Illinois Dems face off over bill on housing for ex-cons

When the House voted to give billions of dollars to states to buy foreclosed properties, Republicans complained that the properties could be re-sold to child molesters, drug dealers and con artists.

Freshman Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) was called on to fix the problem, and sponsored legislation intended to make sure the benefits of the housing bill could not go to ex-convicts.

{mosads}But his effort has been stopped in its tracks by fellow Illinois Democratic Rep. Danny Davis, who along with liberal groups says Foster’s legislation would hurt people trying to rebuild their lives after prison.

The dispute reflects the tension in the Democratic Caucus between more liberal members who think that convicts who’ve done their time deserve a second chance and ctonservative members, many of them freshmen from GOP-leaning districts, who don’t want to look soft on crime. It also illustrates the difficulty Democrats face in trying to give some of those vulnerable freshmen victories to tout back home.

Some Republicans compare it to Rep. Heath Shuler’s (D-N.C.) immigration enforcement bill.

That legislation is popular with conservative Democrats who want to be tough on illegal immigration, but it has spurred protests from the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

Republicans fanned the split in the caucus by running a discharge petition to bring the bill to the floor, prompting Democratic leaders to order a series of hearings on the bill.

Foster’s bill has not been as high-profile, but for some the feelings are just as intense.

“I thought it just sort of sent the wrong message,” said Davis, who has fought for years for better programs for ex-offenders. “Here we are talking about redemption, but this would have been setting up another barrier.”

The legislation would have been the first policy bill brought to the floor by Foster, who in March won the heavily Republican district vacated by former Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.). This fall, he’ll face a rematch against businessman Jim Oberweis.

Democrats are determined to keep the seat for Foster, who is still considered vulnerable, although his hopes could be boosted by the presence of likely Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) on the ticket.

In the May 8 housing debate, Republicans aired concerns about felons renting or buying homes that state and local governments would buy as part of a $15 billion federal grant and loan program.

The GOP voiced its concern in a “motion to recommit.” Such motions are a favored tactic of House Republicans, who use them to force vulnerable members in Republican districts to take tough votes. House Financial Services panel Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.) fended off the motion, which would have sent the bill back to committee, by arguing that it was a “partisan ploy” that was really meant to kill the bill.

“We will, going forward, take the good parts of it and incorporate it,” Frank said at the time.

 Foster’s bill, introduced the following Monday, tracked closely with the Republican motion. It would prevent anyone convicted of a sex offense or mortgage fraud, or anyone convicted of drug-dealing in the last five years, from buying foreclosed houses that the government acquired as part of the bailout effort. Foster spokeswoman Shannon O’Brien said her boss agreed with the concerns raised by Republicans and worked with Frank to come up with a legislative solution.

“He thought specifying that people who committed sex offenses, drug felonies or mortgage fraud cannot benefit from the bill would be a good idea,” O’Brien said.

Davis struck the same day, May 12, circulating a “Dear Colleague” letter criticizing the Foster bill as needlessly punitive.

“Access to housing can be a key factor for formerly incarcerated parents to make positive changes and rebuild their lives,” Davis’s letter said.

Davis, a regional whip and Oversight and Government Reform subcommittee chairman, has long advocated helping ex-convicts rebuild their lives. He’s the author of the Second Chance Act, signed by President Bush in March, which provided $180 million across two years to reduce the number of prisoners who commit crimes after leaving prison.

Davis was joined by The Sentencing Project, a Washington advocacy group that looks for alternatives to imprisonment, in opposing Foster’s bill.

“Men and women transitioning to life after incarceration are already disproportionately likely to become homeless,” wrote Sentencing Project Executive Director Mark Mauer. “Creating additional obstacles to housing will only worsen this condition.”

The bill was supposed to be on the May 13 suspension calendar, where non-controversial bills are supposed to pass overwhelmingly. But it was pulled by House leaders before it came up for consideration.

“Leadership decided to pull the bill after they realized it didn’t fit on the suspension calendar,” O’Brien said.

Davis said his objections struck a chord with leaders, who pulled the bill. The bill now seems to be stuck in a stalemate. Foster’s spokeswoman said he’s not interested in changing it, and Davis is happy the bill is off the calendar. A Democratic leadership aide said the problems are being worked out, but Davis disagrees.

“I don’t think this is coming back,” Davis said.

Republicans are irritated over the impasse, and accuse Democrats of going back on their assurance that the issue would be addressed.

“This is just another example of Democratic broken promises,” said Michael Steel, spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio).