mr. speaker , i rise in support for the underlying bipartisan bill on gses , but in strong opposition to the rule that was put in at the last minute , a provision that prevents any nonprofit recipient of a housing grant from conducting nonpartisan civic voter registration . 
this is an outrageous , undemocratic provision that imposes restrictions on promoting the most fundamental of our civil liberties , the right to vote . 
of all our rights , this is the one that our founding fathers held most dear . 
what in the world are we doing today in this congress in an attempt to limit this great right on which our country was founded ? 
restricting the right of nonprofits in this way violates these organizations ' first amendment rights . 
voter id , civic awareness , civic activities are protected by the first amendment . 
yet this provision forbids any nonprofits from even applying for a grant if they have encouraged voting in the recent past . 
there is absolutely no justification for preventing nonprofits ' efforts to encourage civic activities such as voting . 
many faith-based organizations , including the catholic church , the presbyterian church , the american jesuit conference , have come out in opposition to this provision ; and i will place in the record at this point a list of these organizations that have come out in opposition to this provision . 
the episcopal church , office of government relations , washington , dc , october 20 , 2005 . 
dear speaker hastert . 
the episcopal church supports the affordable housing fund as part of the federal housing finance reform act of 2005 ( h.r. 1461 ) . 
however , we are strongly opposed to the inclusion of language in h.r. 1461 that restricts non-profits -- including religious organizations -- from receiving affordable housing funds if they have engaged in any voter registration , voter identification , get-out-the-vote , and other nonpartisan voter participation activities or voter encouragement efforts within 12 months of the application . 
they very people in need of affordable housing are those who often need the most help in fully participating in our democracy as voters . 
it is highly ironic that at the very moment when we have seen in the starkest of terms the great need for affordable housing , important legislation to meet that need is encumbered with language that undermines our democracy . 
the episcopal church , through jubilee ministries and episcopal service providers , offers housing assistance to many of our nation 's poor . 
jubilee ministries administers grants to over 70 jubilee centers throughout the united states as well as the wider anglican communion . 
including a provision that would prohibit episcopal organizations that encourage democratic engagement from participating in affordable housing fund programs would limit our response to god 's call to serve the least among us and severely restrict our efforts to provide safe , decent , and affordable housing . 
in supporting the affordable housing fund in h.r. 1461 , we are acting upon a resolution passed at our 2003 general convention that reaffirmed our commitment to providing affordable housing for the poor . 
the resolution calls for the legislative branches of the federal government to provide `` rental and owner-occupied housing that is safe , accessible , and affordable for low-income and moderate-income persons and their families including persons with disabilities '' and `` to ensure that housing assistance programs are adequately funded to address the growing gap between the number of affordable housing units available and the number of renter households in the bottom quartile of income in this nation. '' as a church we have also acknowledged `` the use of the political process as an act of christian stewardship '' and recognized that a `` faithful commitment to voting is an extension of our baptismal covenant to `strive for justice and peace and the dignity of every human being. ' `` we have asked `` all episcopalians to actively engage in advocating for voter rights , encouraging voter registration , getting out the vote , and volunteering to assist voters at the polls. '' mr. speaker , we ask that you do all in your power to see that the provisions related to voter participation are removed from h.r. 1461 . 
no organization should be asked to choose between providing homes for those in need or enabling citizens to fully participate fully in our democracy . 
sincerely , & lt ; center & gt ; rev . 
kwasi a. thornell , & lt ; /center & gt ; & lt ; center & gt ; & lt ; em & gt ; chair , national concerns committee of the executive council. & lt ; /em & gt ; & lt ; center & gt ; rt . 
rev . 
john bryson chane , d.d. , & lt ; /center & gt ; & lt ; center & gt ; & lt ; em & gt ; bishop of washington. & lt ; /em & gt ; & lt ; em & gt ; national organizations opposed to voter restrictions in h.r. 1461 , & lt ; /b & gt ; washington , dc , october 19 , 2005 . 
dear mr . 
speaker , the undersigned national organizations have learned that the compromise reached by house leadership on h.r 1461 , the federal housing finance reform act of 2005 , includes provisions that would restrict the ability of american citizens to engage in our democratic process . 
we urge that these provisions be removed before the bill comes to the house floor for a vote probably during the week of october 24 . 
specifically , we object to the restrictions on non-profit organizations that apply for grants through the affordable housing fund established in h.r. 1461 . 
the egregious provisions , which we strongly oppose , disqualify any nonprofit organization that has engaged in voter registration , voter identification , get-out-the-vote , and other nonpartisan voter participation activities in the 12 months prior to application from eligibility for the affordable housing fund grants . 
it further prohibits non-profit organizations that receive grant funds from engaging in these activities . 
these grants are to be used solely to produce and preserve housing that is affordable to extremely low and very low income families . 
for the first two years , the funds will be prioritized to rebuild housing in the areas devastated by hurricane katrina . 
the anti-democratic provisions do not just prohibit the use of affordable housing fund dollars from being used for these purposes . 
the prohibition applies to any resources of a grantee , including funds specifically for civic engagement activities . 
moreover , even if a particular non-profit organization does not itself engage in any of these activities itself , `` affiliation '' with an organization that does would disqualify the nonprofit from applying for affordable housing fund grants . 
