On July 10, 2002, the state and local housing trust funds in the
             House Financial Services Committee approved a dollar for dollar matching
             grant program, part of the larger H.R. 3995 Bill. The H.R. 3995 bill, also
             known as the Housing Affordability for America Act of 2002 was introduced
             by housing subcommittee chair Marge Roukema (NJ), and was aimed at
             reauthorizing a number of housing programs. These include the HOPE VI
             severely distressed public housing program, the Housing Opportunities for
             Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program, and the McKinney Act's homeless housing
             Bill H.R. 3995 was only approved after a great deal of debate and
             controversy that surrounded the passage of a housing trust fund program on
             a national basis. This controversy began less than a month earlier when the
             House Financial Services Committee approved an amendment to the bill by
             Representative Bernie Sanders (VT). This amendment replaced an original
             provision that, within the HOME program, created a "new rental housing
             production/preservation component within the HOME program." In the end,
             when the new markup of Bill H.R. 3995 was later introduced, neither the
             original provision nor Sanders housing trust appeared. Instead, the
             matching grant program was approved.
             In conclusion, we see that political maneuvering can often create
             significant changes in governmentally regulated trust funds. This is
             significant, as approximately 500 million dollars every year are spent by
             37 state trust funds and 280 local trust funds. The matching grant
             program, as introduced, had number of requirements, including certification
             ...