Better PLAN Act

II 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 768 To amend section 5303 of title 49, United States Code, to consider housing in metropolitan transportation planning, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES MARCH 16, 2021 Ms. CORTEZ MASTO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs A BILL To amend section 5303 of title 49, United States Code, to consider housing in metropolitan transportation plan- ning, 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 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Better Planning and 4 Land-Use for Accessible Neighborhoods Act’’ or the ‘‘Bet- 5 ter PLAN Act’’. 6 SEC. 2. METROPOLITAN TRANSPORTATION PLANNING. 7 Section 5303 of title 49, United States Code, is 8 amended— 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 768 IS (1) in subsection (a)(1), by inserting ‘‘and bet- 1 ter connect housing and employment’’ after ‘‘urban- 2 ized areas’’; 3 (2) in subsection (g)(3)(A), by inserting ‘‘hous- 4 ing,’’ after ‘‘economic development,’’; 5 (3) in subsection (h)(1)— 6 (A) in subparagraph (E), by inserting ‘‘, 7 housing,’’ after ‘‘growth’’; 8 (B) in subparagraph (H), by striking 9 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 10 (C) in subparagraph (I), by striking the 11 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 12 (D) by adding at the end the following: 13 ‘‘(J) enhance the integration and 14 connectivity of the transportation system by 15 better connecting housing to employment.’’; 16 (4) in subsection (i)— 17 (A) in paragraph (4)(B)— 18 (i) by redesignating clauses (iii) 19 through (vi) as clauses (iv) through (vii), 20 respectively; and 21 (ii) by inserting after clause (ii) the 22 following: 23 ‘‘(iii) assumed distribution of popu- 24 lation and housing;’’; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 768 IS (B) in paragraph (5)(A), by inserting 1 ‘‘housing,’’ after ‘‘conservation,’’; and 2 (C) in paragraph (6)(A), by inserting ‘‘af- 3 fordable housing organizations,’’ after ‘‘dis- 4 abled,’’; and 5 (5) in subsection (k)— 6 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (4) and 7 (5) as paragraphs (5) and (6), respectively; and 8 (B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 9 following: 10 ‘‘(4) HOUSING COORDINATION PROCESS.— 11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Within a metropolitan 12 planning area serving a transportation manage- 13 ment area, the transportation planning process 14 under this section shall address the integration 15 of housing, transportation, and economic devel- 16 opment strategies through a process that pro- 17 vides for effective integration, based on a coop- 18 eratively developed and implemented strategy, 19 of new and existing transportation facilities eli- 20 gible for funding under this chapter and title 21 23. 22 ‘‘(B) COORDINATION IN INTEGRATED 23 PLANNING PROCESS.—In carrying out the proc- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 768 IS ess described in subparagraph (A), a metropoli- 1 tan planning organization shall— 2 ‘‘(i) consult with— 3 ‘‘(I) State and local entities re- 4 sponsible for land use, economic devel- 5 opment, housing, management of road 6 networks, or public transportation; 7 and 8 ‘‘(II) other appropriate public or 9 private entities; and 10 ‘‘(ii) coordinate, to the extent prac- 11 ticable, with applicable State and local en- 12 tities to align the goals of the process with 13 the goals of any comprehensive housing af- 14 fordability strategies established within the 15 metropolitan planning area pursuant to 16 section 105 of the Cranston-Gonzalez Na- 17 tional Affordable Housing Act (12 U.S.C. 18 12705) and plans developed under section 19 5A of the United States Housing Act of 20 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437c–1). 21 ‘‘(C) SCHEDULE.—The Secretary shall es- 22 tablish an appropriate phase-in schedule for 23 compliance with the requirements of this para- 24 graph, but no sooner than— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 768 IS ‘‘(i) 1 year after the identification of 1 a transportation management area; or 2 ‘‘(ii) with respect to a transportation 3 management area in existence on the day 4 before the date of enactment of this para- 5 graph, 1 year after the date of enactment 6 of this paragraph. 7 ‘‘(D) HOUSING COORDINATION PLAN.— 8 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A metropolitan 9 planning organization serving a transpor- 10 tation management area may develop a 11 housing coordination plan that includes 12 projects and strategies that will be consid- 13 ered in the metropolitan transportation 14 plan of the metropolitan planning organi- 15 zation. 16 ‘‘(ii) CONTENTS.—A plan described in 17 clause (i) may— 18 ‘‘(I) develop regional goals for 19 the integration of housing, transpor- 20 tation, and economic development 21 strategies to— 22 ‘‘(aa) better connect housing 23 and employment while mitigating 24 commuting times; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 768 IS ‘‘(bb) align transportation 1 improvements with housing 2 needs, such as housing supply 3 shortages, and proposed housing 4 development; 5 ‘‘(cc) align planning for 6 housing and transportation to ad- 7 dress needs in relationship to 8 household incomes within the 9 metropolitan planning area; 10 ‘‘(dd) expand housing and 11 economic development within the 12 catchment areas of existing 13 transportation facilities and pub- 14 lic transportation services when 15 appropriate, including higher- 16 density development, as locally 17 determined; 18 ‘‘(ee) manage effects of 19 growth of vehicle miles traveled 20 experienced in the metropolitan 21 planning area related to housing 22 development and economic devel- 23 opment; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 768 IS ‘‘(ff) increase share of 1 households with sufficient and af- 2 fordable access to the transpor- 3 tation networks of the metropoli- 4 tan planning area; 5 ‘‘(II) identify the location of ex- 6 isting and planned housing and em- 7 ployment, and transportation options 8 that connect housing and employment; 9 and 10 ‘‘(III) include a comparison of 11 transportation plans to land use man- 12 agement plans, including zoning 13 plans, that may affect road use, public 14 transportation ridership and housing 15 development.’’. 16 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 01:14 Apr 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\S768.IS S768 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS