Green New Deal for Public Housing Act

II 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION S. 2876 To provide economic empowerment opportunities in the United States through the modernization of public housing, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES NOVEMBER 14, 2019 Mr. SCHUMER (for Mr. SANDERS (for himself, Mr. MERKLEY, and Ms. WAR- REN)) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 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 (1) to stimulate, gather, and develop the work- 8 force capacity, tools, financing, and materials needed 9 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •S 2876 IS to rehabilitate, upgrade, modernize, and transition 1 public housing; 2 (2) to rehabilitate public housing that is se- 3 verely distressed and causing residents to be exposed 4 to unhealthy and unsafe environments; 5 (3) to upgrade and equip all public housing 6 with cutting-edge materials, infrastructure, and all- 7 electric appliances made in the United States in 8 order to improve energy efficiency, water quality, 9 and material living standards in public housing and 10 to support United States manufacturing; 11 (4) to modernize public housing laws in order to 12 maximize tenant participation and management by 13 low- and very low-income individuals in the rehabili- 14 tation, upgrade, and transition of public housing 15 through education, training, and jobs; and 16 (5) to transition the entire public housing stock 17 of the United States, as swiftly and seamlessly as 18 possible, into highly energy-efficient homes that 19 produce on-site, or procure, enough carbon-free re- 20 newable energy to meet total energy consumption 21 annually. 22 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 23 In this Act: 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •S 2876 IS (1) COMMUNITY RESILIENCE CENTER.—The 1 term ‘‘community resilience center’’ means a com- 2 munal space in public housing that is used as a cool- 3 ing center, heating center, or disaster relief center 4 during extreme weather. 5 (2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti- 6 ty’’ means— 7 (A) a public housing agency; 8 (B) an Indian tribe or a tribally designated 9 housing entity that is eligible to receive assist- 10 ance under the Native American Housing As- 11 sistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 12 (25 U.S.C. 4101 et seq.); and 13 (C) the Department of Hawaiian Home 14 Lands, as defined in section 801 of the Native 15 American Housing Assistance and Self-Deter- 16 mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4221). 17 (3) INDIAN TRIBE; TRIBALLY DESIGNATED 18 HOUSING ENTITY.—The terms ‘‘Indian tribe’’ and 19 ‘‘tribally designated housing entity’’ have the mean- 20 ings given those terms in section 4 of the Native 21 American Housing Assistance and Self-Determina- 22 tion Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103). 23 (4) PUBLIC HOUSING.—The term ‘‘public hous- 24 ing’’— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •S 2876 IS (A) has the meaning given the term in sec- 1 tion 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 2 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)); and 3 (B) includes— 4 (i) any dwelling unit owned by an In- 5 dian tribe that is or was a dwelling unit in 6 public housing; 7 (ii) any low-income housing dwelling 8 unit described in section 302(b)(1) of the 9 Native American Housing Assistance and 10 Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 11 4152(b)(1)); 12 (iii) any dwelling unit assisted under 13 section 802 of the Native American Hous- 14 ing Assistance and Self-Determination Act 15 of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4222); and 16 (iv) any dwelling unit that— 17 (I) was a low-income housing 18 dwelling unit described in section 19 302(b)(1) of the Native American 20 Housing Assistance and Self-Deter- 21 mination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 22 4152(b)(1)); and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •S 2876 IS (II) is rented only to households 1 with an income that is not more than 2 80 percent of the area median income. 3 (5) PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY.—The term 4 ‘‘public housing agency’’ has the meaning given the 5 term in section 3(b) of the United States Housing 6 Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 7 (6) PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENT-OWNED BUSI- 8 NESS.—The term ‘‘public housing resident-owned 9 business’’ means a business concern that— 10 (A) provides economic opportunities, as de- 11 fined in section 3(e) of the Housing and Urban 12 Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 13 1701u(e)); and 14 (B) is owned by public housing residents. 15 (7) RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term ‘‘renew- 16 able energy’’ means— 17 (A) utility-, community-, and small-scale 18 photovoltaic and thermal solar energy; 19 (B) utility- and small-scale wind energy; 20 (C) geothermal energy; 21 (D) microturbine hydroelectricity; 22 (E) energy efficiency; 23 (F) building electrification; 24 (G) energy storage; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •S 2876 IS (H) microgrids; and 1 (I) modern distribution grid infrastructure. 2 (8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 3 the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. 4 (9) ZERO-CARBON HOME.—The term ‘‘zero-car- 5 bon home’’ means a highly energy-efficient home 6 that produces on-site, or procures, enough carbon- 7 free renewable energy to meet the total annual en- 8 ergy consumption of the home. 9 SEC. 4. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CON- 10 GRESS FOR IMPROVED ARCHITECTURAL DE- 11 SIGN IN GOVERNMENT HOUSING PROGRAMS. 12 Section 4 of the Housing and Urban Development 13 Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 1701v) is amended to read as fol- 14 lows: 15 ‘‘SEC. 4. IMPROVED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN IN GOVERN- 16 MENT HOUSING PROGRAMS. 