Housing Innovation Act of 2019

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4756 To establish an Office of Housing Innovation in the Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist in exploring and developing new ap- proaches for increasing and diversifying the supply of housing and for meeting the challenges of housing shortages, housing affordability, and traffic congestion, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OCTOBER 18, 2019 Mr. DESAULNIER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services A BILL To establish an Office of Housing Innovation in the Depart- ment of Housing and Urban Development to assist in exploring and developing new approaches for increasing and diversifying the supply of housing and for meeting the challenges of housing shortages, housing afford- ability, and traffic congestion, 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 ‘‘Housing Innovation 4 Act of 2019’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 4756 IH SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 The Congress finds that— 2 (1) housing should be considered a critical com- 3 ponent of our national infrastructure; 4 (2) existing shortages of affordable housing op- 5 tions in many regions are contributing to long com- 6 mutes, financial stress, environmental pollution, and 7 public health risk; 8 (3) new approaches in the planning, design, and 9 construction of housing need to be explored for di- 10 versifying housing options available to the workforce; 11 and 12 (4) greater coordination of existing Federal re- 13 sources across agencies could significantly expand 14 and diversify the supply of housing. 15 SEC. 3. OFFICE OF HOUSING INNOVATION; ASSISTANT SEC- 16 RETARY. 17 (a) ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR HOUSING INNOVA- 18 TION.—Section 4(a) of the Department of Housing and 19 Urban Development Act (42 U.S.C. 3533(a)) is amended: 20 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘7 Assistant 21 Secretaries’’ and inserting ‘‘9 Assistant Secretaries’’; 22 and 23 (2) by adding at the end the following new sub- 24 section: 25 ‘‘(i) OFFICE OF HOUSING INNOVATION.— 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 4756 IH ‘‘(1) ASSISTANT SECRETARY.—There shall be in 1 the Department an Assistant Secretary for Housing 2 Innovation, who shall be appointed by the President. 3 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in 4 the Department the Office of Housing Innovation, 5 which shall be headed by the Assistant Secretary for 6 Housing Innovation. 7 ‘‘(3) FUNCTIONS.—The Assistant Secretary of 8 Housing Innovation shall have primary responsibility 9 within the Department for— 10 ‘‘(A) accumulating and disseminating in- 11 formation regarding innovative practices and 12 successful case studies of new approaches for 13 increasing and diversifying the supply of hous- 14 ing, especially in urban metropolitan regions 15 and surrounding rural regions that are facing 16 challenges of housing shortages, housing afford- 17 ability, and traffic congestion; 18 ‘‘(B) carrying out activities, including ad- 19 ministering the grant programs under the 20 Housing Innovation Act of 2019, to encourage 21 partnerships in exploring and developing inno- 22 vative solutions to the challenges to housing 23 supply referred to in subparagraph (A); 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 4756 IH ‘‘(C) coordinating with other offices within 1 the Department, including the Office of Hous- 2 ing, the Office of Policy Development and Re- 3 search, and the Office of Community Planning 4 and Development, and other Federal agencies, 5 including the Department of Transportation, to 6 recommend policies that address workforce 7 housing needs; and 8 ‘‘(D) providing technical assistance to local 9 governments in undertaking or preparing for 10 planning and policy reforms to increase housing 11 units and housing supply diversity. 12 ‘‘(4) DETAILEES.—The Secretary shall ensure 13 that the staff of the Office of Housing Innovation 14 includes, at all times— 15 ‘‘(A) two detailees from the Department of 16 Transportation, who shall include— 17 ‘‘(i) one having expertise in transit 18 issues or active transportation issues, or 19 both; and 20 ‘‘(ii) one from the Build America Bu- 21 reau having expertise on the Transpor- 22 tation Infrastructure Finance and Innova- 23 tion Act (TIFIA) program and the Rail- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 4756 IH road Rehabilitation and Improvement Fi- 1 nancing (RRIF) program; 2 ‘‘(B) one detailee from the Environmental 3 Protection Agency having expertise on the pub- 4 lic health impacts of housing and community 5 development; and 6 ‘‘(C) one detailee from the Department of 7 Energy having expertise on renewable energy 8 and energy efficiency upgrades for low- and 9 moderate-income communities. 