mr. chairman , i thank the gentleman from massachusetts for the time .  i think we have put together a good bill .  it was a bipartisan bill .  it addressed a lot of the concerns that a lot of us had about affordable housing for minorities , low-income individuals who have an opportunity to obtain a home , but with the poison pill that has been put in in its final package , it makes the bill very difficult to support .  all of us believe that affordable homes should be available for individuals .  this does strengthen regulatory oversight on freddie mac , fannie mae and the federal home loan banks .  i think that is positive , and it presents an opportunity for many individuals , especially in my area , san bernardino county , the inland empire , where we have a lot of growth in the area .  we have people that are moving from orange county , l.a. , san diego .  they are looking at buying affordable homes .  this bill would give many individuals , low income , an opportunity to do that , especially when the average cost of a home in l.a .  is $ 475 , 000 , and in san bernardino it is $ 352 , 000 .  many individuals can not afford to buy a home .  now that they have that first opportunity , i know what it is like because i came from a family of 15 , and i know for the very first time when we were able to buy a home .  had we not bought a home , i would not have had stability in my roots in the immediate area .  that is why provisions of this bill are great .  what i do not like about the bill is a poison pill that has been put on there , which i believe it is unconstitutional and restrictions aimed at suppressing the civil rights engaged in by poor minorities for voting .  we believe that every person should have the right to vote and to participate , and we say that that does not preclude them , and you have to put a priority whether it is for affordable housing or whether you will be involved in engaging , encouraging individuals .  america has always encouraged individuals to participate in our american democracy , and that is the democracy of voting .  we have our veterans who have fought for this country and are now fighting in iraq , are fighting for the freedoms that we enjoy today .  one of those freedoms is the right to get out and vote , to allow every individual to participate and vote , not to restrict individuals , but to allow them to vote .  this would restrict these individuals who are getting funded for the housing to say you are not going to participate in this american democracy by registering individuals to vote .  we should allow them .  it is part of democracy .  this is anti-civil rights , especially when we just have rosa parks who just died and fought hard for civil rights .  we have alice paul who fought for the suffrage of women and others to encourage to make sure that women had the right to vote .  now what we are saying is , minorities , you are voting in higher numbers ; we are not going to include you in part of that process because if you do , and if you get involved in part of that process , we are going to cut out your funding .  i believe this is not fair .  that is why the national council of la raza , naacp , naleo , lulac , puerto rican association , faith-based initiatives are all opposing the restriction of this anti-poison pill that has been put into this bill .  i hope we can make a correction in the senate and do justice for every individual .  we talk about leave no child behind .  now we are saying leave every individual who wants to participate from low-income minority families behind because we do not want them to participate in our american democracy .  this is about america .  we are proud americans , and we should allow every american to participate .  we should not deny one organization from going to them and asking them to participate in that process .  what we are doing is saying , you will not be involved in that process , you will not be involved in that process .  no , that is unfair .  it is un-american .  as an american and a member who served in the armed forces , which we fought for many individuals , we have that responsibility , mr. chairman .  we have the responsibility to make sure that every american has that right .  let us not go backwards .  let us go forward .  together we can make a difference .  mr. chairman , i rise in support of h.r. 1461 to strengthen the regulatory oversight of fannie mae , freddie mac , and the federal home loan banks .  i comment my colleagues on the financial services committee for their bipartisan approach and hard work in drafting this important bill .  this bill keeps the government sponsored enterprises ( gses ) safe , sound and focused on their mission while preserving their mission to support financing for low- and moderate- income housing .  also , this bill includes provisions that will increase housing opportunities for low income families by : establishing a specific requirement for gses to serve underserved areas , enhancing the gses affordable housing goals and increasing loan limits for high cost areas .  this bill includes an affordable housing fund that will increase affordable housing for low income communities .  this fund is particularly important to me because of its potential to increase affordable housing for many hard-working families in my district .  housing costs in southern california have skyrocketed .  many families have moved to the san bernardino area where housing is considered less expensive .  but even here , we have seen home prices rise quickly , and i am concerned that many working couples can not afford a home .  last week , the los angeles times reported that the median price paid for a southern california home was $ 475 , 000 in september , up 16.1 percent from a year earlier .  in san bernardino county , the median price has risen 32.8 percent in the past year to $ 352 , 000 .  this issue has great meaning to me personally .  i grew up in a family with 15 children without a lot of money .  i have been fortunate enough to have worked hard and been able to achieve the american dream of owning a home .  but i know that this dream remains unattainable for millions of families .  hispanic families especially face difficulties buying a home as their incomes on average are lower , and they might not have the same access to or understanding of financial institutions .  i hope the affordable housing fund will increase rental and homeownership opportunities for these and other working class families .  as a catholic , i have learned of our obligation to serve the poor .  i am proud of the work that catholic charities and other faith-based groups engage in .  their mission to help those in need includes providing shelter and also helping citizens fully participate in america 's political process .  while i support the bill for its merits , i am strongly opposed to the restrictions added after it passed the committee that place severe restrictions on nonprofit entities and faith based groups applying for affordable housing grants .  the language inserted would undermine and severely limit the fund by excluding nonprofits involved in non-partisan voter registration efforts .  republicans are trying to prevent church groups and other respected non-profit organizations from providing important services .  they are engaged in yet another backdoor scheme to sneak in unconstitutional restrictions aimed at suppressing the civic engagement of working class and minority families .  these non-partisan community groups often serve as the main point of contact and , in many cases , are the only local groups addressing the social , civic , and educational needs of the people they serve .  yet conservative republicans want to force these trusted organizations to choose between providing civic education and affordable housing .  why ?  why do republicans want to deny low income and minority voters participation in the political process ?  what do they fear ?  do they fear democracy ?  during the presidential campaign , republican leaders made aggressive efforts to woo black and hispanic voters who have historically supported democrats .  now republicans are determined to deny affordable housing to these same minority groups .  is this payback ?  i hope that we would all agree our country is stronger if more americans register to vote and show up at the polls , whichever party or candidate they support .  we need to encourage participation in our great democracy not limit it .  i want to mention an american hero , alice paul , who made our country better , fairer , more democratic by leading the struggle for women 's rights -- including the right to vote .  by the way , she was a republican , but she was committed to promoting political participation .  so we should encourage community organizations to help register voters and praise them for doing so , not penalize them or prevent them .  the restrictions added by republicans serve no other purpose than to reduce access to voting by low income people , and i urge my colleagues to vote against the restrictions .  if however , they pass , i am committed to working with my colleagues to strip away these horrible provisions as the bill goes through the conference committee process .  