II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 4146 

To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 

grant programs relating to neighborhood revitalization, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 17, 2024 

Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mrs. CAPITO) introduced the following bill; which 

was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

to establish grant programs relating to neighborhood revitalization, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Neighborhood Revital5 ization and Land Banking Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) LAND BANK.—The term ‘‘land bank’’ 

9 means a government entity, agency, or program, or 


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1 a special purpose nonprofit entity formed by 1 or 

2 more units of government in accordance with a State 

3 or local land bank enabling law, that has been des4 ignated by 1 or more State or local governments to 

5 acquire, steward, and dispose of vacant, abandoned, 

6 or other problem properties in accordance with lo7 cally determined priorities and goals. 

8 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

9 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 

10 (3) TARGETED REVITALIZATION CORRIDOR.— 

11 The term ‘‘targeted revitalization corridor’’ means a 

12 segment of a community in need of revitalization 

13 that— 

14 (A) may be delineated by major streets or 

15 physical topography; 

16 (B) reflects a cohesive and targeted geo17 graphic area with shared character; and 

18 (C) has boundaries proposed and justified 

19 by individual grant applicants based on unique 

20 community need. 

21 SEC. 3. BLIGHT MAPPING GRANTS. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

23 a program under which the Secretary may make grants 

24 to eligible entities to assist in monitoring property condiVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:22 Apr 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4146.IS S4146

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1 tions and developing a database for tracking blighted 

2 properties within a given geography. 

3 (b) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—An entity eligible for a grant 

4 under this section shall be— 

5 (1) a land bank; or 

6 (2) any county or local government that is not 

7 served by a land bank, for a period of not more than 

8 4 years. 

9 (c) APPLICATION.— 

10 (1) CONTENTS.—An eligible entity desiring a 

11 grant under this section shall submit to the Sec12 retary an application at such time, in such manner, 

13 and including such information as the Secretary may 

14 require. 

15 (2) PRIORITY.—If the overall resources pro16 vided to carry out the program under this section 

17 are insufficient to fund all qualified applicants in a 

18 given fiscal year, the Secretary shall prioritize— 

19 (A) applicants that are land banks; and 

20 (B) 1 applicant per county, with a strong 

21 preference for any applicant that is able to 

22 monitor property conditions and track blighted 

23 properties within the entire county. 

24 (3) MULTIPLE APPLICANTS.—A land bank that 

25 serves more than 1 county within a State may apply 


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1 for and aggregate multiple per-county grants under 

2 this section, but only if a signed partnership agree3 ment with each included county is provided with the 

4 application. 

5 (d) USE OF FUNDS.—A recipient of a grant under 

6 this section— 

7 (1) may use the grant funds for— 

8 (A) mapping activities for a given geog9 raphy, such as data scraping, canvassing, pur10 chasing of software and technology, including 

11 technology used to link multiple municipal 

12 datasets, maintenance on digital archives and 

13 infrastructure, manpower, and equipment; and 

14 (B) documenting commercial, industrial, 

15 and residential properties that are blighted; and 

16 (2) may not use the grant funds for citation or 

17 enforcement activities. 

18 (e) MINIMUM GEOGRAPHY.—The Secretary shall es19 tablish a minimum geography that eligible entities are re20 quired to survey in order to qualify to apply for a grant 

21 under this section, which should be— 

22 (1) responsive to the range of population den23 sities across the country; and 


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1 (2) ensure a significant amount of work is com2 pleted with funding, and not that only a minimum 

3 square mileage is surveyed. 

4 (f) ANNUAL AMOUNT.—The amount of a grant under 

5 this section for an eligible entity shall be $10,000 per fis6 cal year. 

7 (g) ADDITIONAL MAPPING ACTIVITIES.—If, after the 

8 Secretary awards grants under this section in a fiscal year, 

9 there are remaining grant funds, the Secretary may use 

10 those amounts to award grants to multiple applicants 

11 within a single county, but in no case shall more than 5 

12 grants be awarded in a single county. 

13 (h) DATA-SHARING REQUIREMENT.—By request, 

14 data collected using grant funds under this section shall 

15 be made available for access by other municipal or county 

16 agencies, and by local community development entities and 

17 nonprofit organizations, including community land trusts, 

18 other land banks, land bank associations and networks, 

19 researchers, and redevelopment authorities. 

