Title: LODGE Act
Policy area: Public Lands and Natural Resources

Summary:
Lodging Options Developed for Government Employees Act or the LODGE Act
This bill expands the current authority of the Department of the Interior to enter into agreements with housing entities to provide rental housing for employees. The bill allows Interior to enter agreements with other federal agencies, state or local governments, tribal governments, or other public or private organizations to develop, construct, rehabilitate, or manage housing for rent to field employees and members of the public
Interior may allow field employees and members of the public to occupy and lease project quarters.
Field employees and members of the public shall be prohibited from subleasing housing established pursuant to this bill.
To the maximum extent practicable, priority for occupancy in project quarters shall be given to field employees.
Interior may allow partners in agreements to collect rents directly from housing occupants.
The bill modifies the lease-to-build program to allow Interior to lease federal land and interests in land to qualified persons for the construction of field employee quarters for any period not to exceed 60 years (under current law not to exceed 50 years).

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7615 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7615

 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into partnerships 
              to develop housing, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 28, 2022

    Mr. Moore of Utah (for himself and Mr. Panetta) introduced the 
    following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Natural 
                               Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the Secretary of the Interior to enter into partnerships 
              to develop housing, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

     This Act may be cited as the ``Lodging Options Developed for 
Government Employees Act'' or the ``LODGE Act''.

SEC. 2. HOUSING PARTNERSHIPS; OCCUPANCY.

