Green New Deal for Public Housing Act

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 2664 To provide economic empowerment opportunities in the United States through the modernization of public housing, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 19, 2021 Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ (for herself, Ms. NORTON, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. BOWMAN, Mr. JONES, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Ms. OMAR, Ms. PIN- GREE, Mr. NADLER, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mrs. BEATTY, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. NEGUSE, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York, Mr. SUOZZI, Mrs. DINGELL, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. BRENDAN F. BOYLE of Penn- sylvania, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. LIEU, Mr. CICILLINE, and Ms. LEE of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com- mittee on Financial Services A BILL To provide economic empowerment opportunities in the United States through the modernization of public hous- ing, 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 ‘‘Green New Deal for 4 Public Housing Act’’. 5 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 6 The purpose of this Act is— 7 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 2664 IH (1) to stimulate, gather, and develop the work- 1 force capacity, tools, financing, and materials needed 2 to rehabilitate, upgrade, modernize, and transition 3 public housing; 4 (2) to rehabilitate public housing that is se- 5 verely distressed and causing residents to be exposed 6 to unhealthy and unsafe environments; 7 (3) to upgrade and equip all public housing 8 with cutting-edge materials, infrastructure, and all- 9 electric appliances made in the United States in 10 order to improve energy efficiency, water quality, 11 and material living standards in public housing and 12 to support United States manufacturing; 13 (4) to modernize public housing laws in order to 14 maximize tenant participation and management by 15 low- and very low-income individuals in the rehabili- 16 tation, upgrade, and transition of public housing 17 through education, training, and jobs; and 18 (5) to transition the entire public housing stock 19 of the United States, as swiftly and seamlessly as 20 possible, into highly energy-efficient homes that 21 produce on-site, or procure, enough carbon-free re- 22 newable energy to meet total energy consumption 23 annually. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 2664 IH SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 1 In this Act: 2 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 3 ty’’ means— 4 (A) a public housing agency; 5 (B) an Indian tribe or a tribally designated 6 housing entity that is eligible to receive assist- 7 ance under the Native American Housing As- 8 sistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 9 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.); and 10 (C) the Department of Hawaiian Home 11 Lands, as defined in section 801 of the Native 12 American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter- 13 mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4221). 14 (2) INDIAN TRIBE; TRIBALLY DESIGNATED 15 HOUSING ENTITY.—The terms ‘‘Indian tribe’’ and 16 ‘‘tribally designated housing entity’’ have the mean- 17 ings given those terms in section 4 of the Native 18 American Housing Assistance and Self-Determina- 19 tion Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 20 (3) PUBLIC HOUSING.—The term ‘‘public hous- 21 ing’’— 22 (A) has the meaning given the term in sec- 23 tion 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 24 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)); and 25 (B) includes— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 2664 IH (i) any dwelling unit owned by an In- 1 dian tribe that is or was a dwelling unit in 2 public housing; 3 (ii) any low-income housing dwelling 4 unit described in section 302(b)(1) of the 5 Native American Housing Assistance and 6 Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 7 4152(b)(1)); 8 (iii) any dwelling unit assisted under 9 section 802 of the Native American Hous- 10 ing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 11 of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4222); and 12 (iv) any dwelling unit that— 13 (I) was a low-income housing 14 dwelling unit described in section 15 302(b)(1) of the Native American 16 Housing Assistance and Self-Deter- 17 mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 18 4152(b)(1)); and 19 (II) is rented only to households 20 with an income that is not more than 21 80 percent of the area median income. 22 (4) PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY.—The term 23 ‘‘public housing agency’’ has the meaning given the 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 2664 IH term in section 3(b) of the United States Housing 1 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 2 (5) PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENT-OWNED BUSI- 3 NESS.—The term ‘‘public housing resident-owned 4 business’’ means a business concern that— 5 (A) provides economic opportunities, as de- 6 fined in section 3(e) of the Housing and Urban 7 Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 8 1701u(e)); and 9 (B) is owned by public housing residents. 10 (6) RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term ‘‘renew- 11 able energy’’ means— 12 (A) utility-, community-, and small-scale 13 photovoltaic and thermal solar energy; 14 (B) utility- and small-scale wind energy; 15 (C) geothermal energy; 16 (D) microturbine hydroelectricity; 17 (E) energy efficiency; 18 (F) building electrification; 19 (G) energy storage; 20 (H) microgrids; and 21 (I) modern distribution grid infrastructure. 22 (7) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 23 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 2664 IH (8) ZERO-CARBON HOME.—The term ‘‘zero-car- 1 bon home’’ means a highly energy-efficient home 2 that produces on-site, or procures, enough carbon- 3 free renewable energy to meet the total annual en- 4 ergy consumption of the home. 5 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CON- 6 GRESS FOR IMPROVED ARCHITECTURAL DE- 7 SIGN IN GOVERNMENT HOUSING PROGRAMS. 8 Section 4 of the Housing and Urban Development 9 Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701v) is amended to read as fol- 10 lows: 11 ‘‘SEC. 4. IMPROVED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN GOVERN- 12 MENT HOUSING PROGRAMS. 13 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 14 ‘‘(1) if Federal aid is to make its full commu- 15 nity-wide contribution toward improving our urban 16 and rural environments, Federal aid must have a 17 greater impact on improvements in architectural de- 18 sign; and 19 ‘‘(2) even within the necessary budget limita- 20 tions on housing for low- and moderate-income fami- 21 lies, architectural design and environmental perform- 22 ance can be improved not only to make the housing 23 more livable, but also to better suit the needs of oc- 24 cupants including human and environmental health, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 2664 IH zero carbon emissions, well-being, accessibility, and 1 equity. 2 ‘‘(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 3 gress that in the administration of housing programs that 4 assist in the provision of housing for low- and moderate- 5 income families, emphasis should be given to— 6 ‘‘(1) encouraging good architectural design that 7 yields maximal environmental performance and ad- 8 heres to accessibility guidelines established in ac- 9 cordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act 10 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) as an essential 11 component of such housing; and 12 ‘‘(2) developing, with opportunities for resident 13 involvement, housing that will be of such quality as 14 to reflect the highest international architectural 15 standards and the architectural standards of the 16 neighborhood and the community in which it is situ- 17 ated, consistent with prudent budgeting.’’. 18 SEC. 5. DECLARATION OF POLICY. 19 Section 2(a) of the United States Housing Act of 20 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437(a)) is amended to read as follows: 21 ‘‘(a) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—It is the policy of 22 the United States— 23 ‘‘(1) to modernize the intersections of Federal 24 and local government by employing the funds and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 2664 IH credit of the United States, as provided in this 1 Act— 2 ‘‘(A) to guarantee the right to housing for 3 every individual; 4 ‘‘(B) to assist States and political subdivi- 5 sions of States in ensuring that— 6 ‘‘(i) all housing in the United States 7 is habitable, highly energy-efficient, and 8 safe; and 9 ‘‘(ii) housing conditions lead to good 10 health, security, and adequate protection 11 from the economic fears relating to old 12 age, disability, sickness, accident, and un- 13 employment; and 14 ‘‘(C) to protect, maintain, preserve, and 15 expand public housing as a sustainable safety 16 net for all people; 17 ‘‘(2) that it is the responsibility of the Federal 18 Government, in conjunction with public housing 19 agencies, to incentivize, promote, and protect the 20 independent, collaborative, and collective actions of 21 public housing residents and other private citizens to 22 develop housing in a manner that strengthens entire 23 neighborhoods; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 2664 IH ‘‘(3) that the Federal Government should act 1 and build new public housing where there is a seri- 2 ous need that the free market cannot address or is 3 not addressing responsibly.’’