mr. chairman , i rise today to strongly oppose the paul amendment and the civic engagement restrictions in the manager 's amendment we previously debated . 
these will have a disproportionate and disparate impact on the state of florida . 
i just came back from my district , where the damage caused by hurricane wilma has been extensive . 
its effects will be felt for months , if not years . 
thousands of floridians are living in shelters , as thousands of homes in the state were severely or completely destroyed . 
people in florida , texas , the gulf states , and across the country have been affected by these storms and have real life issues to deal with : food , shelter , clothing , fuel , lines for 2 and 3 hours to get fuel . 
i had to drive 150 miles today before i could find one gas station that only had about a half-hour line . 
these people need shelter . 
they are going to need affordable housing . 
they could care less about partisan politics . 
these restrictions are misplaced and unnecessary . 
they preclude legitimate nonprofits from accessing affordable housing funds at a time when hundreds of thousands of americans desperately need this assistance . 
we should not be clouding the need for affordable housing with partisan politics . 
i urge my colleagues to stay focussed on the issues that are at the center of people 's lives and vote `` no '' on this amendment and ultimately support the gentleman from massachusetts ' motion to recommit . 
