Housing is Infrastructure Act of 2020

IB Union Calendar No. 569 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION H. R. 5187 [Report No. 116–686] To facilitate the development of affordable housing, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES NOVEMBER 20, 2019 Ms. WATERS introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services DECEMBER 24, 2020 Additional sponsors: Mr. CLAY, Ms. PRESSLEY, Ms. NORTON, Mr. MCGOV- ERN, Mr. NADLER, Ms. SCANLON, Ms. TLAIB, Mr. LYNCH, Mr. COHEN, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. GON- ZALEZ of Texas, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. PANETTA, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. DEFAZIO, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Ms. ESHOO, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. TED LIEU of California, Mr. BLU- MENAUER, Ms. JAYAPAL, Mr. CASE, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. SPEIER, Mr. POCAN, Ms. VELA´ZQUEZ, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. GARCI´A of Illinois, Ms. MOORE, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. MCNERNEY, Ms. LOFGREN, Ms. GABBARD, Mr. EVANS, Mr. THOMPSON of California, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mr. COURT- NEY, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. VELA, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. GARAMENDI, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. CARSON of Indiana, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. KHANNA, Ms. OMAR, Ms. WILSON of Florida, Mr. HORSFORD, and Mr. SAN NICOLAS VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 5187 RH DECEMBER 24, 2020 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on November 20, 2019] A BILL To facilitate the development of affordable housing, and for other purposes. VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6652 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 5187 RH 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 is Infrastruc- 4 ture Act of 2020’’. 5 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 6 The Congress finds the following: 7 (1) Affordable housing is a critical part of the 8 national infrastructure of the United States but there 9 is a severe shortage of affordable housing in the 10 United States and the existing stock is badly in need 11 of repair. 12 (2) According to a 2010 study sponsored by the 13 Department of Housing and Urban Development, 14 there was a $26 billion backlog of capital needs for 15 public housing; that figure is likely higher today, with 16 some groups estimating the backlog of capital needs 17 for public housing to be as high as $70 billion. 18 (3) There are 14,000 units supported by Rural 19 Rental Housing Loans under section 515 of the Hous- 20 ing Act of 1949 and Farm Labor Housing Loans 21 under section 514 of the Housing Act of 1949. Accord- 22 ing to National Rural Housing Coalition, it would 23 take an estimated $1 billion in the Multi-Family 24 Housing Revitalization Demonstration Program 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 5187 RH (MPR) funding to fully address the capital backlog 1 for rural housing properties. 2 (4) Federal investment in housing helps to create 3 jobs and stimulate the economy. 4 (5) When the American Recovery and Reinvest- 5 ment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111–5) was enacted, 6 which included funding for public housing, research- 7 ers found that for each $1.00 in direct spending on 8 public housing, there was an additional $2.12 of indi- 9 rect and induced economic activity nationwide for a 10 total economic impact of $3.12 for each $1.00 in di- 11 rect spending on public housing. 12 (6) According to the National Association of 13 Home Builders, building 100 affordable rental homes 14 generates $11.7 million in local income, $2,200,000 in 15 taxes and revenue for local governments, and 161 16 local jobs. 17 (7) Researchers estimate that the growth in the 18 gross domestic product from 1964–2009 would have 19 been 13.5 percent higher if families had better access 20 to affordable housing, which in turn could have led to 21 an additional $1.7 trillion increase in income, equiv- 22 alent to $8,775 in additional wages for each worker. 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 5187 RH SEC. 3. PUBLIC HOUSING CAPITAL FUND. 1 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 2 priated for the Capital Fund under section 9(d) of the 3 United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437g(d)) 4 $70,000,000,000 and any amounts appropriated pursuant 5 to this subsection shall remain available until the expira- 6 tion of the 5-year period beginning upon the date of such 7 appropriation. 8 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary of Housing and 9 Urban Development (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Sec- 10 retary’’) shall— 11 (1) distribute not less than 35 percent and not 12 more than 75 percent of any amounts appropriated 13 pursuant to subsection (a) under the same formula 14 used for amounts made available for the Capital 15 Fund for fiscal year 2020; and 16 (2) make available all remaining amounts by 17 competition for priority investments, including in- 18 vestments that address lead hazards, other urgent 19 health and safety concerns, and such other priorities 20 as the Secretary may identify. 21 (c) TIMING.—The Secretary shall obligate amounts— 22 (1) made available under subsection (b)(1) with- 23 in 30 days of enactment of the Act appropriating 24 such funds; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 5187 RH (2) made available under subsection (b)(2) with- 1 in 12 months of enactment of the Act appropriating 2 such funds. 3 (d) LIMITATION.—Amounts provided pursuant to this 4 section may not be used for operating costs or rental assist- 5 ance. 6 (e) USE OF FUNDS.—Not more than 0.5 percent of any 7 amount appropriated pursuant to this section shall be used 8 by the Secretary for costs associated with staff, training, 9 technical assistance, technology, monitoring, travel, enforce- 10 ment, research, and evaluation. 11 (f) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—The Secretary 12 shall ensure that amounts provided pursuant to this section 13 shall serve to supplement and not supplant other amounts 14 generated by a recipient of such amounts or amounts pro- 15 vided by other Federal, State, or local sources. 16 (g) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—In distrib- 17 uting any amounts pursuant to subsection (b), the Sec- 18 retary shall give priority to public housing agencies located 19 in States and localities that have a plan to increase water 20 and energy efficiency when developing or rehabilitating 21 public housing using any amounts distributed. 22 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 5187 RH SEC. 4. RURAL MULTIFAMILY PRESERVATION AND REVITAL- 1 IZATION DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 3 priated for carrying out the Multifamily Preservation and 4 Revitalization Demonstration program of the Rural Hous- 5 ing Service (as authorized under sections 514, 515, and 516 6 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1484; 1485; 1486)) 7 $1,000,000,000 and any amounts appropriated pursuant to 8 this section shall remain available until expended. 