I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. R. 159 
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 
JANUARY 4, 2021 
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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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Community Parks Revitalization Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents. 
TITLE I—COMMUNITY PARKS REVITALIZATION PROGRAM 
Sec. 102. Purposes. 
Sec. 103. Community parks revitalization program. 
Sec. 104. Requirements for rehabilitation and construction grants. 
Sec. 105. Requirements for innovation and recreation program grants. 
Sec. 106. Local commitments to system recovery and maintenance. 
Sec. 107. Matching of State amounts, State action incentive. 
Sec. 108. Conversion of recreation property. 
Sec. 109. Coordination of program. 
Sec. 110. Reports; recordkeeping; audit and examination. 
Sec. 111. Reports to Congress. 
Sec. 112. Definitions. 
Sec. 113. Regulations. 
Sec. 114. Authorization of appropriations. 
TITLE II—SECURED LOANS AND LOAN GUARANTEES FOR PARKS 
AND RECREATION INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT 
Sec. 201. Purposes. 
Sec. 202. Authority to provide assistance. 
Sec. 203. Eligible entities. 
Sec. 204. Projects eligible for assistance. 
Sec. 205. Activities eligible for assistance. 
Sec. 206. Applications. 
Sec. 207. Determination of eligibility and project selection. 
Sec. 208. Secured loans and loan guarantees. 
Sec. 209. Program administration. 
Sec. 210. State and local permits. 
Sec. 211. Definitions. 
Sec. 212. Regulations. 
Sec. 213. Funding. 
Sec. 214. Report to Congress. 
TITLE I—COMMUNITY PARKS 
REVITALIZATION PROGRAM 
SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
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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 3 or more days a week, which improves 
the physical and mental health of our citizens. 
(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-
abilities from injuries sustained during their service 
in Iraq and Afghanistan. 
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(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 
capturing precipitation, reducing runoff, and absorb-
ing air pollutants. 
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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 
for injured or disabled members of the Armed 
Forces; and 
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(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 
(B) the provision of lighting, emergency 
phones, or other capital improvements to im-
prove the security of urban parks, but not in-
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cluding routine maintenance and upkeep activi-
ties. 
(2) INNOVATION
AND
RECREATION
PROGRAM 
GRANTS.—The Secretary shall make innovation and 
recreation program grants in accordance with the 
criteria established pursuant to section 105(a) to eli-
gible local governments to cover costs of personnel, 
facilities, equipment, supplies, or services designed 
to demonstrate innovative and cost effective ways to 
augment park and recreation opportunities, or sup-
port new or existing programs, that increase access 
to recreation opportunities for returning veterans 
and active duty military and their families or provide 
constructive alternatives for youth at risk for engag-
ing in criminal behavior. 
(3) RECOVERY
ACTION
PROGRAM
GRANTS.— 
The Secretary shall make recovery action program 
grants to eligible local governments for planning and 
development of local park and recreation recovery 
action programs required under section 106, includ-
ing for resource and needs assessment, coordination, 
citizen involvement and planning, and program de-
velopment activities to encourage public definition of 
goals and develop priorities and strategies for overall 
recreation system recovery. 
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(b) ELIGIBILITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—For the purposes of this 
title, any local government located within a standard 
metropolitan statistical area, as determined in ac-
cordance with the most recent decennial Census, 
shall be eligible to apply for and receive grant 
awards pursuant to subsection (a). 
(2) PARTIAL ELIGIBILITY WAIVER.— 
(A) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary may 
designate local governments not located within 
standard metropolitan statistical areas, as de-
termined in accordance with the most recent de-
cennial Census, as eligible to receive grant 
awards pursuant to subsection (a). 
(B) LIMITATION ON AMOUNTS.—The ag-
gregate amount of grants made to eligible local 
governments that receive such status pursuant 
to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not 
exceed 15 percent of the total amounts appro-
priated pursuant to this title for all grants 
under subsection (a). 
(c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that each eligible local government that receives a 
grant pursuant to subsection (a) shall supplement, 
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in accordance with this subsection, the amount re-
ceived under such grant with an amount that is not 
less than 3⁄7 of such grant amount; except that, in 
the case of grants under subsection (a)(3), the Sec-
retary shall ensure that each eligible local govern-
ment shall supplement the amount received under 
such grant with amount that is not less than such 
grant amount. 
(2) USE.—Supplemental amounts made avail-
able in accordance with paragraph (1) shall be used 
only for projects and activities for which grant 
amounts are eligible to be used. 
