June 10, 2002
In 1996, President Clinton proposed a one-strike and your out policy (Public Law 101-625). This policy provides authority to Public Housing Administration (PHA) management and HUD field offices to develop and enforce stricter screening and eviction policies as a part of their anti-drug and anti-crime initiatives. Under the current scope of the law, a tenant can be evicted for crimes which are beyond their control and even crimes of which they are the actual victim, such as domestic violence.
"We cannot allow women who are victims of domestic violence to be evicted under this policy. We cannot allow children, who are exposed to violence in their homes and who are victims of violence themselves, to become homeless under this policy," said Congresswoman Lee. "We scored a great victory in the fight to protect victims of domestic violence by passing this amendment."
Congresswoman Lee will offer a broader amendment to H.R. 3995 on the House floor to further narrow the scope of the one strike policy used by HUD. The Supreme Court recently ruled in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development vs. Rucker that public housing authorities can evict tenants based on the criminal activity of their guests and house-hold members, regardless of where the crime occurs or regardless of whether or not the tenant had knowledge of the crime being committed.
"This amendment will expanded our ability to protect against evictions of grandparents and elderly tenants, or people who simply don't know that persons invited into their home are engaged in illegal activity," said Lee. "It is outrageous to have a law that would allow eviction of an elderly woman because her grandson visited her for a while and then did something illegal outside of the home, even as far away as another state. This policy is unconscionable and it needs to be narrowed."
Congresswoman Lee will also offer an amendment to H.R. 3995 that will authorize funding through 2005 for the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP) eliminated by President Bush last year. She will also support the fight to establish a national housing trust fund. The Sanders-Lee amendment to establish a housing production program was today removed by the GOP committee leadership after passing by a vote of 33-28 on June 20.
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House Financial Services Committee Passes Lee Amendment to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence Under HUD"One Strike" Policy
Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Lee today applauded the House Financial Services Committee for passing by a voice vote her amendment to H.R. 3995 that would provide greater protections for victims of domestic violence under the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) "one-strike" policy.In 1996, President Clinton proposed a one-strike and your out policy (Public Law 101-625). This policy provides authority to Public Housing Administration (PHA) management and HUD field offices to develop and enforce stricter screening and eviction policies as a part of their anti-drug and anti-crime initiatives. Under the current scope of the law, a tenant can be evicted for crimes which are beyond their control and even crimes of which they are the actual victim, such as domestic violence.
"We cannot allow women who are victims of domestic violence to be evicted under this policy. We cannot allow children, who are exposed to violence in their homes and who are victims of violence themselves, to become homeless under this policy," said Congresswoman Lee. "We scored a great victory in the fight to protect victims of domestic violence by passing this amendment."
Congresswoman Lee will offer a broader amendment to H.R. 3995 on the House floor to further narrow the scope of the one strike policy used by HUD. The Supreme Court recently ruled in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development vs. Rucker that public housing authorities can evict tenants based on the criminal activity of their guests and house-hold members, regardless of where the crime occurs or regardless of whether or not the tenant had knowledge of the crime being committed.
"This amendment will expanded our ability to protect against evictions of grandparents and elderly tenants, or people who simply don't know that persons invited into their home are engaged in illegal activity," said Lee. "It is outrageous to have a law that would allow eviction of an elderly woman because her grandson visited her for a while and then did something illegal outside of the home, even as far away as another state. This policy is unconscionable and it needs to be narrowed."
Congresswoman Lee will also offer an amendment to H.R. 3995 that will authorize funding through 2005 for the Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP) eliminated by President Bush last year. She will also support the fight to establish a national housing trust fund. The Sanders-Lee amendment to establish a housing production program was today removed by the GOP committee leadership after passing by a vote of 33-28 on June 20.
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