II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 2616 

To create livable communities through coordinated public investment and 

streamlined requirements, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

AUGUST 5, 2021 

Mr. MENENDEZ (for himself, Ms. CORTEZ MASTO, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. 

WYDEN, Mr. REED, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, Mr. PADILLA, and Mr. 

BLUMENTHAL) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To create livable communities through coordinated public 

investment and streamlined requirements, 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 ‘‘Livable Communities 

5 Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) key Federal programs can boost economic 

9 growth at the local and regional level through better 


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1 coordination of housing, transportation, and related 

2 infrastructure investments; 

3 (2) Federal regulations and policies should sup4 port community efforts to implement and sustain 

5 progress toward the achievement of locally-defined 

6 development goals, in terms of— 

7 (A) geographic location and proximity to 

8 existing resources; 

9 (B) developing transportation choices that 

10 serve the needs of all users and fit within the 

11 context of the community; 

12 (C) maintaining structural and indoor en13 vironmental quality and minimizing health haz14 ards; and 

15 (D) ensuring that minority and low-income 

16 communities have greater access to existing and 

17 future transportation services and healthy and 

18 affordable housing resources; 

19 (3) greater coordination of public investment 

20 will provide direct support for immediate job cre21 ation and lay the groundwork for long-term resil22 ience and prosperity by leveraging significant private 

23 sector and philanthropic investment to make the 

24 most of Federal funding; and 


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1 (4) improved coordination of Federal housing, 

2 transportation, water infrastructure, and climate 

3 and resiliency investments will strengthen local com4 munities’ ability to plan for and respond to the ef5 fects of climate change. 

6 SEC. 3. PURPOSES. 

7 The purposes of this Act are— 

8 (1) to strengthen rural, suburban, and urban 

9 economies by enabling communities to establish 

10 goals for the future and to chart a course for achiev11 ing such goals; 

12 (2) to promote local leadership by encouraging 

13 communities to develop innovative solutions that re14 flect the unique economic assets and needs of the 

15 communities; 

16 (3) to maximize returns on Federal funding of 

17 housing, transportation, and environmental infra18 structure and resiliency projects through the coordi19 nation of Federal grant programs and improving the 

20 efficiency and effectiveness of programs and policies 

21 of the Department of Housing and Urban Develop22 ment, the Department of Transportation, the Envi23 ronmental Protection Agency, and other Federal 

24 agencies, as appropriate; 


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1 (4) to ensure that Federal funding supports lo2 cally defined long range development goals; 

3 (5) to make investments in housing, transpor4 tation, environmental, and resiliency projects in and 

5 for the benefit of historically disadvantaged or un6 derserved minority and low-income communities; 

7 (6) to support a Federal initiative to support 

8 healthy housing and reduce the prevalence and se9 verity of housing-related health hazards; and 

10 (7) to support the efforts of local communities 

11 to address the impact of climate change, including 

12 increased resilience to extreme weather events. 

13 SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. 

14 In this Act, the following definitions shall apply: 

15 (1) AFFORDABLE HOUSING.—The term ‘‘afford16 able housing’’ means housing, the cost of which does 

17 not exceed 30 percent of the income of low-, very 

18 low-, and extremely low-income families. 

19 (2) COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL PLAN.—The 

20 term ‘‘comprehensive regional plan’’ means a plan 

21 that— 

22 (A) uses a cooperative, locally controlled, 

23 and inclusive public engagement process to 

24 identify needs and goals across a region and to 

25 integrate related planning processes; 


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1 (B) prioritizes projects for implementation, 

2 including healthy housing projects; and 

3 (C) is tied to capital improvement pro4 grams and annual budgets. 

5 (3) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 

6 means the Department of Housing and Urban De7 velopment. 

8 (4) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 

9 the Director of the Office of Sustainable Housing 

10 and Communities established under section 5. 

11 (5) EXTREMELY LOW-INCOME FAMILY.—The 

12 term ‘‘extremely low-income family’’ has the mean13 ing given that term in section 3(b) of the United 

14 States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 

15 (6) HEALTHY HOUSING.—The term ‘‘healthy 

16 housing’’ means housing, including senior housing 

17 and residential care facilities, that is designed, con18 structed, rehabilitated, and maintained in a manner 

19 that supports the health of the occupants of the 

20 housing. 

21 (7) HIGH-POVERTY COMMUNITY.—The term 

22 ‘‘high-poverty community’’ means a census tract 

23 with a poverty rate of not less than 25 percent, ac24 cording to the most recent 5-year estimate of the 


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1 American Community Survey of the Bureau of the 

2 Census. 

3 (8) HOUSING-RELATED HEALTH HAZARD.—The 

4 term ‘‘housing-related health hazard’’ means any bi5 ological, physical, or chemical source of exposure or 

6 condition in, or immediately adjacent to, housing 

7 that could adversely affect human health. 

8 (9) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian tribe’’ 

9 has the meaning given the term in section 4(e) of 

10 the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assist11 ance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b(e)). 

12 (10) LIVABLE COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘livable 

13 community’’ means a metropolitan, urban, suburban, 

14 or rural community that— 

15 (A) provides transportation choices that 

16 are safe, reliable, affordable, accessible, and ac17 commodative for individuals with disabilities; 

18 (B) provides long-term affordable housing 

19 that provides accessible, energy-efficient, and 

20 location-efficient choices for people of all ages, 

21 incomes, races, and ethnicities; 

22 (C) supports, revitalizes, and encourages 

23 the growth of existing communities and maxi24 mizes the cost-effectiveness of existing infra25 structure; 


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1 (D) promotes economic development and 

2 economic competitiveness; 

3 (E) preserves the environment and natural 

4 resources and increases community resilience to 

5 natural or anthropogenic environmental disas6 ters; 

7 (F) protects agricultural land, rural land, 

8 and green spaces; and 

9 (G) supports public health and improves 

10 the quality of life for residents of, and workers 

11 in, the community. 

12 (11) LOCATION-EFFICIENT.—The term ‘‘loca13 tion-efficient’’ characterizes mixed-use development 

14 or neighborhoods that integrate housing, transpor15 tation choices, commercial development, and facili16 ties and amenities— 

17 (A) to lower living expenses for working 

18 families; 

19 (B) to enhance economic and physical mo20 bility; 

21 (C) to encourage private investment in 

22 transit-oriented development; and 

23 (D) to encourage private sector infill devel24 opment and maximize the use of existing infra25 structure. 


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1 (12) LONG-TERM AFFORDABLE HOUSING.—The 

2 term ‘‘long-term affordable housing’’ means housing 

3 that is affordable housing for a period of not less 

4 than 30 years. 

5 (13) LOW-INCOME FAMILY.—The term ‘‘low-in6 come family’’ has the meaning given the term in sec7 tion 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 

8 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 

9 (14) METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZA10 TION.—The term ‘‘metropolitan planning organiza11 tion’’ means a metropolitan planning organization 

12 described in section 134(b) of title 23, United States 

13 Code or section 5303(b) of title 49, United States 

14 Code. 

15 (15) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the 

16 Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities es17 tablished under section 5. 

18 (16) REGIONAL COUNCIL.—The term ‘‘regional 

19 council’’ means a multiservice regional organization 

20 with State and locally defined boundaries that is— 

21 (A) accountable to units of general local 

22 government; 

23 (B) delivers a variety of Federal, State, 

24 and local programs; and 


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1 (C) performs planning functions and pro2 vides professional and technical assistance. 

3 (17) RURAL PLANNING ORGANIZATION.—The 

4 term ‘‘rural planning organization’’ means a vol5 untary regional organization of local elected officials 

6 and representatives of local transportation sys7 tems— 

8 (A) that— 

9 (i) works in cooperation with the de10 partment of transportation (or equivalent 

11 entity) of a State to plan transportation 

12 networks and advise officials of the State 

13 on transportation planning; and 

14 (ii) is located in a rural area— 

15 (I) with a population of not less 

16 than 5,000; and 

17 (II) that is not located in an area 

18 represented by a metropolitan plan19 ning organization; or 

20 (B) that is a regional transportation plan21 ning organization, as defined in section 5303 of 

22 title 49, United States Code. 

23 (18) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ 

24 means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop25 ment. 


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1 (19) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ has the mean2 ing given the term in section 5302 of title 49, 

3 United States Code. 

4 (20) SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.—The term 

5 ‘‘sustainable development’’ means development 

6 that— 

7 (A) fulfills a current and future social need 

8 of a community; 

9 (B) promotes economic competitiveness or 

10 growth and creates new economic opportunity; 

11 and 

12 (C) uses natural resources responsibly, 

13 minimizes ecological and environmental im14 pacts, and improves community resilience to 

15 natural disasters while preserving the ability of 

16 future generations to meet their own needs. 

17 (21) TRANSIT-ORIENTED DEVELOPMENT.—The 

18 term ‘‘transit-oriented development’’ means high19 density, walkable, accessible to individuals with dis20 abilities, and location-efficient mixed-use develop21 ment, including commercial development, and afford22 able and market-rate housing, that is within walking 

23 distance of and accessible to 1 or more public trans24 portation facilities with frequent service. 


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1 (22) UNIT OF GENERAL LOCAL GOVERN2 MENT.—The term ‘‘unit of general local govern3 ment’’ means— 

4 (A) a city, county, town, township, parish, 

5 village, or other general purpose political sub6 division of a State; or 

7 (B) a combination of general purpose polit8 ical subdivisions, as determined by the Sec9 retary. 

10 (23) UNIT OF SPECIAL PURPOSE LOCAL GOV11 ERNMENT.—The term ‘‘unit of special purpose local 

12 government’’— 

13 (A) means a division of a unit of general 

14 local government that serves a special purpose 

15 and does not provide a broad array of services; 

16 and 

17 (B) includes an entity such as a school dis18 trict, a housing agency, a transit agency, and a 

19 parks and recreation district. 

20 (24) VERY LOW-INCOME FAMILY.—The term 

21 ‘‘very low-income family’’ has the meaning given the 

22 term in section 3(b) of the United States Housing 

23 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 


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1 SEC. 5. OFFICE OF SUSTAINABLE HOUSING AND COMMU2 NITIES. 

3 (a) OFFICE ESTABLISHED.—There is established in 

4 the Department an Office of Sustainable Housing and 

5 Communities, which shall— 

6 (1) coordinate the policies of the Department 

7 with those of other Federal agencies that— 

8 (A) encourage locally directed comprehen9 sive and integrated planning and development 

10 at the State, regional, and local levels; 

11 (B) encourage coordinated public invest12 ments through the development of comprehen13 sive regional plans; 

14 (C) provide long-term affordable housing 

15 that provides accessible, energy-efficient, 

16 healthy, and location-efficient choices for people 

17 of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities and 

18 individuals with disabilities, particularly for low19 , very low-, and extremely low-income families; 

20 and 

21 (D) achieve other goals consistent with the 

22 purposes of this Act; 

23 (2) review Federal programs and policies to de24 termine barriers to interagency collaboration and 

25 make recommendations to promote the ability of 

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1 nities, to access resources in the Department and 

2 throughout the Federal Government and coordinate 

3 with and conduct outreach to Federal agencies, in4 cluding the Department of Transportation and the 

5 Environmental Protection Agency, on methods to 

6 improve the efficiency and effectiveness of programs 

7 within the Department of Transportation, the Envi8 ronmental Protection Agency, the Department of 

9 Agriculture, and the Department; 

10 (3) review Federal programs and policies to— 

11 (A) identify barriers to high-poverty indi12 viduals and communities’ access to Federal 

13 State, local, and private resources; and 

14 (B) make recommendations— 

15 (i) to promote the ability of high-pov16 erty communities to access resources in the 

17 Department and throughout the Federal 

18 Government and coordinate with and con19 duct outreach to Federal agencies, includ20 ing the Department of Transportation and 

21 the Environmental Protection Agency; and 

22 (ii) for methods to improve the access 

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1 mental Protection Agency, and the Depart2 ment; 

3 (4) conduct research and advise the Secretary 

4 on the research agenda of the Department relating 

5 to coordinated development, in collaboration with the 

6 Office of Policy Development and Research of the 

7 Department; 

8 (5) implement and oversee the grant programs 

9 established under this Act; 

10 (6) provide guidance, information on best prac11 tices, and technical assistance to communities seek12 ing to adopt sustainable development policies and 

13 practices; 

14 (7) administer initiatives of the Department re15 lating to the policies described in paragraph (1), as 

16 determined by the Secretary; and 

17 (8) work with the Federal Transit Administra18 tion and the Federal Highway Administration of the 

19 Department of Transportation and other offices and 

20 administrations of the Department of Transpor21 tation, as appropriate— 

22 (A) to encourage transit-oriented develop23 ment; 

24 (B) to coordinate Federal housing, commu25 nity development, and transportation policies, 


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1 including the policies described in paragraph 

2 (1); and 

3 (C) to address combined household housing 

4 and transportation expenses in a coordinated 

5 manner. 

