A bill to require the Secretary of Commerce to award grants to municipalities to carry out community greening initiatives, and for other purposes.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Green Communities Act of 2009''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Landscaping adds to the economic value and sales appeal 
        of commercial real estate and increases office occupancy rates.
            (2) Greening can change people's perceptions of their 
        neighborhoods, reduce violence and crime, and increase 
        neighborhood stability.
            (3) Planting new trees, improving streetscapes, and 
        cleaning vacant lots increases property values.
            (4) People will stay longer and shop more in shopping 
        districts that are well landscaped.
            (5) Improvements to neighborhood parks increase the value 
        of single-family homes in the surrounding community.
            (6) Homes adjacent to vacant lots that are greened have a 
        much higher property value than homes adjacent to vacant lots 
        that have not been greened.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are as follows:
            (1) To promote investment in greening projects and programs 
        as effective economic development tools.
            (2) To connect urban economic development initiatives with 
        environmental initiatives.
            (3) To improve quality of life for city residents.
            (4) To encourage public-private partnerships.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Community greening initiative.--The term ``community 
        greening initiative'' means a program that increases economic 
        development by improving the environment. A community greening 
        initiative may include the following:
                    (A) Revitalizing municipal parks and public spaces.
                    (B) Landscaping community gateways and key 
                corridors.
                    (C) Tree plantings and urban forestry projects.
                    (D) Comprehensive planning for open space 
                preservation.
                    (E) Education, training, and volunteer management 
                concerning community green initiatives.
                    (F) Green roof construction.
                    (G) Green stormwater infrastructure.
                    (H) Vacant lot management.
            (2) Green roof.--The term ``green roof'' means a roof 
        consisting of vegetation and soil or a growing medium planted 
        over a waterproofing membrane.
            (3) Green stormwater infrastructure.--The term ``green 
        stormwater infrastructure'' means systems and practices that 
        use or mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspirate, 
        or reuse stormwater on the site where it occurs rather than 
        transporting the water to a stream or treatment facility.
            (4) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means an organization that is described in 
        section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and 
        exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.
            (6) Urban forestry.--The term ``urban forestry'' means an 
        integrated citywide or neighborhood-wide approach to the 
        planting, care, and management of trees in the city or the 
        neighborhood in order to ensure environmental and social 
        benefits for residents.

SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY GREENING INITIATIVES.

    (a) Grants.--
            (1) In general.--To the extent that funds are available, 
        the Secretary shall, acting through the Assistant Secretary of 
        Commerce for Economic Development, award grants to eligible 
        municipalities to carry out community greening initiatives.
            (2) Grant amount.--The Secretary may not award a grant 
        under this section in an amount that exceeds $2,000,000.
    (b) Eligible Municipalities.--For purposes of this section, an 
eligible municipality is any municipality that meets--
            (1) the criteria described by section 209(b) of the Public 
        Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3149(b)); 
        and
            (2) the circumstances described by section 209(c) of such 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 3149(c)).
    (c) Selection of Grant Recipients.--
            (1) Application.--An eligible municipality seeking a grant 
        under this section for a community greening initiative shall 
        submit to the Secretary an application therefor in such form 
        and in such manner as the Secretary considers appropriate.
            (2) Selection.--The Secretary shall, in consultation with 
        the nonprofit organizations that receive a grant or enter into 
        a contract with the Secretary under section 5(a), select to 
        receive grants under this section 80 eligible municipalities 
        that have successfully developed and planned a community 
        greening initiative, as determined by the Secretary.
            (3) Limitation.--The Secretary may not award a grant under 
        this section to an eligible municipality for a community 
        greening initiative that the Secretary determines will require 
        more than 2 years to complete.
    (d) Use of Grant Funds.--Each eligible municipality receiving a 
grant under this section shall, with technical assistance and training 
provided under section 5(c), use the grant to carry out the community 
greening initiative for which the grant is received.
    (e) Matching Requirement.--An eligible municipality seeking a grant 
under this section for a community greening initiative shall agree to 
make available non-Federal funds to carry out the community greening 
initiative in an amount equal to not less than 50 percent of the grant 
awarded to such eligible municipality under this section.
    (f) Report.--Not later than 60 days after an eligible municipality 
that receives a grant under this section for a community greening 
initiative completes such initiative, the eligible nonprofit 
organization that assisted such municipality with such initiative under 
subsection (d) shall submit to the Secretary a report assessing the 
implementation of such initiative.

SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING FOR MUNICIPALITIES.

    (a) Grants or Contracts.--
            (1) In general.--To the extent that funds are available, 
        the Secretary shall award grants to, or enter into contracts 
        with, 5 eligible nonprofit organizations to provide technical 
        assistance and training to municipalities that receive grants 
        under section 4.
            (2) Duration.--A grant or contract under paragraph (1) 
        shall be for a period of 5 years.
    (b) Eligible Nonprofit Organization.--For purposes of this section, 
an eligible nonprofit organization is any nonprofit organization that 
has experience with the following:
            (1) Planning and implementing projects concerning urban 
        open space, landscape management, and community greening 
        initiatives.
            (2) Land and water conservation.
            (3) Working with communities.
            (4) Forming partnerships or regional consortiums.
            (5) Urban ecology.
            (6) Such other experience as the Secretary considers 
        appropriate.
    (c) Technical Assistance and Training.--
            (1) In general.--Each eligible nonprofit organization 
        receiving a grant or entering into a contract under subsection 
        (a) shall provide technical assistance and training to 
        municipalities receiving grants under section 4 to assist such 
        municipalities in carrying out the community greening 
        initiatives for which such grants were awarded.
            (2) Activities.--Technical assistance and training under 
        paragraph (1) may include the following:
                    (A) Developing, planning, implementing, and 
                assessing community greening initiatives.
                    (B) Developing and implementing training and 
                workshops for municipal agencies and local partners.
                    (C) Evaluating a community greening initiative.
    (d) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the end of each fiscal 
year for which amounts are made available for grants under this 
section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
technical assistance and training provided under this section. Each 
report shall describe the actions taken by the Secretary to ensure that 
technical assistance and training provided under this section is 
responsive to the needs of municipalities that receive grants under 
section 4.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act--
            (1) $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010, 2013, and 
        2014; and
            (2) $90,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
    (b) Reservation of Funds.--
            (1) Grants for community greening initiatives.--Not less 
        than 66 percent of the amounts made available to carry out this 
        Act for each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012 shall be made 
        available for the awarding of grants under section 4.
            (2) Technical assistance and training.--Of the amounts made 
        available to carry out this Act, amounts shall be made 
        available for technical assistance and training under section 5 
        as follows:
                    (A) For each of fiscal years 2010, 2013, and 2014, 
                85 percent of such amounts.
                    (B) For each of fiscal years 2011 and 2013, 28 
                percent of such amounts.
    (c) Availability.--Funds made available under this Act shall remain 
available until expended.

Summary: Green Communities Act of 2009 sic - Directs the Secretary of Commerce, through the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, to make grants to eligible municipalities to carry out community greening initiatives. Defines such an initiative as a program that increases economic development by improving the environment and that may include: (1) revitalizing municipal parks and public spaces, (2) landscaping community gateways and key corridors, (3) tree plantings and urban forestry projects, (4) comprehensive planning for open space preservation, (5) education, training, and volunteer management concerning community green initiatives, (6) green roof construction, (7) green stormwater infrastructure. And (8) vacant lot management. Defines an eligible municipality as a municipality that meets criteria for an economic adjustment grant under the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965. Directs the Secretary to select 80 eligible municipalities to receive grants. Requires an eligible municipality seeking a grant to agree to make available nonfederal funds to carry out the initiative in an amount equal to not less than 50 of the grant awarded. Directs the Secretary to make grants to, or enter into contracts with, five nonprofit organizations to provide technical assistance and training to municipalities receiving grants.