20 (i) REPORTING.— 

21 (1) NAMES OF RECIPIENTS.—Not later than 3 

22 months after awarding a grant under this section, 

23 the Secretary shall publish the name of the grant re24 cipient on a publicly accessible website. 


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1 (2) ADDITIONAL REPORTING.—The Secretary 

2 may require reporting on the activities supported 

3 using grant funds under this section for oversight 

4 and research purposes. 

5 SEC. 4. LAND BANK PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION 

6 GRANTS. 

7 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, acting 

8 through the Office of Community Planning and Develop9 ment of the Department of Housing and Urban Develop10 ment, shall establish a program under which the Secretary 

11 may award planning grants and implementation grants to 

12 land banks to support projects that fund the revitalization 

13 of neighborhoods by addressing property conditions in a 

14 region. 

15 (b) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.— 

16 (1) PLANNING GRANTS.—A land bank receiving 

17 a planning grant under this section may use the 

18 grant funds to create— 

19 (A) a targeted list of blighted properties, 

20 in particular blighted commercial and residen21 tial properties to target for demolition, 

22 deconstruction, redevelopment, or other disposi23 tion; and 

24 (B) a proposed revitalization plan for how 

25 each blighted property described in subparaVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:22 Apr 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4146.IS S4146

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1 graph (A) will be used after the property is 

2 brought back into use, which shall— 

3 (i) support existing homeowners, rent4 ers, and business owners and preserve oc5 cupied properties where feasible, while also 

6 improving neighborhood safety and con7 tinuity; 

8 (ii) be created in partnership with 

9 community groups and residents to ensure 

10 responsible reuse in accordance with com11 munity goals and priorities; 

12 (iii) indicate how the project will con13 tribute to or support lasting housing af14 fordability and access to homeownership 

15 opportunity; and 

16 (iv) consider how blighted property re17 mediation efforts will contribute to holistic 

18 neighborhood revitalization, including how 

19 they will impact access to a safe environ20 ment, respond to local housing market 

21 needs, and impact access to housing af22 fordable to a variety of income levels, ap23 propriate services, public assets, transpor24 tation, schools, and jobs. 

25 (2) IMPLEMENTATION GRANTS.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—A land bank receiving 

2 an implementation grant under this section may 

3 use the grant funds to implement a revitaliza4 tion plan of the land bank described in para5 graph (1)(B) over a 5-year period, including 

6 through efforts such as property maintenance, 

7 site preparation, remediation, obtaining a clear, 

8 marketable, and insurable title, property acqui9 sition and disposition, demolition, 

10 deconstruction, property rehabilitation, staffing, 

11 operations, and administrative costs. 

12 (B) CONSTRUCTION PREDEVELOPMENT

13 FUND USE CAP.—A land bank receiving an im14 plementation grant under this section may use 

15 not more than 25 percent of the grant funds for 

16 construction and predevelopment costs incurred 

17 in preparation of a site for redevelopment, such 

18 as environmental reviews, stormwater work, and 

19 geotechnical engineering. 

20 (c) APPLICATION.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—A land bank desiring a 

22 grant under this section shall submit to the Sec23 retary an application at such time, in such manner, 

24 and including such information as the Secretary may 

25 require. 


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1 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting grant re2 cipients under this section, the Secretary shall— 

3 (A) seek to make awards to land banks in 

4 a geographically diverse manner; 

5 (B) consider the needs of rural geographies 

6 separately given population density; 

7 (C) consider the extent to which the pro8 posed targeted revitalization corridor represents 

9 a cohesive and targeted geographic area with a 

10 shared character; and 

11 (D) consider applications that address 

12 multiple targeted revitalization corridors, if the 

13 Secretary determines that the funding allocated 

14 to individual targeted revitalization corridors is 

15 sufficient to contribute to holistic neighborhood 

16 revitalization. 

17 (d) AMOUNT.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant 

19 made under this section shall be— 

20 (A) with respect to a planning grant, not 

21 less than $100,000 and not more than 

22 $250,000 for each land bank receiving a grant, 

23 with an aggregate total of— 

24 (i) not more than $18,000,000 in each 

25 of fiscal years 2025 and 2026; and 


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1 (ii) not more than $1,000,000 in each 

2 of fiscal years 2027 through 2035; and 

3 (B) with respect to an implementation 

4 grant, not less than $2,000,000 and not more 

5 than $15,000,000 for each land bank receiving 

6 a grant, with an aggregate total of not more 

7 than $40,000,000 in each of fiscal years 2027 

8 through 2035. 

