I 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5512 

To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 

an urban blight demolition program to provide grants for the demolition 

of condemned and tax-foreclosed residential housing. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 25, 2006 

Mr. RYAN of Ohio (for himself and Mr. KILDEE) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development 

to establish an urban blight demolition program to provide grants for the demolition of condemned and taxforeclosed residential housing. 

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 ‘‘Urban Development 

5 Act of 2006’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FINDING. 

2 Congress finds that there has been a decrease in the 

3 population of traditional manufacturing regions, often 

4 leaving a surplus of residential housing. 

5 SEC. 3. URBAN BLIGHT DEMOLITION PROGRAM. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 

7 Urban Development shall establish and carry out an urban 

8 blight demolition program in accordance with the require9 ments of this section. 

10 (b) GRANTS.— 

11 (1) IN GENERAL.—Under the program, the Sec12 retary may award grants to eligible recipients for the 

13 purpose of demolishing condemned or tax-foreclosed 

14 residential housing in urban areas. 

15 (2) ADDITIONAL USE OF FUNDS.—In addition 

16 to the purpose specified in paragraph (1), amounts 

17 from grants awarded under this section may be used 

18 for one or more of the following purposes: 

19 (A) Remediation of the demolition sites 

20 prior to demolition. 

21 (B) Rehabilitation of the demolition sites 

22 to public use spaces. 

23 (c) GRANT ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a grant 

24 under the program, an applicant— 

25 (1) shall be a city or other municipality— 


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1 (A) with a population of more than 

2 40,000, as determined by the most recent re3 port issued by the Bureau of the Census; and 

4 (B) that has experienced a decrease of 10 

5 percent in residential population over the course 

6 of the last 2 reports issued by the Bureau of 

7 the Census. 

8 (2) shall demonstrate that the demolition to be 

9 carried out with funds from the grant will aid the 

10 health, safety, and welfare of the residents of the 

11 city or municipality; and 

12 (3) shall demonstrate that such demolition is 

13 needed, in part, to reduce crime, destroy a public 

14 hazard, or create a public-use space such as a trail 

15 or park. 

16 (d) APPLICATION.—A city or other municipality seek17 ing a grant under this section shall submit an application 

18 to the Secretary at such time, in such manner, and con19 taining such information as the Secretary may require. 

20 (e) MATCHING FUNDS.—The Federal share of the 

21 cost of an activity carried out using a grant awarded 

22 under this section may not exceed 50 percent. 

23 (f) GRANT AMOUNTS.—The Secretary may not award 

24 more than $500,000 in grants under this section to an 

25 eligible recipient in a fiscal year. 


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1 (g) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER GRANT PROGRAMS.— 

2 Grants awarded under this section are intended to com3 plement, and not take the place of, funding provided under 

4 the Community Development Block Grant program au5 thorized by the Housing and Community Development Act 

6 of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.). 

7 (h) COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND INPUT.—To 

8 the extent practicable, recipients of grants awarded under 

9 this section shall consult with community leaders, resident 

10 and citizen associations, law enforcement officials, and fire 

11 departments in determining which residential housing will 

12 be demolished. 

13 (i) REPORTING REQUIREMENT.—The Secretary shall 

14 submit to Congress on an annual basis a report containing 

15 the following: 

16 (1) The number of demolitions that have been 

17 carried out under the program in the preceding year. 

18 (2) The number of demolished properties that 

19 have been rehabilitated to public-use spaces under 

20 the program in the preceding year. 

21 (3) A description of the impact such 

22 demolitions and rehabilitations have had on the 

23 health, safety, and welfare of the residents in the af24 fected areas. 


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1 (j) NONDISCRIMINATION, LABOR STANDARDS, AND

2 REMEDIES FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—Grants awarded 

3 under this section shall be subject to the terms and condi4 tions set forth in sections 109, 110, and 111 of the Hous5 ing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 

6 5309, 5310, and 5311). 

7 SEC. 4. RESIDENTIAL HOUSING DEFINED. 

8 The term ‘‘residential housing’’ includes single family 

9 and multi-family units that were primarily used as dwell10 ing accommodations. 

11 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums 

13 as may be necessary to carry out this Act. 

Æ 


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