I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7103 
To direct the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation with respect to the 
establishment of a national land bank network, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 4, 2020 
Mr. KILDEE (for himself and Mr. FERGUSON) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To direct the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation with 
respect to the establishment of a national land bank 
network, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Land Bank 
Network Act of 2020’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) Vacant and abandoned properties desta-
bilize rural, suburban, and urban neighborhoods 
across the United States by creating fire and other 
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public safety hazards, driving down property values, 
and draining local tax dollars. 
(2) The cost of repairs to maintain such prop-
erties, as well as the potential unpaid taxes and pub-
lic liens on such properties, often exceed the prop-
erty values of such properties, driving away pur-
chasers. 
(3) Additionally, the lack of an insurable and 
marketable title frequently prevents such properties 
from returning to productive use. 
(4) Low-income neighborhoods and commu-
nities of color disproportionately bear the burden of 
living near such properties and the associated haz-
ards. 
(5) Land banks— 
(A) have been developed to respond to the 
challenges posed by such properties; and 
(B) are primarily focused on the return of 
vacant, abandoned, and tax delinquent prop-
erties to productive use in accordance with lo-
cally determined goals and priorities. 
(6) Land banks, regardless of location, size of 
inventory, or duration of existence, share challenges 
in accessing best practices, research, technical assist-
ance, and other resources. 
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SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
It is the sense of Congress that a national land bank 
network would provide the tools necessary to ensure that 
land banks— 
(1) use best practices; 
(2) operate transparently; 
(3) develop partnerships and programming to 
drive community redevelopment forward; and 
(4) access education, expertise, and research to 
strengthen the critical work of land banks in sup-
porting equitable communities. 
SEC. 4. NATIONAL LAND BANK NETWORK. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Neighborhood Reinvest-
ment Corporation shall enter into a contract with a na-
tional nonprofit organization that has demonstrated and 
established expertise in supporting the creation, imple-
mentation, and operation of land banks, as well as exper-
tise relating to the systems, laws, and policies that impact 
vacant, abandoned, and other problem properties, to es-
tablish and operate a membership-based national land 
bank network. 
(b) DUTIES.—The duties of the national land bank 
network established under this section shall be— 
(1) to provide technical assistance to rural, sub-
urban, and urban land banks who are members of 
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the network to support skills training, staffing sup-
port, and other operational capacity needs of such 
land banks; 
(2) to work with those rural, suburban, and 
urban communities that are considering whether a 
land bank is an appropriate tool to address vacancy, 
abandonment, and other problem properties in their 
community, and provide technical assistance in the 
formation of a local land bank; 
(3) to develop partnerships and programming to 
advance the work of land banks; 
(4) to provide land banks with access to edu-
cation, expertise, and research that supports the 
work of land banks; 
(5) to develop and administer grant programs 
to support existing land banks and communities in 
the creation of new land banks, including with re-
spect to the ability to design, develop eligibility cri-
teria, and disperse grant funds directly; 
(6) to work with rural communities and land 
banks to ensure the specific challenges of rural areas 
are addressed through the grant programs, edu-
cation, expertise, and research; and 
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(7) to track and evaluate the activities and out-
comes of land banks who are members of the net-
work. 
(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—Each fiscal year, the Neigh-
borhood Reinvestment Corporation shall submit to Con-
gress a report describing, with respect to the preceding 
fiscal year— 
(1) the services provided to land banks by the 
national land bank network; and 
(2) the outcomes, qualitative impacts, and 
quantifiable impacts that land banks who are mem-
bers of the network have had in their respective 
communities. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—This is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Neighborhood Rein-
vestment Corporation to carry out this section— 
(1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, except 
that not less than $7,000,000 shall be used for the 
grant programs developed and administered pursu-
ant to subsection (b)(5); and 
(2) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 
through 2031. 
(e) LAND BANK DEFINED.—For purposes of this sec-
tion, the term ‘‘land bank’’ means any of the following: 
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