mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman for yielding me this time and for inviting me to address the garrett amendment , which comes up next , and to urge that we oppose that amendment . 
i want to thank the chairman and the ranking member for including in the bill when it left our committee language proposed by the gentleman from california ( mr. gary g. miller ) xz4002770 and myself to raise the conforming loan limit in certain areas . 
the reason we have these gses is to help middle-class families achieve the dream of homeownership . 
since the beginning , we recognized that a middle-class family can not find a home in alaska and hawaii at the same amounts with the same level of mortgage as in the other 48 states . 
so we have always had a higher limit for those states . 
we now must recognize that in los angeles , new york , and certain other areas , housing prices are every bit as high as in some parts of alaska and hawaii . 
and that is why the bill that we need to defend from the garrett amendment provides for a conforming loan limit , that is either as high as it is in alaska and hawaii or such lower amount as equals the average home price in that area . 
we have middle-class families in my district , a police officer married to a teacher , trying to get a home . 
do not deprive them of the benefits of these gses on the theory that they are wealthy . 
they are not . 
