Rep. Maxine Waters Holds a Hearing On the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act

Political Transcript Wire › October 02, 2009

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Rep. Maxine Waters Holds a Hearing On the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON FINANCIAL SERVICES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY OPPORTUNITY HOLDS A HEARING ON THE SECTION 8 VOUCHER REFORM ACT

JUNE 4, 2009

SPEAKERS: REP. MAXINE WATERS, D-CALIF. CHAIRWOMAN REP. NYDIA M. VELAZQUEZ, D-N.Y. REP. STEPHEN F. LYNCH, D-MASS. REP. EMANUEL CLEAVER II, D-MO. REP. AL GREEN, D-TEXAS REP. WILLIAM LACY CLAY, D-MO. REP. KEITH ELLISON, D-MINN. REP. JOE DONNELLY, D-IND. REP. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, D-MASS. REP. PAUL E. KANJORSKI, D-PA. REP. LUIS V. GUTIERREZ, D-ILL. REP. STEVE DRIEHAUS, D-OHIO REP. MARY JO KILROY, D-OHIO REP. JIM HIMES, D-CONN. REP. DANIEL MAFFEI, D-N.Y. REP. BARNEY FRANK, D-MASS. EX OFFICIO

REP. SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, R-W.VA. RANKING MEMBER REP. THADDEUS MCCOTTER, R-MICH. REP. JUDY BIGGERT, R-ILL. REP. GARY G. MILLER, R-CALIF. REP. RANDY NEUGEBAUER, R-TEXAS REP. WALTER B. JONES, R-N.C. REP. ADAM H. PUTNAM, R-FLA. REP. KENNY MARCHANT, R-TEXAS REP. LYNN JENKINS, R-KAN. REP. CHRISTOPHER LEE, R-N.Y. REP. SPENCER BACHUS, R-ALA. EX OFFICIO

WITNESSES: LINDA COUCH, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL LOW INCOME HOUSING COALITION

WILLIAM FISCHER, SENIOR POLICY ANALYST, CENTER ON BUDGET AND POLICY PRIORITIES

NAN ROMAN, PRESIDENT AND CEO, NATIONAL ALLIANCE TO END HOMELESSNESS

GLORIA ROBINSON, SECTION 8 VOUCHER HOLDER

TED HOUGHTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SUPPORTIVE HOUSING NETWORK OF NEW YORK

RUDY MONTIEL, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES

TONY BAZZIE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RALEIGH COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY

CURT HIEBERT, PRESIDENT, PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES DIRECTORS ASSOCIATION

RENEE ROOKER, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT OFFICIALS

SUNIA ZATERMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL OF LARGE PUBLIC HOUSING AUTHORITIES

KAREN NEWSOME, VICE PRESIDENT, WINNRESIDENTIAL ASSOCIATION

[*] WATERS: The hearing of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity will come to order. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

I would like to thank our ranking member, Shelley Moore Capito, and other members of the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity for joining me for our second hearing on the Section 8 Voucher Reform Act. At our first hearing we were joined by HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, who testified about the need for this legislation and its importance in protecting the continued viability of the Section 8 program, which provides housing assistance for 2 million low-income families nationwide. Today we will hear from residents, housing advocates, housing authorities, and the housing managers who deal with this program on a day to day basis and will be directly affected by this legislation.

This is legislation that has broad support, including the support of 72 housing and redevelopment stakeholders in California, including the California Housing Partnership. These groups have sent a letter of support, which I would ask unanimous consent to enter into the record. It also has broad bipartisan support, passing the House in 2007 on a vote of 333 to 83.

Over the years, the Section 8 program, which pays the difference between 30 percent of a tenant's income and the fair market rent, has become increasingly complicated for residents and the PHAs that administer the program. Residents must routinely reverify their income through a time consuming error-prone process.

As we will hear from Ms. Robinson, the inspections process, although well-intended, can actually prevent a tenant from leasing a unit if it needs minor repairs. The proposed bill would simplify these processes by streamlining the rent determination process, requiring certifications less often and improving inspections by allowing PHAs to perform some repairs.

The proposed bill also addresses the funding formula for the Section 8 program. Because of a drastic Bush administration change to how vouchers were funded, over 150,000 vouchers were lost. I agree with the assessment of Secretary Donovan, who testified that the changes to the funding formula contributed to a slide in funding utilization. In fact, in order to make up lost funding, PHAs limited services to residents and even began to restrict or deny moves to higher-cost area...

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