Date: 2016-02-02
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Chair. let me express my appreciation to Chairman LUETKEMEYER and Ranking Member CLEAVER for their leadership. commitment and effort to modernize and improve Federal Housing programs for millions of Americans who are working their way up to economic empowerment and stability. I also wish to thank Chairman SESSIONS. Ranking Member SLAUGHTER. and the members of the Rules Committee for making in order Jackson Lee amendment Number 13. Mr. Chair. thank you for the opportunity to explain my amendment. which provides: The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. in consultation with the Secretary of Labor and other relevant agencies. shall submit a report to the Congress annually that describes(1) any interagency strategies of such Departments that are designed to improve family economic empowerment by linking housing assistance with essential supportive services. such as employment counseling and training. financial education and growth. childcare. transportation. meals. youth recreational activities. and other supportive services. and (2) any actions taken in the preceding year to carry out such strategies and the extent of progress achieved by such actions. Mr. Chair. my amendment recognizes that in addition to housing. connecting lowincome families to job training and supportive services such as childcare and transportation are key to enabling families across the country from Texas to California access to employment and other services that foster upward economic mobility and family stability. Jackson Lee amendment Number 13 acknowledges and recognizes that helping families achieve economic empowerment requires interagency collaboration. I am pleased to submit into the RECORD letters supporting my amendment authored by the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/ Harris County and the Heartland Alliance National Initiatives on Poverty and Economic Opportunity. Mr. Chair. we all know that public systems are better at solving big problems when there is coordination amongst various implementing agencies motivated to work together to share capacity. knowledge. and resources. My amendment encourages agency collaboration to help ensure that lowincome families can succeed in housing. in employment and in life. Interagency collaborations between agencies such as the Department of Labor. Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture can offer families critical support such as child care and nutrition assistance that are necessary for family stability and employment success. Livelihood and selfdignity are tied to employment and employment is critical to achieving financial independence and stability and stimulation of the economy. My amendment seeks to bridge the opportunities that abound when there is interagency/ intersystem collaboration and the success that can come about. Take for instance the success story of Fini Tuamokumo. a single mother of three children and former Housing Choice Voucher participant. enrolled in the Houston Housing Authoritys Family SelfSufficiency program (FSS). Among other supportive services. the Houston Housing Authoritys FSS program facilitates a pathway for public housing tenants to meet their individual goals by connecting them to community resources and homeownership assistance. Aspiring home owners like Fini receive support and resources towards employment success and homeownership. I am proud to report that Fini began the process. stayed the course and completed the criteria needed to qualify for homeownership: earned wages of at least $20.000 per year. a credit score of 640 or higher. the establishment of an Individualized Development (savings) Account with a minimum balance of $1.000. and completion of the FSS programs Financial Literacy and First Time Home Ownership classes. Fini is now a proud homeowner and can now pass on the legacy of the importance of a work ethic. grit and homeownership to her children. Fini is just one of many success stories of intersystem/interagency coordination as a nexus towards federal housing and economic empowerment. Mr. Chair. my amendment will create the space and opportunity for the economic mobility of federal housing recipients through linking housing assistance with essential supportive services such as employment counseling and opportunities. financial education and growth. childcare. transportation. meals. youth recreational activities and other supportive services. For all these reasons. I urge my colleagues to join me and support Jackson Lee Amendment Number 13. The Acting CHAIR. The question is on the amendment. as modified. offered by the gentlewoman from Texas