I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3949 
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make 
grants to States for use to eliminate blight and assist in neighborhood 
revitalization, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 16, 2021 
Mr. RYAN (for himself and Mr. MCKINLEY) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services 
A BILL 
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Develop-
ment to make grants to States for use to eliminate 
blight and assist in neighborhood revitalization, 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 ‘‘Clean Up Our Neigh-
borhoods Act of 2021’’. 
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SEC. 2. BLIGHT ELIMINATION AND NEIGHBORHOOD REVI-
TALIZATION GRANTS. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development may make grants under this section, 
on a competitive basis, to States for use for eligible activi-
ties under subsection (c)(1) designed to eliminate blight 
and promote neighborhood revitalization. 
(b) USE IN NEW MARKET TAX CREDIT AREAS.— 
Amounts from a grant under this section may be used only 
to carry out eligible activities under subsection (c)(1) with-
in low-income communities, as such term if defined in sub-
section (g). 
(c) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Amounts from a grant 
under this section may be used only for the following 
activities: 
(A) Demolition, clearance, and removal of 
blighted structures. 
(B) Boarding of vacant properties and 
blighted structures. 
(C) Deconstruction of structures. 
(D) Removal of waste and site clearance 
and vacant land management. 
(E) Stabilization activities in connection 
with providing vacant, open green space for the 
purpose of public access and redevelopment, in-
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cluding greening projects, and associated main-
tenance activities, including mowing. 
(F) Renovation of existing structures, ex-
cept that not more than 30 percent of any 
grant under this section may be used for such 
activities. 
(2) USE
OF
AMOUNTS
BY
LOCAL
GOVERN-
MENTS.—A grantee State may use amounts from a 
grant under this Act to carry out eligible activities 
under paragraph (1) or may provide such amounts 
to land banks or units of general local government 
within the State whose jurisdictions include low-in-
come communities for use to carry out such eligible 
activities within such low-income communities. 
(3) PRIORITY
FOR
LAND
BANKS.—In areas 
where land banks exist, a grantee State shall give 
priority, in the use of amounts from a grant under 
this Act, to eligible activities that will be carried out 
by land banks, in accordance with such requirements 
as the Secretary shall establish. 
(4) PROHIBITION.—Amounts from a grant 
under this section may not be used to acquire any 
occupied residential dwelling unit. 
(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
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(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall require 
each State that receives a grant under this section 
to contribute, toward carrying out the plan for the 
State under subsection (e)(2), an amount of match-
ing funds from non-Federal sources that is equal to 
or greater than 15 percent of the amount of the 
grant. 
(2) USE
OF
SALE
PROCEEDS.—Any proceeds 
from sales of properties renovated pursuant to sub-
section (c)(1)(F) may be counted toward compliance 
with the requirement under paragraph (1). 
(e) APPLICATION AND PLAN.— 
(1) APPLICATION.—A grant under this section 
may only be provided to a State that submits to the 
Secretary an application for such a grant that con-
tains a plan for use of grant funds in accordance 
with paragraph (2) and such other information, cer-
tifications, and assurances as the Secretary con-
siders necessary to provide for selection of States in 
accordance with the process and criteria under sub-
section (f). 
(2) PLAN.—A plan under this paragraph shall 
be a detailed 5-year plan for the use of grant 
amounts under this section and matching amounts 
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contributed pursuant to subsection (d) that in-
cludes— 
(A) identification of the low-income com-
munities in which eligible activities under sub-
section (c)(1) will be carried out using grant 
and matching amounts; 
(B) a description of the eligible activities 
under subsection (c)(1) to be carried out using 
grant and matching amounts; 
(C) a timetable for carrying out such eligi-
ble activities, which shall provide for the ex-
penditure of grant and matching amounts with-
in 5 years after receipt; and 
(D) identification of the sources of match-
ing amounts to be provided in accordance with 
subsection (d) and assurances of the availability 
of such matching amounts. 
(f) SELECTION; CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall se-
lect applications to receive grants under this section pur-
suant to a competition and based on criteria as established 
by the Secretary for such selection. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section, the 
following definitions shall apply: 
(1) LAND
BANK.—The term ‘‘land bank’’ 
means— 
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(A) a land bank, as such term is defined 
under State law; and 
(B) with respect to any State for which the 
laws of such State do not explicitly define such 
term, any publicly or community-owned entity 
established for the purpose of reducing or pre-
venting blight by acquiring, managing, main-
taining, and re-purposing vacant, abandoned, 
and foreclosed properties, including abandoned 
houses and buildings and empty lots. 
(2) LOW-INCOME COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘low- 
income community’’ has the meaning given such 
term in section 45D of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 45D) and includes any census 
tract or other area that is treated as a low-income 
community for purposes of such section. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 
(4) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means each of 
the several States, the District of Columbia, the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, 
Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Is-
lands, the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, and 
any other territory or possession of the United 
States. 
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(5) STRUCTURE.—The term ‘‘structure’’ in-
cludes residential structures and commercial struc-
tures. 
(h) REGULATIONS.—The Secretary shall issue any 
regulations necessary to carry out this section. 
(i) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary for grants under this section for each of fiscal 
years 2022 through 2027. 
Æ 
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