6 (b) DIRECTOR.—The head of the Office shall be the 

7 Director of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Com8 munities. 

9 (c) DUTIES RELATING TO GRANT PROGRAMS.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall carry out 

11 the grant programs established under this Act. 

12 (2) SMALL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES GRANT

13 PROGRAM.—The Director shall coordinate with the 

14 Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to small 

15 and rural communities under sections 7 and 8. 

16 (3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR GRANT RE17 CIPIENTS AND APPLICANTS.—The Director may— 

18 (A) coordinate with other Federal agencies 

19 to establish interagency and multidisciplinary 

20 teams to provide technical assistance to recipi21 ents of, and prospective applicants for, grants 

22 under this Act; 

23 (B) by Federal interagency agreement, 

24 transfer funds to another Federal agency to fa25 cilitate and support technical assistance; and 


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1 (C) make contracts with third parties to 

2 provide technical assistance to grant recipients 

3 and prospective applicants for grants. 

4 SEC. 6. COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

6 (1) CONSORTIUM OF UNITS OF GENERAL LOCAL

7 GOVERNMENTS.—The term ‘‘consortium of units of 

8 general local governments’’ means a consortium of 

9 geographically contiguous units of general local gov10 ernment that the Secretary determines— 

11 (A) represents all or part of a metropolitan 

12 statistical area, a micropolitan statistical area, 

13 or a noncore area, as those terms are defined 

14 by the Office of Management and Budget; 

15 (B) has the authority under State, Tribal, 

16 or local law to carry out planning activities, in17 cluding surveys, land use studies, environmental 

18 or public health analyses, and development of 

19 urban revitalization plans; and 

20 (C) has provided documentation to the 

21 Secretary sufficient to demonstrate that the 

22 purpose of the consortium is to carry out a 

23 project using a grant awarded under this Act. 

24 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti25 ty’’ means— 


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1 (A) a partnership between a consortium of 

2 units of general local government and an eligi3 ble partner, which shall designate a lead appli4 cant to be the entity to establish the direct 

5 grant relationship with the Secretary; or 

6 (B) an Indian tribe, if the Indian tribe has 

7 a Tribal entity that performs— 

8 (i) housing and land use planning 

9 functions; or 

10 (ii) transportation or transportation 

11 planning functions. 

12 (3) ELIGIBLE PARTNER.—The term ‘‘eligible 

13 partner’’ means— 

14 (A) a metropolitan planning organization, 

15 a rural planning organization, or a regional 

16 council; or 

17 (B) a metropolitan planning organization, 

18 a rural planning organization, or a regional 

19 council, and— 

20 (i) a State; 

21 (ii) an Indian Tribe; 

22 (iii) a State and an Indian Tribe; 

23 (iv) a community development cor24 poration; or 

25 (v) an institution of higher education. 


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1 (4) GRANT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘grant pro2 gram’’ means the comprehensive planning grant pro3 gram established under subsection (b). 

4 (5) NONCORE AREA.—The term ‘‘noncore area’’ 

5 means a county or group of counties that are not 

6 designated by the Office of Management and Budget 

7 as a micropolitan statistical area or metropolitan 

8 statistical area. 

9 (b) COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM

10 ESTABLISHED.—The Director shall establish a com11 prehensive planning grant program to make grants to eli12 gible entities to carry out a project— 

13 (1) to coordinate locally defined planning proc14 esses across jurisdictions and agencies; 

15 (2) to identify regional partnerships for devel16 oping and implementing a comprehensive regional 

17 plan that advances the sustainability goals of the re18 gion; 

19 (3) to conduct or update assessments to deter20 mine regional needs and promote economic and com21 munity development; 

22 (4) to develop or update— 

23 (A) a comprehensive regional plan; or 


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1 (B) goals and strategies to implement an 

2 existing comprehensive regional plan and other 

3 related activities; and 

4 (5) to identify local zoning and other code or 

5 policy changes necessary to implement a comprehen6 sive regional plan and promote sustainable develop7 ment and fair housing. 

8 (c) GRANTS.— 

9 (1) DIVERSITY OF GRANTEES.—The Director 

10 shall ensure geographic diversity among and ade11 quate representation from each of the following cat12 egories: 

13 (A) SMALL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES.— 

14 Eligible entities that represent all or part of a 

15 noncore area, a micropolitan area, or a small 

16 metropolitan statistical area with a population 

17 of not more than 200,000. 

18 (B) MID-SIZED METROPOLITAN COMMU19 NITIES.—Eligible entities that represent all or 

20 part of a metropolitan statistical area with a 

21 population of more than 200,000 and not more 

22 than 500,000. 

23 (C) LARGE METROPOLITAN COMMU24 NITIES.—Eligible entities that represent all or 


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1 part of a metropolitan statistical area with a 

2 population of more than 500,000. 

3 (D) INDIAN TRIBES.—Eligible entities that 

4 are Indian tribes. 

5 (2) AWARD OF FUNDS TO SMALL AND RURAL

6 COMMUNITIES.— 

7 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall— 

8 (i) award not less than 15 percent of 

9 the funds under the grant program to eli10 gible entities described in paragraph 

11 (1)(A); and 

12 (ii) ensure diversity among the geo13 graphic regions and the size of the popu14 lation of the communities served by recipi15 ents of grants that are eligible entities de16 scribed in paragraph (1)(A). 

17 (B) INSUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS.—If the 

18 Director determines that insufficient approvable 

19 applications have been submitted by eligible en20 tities described in paragraph (1)(A), the Direc21 tor may award less than 15 percent of the 

22 funds under the grant program to eligible enti23 ties described in paragraph (1)(A). 

