformation from a rundown public housing project with the removal of 230 out of the existing 360 units under a HUD HOPE VI demolition-only grant. Following the initial demolition, additional units were constructed using replacement housing funds until the complex reached its present state. Orchard Manor is a shining example of the importance and significance of using demolition-only grants as part of HOPE VI. The gentleman from Texas (Mr. Neugebauer) has an amendment that will reinstate HUD's ability to fund demolition-only grants, and I urge its adoption so future successful projects, such as Orchard Manor, can receive that funding. Finally, I plan to offer an amendment that I believe is a commonsense approach to green building requirements outlined in this legislation. I am concerned that Congress is attempting to mandate this program. Building green is a good thing. Mandating how to do it by a private building standard, I believe there are other ways to do it, which is essentially the heart of my amendment. Specifically, the green building requirements in the bill could lead to fewer affordable housing units being built. My amendment still requires minimum green building standards, but it directs the Secretary to select an appropriate green building rating system standard or code that addresses environmental soundness but leaves that flexibility for the Secretary to determine other criteria as appropriate. We are currently experiencing rapid development in our definition of what constitutes a legitimate ``green building standard'' through the competition of differing ideas. This competition is a healthy one, and we should not cut short through a hasty endorsement of one of the competing proprietary standards as our definition. In closing, the HOPE VI program is not a cure-all for the rehabilitation and capital improvement needs of public housing units. However, this House has the opportunity with this bill, through several amendments, to further develop a program that rehabilitates our public housing into affordable, mixed-income communities. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I would like to respond just a little bit to the gentleman's comments on the amendment I'm going to put forward. I don't want the misunderstanding of the Members to think that my amendment would remove green building from any of the HOPE VI projects. It's a different philosophy in how we're putting forth the idea to meet green standards. And he clarified that. His is a mandatory. Mine is a flexible, one among many. But I do believe in the philosophy of building more green and more efficient buildings, we've got new technology coming online. Why tie ourselves to a certain standard? At this point I would like to recognize Mr. Gilchrest for 3 minutes, the gentleman from Maryland.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I would encourage a ``yes'' vote for my amendment to give the flexibility, to give the innovation and technology that we see every day in green and environmental building standards to move forward so we don't lock down in this bill. And when the gentleman just briefly says that the LEED standards were removed from the commercial building, yes, they were removed. Why? Because the union of carpenters that we heard about earlier were raising Cain because they were going to have to get their wood from imported wood to be able to meet these standards. That goes right to my point. We need to be reasonable, but we also need to make sure that we protect our environment and move forward with the best communities we can.

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Chairman, I rise to claim the time in opposition, although I am not opposed to the manager's amendment.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor a hometown hero and someone who embodies the true spirit of the Mountain State. Reed Williams of Moorefield, West Virginia captured the attention of the nation on January 2, 2008 after he was named Defensive MVP for his outstanding performance in the West Virginia University Mountaineers' historic win over the Oklahoma Sooners in the Fiesta Bowl this year. Reed's talents are not only on the football field, but also in the classroom. He was named by ESPN as a member of the prestigious Academic All-American Football Team and maintains the highest G.P.A. on the Mountaineer football team. Prior to his college career he was the valedictorian of the Moorefield High School Class of 2005. Reed is currently a junior majoring in finance and plans to pursue postgraduate studies. He is the son of Robert and Jacqueline Williams of Moorefield, West Virginia. I look forward to hearing about Reed Williams' future accomplishments both on and off the football field and wish him and his teammates congratulations on their Fiesta Bowl victory. I'm proud to call Reed Williams a fellow West Virginian and a true Mountaineer.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to remove my name as a cosponsor of H.R. 760.