I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1993 

To direct the Secretary of Energy to provide grants for energy improvements 

to certain public buildings, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 17, 2021 

Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ (for herself, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. JONES, Ms. NORTON, 

Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. ESPAILLAT, and Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and 

Commerce 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Energy to provide grants for 

energy improvements to certain public buildings, 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 ‘‘Energy Efficient Pub5 lic Buildings Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. GRANTS FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS 

7 AND RENEWABLE ENERGY IMPROVEMENTS 

8 FOR PUBLIC BUILDINGS. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 


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1 (1) ELIGIBLE BUILDING.—The term ‘‘eligible 

2 building’’ means a— 

3 (A) public library; 

4 (B) public hospital; 

5 (C) community center; or 

6 (D) State or local government building. 

7 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti8 ty’’ means— 

9 (A) a State; 

10 (B) a local government; 

11 (C) a nonprofit organization that owns or 

12 operates an eligible building; 

13 (D) a nongovernmental organization, in14 cluding a nonprofit organization, with expertise 

15 related to energy improvements; or 

16 (E) a consortium of entities described in 

17 subparagraphs (A) through (D). 

18 (3) ENERGY IMPROVEMENT.—The term ‘‘en19 ergy improvement’’— 

20 (A) means any improvement, repair, or 

21 renovation to an eligible building— 

22 (i) that will directly result in a reduc23 tion in building energy costs of at least 20 

24 percent, including improvements to build25 ing envelope, air conditioning, ventilation, 


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1 heating system, domestic hot water heat2 ing, compressed air systems, distribution 

3 systems, lighting, power systems, and con4 trols; and 

5 (ii) that leads to an improvement in 

6 building occupant health, including im7 provement in indoor air quality, daylight8 ing, ventilation, electrical lighting, and 

9 acoustics; and 

10 (B) may include the installation of a re11 newable energy technology (such as wind power, 

12 photovoltaics, solar thermal systems, geo13 thermal energy, hydrogen-fueled systems, bio14 mass-based systems, biofuels, anaerobic digest15 ers, energy storage, and hydropower) to an eli16 gible building that meets the requirements of 

17 subparagraph (A). 

18 (4) ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY.— 

19 The term ‘‘environmental justice community’’ means 

20 a community with significant representation of com21 munities of color, low-income communities, or Tribal 

22 and indigenous communities, that experiences, or is 

23 at risk of experiencing higher or more adverse 

24 human health or environmental effects. 


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1 (5) EJSCREEN.—The term ‘‘EJSCREEN’’ 

2 means the environmental justice mapping and 

3 screening tool created by the Environmental Protec4 tion Agency. 

5 (6) EJ INDEX.—The term ‘‘EJ Index’’ means 

6 the Environmental Justice Indexes in EJSCREEN. 

7 (7) MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.— 

8 The term ‘‘medically underserved community’’ has 

9 the meaning given such term in section 799B of the 

10 Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295p). 

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

12 the Secretary of Energy. 

13 (9) UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.—The term 

14 ‘‘underserved community’’ means— 

15 (A) a community located within a ZIP 

16 Code or census tract that is identified by the 

17 Secretary as— 

18 (i) a low-income community; 

19 (ii) a community of color; 

20 (iii) a Tribal community; or 

21 (B) any other community that the Sec22 retary determines is disproportionately vulner23 able to, or bears, a disproportionate burden of, 

24 any combination of economic, social, environ25 mental, or climate stressors. 


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1 (b) AUTHORITY.—From amounts made available to 

2 carry out this section, the Secretary shall provide competi3 tive grants to eligible entities to make energy improve4 ments authorized by this section. 

5 (c) PRIORITY.—In providing grants under this sec6 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to eligible entities 

7 that will carry out energy improvements— 

8 (1) in an environmental justice community; 

9 (2) in a neighborhood with poverty and unem10 ployment rates that exceed the average in the United 

11 States; 

12 (3) in a neighborhood where 30 percent or more 

13 of households receive benefits under— 

14 (A) the supplemental nutrition assistance 

15 program under the Food and Nutrition Act of 

16 2008; or 

17 (B) a mandatory spending program of the 

18 Federal Government for which, as determined 

19 by the Secretary, eligibility for the program’s 

20 benefits, or the amount of such benefits, is de21 termined on the basis of income or resources of 

22 the individual or family seeking the benefit; 

23 (4) in an underserved community or a medically 

24 underserved community; 


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1 (5) in an EPA region where the EJ Index is 

2 above the national average, as determined by 

3 EJSCREEN; or 

4 (6) in an environmental justice community, as 

5 documented by federally recognized environmental 

6 justice mapping and equity screening tools. 

7 (d) COMPETITIVE CRITERIA.—The competitive cri8 teria used by the Secretary in providing grants under this 

9 section shall include the following: 

10 (1) The fiscal capacity of the eligible entity to 

11 meet the needs for improvements of building facili12 ties without assistance under this section, including 

13 the ability of the eligible entity to finance the appli14 cable project through the use of local bonding capac15 ity, energy performance contracting, if applicable, or 

16 other means determined appropriate by the Sec17 retary. 

