Images (46)
Document
| id |
id
565360031
|
|---|---|
| contentType |
contentType
document
|
| source |
source
import
|
Source image fields (6)
Extracted text
OCR Page 1 of 46http://www.pub.whitehouse.gov/uri-..oma.eop.gov.us/1999/10/21/3.text.1
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release
October 20, 1999
STATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT
Today I have signed into law H.R. 2684, the "Departments of Veterans
Affairs and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies
Appropriations Act, 2000."
This Act will fund vital housing, community development,
environmental, disaster assistance, veterans, space, and science
programs. Specifically, it provides funding for the Departments of
Veterans Affairs (VA) and Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and several other
agencies.
The Act funds a number of my Administration's high priorities,
including the Corporation for National and Community Service at this
year's current funding level. National Service gives young people the
opportunity to obtain funding for a college education while serving the
country in areas of great need, such as the environment, public safety,
and human services. National Service also allows young people to
participate in service-learning programs that provide substantial
academic and social benefits, including the opportunity to learn
responsible citizenship.
I am pleased that the Act also provides full funding of HUD's highest
priority: $10.9 billion for the renewal of all Section 8 contracts,
assuring continuation of HUD rental subsidies for low-income tenants in
privately owned housing. I am also pleased that the Act provides 60,000
housing vouchers for low-income families. In addition, the Act
adequately funds programs to help distressed communities, including my
new initiative for America's Private Investment Companies (APIC),
Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), assistance to the homeless,
the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund,
Brownfields redevelopment, and rural and urban empowerment zones. The
CDBG program promotes housing and economic activity in low- and
moderate-income areas. It provides funding for housing rehabilitation,
construction, and homebuyer assistance. The CDFI Fund helps to create a
network of community development banks across the country, spurring the
flow of capital to distressed neighborhoods and their currently
underserved low-income residents.
The Act includes funding that could support part of my New Markets
proposal, which will help ensure that all Americans share in our
economic prosperity. APIC and the rural and urban empowerment zones
will help revitalize communities so that they can take advantage of the
strength of the economy and help those left behind in our economic boom.
Additionally, $1.02 billion is provided for homeless assistance grants,
enabling localities to continue to shape and implement comprehensive,
flexible, coordinated "continuum of care" approaches to solving
homelessness.
I am pleased that the Act adequately funds Fair Housing programs,
which will enable HUD to expand significantly its activities aimed at
reducing the level of housing discrimination nationwide.
The Act provides $710 million, a significant increase, for elderly
housing, recognizing the dramatic rise in our elderly population and the
1 of 3
11/11/1999 1:24 PM
Relations
belongs_to