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor Robert Crawford, for his retirement and years of dedicated service to the citizens of Berkeley County. ``Bob,'' as he is better known to his friends and colleagues, has served as the executive director of the Berkeley County Development Authority since March 1990. During his tenure, he has experienced the many changes Berkeley County has undergone in the past 18 years as it transformed from a small rural county to a bustling bedroom community of the Washington, DC metro area. Bob has worked tirelessly to assure that all the needs of the county were sufficiently met despite surging growth and infrastructure challenges. As executive director of the Berkeley County Development Authority, Bob has been involved with the development of the two major industrial parks; Cumbo Yard Industrial Park and Tabler Station Business Park. He also played a major role in recruiting industries to the area that serve as the county's major employers. It is an honor to congratulate such a distinguished public servant for his years of service and contributions to Berkeley County and the State of West Virginia. I'm proud to call Bob a friend and fellow West Virginian. I wish him all the best in the years to come.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I'd like to thank the ranking member for his recognition. Over the past several years, this country has witnessed a series of tragic mining disasters, starting with the 12 miners killed on January 3, 2006 at the Sago Mine in my district. I know the families, I know the communities, and this is a wound that will never heal. This tragedy was followed by more deaths in accidents around the country, and each of these disasters has identified and highlighted deficiencies in the protection afforded miners. In response to Sago and the other mine disasters, Congress enacted the MINER Act. We did it in a bipartisan way. It was a very proud day for me, as a West Virginian, to stand with my fellow West Virginians, several Governors, the President of the United States. Members of my own community, from the Sago community, came to the signing to sign the MINER Act. I'm proud of that effort, and I'm proud of the efforts that the companies have moved forward to improve the safety since the enactment of the MINER Act. It has substantially tightened regulations and enforcement procedures, and the mining industry has made significant changes in operations and equipment to comply with the strengthened requirements. A number of Federal agencies and several State agencies, West Virginia has been very aggressive in this regard, has pushed reforms to better respond to incidents that occur and how we can improve the chances of miners to survive a serious accident. Today more self- contained self-rescuers are being stored underground than in the past, and that is a good positive first step. With the success of the original MINER Act in mind, I do hold some reservations that additional legislation could complicate the safety improvements currently under way, and I am not alone in my concern. I encourage my colleagues to keep this in mind if this legislation moves forward. Unfortunately, the events of Sago serve as a reminder that we must always strive to make America's mines as safe as they can possibly be. This bill is flawed in many ways. The junior Senator from West Virginia has publicly expressed his concern, and I have concern that this bill will hold up some of the progress as it has moved forward. But at the end of the day, for me, this is about those Sago miners, and their tragedies stay with me. My hope is that we can continue the good work that has moved forward as a result of the MINER Act. It is crucial that Congress continue to highlight mine safety so that the tragedies we've seen in West Virginia and across the Nation are not repeated.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the bravery and heroism of Tony Hess. A 23-year-old volunteer firefighter from Kanawha County West Virginia, Hess raced into a burning house last month to save the life of two year old Alyssa Abner. Hess didn't plan on being a hero on November 23. A business major at West Virginia State University, he was just answering an early morning emergency call; but when he arrived first on the scene he headed directly to a second story bedroom. The smoke was so dense that he had to break a window in order to find Alyssa trapped inside. After rescuing her from the fire, Tony rode with her all the way to the hospital. I am happy to report that little Alyssa is in an improving condition at a Cincinnati hospital. Madam Speaker, I join the chorus of West Virginians thankful for Tony's courage and service. Volunteer firefighters are true heroes who sacrifice for the right reasons. In Tony's own words, ``I'm not doing it for the publicity or lights or sirens,'' he said. ``I just want to be a fireman.''