18 (2) The likelihood that the eligible entity will 

19 maintain, in good condition, any building facility 

20 whose improvement is assisted with a grant under 

21 this section. 

22 (3) The potential energy efficiency and safety 

23 benefits for building occupants from the proposed 

24 energy improvements. 


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1 (e) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible to receive a grant 

2 under this section, an applicant shall submit to the Sec3 retary an application that includes each of the following: 

4 (1) A needs assessment of the current condition 

5 of the eligible building, or eligible buildings, that are 

6 to receive the energy improvements. 

7 (2) A draft work plan of what the applicant 

8 hopes to achieve at eligible buildings and a descrip9 tion of the energy improvements to be carried out. 

10 (3) A description of the applicant’s capacity to 

11 provide services and comprehensive support to make 

12 the energy improvements. 

13 (4) An assessment of the applicant’s expected 

14 needs for operation and maintenance training funds, 

15 and a plan for use of those funds, if any. 

16 (5) An assessment of the expected energy effi17 ciency and safety benefits of the energy improve18 ments. 

19 (6) A cost estimate of the proposed energy im20 provements. 

21 (f) USE OF GRANT AMOUNTS.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Except as otherwise pro23 vided in this subsection, an eligible entity that re24 ceives a grant under this section shall use the grant 


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1 amounts only to make the energy improvements con2 templated in the application for the grant. 

3 (2) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE TRAIN4 ING.—An eligible entity that receives a grant under 

5 this section may use up to 5 percent for operation 

6 and maintenance training for energy efficiency and 

7 renewable energy improvements (such as mainte8 nance staff and building occupant training, edu9 cation, and preventative maintenance training). 

10 (3) AUDIT.—An eligible entity that receives a 

11 grant under this section may use funds for a third12 party investigation and analysis for energy improve13 ments (such as energy audits and existing building 

14 commissioning). 

15 (g) CONTRACTING REQUIREMENTS.— 

16 (1) DAVIS-BACON.—Any laborer or mechanic 

17 employed by any contractor or subcontractor in the 

18 performance of work on any energy improvements 

19 funded by a grant under this section shall be paid 

20 wages at rates not less than those prevailing on 

21 similar construction in the locality as determined by 

22 the Secretary of Labor under subchapter IV of chap23 ter 31 of title 40, United States Code (commonly re24 ferred to as the Davis-Bacon Act). 


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1 (2) COMPETITION.—Each eligible entity that 

2 receives a grant under this section shall ensure that, 

3 if the eligible entity carries out repair or renovation 

4 through a contract, any such contract process— 

5 (A) ensures the maximum number of quali6 fied bidders, including small, minority, and 

7 women-owned businesses, through full and open 

8 competition; and 

9 (B) gives priority to businesses located in 

10 or resources common to, the State or the geo11 graphical area in which the project is carried 

12 out. 

13 (h) REPORTING.— 

14 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Each eligible entity that 

15 receives a grant under this section shall submit to 

16 the Secretary, at such time as the Secretary may re17 quire, a report describing the— 

18 (A) use of such funds for energy improve19 ments, including the type of eligible building in20 volved; 

21 (B) the estimated cost savings realized by 

22 such energy improvements; 

23 (C) the building occupant safety benefits 

24 as a result of such energy improvements; 


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1 (D) the results of any standard or detailed 

2 energy audit of the applicable eligible building; 

3 and 

4 (E) the use of the Department of Energy’s 

5 Energy Star Program performance tracking for 

6 tracking such energy improvements. 

7 (2) FOLLOW-UP REPORT.—Not later than 5 

8 years after an eligible entity completes energy im9 provements funded by a grant received under this 

10 section, such eligible entity shall submit to the Sec11 retary a report describing the energy use and reduc12 tions as a result of such energy improvements. 

13 (3) DOE REPORT.—The Secretary shall submit 

14 to Congress a report summarizing the information in 

15 the reports submitted under paragraphs (1) and (2). 

16 (4) BEST PRACTICES REPORT.—Not later than 

17 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, 

18 the Secretary shall develop and publish, including on 

19 the public website of the Department of Energy, a 

20 report on the best practices for eligible entities for 

21 activities carried out under this section, including 

22 how to apply for a grant under this section, includ23 ing how to register with the Federal system of 

24 award management and how to obtain and validate 

25 a Federal Data Universal Number System. 


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1 (i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

2 (1) AUTHORIZATION.—There is authorized to 

3 be appropriated to carry out this section 

4 $1,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

5 through 2026. 

6 (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND OUTREACH.— 

7 Up to 10 percent of amounts made available pursu8 ant to paragraph (1) each fiscal year may be used 

9 to provide technical assistance and outreach to eligi10 ble entities. 

Æ 


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