Community Parks Revitalization Act

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- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 159 IH SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS. 1 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 2 ‘‘Community Parks Revitalization Act’’. 3 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 4 this Act is as follows: 5 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 6 REVITALIZATION PROGRAM 7 SEC. 101. FINDINGS. 8 The Congress finds the following: 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 159 IH (1) Currently, over 80 percent of our Nation’s 1 population lives in urban areas. 2 (2) Economic competitiveness, which includes 3 the ability to create jobs, stimulate growth, attract 4 businesses, investment, tourism, and a highly skilled 5 workforce, is closely related to the availability of 6 fully functional park and recreation systems in 7 America’s metropolitan areas. 8 (3) According to the American Society of Civil 9 Engineers, parks, beaches, and other recreational fa- 10 cilities contribute $730 billion per year to the U.S. 11 economy, support nearly 6.5 million jobs, and con- 12 tribute to cleaner air and water and higher property 13 values. 14 (4) Despite spending on parks at the State and 15 local levels, the acreage of parkland per resident in 16 urban areas is declining due to rapid increases in 17 population and to parks, such as Liberty State Park 18 in New Jersey, being threatened by privatization. 19 (5) A lack of access to public parks and recre- 20 ation areas and facilities, as well as deteriorating 21 and unsafe play areas, leads to an increase in phys- 22 ical inactivity, which in turn contributes to higher 23 rates of obesity. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 159 IH (6) According to the Centers for Disease Con- 1 trol and Prevention, over the past 25 years, rates of 2 obesity have more than tripled among adolescents 3 ages 12 to 19 and doubled among adults ages 20 to 4 74 and children ages 6 to 11. 5 (7) Obesity and related health problems put a 6 strain on our Nation’s economy, as the annual costs 7 of medical spending and lost productivity from indi- 8 viduals in the United States being obese and over- 9 weight are estimated to be $147,000,000,000. 10 (8) A study by the Centers for Disease Control 11 found that the creation of, or enhanced access to, 12 places for physical activity, such as parks, led to a 13 25.6 percent increase in the percentage of people ex- 14 ercising on 3 or more days a week, which improves 15 the physical and mental health of our citizens. 16 (9) The guidelines of the Centers for Disease 17 Control and Prevention for COVID-19 lists visiting 18 parks close to home as a safe way to relieve stress, 19 get some fresh air, and stay active, all of which are 20 important for mental and physical health. 21 (10) There are nearly 23 million veterans in the 22 United States. Many have mental and physical dis- 23 abilities from injuries sustained during their service 24 in Iraq and Afghanistan. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 159 IH (11) Parks and recreation agencies are pro- 1 viding vital programs for veterans, with and without 2 disabilities, and for their families, that provide phys- 3 ical, mental, and social benefits to improve their 4 overall quality of life as they transition to civilian 5 living. 6 (12) According to the Juvenile Justice Bulletin, 7 without structured, supervised activities in the after- 8 school hours, youth are at greater risk of being vic- 9 tims of crime or participating in anti-social behav- 10 iors between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. The peak hour 11 for juvenile crime is between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 12 p.m., the first hour after most students are dis- 13 missed from school. Urban parks decrease juvenile 14 delinquency by providing quality after-school pro- 15 grams during these critical hours. 16 (13) Parks also add to the environmental viabil- 17 ity of communities. While cities currently spend tens 18 of billions of dollars on treatment of storm water 19 runoff and air pollution, studies have shown that 20 parkland saves cities millions of dollars in storm 21 water management and air pollution expenses by 22 capturing precipitation, reducing runoff, and absorb- 23 ing air pollutants. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 159 IH SEC. 102. PURPOSES. 1 The purposes of this title are— 2 (1) to authorize the Secretary of Housing and 3 Urban Development to establish a program enabling 4 communities to better leverage resources to address 5 health, economic development, and conservation con- 6 cerns through needed investments in parks, rec- 7 reational areas, facilities, and programs; 8 (2) to improve and revitalize urban areas 9 through economic development; 10 (3) to prevent and improve chronic disease out- 11 comes, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, de- 12 pression, and obesity; 13 (4) to improve recreational areas and facilities 14 and expand recreation services in urban areas with 15 a high incidence of crime and help expand recreation 16 opportunities for at-risk youth; 17 (5) to promote collaboration between local agen- 18 cies involved in parks and recreation, law enforce- 19 ment, youth social services, and juvenile justice sys- 20 tem; 21 (6) to ensure accessibility to therapeutic recre- 22 ation services and to provide recreation opportunities 23 for injured or disabled members of the Armed 24 Forces; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 159 IH (7) to encourage the use of environmentally re- 1 sponsible components and sustainable landscape fea- 2 tures, and promote cost effective solutions to issues 3 such as storm water management, water conserva- 4 tion, and air quality. 5 SEC. 103. COMMUNITY PARKS REVITALIZATION PROGRAM. 