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor South Fork Volunteer Fire Department of Pendleton County, West Virginia which will be celebrating its 45th anniversary. South Fork Volunteer Fire Department was incorporated December 6, 1962. Those serving as the first officers were President: Herald Williams, Vice-President: Fred Williams, Secretary: Carl Nesselrodt, and Treasurer: Orville Gum; and the original members also included Marvin Hartman, Albert Joseph, Sheridan Layman, Harold Miller, Harold Wilson, and Mervin Zirk. The formation of the fire department would not be possible without community involvement; the land and materials used for the construction of the original firehouse were all donated, many by the original members and officers. South Fork Volunteer Fire Department has expanded its facilities, equipment, and operations over its 45 year span. Construction was completed on March 20, 2004 for a new firehouse located on Route 21. South Fork Volunteer Fire Department now boasts 35 volunteer members, 15 auxiliary members, and has a fleet of six vehicles. I would like to extend my gratitude to the past and current members of South Fork Volunteer Fire Department for providing safety to our citizens in times of emergency and dire need. Our first responders and volunteer fire departments represent the best of our communities. I extend congratulations to South Fork Volunteer Fire Department and all of those who have been involved with 45 successful years of serving and protecting the community of Brandywine.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this no-energy energy bill. We're all for innovation and research for future energy resources, including renewables; but the standard in this bill is a one-size-fits-all mandate that ignores available energy resources and economic needs of individual States. A mandatory renewable energy standard, such as in this bill, picks winners and losers. It excludes nuclear, hydroelectric and clean coal. Technology is giving us ways to use coal more cleanly and efficiently. We just heard coal sequestration mentioned, but where is coal liquification? It is a proven viable fuel for the decades to come. Despite tremendous promise of this and other technologies, this no- energy bill excludes our most abundant domestic resource, coal, from our future energy strategy. A federally mandated renewable electric standard will raise electric prices for all consumers. Think of that senior citizen on a fixed income trying to bear the burden of the new rising energy costs contained in this bill. The cost of energy impacts every job, every family in West Virginia. The rising cost of gasoline is consuming a greater portion of our family budget. This bill is not the answer.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor William Rhodes of Gandeeville, WV, for attaining the rank of Eagle Scout. William has been involved as a member of the Boy Scouts for the past 6 years as a member of Troop 434 sponsored by Walton Union Church in Walton, WV. For his Eagle Scout project, William improved the facilities at Bessie Jones Memorial Park. He constructed a handicap accessible bridge, trash can receptacles, three benches, and most notably built a trail at the park complete with signage, so walkers could easily navigate their way. His accomplishments and hard work demonstrate the high standards held by those who achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. He has been involved with his local 4-H Club and played freshman and junior varsity football for the Roane County Raiders. William is currently a junior at Roane County High School and attends Roane-Jackson Vocational School, where he is studying auto mechanics. I extend my congratulations to William and look forward to his future accomplishments. Roane County is fortunate to have such a dedicated, patriotic, young man among its citizens.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Mike Bunner of Buckhannon, WV, who recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout on November 12, 2007. He is the son of Roy Michael Bunner and Jennifer Lee Bunner. Mike is a member of Boy Scout Troop 106 and is sponsored by Sand Run Baptist Church in Buckhannon, WV. He has been involved in scouting since August of 2004. During his time in Boy Scouts, he has earned 31 Merit Badges and was awarded the prestigious Order of the Arrow. For his Eagle Scout project, Mike constructed a play area for a local Christian school. Mike is truly a representative of the Scout Oath, ``to do duty to God and country.'' He has been involved with the 4-H Club for six years where he has excelled in leadership and community service activities. He is also a member of his church's youth group. His many accomplishments demonstrate the high standards held by those who achieve Eagle Scout. I extend my congratulations to Mike and look forward to his future accomplishments.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize Grayson Lee Shreve of Buckhannon, WV, who recently attained the rank of Eagle Scout on October 23, 2007. Grayson is a member of Boy Scout Troop 106 and is sponsored by Sand Run Baptist Church in Buckhannon, WV. During his years in scouting, he has received 43 Merit Badges and achieved the rank of Life Scout. He was awarded the prestigious Order of the Arrow and the Arrow of Light. For his service project to obtain Eagle Scout, Grayson restored and constructed a screened picnic shelter for a local church. His many accomplishments demonstrate the high standards held by those who achieve Eagle Scout. Grayson has been a consistent Honor Roll student and has been a member of the Gifted Program since elementary school. He currently attends Buckhannon-Upshur High School where he is involved in BUMS, the school news channel. Grayson is truly representative of the Scout Oath, ``to do duty to God and country.'' I extend my congratulations to Grayson and his parents, Leslie Shreve II and Norma Hinkle. Upshur County is fortunate to have such an accomplished young leader.