House Proceeding 04-28-09 on Apr 28th, 2009 :: 2:02:55 to 2:08:25
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2:02:51 to 2:03:12( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: be impacted. i urge my colleagues to support the family act. mr. speaker, i reserve the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman reserves. the gentlelady from illinois. mrs. biggert: i yield myself such time as i may consume. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized. mrs. biggert: mr. speaker, as

2:02:55 to 2:08:25( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Judy Biggert

2:03:13 to 2:03:34( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: the author of h.r. 46, the family self-sufficiency act, i urge my colleagues to support this legislation, which will help more families gn independence from government assistance. thanks to the support of my colleague from california, ms. waters, last congress, as part of the larger section 8 voucher reform package and as a stand-alone measure, twice the

2:03:35 to 2:03:55( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: house passed the family self-sufficiency act. today we wl begin consider the same measure. the senate didn't act on section 8 reform legislation last congress, which is why we're moving this legislation again. the family self-sufficiency program, also called f.s., is offered in connection with the

2:03:56 to 2:04:17( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: department of housing and urban development section 8 housing choice voucher program. local public housing authorities employ f.s. coordinators and administer these programs. in addition to rental housing assistance, f.s. programs connect families to housing counseling, job training, child care, education, and other

2:04:18 to 2:04:40( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: services to help them reduce their dependence on public assistance. f.s. also helps families save for home ownership. the f.s. program is well worth it. let me give you a quick example of an f.s. success story from my congressional district. after six years of service, a navy veteran and single mom of

2:04:41 to 2:05:01( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: two secured a part-time job and thanks to the g.i. bill enrolled as a full-time student. despite struggling to make ends meet she received her degree and enrolled in the dupage county housing authority family self-sufficiency program this program connected her to a

2:05:02 to 2:05:25( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: resume writing class at the university of illinois employment traing center and within a week of posting her newly polished resume she secured interviews and eventually a full-time job that doubled her salary. she also worked with a financial planner to improve her budgeting and management skills. today, this single mother and

2:05:26 to 2:05:47( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: veteran is an independent and self-sufficient homeowner, a long way from public housing system of what's the problem? in fiscal year 2004, h.u.d. changed f.s. coordinator funding process, and the result in a 20-month month period, the number of 236r789 s. coordinators dropped by 2/3 and

2:05:48 to 2:06:10( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: 4,000 fewer families participated in the program. h.u.d. attempted to fix the mistake but without success. that's why h.r. 46 is necessary, to ensure that public housing authorities have consistent coordinator funding necessary to administer the program. and serve people who choose the f.s. path to independence.

2:06:11 to 2:06:31( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: h.r. 46 establishes a minimum ratio of program coordinators to participants. in short, a public housing authority gets one coordinator for 25 families enrolled in its f.s. program. with 75 or more families

2:06:32 to 2:06:52( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: enrolled, funding for two coordinators and 125 or more families enrolled, funding for three coordinators. it requires thoud establish and implement measures, evaluate their effectiveness and report to congress on its findings. finally, the bill provides funding flexibility to reward

2:06:53 to 2:07:13( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: innovative and successful programs. f.s.s. works. it's a helping hand, not a handout, to american families who are working to become independent of government assistance. with the challenges american familiesace in this economy, the fami program and those like my constituent who have been benefited from it are a glimmer

2:07:14 to 2:07:34( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: of hope. with this program, families can successfully make ends meet, raise children, secure a job and achieve the dream of home ownership. it's a simple bipartisan step we can take now to ensure a brief period of economic hardship doesn't turn into a lifetime of poverty and dependence from any of our

2:07:35 to 2:07:55( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: neigh's most vulnerable families. it does so by addressing the lack of consistent federal funding for administering the f.s. services. mr. speaker, these are good, flexible programs that help put disadvanged families on the path to independence. public housi can be an important safety net but it's not a permanent solution.

2:07:56 to 2:08:17( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: let's give these individuals all the support we can to help them stand on their own two feet. as i conclude, i'd like to thank everyone who made this bill possible, including john day, president of the dupage housing authority, jeffrey loople, and e folks at the american association of coordinator the new america

2:08:18 to 2:08:26( Edit History Discussion )

Judy Biggert: foundation and the corporation foenterprise development. of course, i'd like to thank my constituent for her courage and willingness to let me share her