17 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 18 ‘‘(1) if Federal aid is to make its full commu- 19 nity-wide contribution toward improving our urban 20 and rural environments, Federal aid must have a 21 greater impact on improvements in architectural de- 22 sign; and 23 ‘‘(2) even within the necessary budget limita- 24 tions on housing for low- and moderate-income fami- 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •S 2876 IS lies, architectural design and environmental perform- 1 ance can be improved not only to make the housing 2 more livable, but also to better suit the needs of oc- 3 cupants including human and environmental health, 4 zero carbon emissions, well-being, accessibility, and 5 equity. 6 ‘‘(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con- 7 gress that in the administration of housing programs that 8 assist in the provision of housing for low- and moderate- 9 income families, emphasis should be given to— 10 ‘‘(1) encouraging good architectural design that 11 yields maximal environmental performance and ad- 12 heres to accessibility guidelines established in ac- 13 cordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act 14 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12101 et seq.) as an essential 15 component of such housing; and 16 ‘‘(2) developing, with opportunities for resident 17 involvement, housing that will be of such quality as 18 to reflect the highest international architectural 19 standards and the architectural standards of the 20 neighborhood and the community in which it is situ- 21 ated, consistent with prudent budgeting.’’. 22 SEC. 5. DECLARATION OF POLICY. 23 Section 2(a) of the United States Housing Act of 24 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437(a)) is amended to read as follows: 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •S 2876 IS ‘‘(a) DECLARATION OF POLICY.—It is the policy of 1 the United States— 2 ‘‘(1) to modernize the intersections of Federal 3 and local government by employing the funds and 4 credit of the United States, as provided in this 5 Act— 6 ‘‘(A) to guarantee the right to housing for 7 every individual; 8 ‘‘(B) to assist States and political subdivi- 9 sions of States in ensuring that— 10 ‘‘(i) all housing in the United States 11 is habitable, highly energy-efficient, and 12 safe; and 13 ‘‘(ii) housing conditions lead to good 14 health, security, and adequate protection 15 from the economic fears relating to old 16 age, disability, sickness, accident, and un- 17 employment; and 18 ‘‘(C) to protect, maintain, preserve, and 19 expand public housing as a sustainable safety 20 net for all people; 21 ‘‘(2) that it is the responsibility of the Federal 22 Government, in conjunction with public housing 23 agencies, to incentivize, promote, and protect the 24 independent, collaborative, and collective actions of 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •S 2876 IS public housing residents and other private citizens to 1 develop housing in a manner that strengthens entire 2 neighborhoods; and 3 ‘‘(3) that the Federal Government should act 4 and build new public housing where there is a seri- 5 ous need that the free market cannot address or is 6 not addressing responsibly.’’. 7 SEC. 6. GREEN NEW DEAL PUBLIC HOUSING GRANTS. 8 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAMS.— 9 (1) GRANTS FOR COMMUNITY WORKFORCE DE- 10 VELOPMENT.— 11 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es- 12 tablish a grant program that provides amounts 13 to eligible entities to facilitate workforce devel- 14 opment projects and high-income employment 15 transition at public housing. 16 (B) PREFERENCE.—In awarding grants 17 under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give 18 preference to applications submitted by— 19 (i) eligible entities located in rural 20 areas; 21 (ii) eligible entities described in sub- 22 paragraph (B) or (C) of section 3(2); and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •S 2876 IS (iii) eligible entities that demonstrate 1 a capacity to facilitate a workforce develop- 2 ment program that includes— 3 (I) the development of career and 4 related skills, including financial and 5 economic empowerment education; 6 (II) direct entry to apprentice- 7 ship 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 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •S 2876 IS (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 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •S 2876 IS 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. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2876.IS S2876 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 13 •S 2876 IS (C) COMPLIANCE MANAGERS.—Not more 1 than 10 percent of the amount of a grant re- 2 ceived by an eligible entity under this para- 3 graph may be used by an eligible entity to hire 4 or otherwise retain reporting and compliance 5 managers with sufficient expertise to ensure 6 that the eligible entity can comply with the re- 7 quirements of section 3 of the Housing and 8 Urban Development Act of 1968 (12 U.S.C. 9 1701u). 10 (2) GRANTS FOR DEEP ENERGY RETROFITS.— 11 The Secretary shall establish a grant program that 12 provides amounts to eligible entities to conduct phys- 13 ical needs assessments and subsequent deep energy 14 retrofits in public housing, including— 15 (A) retrofits for— 16 (i) energy-efficient windows; 17 (ii) super insulation of roofs and exte- 18 rior walls, including the addition of new 19 cladding to buildings and the rerouting of 20 plumbing and electricity; 21 (iii) electrification of water heating 22 and building heating systems using electric 23 heat pumps; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 03:39 Nov 20, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 665 [Text truncated for display. 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