10 The Secretary shall consult with the heads of the 11 agencies referred to in this paragraph to provide for 12 such details and such details shall be made on a re- 13 imbursable basis.’’. 14 (b) AMENDMENTS TO TITLE 5, UNITED STATES 15 CODE.— 16 (1) POSITIONS AT LEVEL IV OF EXECUTIVE 17 SCHEDULE.—Section 5315 of title 5, United States 18 Code, is amended in the undesignated item relating 19 to Assistant Secretaries of Housing and Urban De- 20 velopment by striking ‘‘(8)’’ and inserting ‘‘(9)’’. 21 (c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Paragraph (1) of 22 section 4(a) of the Department of Housing and Urban De- 23 velopment Act (42 U.S.C. 3533(a)(1)) is amended by 24 striking ‘‘7’’ and inserting ‘‘8’’. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 4756 IH (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 1 authorized to be appropriated for necessary salaries and 2 expenses of the Office of Housing Innovation of the De- 3 partment of Housing and Urban Development 4 $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2020 and each fiscal year 5 thereafter. 6 SEC. 4. GRANTS FOR LOCAL PLANNING FOR HOUSING. 7 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary of Housing and 8 Urban Development (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec- 9 retary’’), acting through the Assistant Secretary of Hous- 10 ing Innovation, shall carry out a program to make grants 11 under this section to eligible localities for undertaking 12 planning efforts and associated regulatory reforms that 13 address the housing needs of such areas. 14 (b) ELIGIBLE LOCALITIES.—For purposes of this 15 section, the term ‘‘eligible locality’’ means a unit of gen- 16 eral local government that is located within an urbanized 17 area, as such term is defined by the United States Census 18 Bureau of the Department of Commerce. 19 (c) GOALS.—Local plans developed using amounts 20 from grants under this section shall address all of the fol- 21 lowing goals: 22 (1) Increasing the supply of housing units with- 23 in the jurisdiction of the grantee or within certain 24 defined areas within such jurisdiction, including 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 4756 IH neighborhoods around existing or planned transit fa- 1 cilities and job centers. 2 (2) Improving the affordability of the housing 3 supply within the jurisdiction of the grantee or with- 4 in certain defined areas within such jurisdiction, in- 5 cluding neighborhoods around existing or planned 6 transit facilities and job centers. 7 (3) Diversifying the housing supply within the 8 jurisdiction of the grantee or within certain defined 9 areas within such jurisdiction to include more multi- 10 family housing options or newer and less common 11 forms of housing, such as multifamily housing fo- 12 cused on smaller private spaces and more shared 13 amenities, micro-unit housing, housing developments 14 that incorporate co-working spaces, and housing for 15 students. 16 (4) Improving commute times to job sites, re- 17 ducing congestion, or reducing vehicle miles traveled 18 within the region in which the locality is located. 19 (d) USE.—The Secretary shall ensure that amounts 20 from a grant under this section shall be used only for costs 21 associated with a housing planning process that addresses 22 the goals in subsection (c), including public outreach, com- 23 munity meetings, preparation of planning documents, and 24 research and studies in support of such planning efforts. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 4756 IH (e) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall award grants 1 to eligible localities submitting applications under sub- 2 section (g) that are selected to receive grants under a com- 3 petition based on criteria established by the Secretary, 4 which shall include the following criteria: 5 (1) The extent to which the eligible locality out- 6 lines a planning process that will facilitate progress 7 toward the goals under subsection (c), including the 8 potential changes or updates to local policies and 9 regulations (such as zoning ordinances, parking re- 10 quirements, general plans, and specific plans) that 11 such a planning process will aim to affect. 12 (2) The extent to which the eligible locality 13 demonstrates how the planning process will address 14 the needs of the metropolitan region within which 15 the eligible locality is located by providing housing 16 for the existing and projected workforce demand. 