. 4 SEC. 6. GREEN NEW DEAL PUBLIC HOUSING GRANTS. 5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAMS.— 6 (1) GRANTS FOR PUBLIC HOUSING COMMUNITY 7 WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.— 8 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in con- 9 sultation with the Secretary of Labor, shall es- 10 tablish a grant program that provides amounts 11 to eligible entities to facilitate workforce devel- 12 opment projects and high-income employment 13 transition at public housing. 14 (B) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants 15 under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give 16 preference to applications submitted by— 17 (i) eligible entities described in sub- 18 paragraph (B) or (C) of section 3(2); 19 (ii) eligible entities that have formed 20 partnerships with an existing registered 21 apprenticeship, pre-apprenticeship, intern- 22 ship, labor-management partnership, or 23 other partnerships with labor organiza- 24 tions; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 2664 IH (iii) eligible entities that demonstrate 1 a capacity to facilitate a workforce develop- 2 ment program that leads to— 3 (I) the development of career and 4 related skills, including financial and 5 economic empowerment education; 6 (II) direct entry to registered ap- 7 prenticeship programs; 8 (III) certification or associate de- 9 gree acquisition; 10 (IV) technical assistance and re- 11 sources for public housing resident- 12 owned businesses for purposes of com- 13 pliance with the requirements under 14 section 3 of the Housing and Urban 15 Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 16 1701u), including— 17 (aa) legal or compliance 18 services on behalf of public hous- 19 ing resident-owned businesses for 20 purposes of helping them access 21 and apply for government pro- 22 curement and contracting oppor- 23 tunities; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 2664 IH (bb) education on starting 1 and sustaining a business; 2 (cc) accessing insurance and 3 bonds; and 4 (dd) demonstrating capacity 5 and sustainable operations; 6 (V) training and development of 7 skills necessary for career develop- 8 ment in the fields, trades, and services 9 reasonably determined during the first 10 public comment period held in accord- 11 ance with subsection (b)(3) to be of 12 interest to public housing residents; 13 (VI) educational and organiza- 14 tional tools for public housing resi- 15 dents in order to advance the models 16 of worker cooperatives and collective 17 bargaining; 18 (VII) education, engagement, and 19 empowerment resources to help both 20 residents of public housing and local 21 low- and very low-income individuals 22 avail themselves of opportunities made 23 available under the workforce develop- 24 ment program, including education, 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 2664 IH engagement, and empowerment re- 1 sources provided in partnership 2 with— 3 (aa) a local entity that oper- 4 ates a Family Self-Sufficiency 5 program under section 23 of the 6 United States Housing Act of 7 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437u); and 8 (bb) community-based orga- 9 nizations that demonstrate a 10 commitment to and history of or- 11 ganizing with public housing resi- 12 dents; 13 (VIII) innovative design partner- 14 ships with local schools and architec- 15 tural firms; 16 (IX) training and employment 17 opportunities reserved specifically for 18 local low- and very low-income people 19 that were formerly incarcerated; and 20 (X) stipends valued at not less 21 than $250 per week to individuals 22 participating in the workforce develop- 23 ment program; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:22 Jun 09, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H2664.IH H2664 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 2664 IH (iv) eligible entities in the construc- 1 tion or maintenance sector seeking to carry 2 out a project to develop pre-apprentice- 3 ships that prepare individuals for accept- 4 ance into registered programs in that sec- 5 tor. 6 (C) COMPLIANCE MANAGERS.—Not more 7 than 10 percent of the amount of a grant re- 8 ceived by an eligible entity under this para- 9 graph may be used by an eligible entity to hire 10 or otherwise retain reporting and compliance 11 managers with sufficient expertise to ensure 12 that the eligible entity can comply with the re- 13 quirements of section 3 of the Housing and 14 Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 15 1701u). 16 (D) ADDITIONAL ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—In 17 addition to the eligible entities under this [Text truncated for display. 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