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of the bill, H.R. 3526, a bill that is intended to provide financial consumers with additional regulatory protections against unfair and deceptive trade policies. This measure, which the Financial Services Committee approved by voice vote, expands the range of financial regulators, as the chairman has just explained, with the authority to promulgate regulations that identify and restrict such practices under the Federal Trade Commission Act. Today only the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve, the Office of Thrift Supervision, and the National Credit Union Administration have this authority. This bill expands that list to include the other Federal banking regulators, namely the FDIC and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. The legislation also mandates that regulations promulgated under the relevant section of the FTC Act be prescribed ``jointly by such agencies to the extent practicable,'' in consultation with the FTC. And it requires the GAO to report on the status of the regulations of the Federal banking agencies and the NCUA regarding unfair and deceptive acts. In testimony before our committee earlier this year, the Comptroller of the Currency and the Chair of the FDIC recommended that the committee make these changes, which also are supported by consumer advocates. This bill merits our support, and I urge its adoption. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in strong support of H.R. 2930, the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2007. I would like to thank my colleague from Florida for all of his good, hard work and the leadership of the committee, the Financial Services Committee, for the work they have done on this. Affordable housing with supportive services is a key component for seniors seeking to stay in their homes and to ``age in place.'' The section 202 housing for the elderly program is the primary HUD program that provides housing exclusively for low-income elderly households. H.R. 2930 reforms the section 202 elderly housing program making it more effective and efficient and better able to meet the housing needs of our elderly. Today, we are facing a growing elderly housing crisis in this country. According to the 2005 census data, there are approximately 3.6 million seniors living below the poverty line. Among senior renters, 1.29 million have worst case housing needs, meaning they spend over 50 percent of their income on housing. The section 202 program has been an important tool in addressing these serious housing needs by providing capital advance grants to nonprofit housing sponsors to build new elderly housing facilities and project rental assistance contracts to subsidize very low-income elderly residents of these facilities. Many nonprofit sponsors are faith-based organizations with a mission to serve the elderly. As a condition of receiving a capital advance, which does not have to be repaid, a nonprofit sponsor must make housing available for a period of no less than 40 years. As a result of these efforts, the section 202 program currently supplies over 320,000 units of housing to very low- income elderly citizens. While the section 202 program has been successful at providing much- needed housing resources to our very low-income seniors, it is estimated that 10 seniors are waiting for each unit that becomes available. Participants and developers of the section 202 housing program maintain that the current regulation and HUD administration of the program can be time consuming and bureaucratic. H.R. 2930 will improve the section 202 elderly housing program by streamlining and simplifying the development and preservation of HUD's section 202 properties and by increasing participation by not-for-profit developers, private lenders, investors and State and local funding agencies. I do want to point out to my colleagues that the bill we are considering on the floor today includes several changes to the bill reported out of the Committee on Financial Services on September 25. While the bill as reported did have a $94 million cost for fiscal year 2008 and a $212 million cost over 5 years, those costs have been removed by the elimination of the mortgage sale demonstration program and the subordination or assumption of existing debt provisions. The Congressional Budget Office now reports the costs associated with this bill to be insignificant. I would also like to thank my colleagues and Chairman Frank in particular for his willingness to work with me on a provision to resolve a problem that non-metropolitan States like my home State of West Virginia have experienced when attempting to qualify for funds under the section 202 program. It is important to recognize that the need for housing for the very low-income elderly extends beyond metropolitan areas and it needs the flexibility for rural and suburban areas to be able to qualify for these funds. The very low-income elderly of rural West Virginia deserve