Bob Ney

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I am pleased to rise today to offer for this body's consideration House Joint Resolution 52 to recognize the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry located in Baltimore, Maryland, as the official national museum of dentistry in the United States. I want to thank the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Cummings) for introducing the bill. This museum is the most comprehensive dental museum in the world. It is a resource whose primary mission is to educate people, especially children, about the history of dentistry and the importance of good oral hygiene. It uses state-of-the-art interactive exhibitions and expert presentations to deliver the message that oral health is important to achieve overall health. The museum is affiliated with the University of Maryland at Baltimore, home of the world's first dental school, founded in 1840. It contains hundreds of interesting and significant dental artifacts, including George Washington's dentures. It also serves as a national center of learning with an extensive library from which scholars may study the evolution of dental treatment and learn of the numerous accomplishments of the dental treatment and learn of the numerous accomplishments of the dental profession over the years. Most importantly, this museum is a reminder to all of us that oral and general health are inseparable and that good dental care is critical to our overall physical health and well-being. While oral health in America has improved dramatically over the last 50 years, these improvements have not occurred evenly across all sectors of our population. Too many Americans today lack access to dental care, particularly in rural communities. According to the report, ``Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General,'' an estimated 25 million Americans live in areas lacking adequate dental services. Passage of this resolution to make the Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry the official national museum of dentistry in the United States will shed light on the problem many Americans face in accessing dental care. The museum is endorsed by the American Dental Association, the National Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the American Academy of the History of Dentistry, as well as 50 State dental associations. So we can see it has great support. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson) for supporting this important measure. I should also note, Madam Speaker, that the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Linder) has been not only a coauthor but a great supporter of this bill and was scheduled to actually manage the bill today, but our schedule went more quickly than we thought, so I just wanted to mention his support of the bill. In closing, I cannot help but say also, I hope that someday the staff of the U.S. House of Representatives has a dental plan. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume just to also make a note on behalf of our Ohio delegation, of course, and the entire U.S. House of our sympathy for the gentlewoman from Ohio (Mrs. Jones), our colleague, on the loss of her wonderful husband. I would also just restate for the record, this is a very good bill. And I thank the gentleman from Maryland, (Mr. Cummings), the gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Larson); and I would be remiss if I did not close by thanking my dentist, Dr. Ron Persutti in Saint Clairsville, Ohio. Sometimes I have told Dr. Persutti that I am not sure if I get votes because of how I vote or sometimes because of what he does to help with my smile. So with that, I urge support of the bill.

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

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3229) to amend title 44, United States Code, to transfer to the Public Printer the authority over the individuals responsible for preparing indexes of the Congressional Record, and for other purposes.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1985) to amend the National Housing Act to increase the maximum mortgage amount limit for FHA-insured mortgages for multifamily housing located in high-cost areas, as amended.

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Madam Speaker, in closing, I want to again commend the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller) and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), who worked together on a very important piece of legislation, our ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), and the gentleman from Ohio (Chairman Oxley). Our Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity put this straight to the full committee so we did not delay on it. I also want to note something, and the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank) talked about it, omnibus bills. I think the approach we are taking on the committee, both the subcommittee and the full committee, is the right approach. We are looking at high-cost. Somebody said, what are you doing for rural? We are doing things for rural. We are discussing everything on the table. Avoiding an omnibus bill, that everybody works a year on and then it does not pass both Chambers, has been an approach we have taken so we can get bits and pieces of bills that are good bills.

Mr. NEY. I yield to the gentleman from Massachusetts.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of this bill.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the subject of House Joint Resolution 52.