24 (3) AWARD OF FUNDS TO HIGH-POVERTY COM25 MUNITIES.— 


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1 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall 

2 award not less than 25 percent of the funds 

3 under the grant program to eligible entities 

4 within the jurisdiction of which there are not 

5 fewer than 3 census tracts with a poverty rate 

6 of not less than 25 percent, according to the 

7 most recent 5-year estimate of the American 

8 Community Survey of the Bureau of the Cen9 sus. 

10 (B) INSUFFICIENT APPLICATIONS.—If the 

11 Director determines that insufficient approvable 

12 applications have been submitted by eligible en13 tities described in subparagraph (A)— 

14 (i) the Director may award less than 

15 25 percent of the funds under the grant 

16 program to eligible entities described in 

17 subparagraph (A); 

18 (ii) the Office of the Director shall 

19 conduct further educational outreach to eli20 gible entities within high-poverty commu21 nities; 

22 (iii) the Director shall keep an open 

23 application period until the Director deter24 mines there is an appropriate amount of 


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1 approvable applications that can be award2 ed within the period of availability; and 

3 (iv) the Director shall provide tech4 nical assistance to eligible entities within 

5 the jurisdiction of which are high-poverty 

6 communities. 

7 (4) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.— 

8 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

9 receives a grant under the grant program 

10 shall— 

11 (i) obligate any funds received under 

12 the grant program not later than 1 year 

13 after the date on which the grant agree14 ment under subsection (g) is made; and 

15 (ii) expend any funds received under 

16 the grant program not later than 4 years 

17 after the date on which the grant agree18 ment under subsection (g) is made. 

19 (B) UNOBLIGATED AMOUNTS.—After the 

20 date described in subparagraph (A)(i), the Sec21 retary may— 

22 (i) grant an extension to the eligible 

23 entity if the eligible entity has— 

24 (I) demonstrated progress in exe25 cuting the grant; and 


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1 (II) certified that the eligible en2 tity needs additional time to obligate 

3 grant funds; or 

4 (ii) award to another eligible entity, to 

5 carry out activities under this section, any 

6 amounts that an eligible entity has not ob7 ligated under subparagraph (A)(i). 

8 (d) APPLICATION.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The lead applicant of an eli10 gible entity that desires a grant under this section 

11 shall submit to the Director an application, at such 

12 time and in such manner as the Director shall pre13 scribe, that contains— 

14 (A) a description of the project proposed to 

15 be carried out by the eligible entity; 

16 (B) a budget for the project that includes 

17 the anticipated Federal share of the cost of the 

18 project and a description of the source of the 

19 non-Federal share; 

20 (C) the designation of lead applicant to re21 ceive and manage any funds received by the eli22 gible entity under the grant program; 

23 (D) a signed copy of a memorandum of 

24 understanding among local jurisdictions, includ25 ing, as appropriate, a State, an Indian tribe, 


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1 units of general local government, units of spe2 cial purpose local government, metropolitan 

3 planning organizations, rural planning organi4 zations, and regional councils that dem5 onstrates— 

6 (i) the creation of an eligible entity; 

7 (ii) a description of the nature and ex8 tent of planned collaboration between the 

9 eligible entity and any partners of the eligi10 ble entity; 

11 (iii) a commitment to develop a com12 prehensive regional plan; and 

13 (iv) a commitment to implement the 

14 plan after the plan is developed; 

15 (E) a certification by the lead applicant 

16 that the eligible entity has— 

17 (i) secured the participation, or made 

18 a good-faith effort to secure the participa19 tion, of transportation providers and public 

20 housing agencies within the area affected 

21 by the comprehensive regional plan and the 

22 entities described in clause (ii); and 

23 (ii) created, or will create not later 

24 than 1 year after the date of the grant 

25 award, a regional advisory board to provide 


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1 input and feedback on the development of 

2 the comprehensive regional plan that in3 cludes representatives of a State, the met4 ropolitan planning organization, the rural 

5 planning organization, the regional council, 

6 local jurisdictions, non-profit organizations, 

7 and others, as deemed appropriate by the 

8 eligible entity, given the local context of 

9 the comprehensive planning effort; and 

10 (F) a certification that the eligible entity 

11 has solicited public comment on the contents of 

12 the project description under subparagraph (A) 

13 that includes— 

14 (i) a description of the process for re15 ceiving public comment relating to the pro16 posal; and 

17 (ii) such other information as the Di18 rector may require; 

19 (G) a description of how the eligible entity 

20 will carry out the activities under subsection (f); 

21 and 

22 (H) such additional information as the Di23 rector may require. 

24 (2) INDIAN TRIBES.—An eligible entity that is 

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1 ignation under paragraph (1)(C) or the certification 

2 under paragraph (1)(E). 

3 (e) SELECTION.—In evaluating an application for a 

4 grant under the grant program, the Director shall con5 sider the extent to which the application— 

6 (1) demonstrates that the eligible entity has or 

7 will have the legal, financial, managerial, and tech8 nical capacity to carry out the project; 

9 (2) demonstrates the extent to which the eligi10 ble entity has developed partnerships throughout an 

11 entire region, including, as appropriate, partnerships 

12 with the entities described in subsection (d)(1)(D); 

13 (3) demonstrates integration with local efforts 

14 in economic development and job creation; 

15 (4) demonstrates a strategy for implementing a 

16 comprehensive regional plan through regional infra17 structure investment plans and local land use plans; 

18 (5) promotes diversity among the geographic re19 gions and the size of the population of the commu20 nities served by recipients of grants under this sec21 tion; 

22 (6) demonstrates a commitment to seeking sub23 stantial public input during the planning process 

24 and public participation in the development of the 

25 comprehensive regional plan; 


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1 (7) demonstrates a strategy for connecting un2 derserved, low-income, disabled, and minority com3 munity members with housing, transportation, and 

4 infrastructure resources; 

5 (8) demonstrates a commitment to imple6 menting the plan upon completion, including secur7 ing funding to implement 1 or more elements of the 

8 plan; and 

9 (9) demonstrates such other qualities as the Di10 rector may determine. 

11 (f) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity that re12 ceives a grant under this section shall carry out a project 

13 that includes 1 or more of the following activities: 

14 (1) Coordinating locally defined planning proc15 esses across jurisdictions and agencies. 

16 (2) Identifying potential regional partnerships 

17 for developing and implementing a comprehensive 

18 regional plan. 

19 (3) Conducting or updating assessments to de20 termine regional needs, including healthy housing, 

21 and promote economic and community development. 

22 (4) Developing or updating— 

23 (A) a comprehensive regional plan; or 

24 (B) goals and strategies to implement an 

25 existing comprehensive regional plan. 


