All eyes on S.C. Senator Tim Scott on HUD
Obamazone reg
Last week, Sen.
Ted Cruz (R-Texas) joined Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) in co-sponsoring legislation
by Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) that would
prohibit the use of federal funds by the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) to implement the regulation known as “Affirmatively
Furthering Fair Housing” (AFFH).
The
rule conditions eligibility for community development block grants upon redrawing zoning maps to achieve racial and income
integration. All that is required is a mere accusation by HUD of not being in
compliance. In 2014, HUD
dispersed about $3.4 billion of these grants to
about 1,200
counties and cities, putting every one of them into the
Obama administration’s crosshairs.
Cruz and Rubio
are among the leading contenders for the Republican presidential nomination, so
their dual support is noteworthy enough. And with the race turning south and
all eyes on South Carolina, presidential politics aside, a natural question to
ask might be where Sen. Tim Scott is on this issue.
After all, Scott
chairs the Senate Banking Subcommittee Chairman on Housing, Transportation, and
Community Development and as such should be able to outline exactly just how
screwed up President Barack Obama’s vast overreach in this area has been.
According
to Fits News based in South Carolina, Scott has
promised to hold a hearing on the issue: “Last year Scott’s office indicated it
was investigating the ‘neighborhood engineering’ rule — promulgated by Obama’s
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Hearings were likely, we
were told.” But so far, no
hearings have been scheduled, according
to the Banking Committee’s website.
What gives?
That the
regulation affects zoning issues is without question — HUD Secretary Julian
Castro’s statements to the contrary notwithstanding — namely because the rule
says it takes zoning into account. It directs block grant recipients “to
examine relevant factors, such as zoning and other land-use practices that are
likely contributors to fair housing concerns, and take appropriate actions in
response.”
HUD
has also proposed the “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Assessment Tool” “for use by each program participant to evaluate fair
housing choice in its jurisdiction, to identify barriers to fair housing choice
at the local and regional levels, and to set and prioritize fair housing goals
to overcome such barriers and advance fair housing choice.”
In preparation
for implementing the regulation, HUD has released template
racial rezoning maps and data
tables to be used in each community
development block grant recipient area.
The
tool’s worksheet orders the assessing bureaucrat
using the maps and data to “identify neighborhoods or areas in the jurisdiction
and region where racial/ethnic groups are segregated and indicate the
predominant groups for each.”
Additionally, the
bureaucrat must identify the extent the following factors “contribute to
segregated housing patterns” including “Land use and zoning laws, such as
minimum lot sizes, limits on multi-unit properties, height limits, or
bedroom-number limits as well as requirements for special use permits;
Occupancy restrictions; Residential real estate steering; Patterns of community
opposition; Economic pressures, such as increased rents or land and development
costs; Major private investments; Municipal or State services and amenities;
and Foreclosure patterns.”
This is vast
overreach. In the least,
defunding “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing” should be a no-brainer for
the House and Senate, particularly given the Department’s attempts to mislead
Congress about what the regulation does.
But, a hearing?
Those should be easy. So, how about it, Sen. Scott? Throw in co-sponsoring the
Lee bill while you’re at it. Heck, there could even be a two-fer: Do a hearing
on the bill. All eyes are on South Carolina, in more ways than one.
Robert Romano is
the senior editor of Americans for Limited Government.
http://netrightdaily.com/2016/02/all-eyes-on-s-c-senator-tim-scott-on-hud-obamazone-reg/
Comments
Comments
These HUD rules totally destroy your property value and
play havoc with the schools. It’s part of Obama’s blitzkrieg.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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