I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 927 

To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in conjunction with the Secretary of Transportation, to carry out a Sustainable 

Communities Initiative, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 30, 2019 

Mrs. TORRES of California (for herself and Mr. BLUMENAUER) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, 

and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 

for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case 

for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 

committee concerned 

A BILL 

To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, in conjunction with the Secretary of Transportation, to carry out a Sustainable Communities Initiative, 

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 ‘‘Sustainable Commu5 nities Act of 2019’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES INITIATIVE. 

2 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and 

3 Urban Development (in this section referred to as the 

4 ‘‘Secretary’’) shall, in coordination with the Secretary of 

5 Transportation, carry out a Sustainable Communities Ini6 tiative to improve regional planning efforts that integrate 

7 housing and transportation decisions, and increase the ca8 pacity to improve land use and zoning. 

9 (b) REGIONAL INTEGRATED PLANNING GRANTS.— 

10 (1) AUTHORITY.—Under the Sustainable Com11 munities Initiative under this section the Secretary 

12 shall, to the extent amounts are made available for 

13 grants under this subsection pursuant to subsection 

14 (f), provide Regional Integrated Planning Grants to 

15 support improvements in and coordination of metro16 politan-wide housing, transportation, energy, and 

17 land use planning activities. 

18 (2) COMPETITION; GRANTEES.—Grants under 

19 this subsection shall be awarded on a competitive 

20 basis to regional, multijurisdictional organizations 

21 and consortia in metropolitan areas. The Secretary 

22 shall consult with the Secretary of Transportation in 

23 evaluating applications for such grants. 

24 (c) COMMUNITY CHALLENGE PLANNING GRANTS.— 

25 (1) AUTHORITY.—Under the Sustainable Com26 munities Initiative under this section the Secretary 


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1 shall, to the extent amounts are made available for 

2 grants under this subsection pursuant to subsection 

3 (f), provide Community Challenge Planning Grants 

4 to foster reform and reduce barriers, including 

5 through the reform of existing building codes and 

6 zoning ordinances, to achieve affordable, economi7 cally vital, and sustainable communities and discour8 age inefficient land use patterns. 

9 (2) COMPETITION; GRANTEES.—Grants under 

10 this subsection shall be awarded on a competitive 

11 basis to units of general local government. The Sec12 retary shall consult with the Secretary of Transpor13 tation in evaluating applications for such grants. 

14 (d) PLAN.—The Secretary may not award any grant 

15 under subsection (b) or (c) before the Secretary, in coordi16 nation with the Secretary of Transportation, submits to 

17 the Congress a plan establishing grant criteria and per18 formance measures by which to measure the success of 

19 grantees in achieving the goals of the grants, which plan 

20 shall be based on the requirements under the Department 

21 of Housing and Urban Development Notice of Funding 

22 Availability (NOFA) for Fiscal Year 2010 Sustainable 

23 Communities Regional Planning Grant Program [Docket 

24 No. FR–5396–03]. 


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1 (e) RESEARCH AND EVALUATION.—The Secretary 

2 and the Secretary of Transportation shall conduct a joint 

3 research effort to evaluate the grant programs under sub4 sections (b) and (c) to quantify the benefits and costs of 

5 such programs. Amounts made available for activities 

6 under this subsection may be used to improve the technical 

7 capacities of regional organizations, local jurisdictions, 

8 community-based organizations, developers, and private 

9 sector lenders to carry out eligible activities under the 

10 grant programs under subsections (b) and (c). 

11 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

12 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

13 $150,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 and 2021, of 

14 which for each such fiscal year— 

15 (1) $100,000,000 shall be for Regional Inte16 grated Planning Grants under subsection (b) and of 

17 which not less than $25,000,000 for each such fiscal 

18 year shall be only for such grants for metropolitan 

19 areas having populations of fewer than 500,000 per20 sons; 

21 (2) $40,000,000 shall be for Community Chal22 lenge Planning Grants under subsection (c); and 

23 (3) up to $10,000,000 shall be for carrying out 

24 activities under subsection (e). 

Æ 


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