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1 (5) Identifying and implementing local zoning 

2 and other policy or code changes necessary to imple3 ment a comprehensive regional plan and promote 

4 sustainable development and fair housing. 

5 (g) GRANT AGREEMENT.—Each eligible entity that 

6 receives a grant under the grant program shall agree to 

7 establish, in coordination with the Director, performance 

8 measures, reporting requirements, and any other require9 ments that the Director determines are necessary, that the 

10 eligible entity, through the lead applicant, shall meet at 

11 the end of each year in which the eligible entity receives 

12 funds under the grant program. 

13 (h) PUBLIC OUTREACH.— 

14 (1) OUTREACH REQUIRED.—Each eligible entity 

15 that receives a grant under the grant program shall 

16 perform substantial outreach activities— 

17 (A) to engage a broad cross-section of 

18 community stakeholders in the process of devel19 oping a comprehensive regional plan, including 

20 low-income families, minorities, disabled individ21 uals, older adults, and economically disadvan22 taged community members; and 

23 (B) to create an effective means for stake24 holders to participate in the development and 


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1 implementation of a comprehensive regional 

2 plan. 

3 (2) FINALIZATION OF COMPREHENSIVE RE4 GIONAL PLAN.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

6 receives a grant under the grant program may 

7 not finalize a comprehensive regional plan be8 fore the eligible entity holds a public hearing to 

9 obtain the views of citizens, public agencies, and 

10 other interested parties. 

11 (B) AVAILABILITY OF INFORMATION.—Not 

12 later than 30 days before a hearing described in 

13 subparagraph (A), an eligible entity shall make 

14 the proposed comprehensive regional plan and 

15 all information relevant to the hearing— 

16 (i) available to the public for inspec17 tion during normal business hours; and 

18 (ii) available on a publicly accessible 

19 website. 

20 (C) NOTICE.—Not later than 30 days be21 fore a hearing described in subparagraph (A), 

22 an eligible entity shall publish notice— 

23 (i) of the hearing; and 

24 (ii) that the information described in 

25 subparagraph (B) is available. 


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1 (i) VIOLATION OF GRANT AGREEMENT OR FAILURE

2 TO COMPLY WITH PUBLIC OUTREACH REQUIREMENTS.— 

3 If the Director determines that an eligible entity has not 

4 met the performance measures established in the grant 

5 agreement under subsection (g), is not making reasonable 

6 progress toward meeting such measures, is otherwise in 

7 violation of the grant agreement, or has not complied with 

8 the public outreach requirements under subsection (h), the 

9 Director may— 

10 (1) impose increased reporting and more strin11 gent expenditure authorization requirements; 

12 (2) withhold financial assistance until the re13 quirements under the grant agreement or under sub14 section (h), as applicable, are met; 

15 (3) wholly or partly suspend or terminate the 

16 grant agreement; 

17 (4) refer the grantee to the appropriate office 

18 within the Department for further enforcement ac19 tion; and 

20 (5) take other remedies that may be legally 

21 available. 

22 (j) REPORT ON THE COMPREHENSIVE PLANNING

23 GRANT.— 

24 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

25 after the date on which the grant agreement under 


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1 subsection (g) expires, an eligible entity that receives 

2 a grant under the grant program shall submit a 

3 final report on the project to the Secretary. 

4 (2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The report shall 

5 include— 

6 (A) a detailed explanation of the activities 

7 undertaken using the grant, including an expla8 nation of the completed project and how it 

9 achieves specific transit-oriented, transpor10 tation, housing, or sustainable community goals 

11 within the region; 

12 (B) a discussion of any obstacles encoun13 tered in the planning process and how the eligi14 ble entity overcame the obstacles; 

15 (C) an evaluation of the success of the 

16 project using the performance measures estab17 lished in the grant agreement under subsection 

18 (g), including an evaluation of the planning 

19 process and how the project contributes to car20 rying out the comprehensive regional plan; 

21 (D) an outline of any proposed follow-up 

22 activities to implement 1 or more elements of 

23 the plan, including commitments of additional 

24 planned public or private investments for such 

25 activities; and 


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1 (E) any other information the Director 

2 may require. 

3 (3) INTERIM REPORTS.—The Director may re4 quire an eligible entity to submit an interim report 

5 or reports before the date on which the project for 

6 which the grant is awarded is completed. 

7 (k) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

8 (1) AUTHORIZATION.—There are authorized to 

9 be appropriated to the Secretary for the award of 

10 grants under this section, to remain available until 

11 expended— 

12 (A) $570,800,000 for fiscal year 2022; and 

13 (B) $707,300,000 for each of fiscal years 

14 2023 through 2026. 

15 (2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Director 

16 may use not more than 2 percent of the amounts 

17 made available under this subsection for a fiscal 

18 year for technical assistance under section 5(c)(3). 

19 SEC. 7. COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT PROGRAM. 

20 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section— 

21 (1) the terms ‘‘consortium of units of general 

22 local governments’’, ‘‘eligible entity’’, and ‘‘eligible 

23 partner’’ have the meanings given those terms in 

24 section 6; and 


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1 (2) the term ‘‘grant program’’ means the com2 munity challenge grant program established under 

3 subsection (b). 

4 (b) COMMUNITY CHALLENGE GRANT PROGRAM ES5 TABLISHED.—The Director shall establish a community 

6 challenge grant program to make grants to eligible entities 

7 to— 

8 (1) promote integrated planning and invest9 ments across policy and governmental jurisdictions; 

10 and 

11 (2) implement projects identified in a com12 prehensive regional plan. 

13 (c) GRANTS.— 

14 (1) DIVERSITY OF GRANTEES.—The Director 

15 shall ensure— 

16 (A) geographic diversity among and ade17 quate representation from eligible entities in 

18 each of the categories described in section 

19 6(c)(1); and 

20 (B) diversity among and adequate rep21 resentation from eligible entities described in 

22 section 6(c)(3). 

23 (2) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—Except as other24 wise provided in this section, a grant under the 


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1 grant program shall be made on the same terms and 

2 conditions as a grant under section 6. 

3 (3) EXPENDING FUNDS.—An eligible entity 

4 that receives a grant under the grant program shall 

5 expend any funds received under the grant program 

6 not later than 5 years after the date on which the 

7 grant agreement under subsection (g) is made. 

