I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 8246 
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish 
a program enabling communities to better leverage resources to address 
health, economic development, and conservation concerns through needed 
investments in parks, recreational areas, facilities, and programs, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
SEPTEMBER 14, 2020 
Mr. SIRES introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 
on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Re-
sources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment to establish a program enabling communities to 
better leverage resources to address health, economic de-
velopment, and conservation concerns through needed in-
vestments in parks, recreational areas, facilities, and pro-
grams, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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(1) Currently, over 80 percent of our Nation’s 
population lives in urban areas. 
(2) Economic competitiveness, which includes 
the ability to create jobs, stimulate growth, attract 
businesses, investment, tourism, and a highly skilled 
workforce, is closely related to the availability of 
fully functional park and recreation systems in 
America’s metropolitan areas. 
(3) According to the American Society of Civil 
Engineers, parks, beaches, and other recreational fa-
cilities contribute $730 billion per year to the U.S. 
economy, support nearly 6.5 million jobs, and con-
tribute to cleaner air and water and higher property 
values. 
(4) Despite spending on parks at the State and 
local levels, the acreage of parkland per resident in 
urban areas is declining due to rapid increases in 
population and to parks, such as Liberty State Park 
in New Jersey, being threatened by privatization. 
(5) A lack of access to public parks and recre-
ation areas and facilities, as well as deteriorating 
and unsafe play areas, leads to an increase in phys-
ical inactivity, which in turn contributes to higher 
rates of obesity. 
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(6) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention, over the past 25 years, rates of 
obesity have more than tripled among adolescents 
ages 12 to 19 and doubled among adults ages 20 to 
74 and children ages 6 to 11. 
(7) Obesity and related health problems put a 
strain on our Nation’s economy, as the annual costs 
of medical spending and lost productivity from indi-
viduals in the United States being obese and over-
weight are estimated to be $147,000,000,000. 
(8) A study by the Centers for Disease Control 
found that the creation of, or enhanced access to, 
places for physical activity, such as parks, led to a 
25.6-percent increase in the percentage of people ex-
ercising on three or more days a week, which im-
proves the physical and mental health of our citi-
zens. 
(9) The guidelines of the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention for COVID–19 lists visiting 
parks close to home as a safe way to relieve stress, 
get some fresh air, and stay active, all of which are 
important for mental and physical health. 
(10) There are nearly 23 million veterans in the 
United States. Many have mental and physical dis-
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abilities from injuries sustained during their service 
in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
(11) Parks and recreation agencies are pro-
viding vital programs for veterans, with and without 
disabilities, and for their families, that provide phys-
ical, mental, and social benefits to improve their 
overall quality of life as they transition to civilian 
living. 
(12) According to the Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 
without structured, supervised activities in the after- 
school hours, youth are at greater risk of being vic-
tims of crime or participating in anti-social behav-
iors between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The peak hour 
for juvenile crime is between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 
p.m., the first hour after most students are dis-
missed from school. Urban parks decrease juvenile 
delinquency by providing quality after-school pro-
grams during these critical hours. 
(13) Parks also add to the environmental viabil-
ity of communities. While cities currently spend tens 
of billions of dollars on treatment of storm water 
runoff and air pollution, studies have shown that 
parkland saves cities millions of dollars in storm 
water management and air pollution expenses by 
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capturing precipitation, reducing runoff, and absorb-
ing air pollutants. 
SEC. 102. PURPOSES. 
The purposes of this title are— 
(1) to authorize the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development to establish a program enabling 
communities to better leverage resources to address 
health, economic development, and conservation con-
cerns through needed investments in parks, rec-
reational areas, facilities, and programs; 
(2) to improve and revitalize urban areas 
through economic development; 
(3) to prevent and improve chronic disease out-
comes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, de-
pression, and obesity; 
(4) to improve recreational areas and facilities 
and expand recreation services in urban areas with 
a high incidence of crime and help expand recreation 
opportunities for at-risk youth; 
(5) to promote collaboration between local agen-
cies involved in parks and recreation, law enforce-
ment, youth social services, and juvenile justice sys-
tem; 
(6) to ensure accessibility to therapeutic recre-
ation services and to provide recreation opportunities 
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for injured or disabled members of the Armed 
Forces; and 
(7) to encourage the use of environmentally re-
sponsible components and sustainable landscape fea-
tures, and promote cost effective solutions to issues 
such as storm water management, water conserva-
tion, and air quality. 
SEC. 103. COMMUNITY PARKS REVITALIZATION PROGRAM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development shall carry out a community parks 
revitalization program under this title under which the 
Secretary shall, from amounts appropriated pursuant to 
section 114, award the following grants on a competitive 
basis: 
(1) 
REHABILITATION
AND
CONSTRUCTION 
GRANTS.—The Secretary shall make rehabilitation 
and construction capital grants in accordance with 
the criteria established pursuant to section 104(a) to 
eligible local governments for the purpose of— 
(A) rebuilding, remodeling, expanding, in-
tegrating, or developing existing or building new 
recreational areas and facilities, including im-
provements in park landscapes, infrastructure, 
buildings, and support facilities; and 
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