    Subchapter III of chapter 1013 of title 54, United States Code, is 
amended--
            (1) by amending section 101331 to read as follows:
``Sec. 101331. Definitions
    ``In this subchapter:
            ``(1) Field employee.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The term `field employee' 
                means--
                            ``(i) an employee of the Service;
                            ``(ii) an individual who is authorized to 
                        occupy and lease government quarters, as 
                        determined by the Secretary and under section 
                        5911 of title 5; or
                            ``(iii) an employee of the Federal 
                        Government who is--
                                    ``(I) eligible to live in 
                                government housing; and
                                    ``(II) not an employee of the 
                                Service.
                    ``(B) Household members.--The term `field employee' 
                includes the members of the household of each 
                individual described in subparagraph (A).
            ``(2) Housing partnership agreement.--The term `housing 
        partnership agreement' means an agreement, lease, or contract 
        entered into under section 101334(a).
            ``(3) Member of the public.--The term `member of the 
        public'--
                    ``(A) means an individual who is not a field 
                employee; and
                    ``(B) includes the members of such individual's 
                household.
            ``(4) Primary resource values.--The term `primary resource 
        values' means resources that are specifically mentioned in the 
        enabling legislation for that field unit or other resource 
        value recognized under Federal statute.
            ``(5) Project.--The term `project' means housing developed 
        under an agreement entered into under this subchapter.
            ``(6) Public lands.--The term `public lands' means lands 
        under the administrative jurisdiction of the Federal 
        Government.
            ``(7) Quarters.--The term `quarters' means housing owned or 
        leased by the Federal Government, or the subject of a housing 
        partnership agreement under this subchapter.'';
            (2) in section 101332(a)(2), by striking ``rates'' and 
        inserting ``affordable rates'';
            (3) in section 101333, by inserting ``or affordability'' 
        after ``lack of availability'';
            (4) by amending section 101334 to read as follows:
    ``(a) In General.--The Secretary may, pursuant to the authorities 
contained in this subchapter and subject to the appropriation of 
necessary funds in advance, enter into agreements, leases, or contracts 
with other Federal agencies, State or local governments, Tribal 
Governments, housing entities, or other public or private 
organizations, for the purposes of developing, constructing, 
rehabilitating, or managing housing for rent to field employees and 
members of the public--
            ``(1) on public lands, including System units;
            ``(2) off public lands in the vicinity of System units; or
            ``(3) a combination of public lands described in paragraphs 
        (1) and (2).
    ``(b) Terms and Conditions.--
            ``(1) National park lands.--For any housing partnership 
        agreements for housing on lands under the administrative 
        jurisdiction of the Service, the Secretary shall ensure--
                    ``(A) the housing and related facilities and the 
                use thereof are in conformity with the approved plans 
                for the field unit and Director's orders and reference 
                manuals related to Service housing;
                    ``(B) that the location of the housing and related 
                facilities will avoid degradation to the primary 
                resource values within the field unit, and will not 
                adversely affect the mission of the Service; and
                    ``(C) that the agreements include any other terms 
                and conditions the Secretary may consider advisable to 
                protect the interests of the United States.
            ``(2) Other public or private lands.--For any housing 
        partnership agreements for housing on other public or private 
        lands not under the administrative jurisdiction of the Service, 
        the Secretary shall ensure the agreements--
                    ``(A) have received the authorization of each 
                Federal agency, State or local government, or other 
                public or private entity involved;
                    ``(B) identify both the Federal and non-Federal 
                funding to be used in completing the housing and 
                related facilities; and
                    ``(C) any other terms and conditions the Secretary 
                may consider advisable to protect the interests of the 
                United States.
    ``(c) Housing Occupancy.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may allow field employees 
        and members of the public to occupy and lease project quarters.
            ``(2) Compliance.--Members of the public occupying quarters 
        shall be subject to the same laws and policies with which field 
        employees are required to comply, as applicable.
            ``(3) Prohibition.--Field employees and members of the 
        public shall be prohibited from subleasing housing established 
        under this subchapter.
            ``(4) Preference.--To the maximum extent practicable, 
        priority for occupancy in project quarters shall be given to 
        field employees.
    ``(d) Contracting Procedures.--Each contract awarded pursuant to 
this section shall be awarded through the use of publicly advertised, 
competitively bid, or competitively negotiated contracting procedures, 
unless the Secretary--
            ``(1) determines that it is in the public interest to use 
        procedures other than competitive procedures with respect to 
        the particular contract concerned; and
            ``(2) not less than 30 days before the award of the 
        contract, notifies, in writing, the Committee on Energy and 
        Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Natural 
        Resources of the House of Representatives of such determination 
        and the rationale for such determination.
    ``(e) Rent.--
            ``(1) Collection.--The Secretary may allow partners in 
        agreements entered into under this section to collect rents 
        directly from housing occupants.
            ``(2) Rates.--For field employees, rent collected under 
        this subsection may not exceed the rates determined pursuant to 
        guidance in the document entitled `Circular No. A-45 Revised' 
        and dated November 25, 2019 (or subsequent guidance).
    ``(f) Leases and Limited Ownership.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary may allow long-term leases 
        or term-limited ownership of buildings on public lands, as 
        appropriate, to facilitate the ability of an entity with whom a 
        housing partnership agreement has been entered into under 
        subsection (b) to secure financing.
            ``(2) Expiration of term.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Upon expiration of a term of 
                ownership under paragraph (1), the Secretary may--
                            ``(i) renew the housing partnership 
                        agreement;
                            ``(ii) take ownership of the buildings; or
                            ``(iii) enter into a new agreement.
                    ``(B) Covering costs.--If taking ownership of 
                buildings under subparagraph (A)(ii), the Secretary may 
                require the owner whose term of ownership is expiring 
                to cover costs associated with preparing the building 
                site for new or continued use.'';
            (5) in section 101335--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ``50'' 
                        and inserting ``60'';
                            (ii) in paragraph (2)--
                                    (I) by striking ``procedures.'' and 
                                inserting ``procedures, unless--''; and
                                    (II) by adding at the end the 
                                following:
                    ``(A) the lease is awarded to a nonprofit or 
                government entity; or
                    ``(B) the Secretary determines that it is in the 
                public interest to use procedures other than 
                competitive procedures in the particular lease 
                concerned and notifies, in writing, the Committee on 
                Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the 
                Committee on Natural Resources of the House of 
                Representatives of such determination and the rationale 
                for such determination.''.
                            (iii) in paragraph (3)(D), by inserting ``, 
                        affordability,'' after ``improve the quality''; 
                        and
                    (B) in subsection (b)--
                            (i) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3); and
                            (ii) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 
                        following:
            ``(2) Terms and conditions.--Any arrangement made pursuant 
        to this subsection shall contain such terms and conditions as 
        the Secretary considers necessary or appropriate to protect the 
        interests of the United States and ensure that necessary 
        quarters are available to field employees.''; and
                    (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as paragraph 
                (3);
            (6) by amending section 101338 to read as follows:
    ``(a) Exemption From Leasing Requirement.--The following provisions 
shall not apply to leases issued by the Secretary under this section:
            ``(1) Sections 102102 and 102901 of this title.
            ``(2) Section 1302 of title 40.
    ``(b) Proceeds From Leases.--The proceeds from any lease under 
section 101335(a)(1) or 101337 of this title from which the Service 
directly collects the proceeds shall be retained by the Service and 
deposited in the special fund established for repair, maintenance, 
rehabilitation, and operations of quarters and associated 
infrastructure.''; and
            (7) in section 101340, by amending subsection (b) to read 
        as follows:
    ``(b) Annual Budget Submittal.--Each fiscal year, the President's 
proposed budget to Congress shall include--
            ``(1) identification of non-construction funds to be spent 
        for Service housing maintenance and operations that are in 
        addition to rental receipts collected;
            ``(2) the use of each of the authorities provided to the 
        Service under this subchapter;
            ``(3) the number of additional housing units needed within 
        the National Park System;
            ``(4) any barriers that have been identified to providing 
        the needed housing; and
            ``(5) any recommendations for changes to existing 
        authorities that would help to remove those barriers.''.
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