mr. chairman , today , the house of representatives voted on h.r. 1461 , the gse federal housing finance reform act of 2005 . 
this bill will not only substantially overhaul the safety and soundness of the housing government-sponsored enterprises , but it will also establish an affordable housing fund . 
i voted in favor of this legislation , but with some reservation . 
the affordable housing fund provides funds to grantees to build housing that is affordable to low income families . 
this is an important goal , and while i support the bill and the establishment of the affordable housing fund , i do not support the inclusion of language that blocks non-profit organizations from non-partisan activities that encourage citizens to participate in our democratic process . 
this is why i voted against the manager 's amendment to h.r. 1461 earlier today . 
the amendment included language that will prohibit grantees from using even their own funds to encourage citizens to exercise their right to vote and would retroactively penalize organizations that have done so in the past . 
this language would restrict non-profits who engage in first amendment political activity , with their own funds , from receiving affordable housing fund grants . 
in short , it will have a chilling effect on the free speech rights of non-profit organizations . 
by keeping funding out of the hands of non-profit and faith-based organizations that are associated with any kind of voter registration activities and exempting for-profit companies from the same restrictions , i ask , what legitimate governmental interest is there in preventing nonpartisan voter participation activities ? 
political participation is a foundation of our constitution . 
i hope that when h.r. 1461 reaches conference , a bi-partisan effort will come together to strike this language from an otherwise worthy piece of legislation . 
i will continue to protect our citizens ' ability to register to vote and have a voice in the political process . 