9 (2) SET-ASIDES.—Not less than one-third of 

10 planning grant funding and one-third of implemen11 tation grant funding awarded under this section 

12 shall be set aside each fiscal year for awards to 

13 underresourced land banks. 

14 (e) UNDERRESOURCED LAND BANK.—The Sec15 retary, in consultation with stakeholders engaged in land 

16 banking work throughout the United States, shall work 

17 with stakeholders in the broader community revitalization 

18 and land banking field to determine the various criteria 

19 that could qualify a land bank as underresourced for pur20 poses of subsection (d)(2). 

21 (f) PROHIBITION.—A land bank receiving a grant 

22 under this section shall not be required to divert to the 

23 Secretary any proceeds from the sale of any property as24 sisted under the grant. 

25 (g) REPORTING.— 


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1 (1) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of 

2 Congress that reporting requirements imposed on 

3 grant recipients under this section should prioritize 

4 simplicity and flexibility while also providing the 

5 data required to successfully monitor grants made 

6 under this section. 

7 (2) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall es8 tablish reporting requirements that balance the con9 siderations under paragraph (1) and require grant 

10 recipients to report not more frequently than on an 

11 annual basis. 

12 SEC. 5. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND FELLOWSHIP PRO13 GRAM. 

14 (a) PREDEVELOPMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

15 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

16 predevelopment technical assistance to individuals 

17 and organizations to facilitate applications to the 

18 programs established under sections 3 and 4 by 

19 funding not less than 1 and not more than 3 eligible 

20 entities or nonprofit organizations to provide train21 ing, research, and technical assistance to individuals 

22 and organizations, as appropriate. 

23 (2) ESTABLISHMENT OF FUND.—The Secretary 

24 shall establish a predevelopment technical assistance 


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1 fund to provide the technical assistance under para2 graph (1). 

3 (3) COST OF ASSISTANCE.—Assistance provided 

4 under paragraph (1) shall be provided at no cost to 

5 recipients. 

6 (b) BLIGHTED PROPERTY REMEDIATION FELLOW7 SHIP PROGRAM.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

9 a program under which the Secretary may make 3 

10 awards of $300,000 each, to be used over a 3-year 

11 period, to nonprofit organizations, institutions of 

12 higher education, as defined in section 101 of the 

13 Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), or 

14 consortiums to administer a blighted property reme15 diation fellowship pilot program aimed at advancing 

16 the land banking field through research and the de17 velopment of expertise within the workforce. 

18 (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—If requested by a 

19 recipient of an award under paragraph (1), the Sec20 retary shall provide technical assistance to that re21 cipient to comply with the reporting requirements 

22 under paragraph (3). 

23 (3) REPORT.—Each recipient of an award 

24 under this subsection shall, not later than 3 years 

25 after receiving the award, submit to the Secretary a 


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1 report on the activities carried out under this sub2 section. 

3 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

4 (a) BLIGHT MAPPING GRANTS.—There is authorized 

5 to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out section 

6 3 $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2035, 

7 to remain available until expended. 

8 (b) PLANNING GRANTS AND TECHNICAL ASSIST9 ANCE.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be 

11 appropriated to the Secretary to carry out sections 

12 4 and 5— 

13 (A) $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

14 2025 and 2026; and 

15 (B) $43,900,000 for each of fiscal years 

16 2027 through 2035. 

17 (2) FISCAL YEARS 2025 AND 2026.—In each of 

18 fiscal years 2025 and 2026, the Secretary shall use 

19 the majority of amounts appropriated under this 

20 subsection to provide planning grants and technical 

21 assistance and establish a pipeline of applicants for 

22 future implementation grants under sections 4 and 

23 5. 

24 (3) FISCAL YEARS 2027 THROUGH 2035.—In 

25 each of fiscal years 2027 through 2035, amounts apVerDate Sep 11 2014 19:22 Apr 29, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S4146.IS S4146

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1 propriated under this subsection shall be distributed 

2 such that— 

3 (A) not less than $1,000,000 is made 

4 available for planning grants under section 

5 4(b)(1); 

6 (B) $40,000,000 is made available for im7 plementation grants under section 4(b)(2); 

8 (C) $2,000,000 is provided for the 

9 predevelopment technical assistance fund de10 scribed in section 5(a)(2); and 

11 (D) $900,000 is provided for the program 

12 described in section 5(b). 

Æ 


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