8 (d) APPLICATION.— 

9 (1) CONTENTS.—An eligible entity that desires 

10 a grant under the grant program shall submit to the 

11 Director an application, at such time and in such 

12 manner as the Director shall prescribe, that con13 tains— 

14 (A) a copy of the comprehensive regional 

15 plan, whether developed as part of the com16 prehensive planning grant program under sec17 tion 6 or developed independently; 

18 (B) a description of the project or projects 

19 proposed to be carried out using a grant under 

20 the grant program; 

21 (C) a description of any preliminary ac22 tions that have been or must be taken at the 

23 local or regional level to implement the project 

24 or projects described under subparagraph (B), 


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1 including the revision of land use or zoning 

2 policies; 

3 (D) the designation of a lead applicant to 

4 be the entity to establish the direct grant rela5 tionship with the Secretary; 

6 (E) a signed copy of a memorandum of un7 derstanding among local jurisdictions, includ8 ing, as appropriate, a State, units of general 

9 local government, units of special purpose local 

10 government, metropolitan planning organiza11 tions, rural planning organizations, and re12 gional councils that demonstrates— 

13 (i) the creation of a consortium of 

14 units of general local government; and 

15 (ii) a commitment to implement the 

16 activities described in the comprehensive 

17 regional plan; and 

18 (F) a certification that the eligible entity 

19 has solicited public comment on the contents of 

20 the project or projects described in subpara21 graph (B) that includes— 

22 (i) a certification that the eligible en23 tity made information about the project or 

24 projects available and afforded citizens, 

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1 ties a reasonable opportunity to examine 

2 the content of the project or projects and 

3 to submit comments; 

4 (ii) a description of the process for re5 ceiving public comment, and a description 

6 of the outreach efforts to affected popu7 lations and stakeholders; 

8 (iii) a certification that the eligible en9 tity— 

10 (I) held a public hearing to ob11 tain the views of citizens, public agen12 cies, and other interested parties; 

13 (II) made the proposed project or 

14 projects and all information relevant 

15 to the hearing available for inspection 

16 by the public during normal business 

17 hours not less than 30 days before the 

18 hearing under subclause (I); and 

19 (III) published a notice informing 

20 the public of the hearing under sub21 clause (I) and the availability of the 

22 information described in subclause 

23 (II); and 

24 (G) a budget for the project or projects 

25 that includes the Federal share of the cost of 


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1 the project or projects requested and a descrip2 tion of the source of the non-Federal share; and 

3 (H) such additional information as the Di4 rector may require. 

5 (2) INDIAN TRIBES.—An eligible entity that is 

6 an Indian tribe is not required to designate a lead 

7 applicant under paragraph (1)(D) or submit a 

8 memorandum of understanding under paragraph 

9 (1)(E). 

10 (e) SELECTION.—In evaluating an application for a 

11 grant under the grant program, the Director shall con12 sider the extent to which the application— 

13 (1) demonstrates that the eligible entity has or 

14 will have the legal, financial, managerial, and tech15 nical capacity to carry out the project; 

16 (2) demonstrates the extent to which the eligi17 ble entity has developed partnerships throughout an 

18 entire region, including partnerships with units of 

19 special purpose local government and transportation 

20 providers; 

21 (3) demonstrates clear and meaningful inter22 jurisdictional cooperation and coordination of hous23 ing, including healthy housing, transportation, and 

24 environmental policies and plans; 


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1 (4) demonstrates a commitment to imple2 menting a comprehensive regional plan and docu3 ments action taken or planned to implement the 

4 plan; 

5 (5) identifies original and innovative ideas to 

6 overcoming regional problems, including local land 

7 use, zoning, or other obstacles to carrying out the 

8 comprehensive regional plan; 

9 (6) promotes diversity among the geographic re10 gions and the size of the population of the commu11 nities served by recipients of grants under the grant 

12 program; 

13 (7) demonstrates a commitment to substantial 

14 public input throughout the implementation process; 

15 (8) demonstrates a strategy for connecting un16 derserved, low-income, disabled, and minority com17 munity members with housing, transportation, and 

18 infrastructure resources; and 

19 (9) demonstrates such other qualities as the Di20 rector may determine. 

21 (f) GRANT ACTIVITIES.— 

22 (1) PLANNING ACTIVITIES.— 

23 (A) IN GENERAL.—An eligible entity that 

24 receives a grant under the grant program may 


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1 use not more than 10 percent of the grant for 

2 planning activities. 

3 (B) LIMITATION.—Activities related to the 

4 updating, reform, or development of a local 

5 code, plan, or ordinance to implement projects 

6 contained in a comprehensive regional plan 

7 shall not be considered planning activities for 

8 the purposes of a grant under the grant pro9 gram. 

10 (2) PROJECTS.—An eligible entity that receives 

11 a grant under the grant program shall carry out 1 

12 or more projects that are designed to achieve the 

13 goals identified in a comprehensive regional plan. 

14 (g) GRANT AGREEMENT.—Each eligible entity that 

15 receives a grant under the grant program shall agree to 

16 establish, through the lead applicant and in coordination 

17 with the Director, performance measures, reporting re18 quirements, and any other requirements that the Director 

19 determines are necessary, that the eligible entity, through 

20 the lead applicant, shall meet at the end of each year in 

21 which the eligible entity receives funds under the grant 

22 program. 

23 (h) VIOLATION OF GRANT AGREEMENT.—If the Di24 rector determines that an eligible entity has not met the 

25 performance measures established under subsection (g), is 


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1 not making reasonable progress toward meeting such 

2 measures, or is otherwise in violation of the grant agree3 ment, the Director may— 

4 (1) impose increased reporting and more strin5 gent expenditure authorization requirements; 

6 (2) withhold financial assistance until the re7 quirements under the grant agreement are met; 

8 (3) wholly or partly suspend or terminate the 

9 grant agreement; 

10 (4) refer the grantee to the appropriate office 

11 within the Department for further enforcement ac12 tion; and 

13 (5) take other remedies that may be legally 

14 available. 

15 (i) REPORT ON THE COMMUNITY CHALLENGE

16 GRANT.— 

17 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 120 days 

18 after the date on which the grant agreement under 

19 subsection (g) expires, an eligible entity that receives 

20 a grant under the grant program shall submit a 

21 final report on the project to the Secretary. 