notably , for-profit companies are exempt from these restrictions . 
these provisions are blatantly undemocratic and raise substantial constitutional questions in the attempt to limit the rights of affiliation . 
they are intended for no other purpose than to reduce access to voting by low income people . 
people of color are overrepresented in the low income population , making this a civil rights issue . 
moreover , these provisions have serious implications for the broader nonprofit community by setting a very dangerous precedent . 
the low income housing community has worked tirelessly to establish the affordable housing fund in h.r. 1461 , because we know the dire need for funds to increase the nation 's affordable housing stock . 
but nothing is worth compromising the right of all americans to participate in our precious democracy . 
sincerely , alliance for healthy homes . 
alliance for justice . 
american counseling association . 
american federation of state , county and municipal employees . 
american network of community options and resources . 
americans for democratic action . 
association of community organizations for reform now ( acorn ) . 
campaign for america 's future . 
center for community change . 
center for law and social policy . 
child welfare league of america . 
children 's defense fund . 
cities for progress at the institute for policy studies . 
coalition on human needs . 
consortium for citizens with disabilities . 
corporation for supportive housing . 
enterprise foundation . 
environmental working group . 
episcopal church . 
lawyers ' committee for civil rights under law . 
leadership conference on civil rights . 
local initiatives support corporation . 
lutheran services in america . 
mercy housing . 
national aids housing coalition . 
national alliance of hud tenants . 
national alliance on mental illness . 
national alliance to end homelessness . 
national association for the advancement of colored people ( naacp ) . 
national association of housing cooperatives . 
national coalition for the homeless . 
national committee for responsive philanthropy . 
national community reinvestment coalition . 
national council on the aging . 
national council of nonprofit associations . 
national council on independent living . 
national fair housing alliance . 
national head start association . 
national health care for the homeless council . 
national housing conference . 
national housing law project . 
national housing trust . 
national law center on homelessness & amp ; poverty . 
national low income housing coalition . 
national neighborhood coalition . 
national policy and advocacy council on homelessness . 
national urban league . 
omb watch . 
poverty and race research action council . 
presbyterian church ( u.s.a. ) washington office . 
public housing authorities directors association ( phada ) . 
smart growth america . 
stewards of affordable housing for the future . 
technical assistance collaborative . 
the arc of the u.s. u.s. public interest research group ( u.s. pirg ) , national association of state pirgs . 
united cerebral palsy . 
united church of christ justice and witness ministries . 
women 's committee of 100 . 
mr. speaker , clearly , these organizations recognize an attack on faith-based values when they see one . 
these restrictions force faith-based organizations to make a decision between providing low-income housing or promoting civic activities , and that choice is not one congress should be forcing . 
it goes against our deepest principles and strikes at those who can least protect themselves , and i feel that it is particularly inappropriate that the majority is trying to limit the rights of the disadvantaged this week in the wake of the death of rosa parks , who stood up for the right to vote in so many courageous ways . 
i urge a `` no '' vote on this rule . 
mr. speaker , i rise in opposition to this rule which did not permit a vote on congressman frank 's amendment to strike from this bill the provision that prevents any nonprofit recipient of a housing grant from conducting nonpartisan civic voter registration . 
this is an outrageously bad provision that imposes unconstitutional restrictions on promoting the most fundamental of our civil liberties : the right to vote . 
of all our rights , this is the right that our founding fathers held most dear ; that thousands have come to this great democracy to hold ; and that right now our men and women are dying to protect in iraq . 
what are we doing here limiting this great right on which our nation is founded ? 
restricting the rights of nonprofits in this way violates these organizations ' fundamental first amendment rights . 
voter registration , voter identification , and get-out-the vote activities are protected by the first amendment . 
yet this provision forbids nonprofits from even applying for grants if they have encouraged voting in the recent past . 
there is just no justification for preventing nonpartisan civic efforts to encourage voting . 
many faith based organizations strongly oppose these restrictions . 
the catholic church is just one of many organizations whose faith-based mission to serve the disadvantaged leads them to both provide low-cost housing and help the disadvantaged exercise their right to vote . 
indeed , faith based organizations are strongly united in their opposition . 
among them are the lutheran church , the united church of christ , the presbyterian church , the u.s. jesuit conference , and the american jewish congress , just to name a few . 
clearly these organizations recognize an attack on faith-based values when they see one . 
these restrictions force faith based organizations to make a choice : provide low-income housing or promote the ability to vote . 
that choice is not one congress should be forcing . 
it goes against our deepest principles and strikes at those who can least protect themselves . 
it is particularly inappropriate that the majority is trying to limit the rights of the disadvantaged to vote this week , in the wake of the death of rosa parks . 
rosa parks was a national icon , a symbol of what one courageous person can do to achieve civil rights and liberties . 
this amendment to preserve nonpartisan voter registration could be called the rosa parks amendment -- to remind us that she co-founded the rosa and raymond parks institute for self development to help young people register to vote , and i am confident that she would have supported it with the quiet dignity and faith that she demonstrated in her own life . 
i urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to repudiate these provisions that strike all faith-based organizations . 
