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WASHINGTON, DC-A new report comparing House and Senate versions of a housing bill has concluded that the Senate's legislation is far more conducive to the restoration of stability to the Section 8 or Housing Choice Voucher Program. Center for Budget and Policy Priorities director of housing policy and "High Stakes for the Housing Voucher Program in the 2006 Appropriations Bill" co-author Barbara Sard summarized the report's findings during a conference call yesterday, saying that "the House bill wastes money and the Senate bill uses money more efficiently." The House and the Senate are currently in the process of crafting a final bill.

As defined by CBPP, the goals should be to "restore funding for vouchers that have been lost in 2004 and 2005 and to implement a stable voucher funding policy that will distribute funding to public housing agencies equitably and efficiently over the long term." The National Low Income Housing Coalition concurs and adds that the voucher program should seek to "increase the ability of the poorest families and individuals to secure their right to decent and affordable housing."