mr. chairman , i want to thank my friend and my colleague from massachusetts for yielding me time . 
today we should be doing one thing , providing housing for people who need it . 
i must tell you , mr. chairman , i am deeply disturbed that we would add language to this bill to prohibit nonprofit organizations and groups , churches , synagogues , mosques , from engaging in civic participation , activity like nonpartisan voter regulation and get-out-the-vote drives . 
that is wrong . 
that is dead wrong . 
the right to vote , the right to participate in the democratic process in our country is almost sacred . 
the churches , the synagogues , religious institutions , nonprofits have a long history of being involved in efforts to get people to participate , to register and to vote . 
many faith-based groups will be prohibited from providing housing to people who desperately need it , simply because part of their moral mission is to encourage people to vote , to become participants in a democratic process . 
this provision would stifle people and organizations from engaging in their civic responsibilities . 
these groups are engaging in lawful , nonpartisan , civic activity , and i can not believe that in 2005 , this is not 1964 , this is not 1965 , this is not the oeo . 
this is not going back to the nixon administration . 
what are we saying to the people around the world , telling the people in iraq they can register , they can vote , they can participate , but we are saying here in america that our own people , nonprofit , churches , synagogues , faith-based groups can not engage in nonpartisan voter registration and voter turnout ? 
what kind of example are we sending for an emerging democracy ? 
voter identification , voter registration and get-out-the-vote activities are fundamental activities protected by the first amendment , the cornerstone of our democracy . 
to strengthen our democracy , we need to increase voter registration and increase voter turnout . 
we must promote these activities , not discourage them or penalize people for engaging in them . 
this provision will take us back to the dark past . 
this is undemocratic and unconstitutional . 
in my estimation , it is dead wrong . 
we can do better , much better . 