(3) SOURCES FOR SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS.— 
(A) LIMITATION
ON
FEDERAL
FUNDS.— 
Supplemental funds required by paragraph (1) 
may not include any amounts made available 
from a Federal grant program, other than— 
(i) the community development block 
grant program under title I of the Housing 
and Community Development Act of 1974 
(42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); 
(ii) any Federal program for general 
revenue sharing with local governments; or 
(iii) any Federal program that pro-
vides block grants to States and localities 
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to develop, promote, implement, and man-
age energy efficiency and conservation 
projects and programs designed to reduce 
fossil fuel emissions, reduce energy use, 
improve energy efficiency, and create and 
retain jobs. 
(B) STATE AND PRIVATE AMOUNTS.—The 
Secretary may require that a portion of the 
supplemental funds required by paragraph (1) 
come from the State or private sources. 
(C) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—Supplemental 
funds required by paragraph (1) may include— 
(i) general or specific purpose State or 
local revenues; 
(ii) State categorical grants; 
(iii) 
special 
appropriations 
under 
State law; 
(iv) donations of land, building, or 
building materials; 
(v) in-kind construction, technical, 
and planning services; and 
(vi) any combination of funds de-
scribed in this subparagraph. 
(d) TRANSFER.—At the discretion of an eligible local 
government receiving a rehabilitation and construction 
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grant under subsection (a)(1) or an innovation and recre-
ation program grant under subsection (a)(2), and if con-
sistent with the approved application for such grant, the 
a grant may be transferred in whole or in part to private 
nonprofit agencies, provided that assisted recreational 
areas and facilities owned or managed by such private 
nonprofit agencies offer recreation opportunities to the 
general population within the jurisdictional boundaries of 
the local government. 
(e) PAYMENTS.—Grant payments may be made only 
for rehabilitation and construction or innovation and 
recreation projects and programs approved by the Sec-
retary. In the case of rehabilitation and construction and 
innovation projects, such payments may be made periodi-
cally consistent with the rate of progress toward the satis-
factory completion of a project, except that the Secretary 
may, when appropriate, make advance payments on ap-
proved rehabilitation and construction and innovation 
projects in an amount not to exceed 20 percent of the total 
project cost. 
(f) MODIFICATION OF PROJECT.—The Secretary may 
authorize modification of an approved rehabilitation and 
construction or innovation project only when a grantee has 
adequately demonstrated that such modification is nec-
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essary because of circumstances not foreseeable at the 
time such project was proposed. 
SEC. 104. REQUIREMENTS FOR REHABILITATION AND CON-
STRUCTION GRANTS. 
(a) PRIORITY CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish priority criteria for the selection and approval of 
projects to be funded by a rehabilitation and construction 
grant made pursuant to section 103(a)(1), which shall in-
clude whether and the extent to which the project would— 
(1) serve a community with a high population 
density; 
(2) address demonstrated deficiencies in the 
condition of existing recreational areas and facilities 
in the project neighborhood; 
(3) address demonstrated deficiencies in access 
to neighborhood recreation opportunities, particu-
larly for minority and low- and moderate-income 
residents, veterans or active duty military families, 
and residents with physical or mental disabilities; 
(4) serve a community with a higher than aver-
age number of unemployed people as a percentage of 
the civilian labor force of the project neighborhood; 
(5) include public participation in determining 
rehabilitation or development needs and the extent 
to which a project supports or complements target 
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activities undertaken as part of a local government’s 
overall community development and urban revitaliza-
tion program; 
(6) provide employment opportunities for mi-
norities, youth, and low- and moderate-income resi-
dents in the project neighborhood; 
(7) provide for participation of neighborhood, 
nonprofit, or tenant organizations in the proposed 
rehabilitation and construction activity or in subse-
quent maintenance, staffing, or supervision of rec-
reational areas and facilities; 
(8) demonstrate State, local, and private sup-
port for the project, as evidenced by commitments of 
non-Federal resources to project construction or op-
eration; 
(9) build recreational areas and facilities in 
areas that are located within one-half of a mile of 
public housing or a school and do not currently have 
indoor or outdoor facilities; 
(10) create, maintain, or revitalize playgrounds 
or active play areas for children; 
(11) connect children to the outdoors for phys-
ical activity and access to nature; 
(12) promote physical activity for individuals 
and the community at large; 
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(13) work collaboratively with local govern-
ments, colleges, and universities, and other institu-
tions to track the longitudinal rates of chronic dis-
eases in the community such as cardiovascular dis-
ease, diabetes, depression, and obesity; 
(14) use environmentally beneficial components 
such as sustainable landscape features and upcycled 
and recycled materials; 
(15) provide environmental benefits to urban 
areas, by including— 
(A) updating lighting; 
(B) planting trees; 
(C) increasing the urban forestry canopy; 
(D) improving stormwater management; 
(E) increasing green infrastructure; 
(F) employing water conservation meas-
ures; or 
(G) adding green spaces; 
(16) connect to public transportation; 
(17) apply the LEED Green Building Guide-
lines of the U.S. Green Building Council or other 
sustainability benchmarks that incorporate energy 
efficiency components, such as energy efficient light-
ing and heating ventilation and air conditioning 
(HVAC) systems and apply the SITES sustainable 
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landscape guidelines of the Sustainable Sites Initia-
tive; 
(18) contain safe trails or routes, such as trails, 
bikeways, and sidewalks that connect to neighbor-
hoods and enhance access to parks and recreational 
areas and facilities; and 
(19) update existing equipment or facilities or 
construct new facilities or sites, to comply with the 
most recent accessibility guidelines published by the 
United States Access Board, specifically by removing 
architectural barriers so that sites comply or exceed 
the requirements of the final guidelines for the ac-
cessibility of recreational areas and facilities. 
