Housing bill bars nonprofits from nonpartisan voter sign-ups

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Housing bill bars nonprofits from nonpartisan voter sign-ups
Sunday, October 30, 2005
Angela D. Chatman
Plain Dealer Reporter

Additional money for affordable housing may soon be available but with restrictions that housing advocates consider outrageous.

A provision included in legislation before Congress creating the Affordable Housing Fund would prevent nonprofit groups seeking money from participating in nonpartisan voter registration activities.

"Nobody said that we want to use this money for voter registration. But to deny the groups [the ability] to help these people to exercise their right to vote is incredible," said Bill Faith, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness & Housing in Ohio.

The House-passed legislation that revises the operations of government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac would provide between $500 million and $800 million for the Affordable Housing Fund.

Those lending agencies would contribute 5 percent of their after-tax income to the fund.

The bill says that any nonprofit that has done nonpartisan voter work in the last 12 months, including displaying registration forms in a rental office, would not be eligible.

It forbids the group from engaging in that work for the duration of the grant and limits the group from doing lawful lobbying on behalf of its clients or residents.

The bill prohibits the groups from affiliating with organizations involved in such work. The restrictions do not apply to for-profit developers.

The language was added at the request of the Republican Study Committee, a group of more than 100 conservative House Republicans.

In a May letter to Rep. Tom Delay, then the House majority leader, the committee said it opposed creating the fund, although it supported improved access to affordable housing. It said the money could be used to finance third-party advocacy groups that have agendas that are antagonistic to free- market principles.

The committee urged the House to deal with these issues. Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana, the committee chairman, and Rep. Steven Chabot of Cincinnati, a committee member, could not be reached for comment.

The House passed the amendment along party lines last week.