17 (3) The extent to which the eligible locality pro- 18 vides details of the planning actions it intends to 19 take, including public outreach activities and actions 20 for consideration for formal policy adoption of plan- 21 ning elements and recommendations. 22 (4) The extent to which the eligible locality 23 specifies a timeline for completion of its planning 24 process, including potential dates for consideration 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 4756 IH for formal policy adoption by the local governing 1 body. 2 (5) The extent to which the eligible locality 3 demonstrates collaboration with regional planning 4 efforts and coordination with the relevant metropoli- 5 tan planning organization that manages regional 6 planning for the area within which the locality is lo- 7 cated. 8 (f) LIMITATION ON AMOUNT.—A grant under this 9 section for an eligible locality may not exceed $2,000,000. 10 (g) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall provide for 11 eligible localities to submit applications to the Secretary 12 for grants under this section, which shall contain such in- 13 formation as the Secretary may require. 14 SEC. 5. GRANTS FOR RESEARCH AND PILOT PROJECTS. 15 (a) AUTHORITY.—The Secretary, acting through the 16 Assistant Secretary of Housing Innovation, shall carry out 17 a program to make grants under this section to eligible 18 partnerships for the purposes of carrying out research and 19 pilot studies to support, inform, and advise local govern- 20 ments on their plans for new housing and community de- 21 velopment. 22 (b) ELIGIBLE PARTNERSHIPS.—For purposes of this 23 section, the term ‘‘eligible partnership’’ means a partner- 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 4756 IH ship of entities and institutions that includes at least one 1 of the following entities: 2 (1) A unit of local government. 3 (2) A college, university, or other research insti- 4 tution. 5 (3) A nonprofit organization. 6 (c) USE.—Amounts from a grant under this section 7 may only be used for research and pilot studies that are 8 designed to study and investigate activities and measures 9 for improving housing and commuting for the workforce 10 in a community, including— 11 (1) measures to improve the commuting experi- 12 ence between transit stations and homes (commonly 13 referred to as the ‘‘last mile’’); 14 (2) programs for accommodating higher edu- 15 cation students within the community; 16 (3) programs for facilitating home-sharing for 17 elderly residents; 18 (4) plans and measures for integrating business 19 and commercial activity with residential neighbor- 20 hoods; 21 (5) plans and measures for increasing transpor- 22 tation options improving mobility within residential 23 neighborhoods; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 4756 IH (6) programs for learning and disseminating in- 1 formation about modular building techniques and 2 other approaches to reducing housing construction 3 costs; 4 (7) plans or programs for improving public 5 health through changes in the built environment, 6 such as safer streets that are more conducive and 7 welcoming to pedestrian activity; 8 (8) measures to evaluate the impact of housing 9 development in the community on the long-term so- 10 cial mobility and economic prospects of residents; 11 and 12 (9) such other measures, plans, and activities 13 as applicants may propose, but only if the Secretary 14 approves such proposals as consistent with the goals 15 under section 4(c). 16 (d) LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT.—A grant under this 17 section for an eligible partnership may not exceed the less- 18 er of— 19 (1) $500,000; or 20 (2) in the case only of an eligible partnership 21 that has previously received a grant under this sec- 22 tion, the amount that the eligible partnership cer- 23 tifies, as the Secretary shall require, that the part- 24 nership will contribute from non-Federal sources for 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:44 Oct 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4756.IH H4756 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 4756 IH activities described in subsection (c) that are as- 1 sisted with such grant amounts. 2 SEC. 6. GRANTS FOR EDUCATION ACTIVITIES. 3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 4 Assistant Secretary of Housing Innovation, shall carry out 5 a program under this section to make grants to partner- 6 ships that i [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]