the very same resources available to the elderly in the larger areas. H.R. 2930 now includes provisions to establish a national competition for non-metro elderly housing funds and will allow regional offices to administer elderly housing allocations. This greater flexibility will help create more elderly housing units in rural States like mine. I would like to pause and thank the housing advocates in my State of West Virginia for bringing this issue before me in a very timely manner so we could fix this while we are dealing with the section 202 program. So I want to thank my fellow West Virginians for helping us out here. Mr. Speaker, the affordable rental housing crisis in America is having a profound effect on renters of all ages, especially our seniors, and this bill will help ease some of the affordability problems plaguing our senior population. I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 2930, the Section 202 Supportive Housing for the Elderly Act of 2007. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in support of H.R. 4043, the Preserving and Expanding Minority Depository Institutions Act of 2007. This bipartisan legislation, introduced by Chairman Watt and Ranking Member Miller of the Financial Services Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is intended to support our Nation's minority banks. The bill includes new reporting requirements which will help gauge the effectiveness of government programs that assist minority banks. Like other community banks, minority banks may confront unique challenges because of their smaller size. Section 308 of FIRREA, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act of 1989, mandates that the FDIC in conjunction with the Office of Thrift Supervision work to preserve existing minority banks, promote the creation of new minority banks, and provide technical assistance and training. Although not required to do so, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve also provide assistance to minority banks. H.R. 4043 will codify the advisory role of the OCC and the Federal Reserve by expanding section 308 of FIRREA to include both of these agencies. Additionally, the legislation directs all four banking regulators to report annually to Congress on their efforts to preserve, promote, and assist minority banks. At an October 30 Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on minority banks, the OCC and Federal Reserve did not object to being covered by section 308 of FIRREA, and all four regulators stated that they would also not object to the annual reporting requirement since most of them already include minority bank information in reports they currently submit to Congress. At that same hearing, the subcommittee heard testimony that many of the regulators' programs are underutilized by the minority banks they are designed to help. According to a report issued by the Government Accountability Office last year, most of the banks that did participate found these programs very, very useful. Minority banks should be encouraged to use any and all the tools provided to them by the Federal regulators. I, too, join with my colleague Congressman Watt in extending our deep sympathy and great caring for our colleague Congressman Miller while he's going through the tragedy in his family. We miss him here, but his imprint is being felt through this legislation today, and we wish him God's help in dealing with this crisis. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting this legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend congratulations to Jeremy Thomas Charlton, who recently received the highest rank in boy scouting, Eagle Scout, on September 23, 2007. He is a member of Troop 33, sponsored by First United Methodist Church in Romney, WV. For his Eagle Scout service project, Jeremy painted and repaired three buildings at the Hampshire County Fairgrounds. These buildings are used every summer in August during the Hampshire County Fair and throughout the year by various community organizations. Jeremy's beautification and improvements have increased the fairground as a whole. Throughout his involvement since Cub Scouts, Jeremy has been an exemplary scout. He is a recipient of the Arrow of Light Award and officiates as a Scout Chaplain Aide to his fellow scouts. In addition to his scout activities, Jeremy is very involved with his church's youth group and is a member of the Bible quiz team. A dedicated citizen, Jeremy has taken on several community service projects including food drives, picking up litter, and helping clean up the Potomac River. Jeremy is truly representative of the Scout oath, ``to do my duty to God and country'' and I am proud to recognize a dedicated young man, like Jeremy Charlton. Hampshire County is fortunate to have him as a leader and I look forward to hearing about his future accomplishments.