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Arizona (Mr. Renzi), a tremendous new member, but a member that has immediately gotten to work on our Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity to help the people not only of his district, but of the Nation.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris), the author of the bill.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself 5 minutes. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1276, the American Dream Downpayment Act. There are many people that we need to thank for the point that we have gotten to today to have this tremendous piece of legislation here on the floor of the House. This was a commitment made by President Bush to do this piece of legislation, and Secretary Mel Martinez brought this to our committee when I became chairman of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity. I have to also directly thank the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), our ranking member of the subcommittee, for all of her work, her bipartisan spirit, and her concern for housing for all people from all walks of life, from the rural and urban areas across the United States. I want to thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) above all, who is chairman of the full committee, for his dedication to this important piece of housing legislation, and obviously also to the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), the ranking member of the full committee. Also on our side of the aisle, and I am sure it will be recognized on the Democrat side of the aisle, but Bob Foster, Carter McDowell, and Peggy Peterson of the gentleman from Ohio's (Chairman Oxley) staff, and also the staff of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity: Clinton Jones, Cindy Chetti, Tallman Johnson, Bob Weisberg, and Hugh Halpern. Again, I want to thank all of these individuals for coming together to support the American Dream Downpayment Act. This bill was introduced by the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris). This initiative is designed to assist thousands of low-income families realize the American dream of homeownership. Moreover, this new group of homeowners is expected to boost the American economy with an infusion of roughly $256 million. The benefits of homeownership for families, communities, and our country are obviously profound. When our citizens own homes, they establish roots and therefore have a greater stake in their community's growth, safety, and development. While the national homeownership rate has steadily risen and is at an all-time high of 60 percent, there are sectors of our population, Mr. Speaker, for whom homeownership remains unattainable. In fact, the homeownership rate for African Americans and Hispanics is less than 50 percent. Clearly, this is unacceptable. More can and should be done to help all of our citizens realize the true benefits of owning a home. If the persistent gap in minority homeownership is to be substantially narrowed, the structural barriers to homeownership, particularly the lack of capital for downpayments and closing costs, must be addressed. I believe this is one of the major points to the bill. I can remember when my father was able, finally, after 20 years of saving for a downpayment, was able to acquire a house. I was about 10 years old. It was the greatest day of our lives. But I do not think people ought to have to wait 5, 10, 15 years to try to get the downpayment. They will struggle to make the mortgage payment, they will work two jobs to do it, families will; but that downpayment is a serious problem for many people. This legislation eliminates that barrier for families struggling to save for a downpayment, but otherwise would qualify for homeownership. Many low-income Americans, particularly in minority communities, can meet a monthly mortgage payment, but they cannot afford the downpayment and closing costs associated with a standard residential loan. Improving the ability of Americans to make the transition to homeownership will be an important test of the Nation's capacity to create economic opportunity for minorities and immigrants and to build strong and stable communities. In most cases, the purchase of a home will be the largest and most significant investment an individual will make. Therefore, the home equity created by the home purchase represents a significant share of home household net worth for most American families. This legislation will provide communities throughout America with $200 million in grants for each year in fiscal year 2004 and fiscal year 2005. An estimated 40,000 low-income families each year will achieve first-time homeownership. Each qualifying family will be given an average of $5,000 to be used toward downpayment and closing costs. The American Dream Initiative will be administered as part of HUD's HOME investment partnerships program, known as HOME, an existing program that helps communities expand the supply of affordable housing for low and very low income families by providing grants to States and local governments. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1276 included language that would allow HUD to place a maximum cap on the amount of funds certain urban areas could receive under the American Dream program. During this consideration of this legislation in the full committee markup, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Crowley) expressed concern that this language would limit the amount of funds areas would be able to receive. I would want to note, Mr. Speaker, we have removed the word ``maximum'' on page 5 of the bill as reported out of the committee. The removal of the word ``maximum'' makes the proposed formula in H.R. 1276 consistent with the pattern and practices of other programs under HUD such as HOME and CDBG, and assures that no arbitrary limit is placed on the amount of funds any particular area may receive. I again want to thank everybody involved with this bill and Secretary Martinez for his personal involvement. I also want to commend the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Rogers) and the gentleman from Alabama (Mr. Davis) for their leadership on this important piece of legislation. Without their diligent support, this legislation would not have been possible. In closing, Mr. Speaker, I want to note that when the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris) came to us at the beginning of the session, she said she wanted to be on the Subcommittee on Housing to make a difference for all Americans from all walks of life. I want to note to my colleagues today that she surely has made that difference. Through the leadership of the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris), a lot of people across this Nation are going to have, for the first time in their lives, the opportunity to have a home in a family setting. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this initiative. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H.R. 1276 and to insert extraneous material thereon.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from New York (Ms. Velazquez). (Ms. VELAZQUEZ asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks, and include extraneous material.)

