House Passes Bill Concerning Key Housing Program

H.R. 655 Not Perfect, But Would Preserve Title V of McKinney-Vento Act

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 665, which would preserve Title V of the McKinney-Vento Act, a highly effective federal program that serves 2.4 million homeless persons each year.  The vote was unanimous: 402-0.

Title V gives homeless service providers the right to obtain surplus federal property for free.  But despite its low cost and high return to the taxpayers, the Obama Administration has been pushing Congress to pass legislation undermining the program.

The Law Center is grateful to U.S. Representatives Darrell Issa (R-CA), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Jason Chaffetz (R-UT), and Mike Quigley (D-IL) for working with it to craft a bill that preserves Title V.  The Law Center does, however, have concerns that the legislation would exclude certain high-value properties from the program.

To learn more, read the Law Center's letter to Rep. Issa, Cummings, Chaffetz, and Quigley.