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. I would like to thank the gentleman from Alabama for recognizing me and yielding me the time, and I greatly appreciate the leadership of the chairman and ranking member on the Committee of Financial Services for bringing this important legislation before the House today. The legislation before us is a bipartisan response to a problem that is affecting every congressional district across this Nation, the rising number of foreclosures and a large number of impending alternative mortgage resets, combined with a large number of delinquencies in mortgage payments. It is very important for Members to look at this legislation in its entirety. When combined on the whole, the components of this legislation will provide consumers with the necessary tools and protections to hopefully avoid another housing crisis like we are experiencing, but also realize the importance of not clamping down so hard, and we have heard some folks express concern about this, that we still have the innovations and we still have the ability of subprime mortgages for those who are now living because of the benefits that subprime benefits allows them. In this bill, we require the registration of all originators under a national registry will be established by the Conference of State Bank Supervisors and the American Association of Residential Mortgage Regulators. These new licensing requirements, coupled with the national registry, will make it much more difficult for fraudulent originators to bounce from State to State. This is a problem my State of West Virginia has expressed concern about. Another component that Mrs. Biggert talked about in her statement is to provide consumers with greater access to housing counseling. The availability of counseling will help individuals learn and understand the complicated financial disclosures, all of the paperwork and technical languages that come along with securing and purchasing a mortgage. Another important reform that was adopted during our committee markup is the inclusion of a one-page estimate outlining the total cost and potential changes in the cost for the consumer over the life of the mortgage product. I have been lucky enough to be a homeowner, and I know when we go in to close at the time to secure our mortgage, the amount of paper and signatures that you have to go through to try to figure out what you are doing is very intimidating. So to have this one-page disclosure I think gives the consumer the ability to have this information right in front of them so they can know what they are getting into and making this process easier. This legislation also provides more certainty and clarity for the liability of the entities that purchase mortgages on the secondary market. I would like to particularly thank the chairman of the committee for helping me work through the technicalities of this language to explain to my local newspaper and my local consumer advocates what this language means in the bill. We live in a national economy and must recognize the need for consistency across the board. In addition to the bipartisan underlying legislation, we will also be considering I think a very important addition to this bill, an amendment I have worked on with Mr. Kanjorski and Mrs. Biggert that will provide additional protection for consumers. This amendment will now require escrow accounts for some mortgages and will provide borrowers with the budgeting tools necessary to properly manage taxes and insurances on their property. This amendment will also include Federal appraisal standards with serious penalties. I fully support this bill and thank the chairman and the ranking member.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to respectfully request that my colleagues join me in congratulating Donald W. Campbell for being named the National Parks Conservation Association 2007 recipient of the Steven Tyng Mather Award. Don Campbell has been a tireless advocate and ambassador for Harper's Ferry National Historic Park for nearly thirty years. When he arrived at Harper's Ferry as Superintendent, Don was a self-described ``peace, love, and let's everybody get along,'' laid-back Californian. Since then, he has forged relationships of mutual trust and understanding with the communities that surround his park and has touched many with his strong values and steady leadership. Don's service, leadership, and advocacy for the protection of Harper's Ferry National Historic Park exemplify what it means to be a steward of America's national parks. For more than twenty years, the National Parks Conservation Association has proudly presented the annual Steven Tyng Mather Award to a National Park Service employee who has worked tirelessly to protect our national parks. His contribution to the Harper's Ferry National Historic Park will always be appreciated and I am pleased that he is being recognized for his service to our community. In closing, I want to thank my colleagues for joining me in recognizing Donald W. Campbell as the 2007 Steven Tyng Mather Award winner for his dedication to protecting this scenic and historic jewel.

Mrs. CAPITO

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of Mr. Roskam's very thoughtful amendment. I feel that it helps to work this bill, which I have obviously voiced some questions about, because it would simply require States to pay their fair share before tapping into a Federal line of credit. This will encourage State funds to handle a predictable level of loss before putting Federal dollars and Federal taxpayers on the hook for what could be billions of dollars in catastrophic loans. Very briefly, I would like to say, without loss requirements, State reinsurance funds will have no incentive to actuarially price their risk since they will be getting cheap loans to assist them in paying their claims. I would like to voice support for the Roskam amendment. Mr. Chairman, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I demand a recorded vote.

Mrs. CAPITO. Mr. Chairman, I would like to yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), a member of the Financial Services Committee.