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Wilson). He and his staff have been very energetic in support of this bill.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Rogers) who actually carried this bill, introduced it last session, and we appreciate his support.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. In closing, let me just, once again, thank our chairman, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley) for his diligence and perseverance in the way he has handled the committee, to produce many good products over this session, and when it comes to housing, he has given us the backing we needed; the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), the ranking member, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters), our ranking member of the subcommittee, who has helped so much on this bill and also to everybody again that made this bill possible. I just want to conclude by saying it is a dream for many Americans to have their homes, from all walks of life. We are taking a step today on the floor of this House to do that. This is a bill that every Member of this House can be proud of. It is a bill that they can support, and it is a bill that is going to do something for generations to come as people establish their home, as people are able to take care of their families and be part of their communities in a very, very productive way. Again, Mr. Speaker, in closing and in urging support, I want to thank the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Harris), who had the desire, the tenacity and definitely put in all the time needed to make sure that this bill became a reality today. Without her, we would not be here today producing this bill, which, again, will help future generations. So I urge support of the bill.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1276) to provide downpayment assistance under the HOME Investment Partnerships Act, and for other purposes, as amended.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from California (Mr. Gary G. Miller), another great member of our Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, who has been extremely active in concerns and issues of housing.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to respond, it is my understanding and I accept the language as was just stated.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, will the gentlewoman yield?

Mr. NEY

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I thank the ranking member of the committee, and I also thank the ranking member of the subcommittee, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Waters). There has been a great bipartisan spirit on this bill and others, and we appreciate Members working together for the betterment of the people.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. NEY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. This morning we are considering H.R. 659, the Hospital Mortgage Insurance Act of 2003. This legislation will make substantial improvements to the FHA Hospital Mortgage Program, making it easier for hospitals to obtain mortgage insurance. This vital program provides credit enhancement, merges public and private resources, and makes available billions of dollars in new hospital construction and improvements. Hospitals, Mr. Speaker, face significant financial challenges when providing care to patients, we all know that, who are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. At the same time, improvements in technology and health care knowledge necessitate capital improvements such as additions and renovations to existing buildings. It is generally accepted that modern health care facilities will improve the quality of life and the health of the population. In an effort to assist States to provide modern health care facilities, Congress enacted section 242 of the National Housing Act in 1968. Section 242 permits FHA to insure mortgages of hospital sponsors used to finance the replacement, modernization and rehabilitation of inefficient existing facilities. Low interest rate costs attributable to FHA insured financing, as well as the development of more cost- efficient facilities, substantially reduces both provider and Federal and State reimbursement. To be eligible for section 242 financing, a hospital must obtain a Certificate of Need from a designated State agency, or in the absence of a Certificate of Need authority, a State-commissioned feasibility study. In addition, the hospital must demonstrate that there are reasonable State or local minimum licensing and operating standards already in effect. However, as a result of continuing Federal policy encouraging deregulation, Certificate of Need authority has ``sunset'' in some States. In fact, over the last 20 years, at least 18 States have repealed their Certificate of Need process and programs. The problem has been further compounded by at least two other factors. In some States retaining Certificate of Need authority, some projects will not qualify for the CON process. In others, the relevant State agency often lacks the authority to commission alternative feasibility studies. I remember addressing the Ohio Certificate of Need program for indigent care while serving in the State Senate in Ohio. Ohio was not alone in reforming that program. For example, several States repealed their Certificate of Need program, including Arizona, California, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah. One unintended consequence of those changes was to make it more difficult for hospitals in these States, particularly in rural areas, to obtain FHA insurance. This raised the cost of lending for hospitals, making it more difficult for them to improve existing facilities or build desperately needed new facilities. This bill addresses that problem by giving HUD the freedom to devise new requirements for hospitals to be eligible for FHA mortgage insurance. It will significantly reduce the cost to providers of complying with expensive, pre-deregulation Certificate of Need eligibility requirements; and it will provide major economic stimulus to State and local communities as well as construction and permanent employment opportunities. Two noncontroversial amendments have been added to the bill. One exempts critical-access hospitals from meeting the 242 statutory requirement that 50 percent of the patient-days in the facility be for acute care. This will allow FHA to insure mortgages for small, rural hospitals with long-term care nursing facilities, an important change for communities in which there is not a large enough population to support two separate entities. This exemption will last for 3 years, during which time HUD will submit a report to the authorizing committees concerning its effect on the fund and eligibility. The other amendment requires HUD to perform a study on the barriers to insuring mortgages for federally qualified health centers. The original amendment, to make them eligible for section 242 insurance, was dropped and this was inserted. In order to ensure our health care system remains the best in the world, we must support continued advances in technology and improvement in medical care. The Hospital Mortgage Insurance Act of 2003 seeks to do just that by helping hospitals around the country, and especially in our rural areas, to continue modernizing their facilities and improving the quality of life for their patients. Mr. Speaker, I urge Members to support this important piece of legislation. I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Oxley), and I thank our ranking member, the gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. Frank), and our staff for the work on this bill. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.