(b) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.—Not more than 
10 percent of any amounts made available pursuant to 
section 114 for rehabilitation and construction grants 
under section 103(a)(1) in any fiscal year may be used 
for the acquisition of lands or interests in land. 
SEC. 105. REQUIREMENTS FOR INNOVATION AND RECRE-
ATION PROGRAM GRANTS. 
(a) PRIORITY CRITERIA.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish priority criteria for the selection and approval of 
projects and programs to be funded by an innovation and 
recreation program grant made pursuant to section 
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103(a)(2), including whether and the extent to which the 
project or program— 
(1) promotes the unique integration of recre-
ation with other community services, such as trans-
portation, public housing and public safety, either to 
expand or update current services or to link pro-
grams within the social service structure of a neigh-
borhood or between neighborhoods; 
(2) utilizes new management and cost-saving or 
service-efficient approaches for improving the deliv-
ery of recreation services; 
(3) serves communities with a high population 
of active military families or veterans; 
(4) ensures accessibility to therapeutic recre-
ation services and provides recreation opportunities 
for injured or disabled members of the Armed 
Forces; 
(5) employs veterans or youth, or uses youth 
volunteers; 
(6) enhances or expands youth development in 
neighborhoods and communities by engaging youth 
in environmental stewardship, conservation, and 
service projects; 
(7) targets youth that are at the greatest risk 
of becoming involved in violence and crime; 
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(8) demonstrates past success in providing con-
structive alternatives to youth at risk for engaging 
in criminal behavior; 
(9) demonstrates collaboration between local 
park and recreation, juvenile justice, law enforce-
ment, and youth social service agencies and non-
governmental entities, including private, nonprofit 
agencies; and 
(10) shows the greatest potential of being con-
tinued with non-Federal funds or may serve as mod-
els for other communities. 
(b) SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS.—Each innovation 
and recreation program grant shall be used in accordance 
with the goals, priorities, and implementation strategies 
expressed in the local park and recreation recovery action 
program established pursuant to section 106 for the eligi-
ble local government receiving the grant, with particular 
regard to the special considerations set forth in the pro-
gram pursuant to section 106(b). 
SEC. 106. LOCAL COMMITMENTS TO SYSTEM RECOVERY 
AND MAINTENANCE. 
(a) LOCAL PARK AND RECREATION RECOVERY AC-
TION PROGRAMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—As a requirement for ap-
proval of a project or program for a grant under 
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paragraph (1) or (2) of section 103(a), the eligible 
local government applying for the grant shall submit 
to the Secretary a local park and recreation recovery 
action program that— 
(A) provides evidence of its commitment to 
ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, oper-
ation, and maintenance programs for its park 
and recreation systems; and 
(B) maximizes coordination of all commu-
nity resources, including other federally sup-
ported urban development and recreation pro-
grams. 
(2) INTERIM
PRELIMINARY
PROGRAMS.—The 
Secretary shall provide, by regulation, that during 
an initial interim period the requirement under para-
graph (1) for an eligible local government to submit 
a local park and recreation recover action program 
may be satisfied by submission of a preliminary ac-
tion program to be carried out by the eligible local 
government that defines objectives, priorities, and 
implementation strategies for overall system recovery 
and maintenance and commit such local government 
to a scheduled program development process. 
(3) 5-YEAR ACTION PROGRAM.—After the expi-
ration of the interim period under paragraph (2), 
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