mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding . 
mr. chairman , i am concerned about two provisions in this bill , raising the conforming loan limit and the attempt to limit the ability of american citizens to engage in our democratic process currently contained in the manager 's amendment offered by mr. oxley . 
mr. chairman , in my district , the median price for a home in santa clara county is $ 715 , 000 , yes i said $ 715 , 000 . 
the current conforming loan limit is $ 359 , 650 , about 50 percent of what the median home price is . 
mr. chairman , there are simply not enough homes at or near the conforming loan limit to meet the needs of my constituents . 
as a result of this shortage of homes priced near the conforming loan limit , many first-time homebuyers are either forced into taking out jumbo loans or are more likely simply priced out of the market altogether . 
some argue that the conforming loan limit will not make a meaningful cost difference for homebuyers . 
currently there is a .25 percent to .40 percent difference between interest rates on a conforming loan versus a jumbo loan . 
in today 's market that difference can be as much as $ 135.00 per month . 
that matters to hardworking families . 
i remind my republican colleagues that this administration , in testimony before the house financial services committee spoke in favor of raising the conforming loan limit . 
part of mr. oxley 's amendment is simply un-american . 
mr. oxley seeks to prohibit nonprofit organizations from engaging in nonpartisan , i repeat nonpartisan , voter registration efforts and get out the vote drives in the 12-month period prior to applying for funds made available through the affordable housing fund . 
if that was n't bad enough , the amendment further prohibits nonprofits that receive grant funds from subsequently engaging in these important activities . 
this congress should be about promoting the values and the processes of democratic government , not trying to limit or suppress them . 
what are you afraid of , more americans exercising their right to participate in their government ? 
