President Signs Bill to Reform HUD Practices

With the pledge “never again,” President Bush signed legislation Friday to overhaul procedures at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, where abuses during the tenure of ex-Secretary Samuel R. Pierce Jr. led to a multimillion-dollar scandal.

Announcing his action, Bush said the legislation will “help eliminate the systemic flaws” that allowed such transgressions to occur.

“Never again must we let the programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development--or any other agency--be abused for political purposes or personal gain,” the President declared.

The reforms were urged by HUD Secretary Jack Kemp and several congressional committees that have investigated charges that political favoritism controlled the awarding of housing rehabilitation contracts during the Reagan Administration.

The bill would require that consultants and lobbyists working in connection with HUD programs register with the department, disclose who they are working for and how much they are being paid.