22 (2) CONTENTS OF REPORT.—The report shall 

23 include— 

24 (A) a detailed explanation of the activities 

25 undertaken using the grant, including an explaVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:09 Aug 08, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2616.IS S2616

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1 nation of the completed project and how it 

2 achieves specific transit-oriented, transpor3 tation, housing, or sustainable community goals 

4 within the region; 

5 (B) a discussion of any obstacles encoun6 tered in the planning and implementation proc7 ess and how the eligible entity overcame the ob8 stacles; 

9 (C) an evaluation of the success of the 

10 project using the performance measures estab11 lished under subsection (g), including an eval12 uation of the planning and implementation 

13 process and how the project contributes to car14 rying out the comprehensive regional plan; 

15 (D) outline of any proposed follow-up ac16 tivities including commitments of additional 

17 planned public or private investments; and 

18 (E) any other information the Director 

19 may require. 

20 (3) INTERIM REPORTS.—The Director may re21 quire an eligible entity to submit an interim report 

22 or reports before the date on which the project for 

23 which the grant is awarded is completed. 

24 (j) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

25 are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the 


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1 award of grants under this section, to remain available 

2 until expended— 

3 (1) $175,350,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

4 through 2023; 

5 (2) $203,700,000 for fiscal year 2024; 

6 (3) $233,100,000 for fiscal year 2025; and 

7 (4) $262,500,000 for fiscal year 2026. 

8 SEC. 8. CREDIT FACILITY TO SUPPORT TRANSIT-ORIENTED 

9 DEVELOPMENT. 

10 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section, the following defi11 nitions shall apply: 

12 (1) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

13 applicant’’ means a State or local governmental au14 thority. 

15 (2) ELIGIBLE AREA.—The term ‘‘eligible area’’ 

means the area within 1 16 ⁄2 mile of an existing or 

17 planned major public transportation facility. 

18 (3) ELIGIBLE BORROWER.—The term ‘‘eligible 

19 borrower’’ means— 

20 (A) a governmental entity, authority, agen21 cy, or instrumentality; 

22 (B) a corporation, partnership, joint ven23 ture, or trust on behalf of which an eligible ap24 plicant has submitted an application under sub25 section (c); or 


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1 (C) any other legal entity undertaking an 

2 infrastructure development project on behalf of 

3 which an eligible applicant has submitted an 

4 application under subsection (c). 

5 (4) MAJOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION FACIL6 ITY.—The term ‘‘major public transportation facil7 ity’’ means— 

8 (A) a fixed-guideway public transportation 

9 station; 

10 (B) a high speed rail or intercity rail sta11 tion connecting to public transportation; 

12 (C) an intermodal facility connecting mul13 tiple public transportation lines; or 

14 (D) a public transportation center located 

15 in an area other than an urbanized area. 

16 (5) PLANNED MAJOR PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

17 FACILITY.—The term ‘‘planned major public trans18 portation facility’’ means a major public transpor19 tation facility for which— 

20 (A) appropriate environmental reviews 

21 have been initiated or have been completed; and 

22 (B) funding for construction can be rea23 sonably anticipated. 

24 (6) PROJECT.—The term ‘‘project’’ means an 

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1 sit-oriented development in an eligible area, includ2 ing— 

3 (A) property enhancement, including con4 ducting environmental remediation, park devel5 opment, and open space acquisition; 

6 (B) improvement of physical mobility, in7 cluding rehabilitating, or providing for addi8 tional, streets, public transportation stations, 

9 structured parking, walkways, and bikeways; 

10 (C) improve accommodations for individ11 uals with disabilities; 

12 (D) utility development, including rehabili13 tating or relocating existing, or providing for 

14 new drinking water, wastewater, electric, and 

15 gas utilities; or 

16 (E) community service facilities, such as 

17 child care centers. 

18 (7) PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION.—The term 

19 ‘‘public transportation’’ has the meaning given that 

20 term in section 5302 of title 49, United States Code. 

21 (b) LOAN PROGRAM ESTABLISHED.—The Secretary, 

22 in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation, may 

23 make or guarantee loans under this section to eligible bor24 rowers for projects. 

25 (c) APPLICATION.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—An eligible applicant may 

2 submit to the Secretary an application for a loan or 

3 loan guarantee under this section— 

4 (A) to fund a project carried out by the eli5 gible applicant; or 

6 (B) on behalf of an eligible borrower, to 

7 fund a project carried out by the eligible bor8 rower. 

9 (d) SELECTION CRITERIA.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make a 

11 loan or loan guarantee under this section for a 

12 project that— 

13 (A) is part of a community-wide develop14 ment plan, as defined by the Secretary; 

15 (B) promotes sustainable development; and 

16 (C) ensures that not less than 20 percent 

17 of any housing units constructed or substan18 tially rehabilitated as part of transit-oriented 

19 development supported by the project are af20 fordable over the long-term to, and occupied at 

21 time of initial occupancy by— 

22 (i) renters with incomes at or below 

23 60 percent of the area median income; or 


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1 (ii) homeowners with incomes at or 

2 below 100 percent of the area median in3 come. 

4 (2) CONSIDERATIONS.—The Secretary, in con5 sultation with the Secretary of Transportation, shall 

6 select the recipients of loans and loan guarantees 

7 under this section based on the extent to which— 

8 (A) the transit-oriented development sup9 ported by the project will encourage increased 

10 use of transit; 

11 (B) the transit-oriented development sup12 ported by the project will create or preserve 

13 long-term affordable housing units in addition 

14 to the housing units required to be made avail15 able under paragraph (1)(C) or will provide 

16 deeper affordability than required under para17 graph (1)(C); 

18 (C) the project will facilitate and encour19 age additional development or redevelopment in 

20 the overall public transportation station area; 

21 (D) the local government has adopted poli22 cies that— 

23 (i) promote long-term affordable hous24 ing; and 


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1 (ii) allow high-density, mixed-use de2 velopment near public transportation sta3 tions; 

4 (E) the transit-oriented development sup5 ported by the project is part of a comprehensive 

6 regional plan; 

7 (F) the eligible borrower has established a 

8 reliable, dedicated revenue source to repay the 

9 loan; and 

10 (G) a loan or loan guarantee under this 

11 section would be used in conjunction with non12 Federal resources to fund the project. 