9 (b) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—Not less than 10 10 percent of all amounts made available pursuant to this 11 section shall be used only for activities relating to water 12 and energy efficiency and, at the Secretary’s discretion, 13 other strategies to enhance the environmental sustainability 14 of housing production and design. 15 SEC. 5. FLOOD MITIGATION ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. 16 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 17 priated for carrying out the Flood Mitigation Assistance 18 Grant Program under section 1366 of the National Flood 19 Insurance Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4104c) $1,000,000,000 20 and any amounts appropriated pursuant to this section 21 shall remain available until expended. 22 (b) MULTIFAMILY RESIDENCES AND ATTACHED AND 23 SEMI-ATTACHED HOMES.—With regard to any structure 24 that is a multifamily residence or an attached or semi-at- 25 tached residence, the Administrator shall consult with the 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 5187 RH Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and establish 1 alternative forms of mitigation. 2 (c) DEFINITIONS.—For the purposes of this section, the 3 term ‘‘multifamily residence’’ has the same meaning as in 4 the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and the National 5 Flood Insurance Act of 1968. 6 SEC. 6. HOUSING TRUST FUND. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 8 priated for the Housing Trust Fund under section 1338 of 9 the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1992 (12 10 U.S.C. 4568) $5,000,000,000 and any amounts appro- 11 priated pursuant to this subsection shall remain available 12 until expended. The Secretary shall ensure that priority for 13 occupancy in dwelling units assisted with amounts made 14 available pursuant to this section that become available for 15 occupancy shall be given to persons and households who are 16 homeless (as such term is defined in section 103 of the 17 McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 18 11302)) or at risk of homelessness (as such term is defined 19 in section 401 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 11360)). 20 (b) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—Not less than 21 10 percent of all amounts made available pursuant to this 22 section shall be used only for activities relating to water 23 and energy efficiency and, at the Secretary’s discretion, 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 5187 RH other strategies to enhance the environmental sustainability 1 of housing production and design. 2 SEC. 7. SINGLE-FAMILY HOUSING REPAIR LOANS AND 3 GRANTS. 4 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 5 priated for carrying out single family housing repair loans 6 and grants under section 504 of the Housing Act of 1949 7 (42 U.S.C. 1474) $100,000,000 and any amounts appro- 8 priated pursuant to this section shall remain available 9 until expended. 10 (b) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—Not less than 11 10 percent of all amounts made available pursuant to this 12 section shall be used only for activities relating to water 13 and energy efficiency and, at the Secretary’s discretion, 14 other strategies to enhance the environmental sustainability 15 of housing production and design. 16 SEC. 8. NATIVE AMERICAN HOUSING BLOCK GRANT PRO- 17 GRAM. 18 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 19 priated for carrying out the Native American housing block 20 grant program under title I of the Native American Hous- 21 ing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 22 U.S.C. 4111 et seq.) $1,000,000,000 and any amounts ap- 23 propriated pursuant to this section shall remain available 24 until expended. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 5187 RH (b) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—Not less than 1 10 percent of all amounts made available pursuant to this 2 section shall be used only for activities relating to water 3 and energy efficiency and, at the Secretary’s discretion, 4 other strategies to enhance the environmental sustainability 5 of housing production and design. 6 SEC. 9. HOME INVESTMENT PARTNERSHIPS PROGRAM. 7 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 8 priated for carrying out the HOME Investment Partner- 9 ship Program under title II of the Cranston-Gonzalez Na- 10 tional Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 12721 et seq.) 11 $5,000,000,000 and any amounts appropriated pursuant to 12 this section shall remain available until expended. 13 (b) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—Not less than 14 10 percent of all amounts made available pursuant to this 15 section shall be used only for activities relating to water 16 and energy efficiency and, at the Secretary’s discretion, 17 other strategies to enhance the environmental sustainability 18 of housing production and design. 19 SEC. 10. PROGRAM FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR PER- 20 SONS WITH DISABILITIES. 21 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 22 priated $2,500,000,000 for project rental assistance under 23 the program for supportive housing for persons with dis- 24 abilities under section 811(b)(3) of the Cranston-Gonzalez 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 5187 RH National Affordable Housing Act (42 U.S.C. 8013(b)(3)) for 1 State housing finance agencies and any amounts appro- 2 priated pursuant to this section shall remain available 3 until expended. 4 (b) WATER AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY.—Not less than 5 10 percent of all amounts made available pursuant to this 6 section shall be used only for activities relating to water 7 and energy efficiency and, at the Secretary’s discretion, 8 other strategies to enhance the environmental sustainability 9 of housing production and design. 10 SEC. 11. PROGRAM FOR SUPPORTIVE HOUSING FOR THE EL- 11 DERLY. 12 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro- 13 priated $2,500,000,000 for— 14 (1) capital advances pursuant to section 15 202(c)(1) of the Housing Act of 1959 (12 U.S.C. 16 1701q(c)(1)), including amendments to capital ad- 17 vance contracts for housing for the elderly as author- 18 ized by section 202 of such Act; 19 (2) project rental assistance for the elderly under 20 section 202(c)(2) of such Act, including amendments 21 to contracts for such assistance and renewal of expir- 22 ing contracts for such assistance for up to a 1-year 23 term; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 18:12 Dec 26, 2020 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H5187.RH H5187 pbinns on DSKJLVW7X2PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 5187 RH (3) senior preservation rental assistance con- 1 tracts, including renewals, as authorized by section 2 811(e) of the American Housing and Economic Op- 3 portunity Act of 2000 (12 U.S.C. 1701g note); an [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]