6 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Housing and 7 Urban Development shall carry out a community parks 8 revitalization program under this title under which the 9 Secretary shall, from amounts appropriated pursuant to 10 section 114, award the following grants on a competitive 11 basis: 12 (1) REHABILITATION AND CONSTRUCTION 13 GRANTS.—The Secretary shall make rehabilitation 14 and construction capital grants in accordance with 15 the criteria established pursuant to section 104(a) to 16 eligible local governments for the purpose of— 17 (A) rebuilding, remodeling, expanding, in- 18 tegrating, or developing existing or building new 19 recreational areas and facilities, including im- 20 provements in park landscapes, infrastructure, 21 buildings, and support facilities; and 22 (B) the provision of lighting, emergency 23 phones, or other capital improvements to im- 24 prove the security of urban parks, but not in- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 159 IH cluding routine maintenance and upkeep activi- 1 ties. 2 (2) INNOVATION AND RECREATION PROGRAM 3 GRANTS.—The Secretary shall make innovation and 4 recreation program grants in accordance with the 5 criteria established pursuant to section 105(a) to eli- 6 gible local governments to cover costs of personnel, 7 facilities, equipment, supplies, or services designed 8 to demonstrate innovative and cost effective ways to 9 augment park and recreation opportunities, or sup- 10 port new or existing programs, that increase access 11 to recreation opportunities for returning veterans 12 and active duty military and their families or provide 13 constructive alternatives for youth at risk for engag- 14 ing in criminal behavior. 15 (3) RECOVERY ACTION PROGRAM GRANTS.— 16 The Secretary shall make recovery action program 17 grants to eligible local governments for planning and 18 development of local park and recreation recovery 19 action programs required under section 106, includ- 20 ing for resource and needs assessment, coordination, 21 citizen involvement and planning, and program de- 22 velopment activities to encourage public definition of 23 goals and develop priorities and strategies for overall 24 recreation system recovery. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 159 IH (b) ELIGIBILITY.— 1 (1) IN GENERAL.—For the purposes of this 2 title, any local government located within a standard 3 metropolitan statistical area, as determined in ac- 4 cordance with the most recent decennial Census, 5 shall be eligible to apply for and receive grant 6 awards pursuant to subsection (a). 7 (2) PARTIAL ELIGIBILITY WAIVER.— 8 (A) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary may 9 designate local governments not located within 10 standard metropolitan statistical areas, as de- 11 termined in accordance with the most recent de- 12 cennial Census, as eligible to receive grant 13 awards pursuant to subsection (a). 14 (B) LIMITATION ON AMOUNTS.—The ag- 15 gregate amount of grants made to eligible local 16 governments that receive such status pursuant 17 to subparagraph (A) of this paragraph shall not 18 exceed 15 percent of the total amounts appro- 19 priated pursuant to this title for all grants 20 under subsection (a). 21 (c) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.— 22 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall ensure 23 that each eligible local government that receives a 24 grant pursuant to subsection (a) shall supplement, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 159 IH in accordance with this subsection, the amount re- 1 ceived under such grant with an amount that is not 2 less than 3⁄7 of such grant amount; except that, in 3 the case of grants under subsection (a)(3), the Sec- 4 retary shall ensure that each eligible local govern- 5 ment shall supplement the amount received under 6 such grant with amount that is not less than such 7 grant amount. 8 (2) USE.—Supplemental amounts made avail- 9 able in accordance with paragraph (1) shall be used 10 only for projects and activities for which grant 11 amounts are eligible to be used. 12 (3) SOURCES FOR SUPPLEMENTAL FUNDS.— 13 (A) LIMITATION ON FEDERAL FUNDS.— 14 Supplemental funds required by paragraph (1) 15 may not include any amounts made available 16 from a Federal grant program, other than— 17 (i) the community development block 18 grant program under title I of the Housing 19 and Community Development Act of 1974 20 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.); 21 (ii) any Federal program for general 22 revenue sharing with local governments; or 23 (iii) any Federal program that pro- 24 vides block grants to States and localities 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 02:25 Feb 04, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H159.IH H159 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 159 IH to develop, promote, implement, and man- 1 age energy efficiency and conservation 2 projects and programs designed to reduce 3 fossil fuel emissions, reduce energy use, 4 improve energy efficiency, and create and 5 retain jobs. 6 (B) STATE AND PRIVATE AMOUNTS.—The 7 Secretary may require that a portion of the 8 supplemental funds required by paragraph (1) 9 come from the State or private sources. 10 (C) NON-FEDERAL FUNDS.—Supplemental 11 funds required by paragraph (1) may include— 12 (i) general or specific purpose State or 13 local revenues; 14 (ii) State categorical grants; 15 (iii) special appropriations under 16 State law; 17 (iv) donations of land, building, or 18 building materials; 19 (v) in-kind construction, technical, 20 and planning services; and 21 (vi) any combination of funds de- 22 scribed in this subparagraph. 23 (d) TRANSFER.—At the discretion of an eligible local 24 government receiving a rehabilitation and construction 25 VerDat [Text truncated for display. 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