13 (e) ELIGIBLE SOURCES OF REPAYMENT.—A loan 

14 made or guaranteed under this section shall be repayable, 

15 in whole or in part, from dedicated revenue sources, which 

16 may include— 

17 (1) user fees; 

18 (2) property tax revenues; 

19 (3) sales tax revenues; 

20 (4) other revenue sources dedicated to the 

21 project by property owners and businesses; and 

22 (5) a bond or other indebtedness backed by one 

23 of the revenue sources listed in this paragraph. 

24 (f) INTEREST RATE.—The Secretary shall establish 

25 an interest rate for loans made or guaranteed under this 


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1 section with reference to a benchmark interest rate (com2 monly known as a ‘‘yield’’) on marketable Treasury securi3 ties with a maturity that is similar to the loans made or 

4 guaranteed under this section. 

5 (g) MAXIMUM MATURITY.—The maturity of a loan 

6 made or guaranteed under this section may not exceed the 

7 lesser of— 

8 (1) 35 years; or 

9 (2) 100 percent of the useful life of any project 

10 to be financed by the loan, as determined by the 

11 Secretary. 

12 (h) MAXIMUM LOAN GUARANTEE RATE.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The guarantee rate on a 

14 loan guaranteed under this section may not exceed 

15 75 percent of the amount of the loan. 

16 (2) LOWER GUARANTEE RATE FOR LOW-RISK

17 BORROWERS.—The Secretary shall establish a guar18 antee rate for loans to eligible borrowers that the 

19 Secretary determines pose a lower risk of default 

20 that is lower than the guarantee rate for loans to 

21 other eligible borrowers. 

22 (i) FEES.—The Secretary shall establish fees for 

23 loans made or guaranteed under this section at a level that 

24 is sufficient to cover all or part of the costs to the Federal 


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1 Government of making or guaranteeing a loan under this 

2 section. 

3 (j) NONSUBORDINATION.—A loan made or guaran4 teed under this section may not be subordinated to the 

5 claims of any holder of an obligation relating to the project 

6 in the event of bankruptcy, insolvency, or liquidation. 

7 (k) COMMENCEMENT OF REPAYMENT.—The sched8 uled repayment of principal or interest on a loan made 

9 or guaranteed under this section shall commence not later 

10 than 5 years after the date of substantial completion of 

11 a project. 

12 (l) REPAYMENT DEFERRAL FOR LOANS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—If, at any time after the 

14 date of substantial completion of a project, the Sec15 retary determines that dedicated revenue sources of 

16 an eligible borrower are insufficient to make the 

17 scheduled loan repayments of principal and interest 

18 on a loan made or guaranteed under this section, the 

19 Secretary may, subject to criteria established by the 

20 Secretary, allow the eligible borrower to add unpaid 

21 principal and interest to the outstanding balance of 

22 the loan. 

23 (2) TREATMENT OF DEFERRED PAYMENTS.— 

24 Any payment deferred under this section shall— 


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1 (A) continue to accrue interest until fully 

2 repaid; and 

3 (B) be scheduled to be amortized over the 

4 remaining term of the loan. 

5 (m) SANCTIONS FOR PERFORMANCE DEFI6 CIENCIES.—If the Director determines that a recipient of 

7 a loan made or guaranteed under this section has perform8 ance deficiencies in the use of the loan funds under this 

9 section or is otherwise in violation of the loan or loan guar10 antee agreement, the Director may impose sanctions and 

11 undertake other remedies for noncompliance in accordance 

12 with section 111 of the Housing and Community Develop13 ment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5311) and the implementing 

14 regulations of the Department. 

15 (n) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

16 are authorized to be appropriated for the cost of loans and 

17 loan guarantees under this section $110,000,000 for each 

18 of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

19 SEC. 9. HEALTHY HOMES. 

20 (a) FEDERAL INITIATIVE TO SUPPORT HEALTHY

21 HOUSING AND SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE HOUSING-RE22 LATED HEALTH HAZARDS.—The Secretary, acting 

23 through the Director of the Office of Lead Hazard Control 

24 and Healthy Homes and in consultation with the Sec25 retary of Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental 


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1 Protection Agency, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Sec2 retary of the Treasury, the Director of the National Insti3 tute of Standards and Technology, the Director of the Na4 tional Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the 

5 Director of the Centers for Disease Control, shall lead the 

6 Federal initiative to support healthy housing and substan7 tially reduce the prevalence and severity of housing-related 

8 health hazards by— 

9 (1) identifying best practices and model pro10 grams, including practices and programs that link 

11 services for low-income families and services for 

12 health hazards; 

13 (2) identifying best practices for finance prod14 ucts, building codes, and regulatory practices; 

15 (3) researching training programs and work 

16 practices that can accurately assess housing-related 

17 health hazards; 

18 (4) promoting collaboration among Federal, 

19 State, local, and tribal agencies and non-govern20 mental organizations; and 

21 (5) coordinating with all relevant Federal agen22 cies. 

23 (b) ASSESSMENT.—The Secretary shall conduct a 

24 collaborative, interagency assessment of best practices 

25 for— 


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1 (1) coordinating activities relating to healthy 

2 housing; and 

3 (2) creating incentives in programs of the Fed4 eral Government to advance the complementary 

5 goals of improving environmental health, energy con6 servation, decarbonization, and the availability of 

7 housing. 

8 (c) STUDY AND REPORT ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING

9 FEATURES AND INDOOR ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY IN

10 HOUSING.— 

11 (1) STUDY.—The Secretary, in consultation 

12 with the Secretary of Energy, the Director of the 

13 National Institute of Standards and Technology, the 

14 Director of the National Institute of Environmental 

15 Health Sciences, the Director of the Centers for Dis16 ease Control and Prevention, the Secretary of the 

17 Treasury, the Secretary of Agriculture, and any 

18 other Federal agency that the Secretary determines 

19 is appropriate, shall conduct a detailed study of how 

20 sustainable building features in housing, such as en21 ergy efficiency, affect— 

22 (A) the quality of the indoor environment; 

23 (B) the prevalence of housing-related 

24 health hazards; and 

25 (C) the health of occupants of the housing. 


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1 (2) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 

2 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 

3 submit to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and 

4 Urban Affairs and the Committee on Appropriations 

5 of the Senate and the Committee on Financial Serv6 ices and the Committee on Appropriations of the 

7 House of Representatives a report containing the re8 sults of the study under paragraph (1). 

9 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 

10 are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 

11 necessary to carry out this section. 

Æ 


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