NLC is urging local officials to contact their representatives in the House of Representatives and urge them to support level funding for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) during the appropriations process.

Representatives Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.) and Rob Simmons (R-Conn.) are circulating a ?Dear Colleague? letter to all members of the House of Representatives, urging them to sign the letter to support level funding for CDBG at $4.732 billion in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

?CDBG, coupled with HUD?s housing and homeless programs, provide communities with a comprehensive approach to help states, counties, cities and rural communities meet the needs of low-income communities,? the letter states.

?We hope you?ll join us in supporting level funding to ensure communities across the country can provide good jobs, safe neighborhoods, affordable housing and public services to meet the needs of all Americans,? the letter continues.

Thanks to aggressive grassroots lobbying, the FY 2006 Congres-sional Budget Resolution, adopted by both the Senate and the House, supports full funding for CDBG at $4.732 billion. 

The campaign to save CDBG is now taking place in the appropriations process.

The deadline for House members to sign on to the Oberstar-Simmons letter is May 19.

See page 12 for a list of representatives who have signed onto Oberstar-Simmons CDBG level funding letter as of May 12.
If you don?t see your representative, use NLC?s Grassroots Action Center at www.nlc.org to encourage them to sign the letter before the deadline.