I 

116TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8416 

To amend the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to revise 

the formula for allocation of community development block grant funds, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 29, 2020 

Mr. COHEN introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To amend the Housing and Community Development Act 

of 1974 to revise the formula for allocation of community 

development block grant funds, 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 ‘‘Community Develop5 ment Block Grant Equity Act of 2020’’. 

6 SEC. 2. CDBG FORMULA. 

7 (a) REVISION OF FORMULA.—Section 106 of the 

8 Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 

9 U.S.C. 5306) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (b)— 

2 (A) by striking the subsection designation 

3 and all that follows through the end of para4 graph (3) and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(b)(1) The Secretary shall determine the amount to 

6 be allocated to each metropolitan city, which shall be the 

7 amount that bears the same ratio to the allocation for all 

8 metropolitan areas as the average of the ratios between— 

9 ‘‘(A) the poverty rate per person in families and 

10 elderly households in that city and such poverty rate 

11 in all metropolitan areas; 

12 ‘‘(B) the extent of female-headed households 

13 with children under age 18 in that city and the ex14 tent of such households in all metropolitan areas; 

15 ‘‘(C) the extent of housing that was constructed 

16 before 1950 and is occupied by a household in pov17 erty in that city and the extent of such housing in 

18 all metropolitan areas; and 

19 ‘‘(D) the extent of housing overcrowding in that 

20 city and the extent of housing overcrowding in all 

21 metropolitan areas. 

22 ‘‘(2) The Secretary shall determine the amount to be 

23 allocated to each urban county, which shall be the amount 

24 that bears the same ratio to the allocation for all metro25 politan areas as the average of the ratios between— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the poverty rate per person in families and 

2 elderly households in that urban county and such 

3 poverty rate in all metropolitan areas; 

4 ‘‘(B) the extent of female-headed households 

5 with children under age 18 in that urban county and 

6 the extent of such households in all metropolitan 

7 areas; 

8 ‘‘(C) the extent of housing that was constructed 

9 before 1950 and is occupied by a household in pov10 erty in that urban county and the extent of such 

11 housing in all metropolitan areas; and 

12 ‘‘(D) the extent of housing overcrowding in that 

13 urban county and the extent of housing over14 crowding in all metropolitan areas. 

15 ‘‘(3) In determining the average of ratios under para16 graphs (1) and (2)— 

17 ‘‘(A) the ratio under subparagraph (A) of such 

18 paragraphs shall be counted five times; 

19 ‘‘(B) the ratio under subparagraph (C) of such 

20 paragraphs shall be counted three times; and 

21 ‘‘(C) each of the other ratios shall be counted 

22 once.’’; and 

23 (B) in paragraph (6)— 

24 (i) by striking subparagraph (B); 

25 (ii) by striking ‘‘(A)’’; and 


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1 (iii) by redesignating clauses (i) 

2 through (iii) as subparagraphs (A) through 

3 (C), respectively; and 

4 (2) in subsection (d)(1), by striking the second 

5 and third sentences and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘The allocation for each State shall be the amount 

7 that bears the same ratio to the allocation for such 

8 areas of all States available under this paragraph as 

9 the average of the ratios between— 

10 ‘‘(A) the poverty rate per person in fami11 lies and elderly households in the nonentitle12 ment areas in that State and such poverty rate 

13 in the nonentitlement areas of all States; 

14 ‘‘(B) the extent of female-headed house15 holds with children under age 18 in the non16 entitlement areas in that State and the extent 

17 of such households in the nonentitlement areas 

18 of all States; 

19 ‘‘(C) the extent of housing that was con20 structed before 1950 and is occupied by a 

21 household in poverty in the nonentitlement 

22 areas in that State and the extent of such hous23 ing in the nonentitlement areas of all States; 

24 and 


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1 ‘‘(D) the extent of housing overcrowding in 

2 the nonentitlement areas in that State and the 

3 extent of housing overcrowding in the non4 entitlement areas of all States. 

5 In determining the average of the ratios under the 

6 preceding sentence, the ratio under clause (A) shall 

7 be counted five times, the ratio under clause (C) 

8 shall be counted three times, and each of the other 

9 ratios shall be counted once.’’. 

10 (b) DEFINITIONS.—Subsection (a) of section 102 of 

11 the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 

12 (42 U.S.C. 5302(a)) is amended— 

13 (1) in paragraph (9), by striking the first sen14 tence and inserting the following: ‘‘The term ‘pov15 erty’ means having an income that does not exceed 

16 the poverty level.’’; 

17 (2) by striking paragraphs (11) through (16); 

18 and 

19 (3) by redesignating paragraphs (17) through 

20 (24) as paragraphs (11) through (18), respectively. 

21 SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

22 Section 103 of the Housing and Community Develop23 ment Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5303) is amended by strik24 ing the last sentence and inserting the following: ‘‘For 

25 purposes of assistance under section 106, there is authorVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:04 Oct 27, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H8416.IH H8416

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1 ized to be appropriated for fiscal year 2021 an amount 

2 equal to $3,425,000,000, as adjusted by adding to such 

3 amount a percentage thereof equal to any percentage in4 crease, over the immediately preceding 4 calendar quarters 

5 ending before the commencement of such fiscal year, in 

6 the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers 

7 (CPI–U) and, for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2025, 

8 the amount that is equal to the amount authorized under 

9 this sentence for the immediately preceding fiscal year, as 

10 adjusted by adding to such amount a percentage thereof 

11 equal to any percentage increase, over the immediately 

12 preceding 4 calendar quarters ending before the com13 mencement of such fiscal year to which such authorization 

14 applies, in the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Con15 sumers (CPI–U).’’. 

Æ 


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