HR 709
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 709
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish
and carry out an urban revitalization and livable communities program to provide
Federal grants to urban areas for the rehabilitation of critically needed
recreational areas and facilities and development of improved recreation programs,
and for other purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 15, 2011
Mr. SIRES (for himself, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr.
CONNOLLY of Virginia, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. TOWNS, Mr. NADLER, Mr. CARNAHAN, Mrs.
MALONEY, Ms. RICHARDSON, Mr. ROTHMAN of New Jersey, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois,
Mr. ELLISON, Mr. COHEN, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Ms. CLARKE
of New York, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. RANGEL, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. GONZALEZ, Mr. POLIS, Mr.
MCNERNEY, Mr. WEINER, Mr. TURNER, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. SERRANO, Mr. FILNER,
Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA, Mr. FATTAH, and Ms. BORDALLO) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition
to the Committee on Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish
and carry out an urban revitalization and livable communities program to provide
Federal grants to urban areas for the rehabilitation of critically needed
recreational areas and facilities and development of improved recreation programs,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Urban Revitalization and Livable Communities
Act'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the 2000 United States Census, 79 percent of the population
of the United States lives in urban areas.
(2) The quality of life in urban areas is closely related to the availability
of fully functional park and recreation systems including land, facilities,
and programs.
(3) Residents of urban areas need close-to-home recreation opportunities
that are adequate to specialized urban needs, with parks and facilities
properly located, developed, and well-maintained.
(4) The greatest deficiencies in recreation with respect to land, facilities,
and programs are found in many urban areas, especially at the neighborhood
level.
(5) Inadequate Federal financing of urban recreation programs has led to
the deterioration of facilities, nonavailability of recreation services,
and an inability to adapt recreation programs to changing circumstances.
(6) According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over
the last 25 years, rates of obesity have more than tripled among adolescents
ages 12 to 19 and doubled among adults ages 20 to 74 and children ages 6
to 11.
(7) Physical inactivity contributes to obesity. A study by the CDC found
that the creation of, or enhanced access to, places for physical activity
led to a 25.6 percent increase in the percentage of people exercising on
3 or more days a week. Physical activity can improve physical and mental
health. The annual costs of medical spending and lost productivity from
individuals in the United States being obese and overweight are estimated
to be $139,000,000,000.
(8) Urban parks and recreation facilities play key roles in improving the
health of the population of the United States by providing convenient access
to the places, spaces, and opportunities that lead to increased physical
activity.
(9) According to the Juvenile Justice Bulletin, without structured, supervised
activities in the after-school hours, youth are at greater risk of being
victims of crime or participating in anti-social behaviors. Juveniles are
at the highest risk of being a victim of crime between 2:00 p.m. and 6:00
p.m., and the peak hour for juvenile crime is between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00
p.m., the first hour after most students are dismissed from school.
(10) The National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center reported that
students who spend no time in extracurricular activities, such as those
offered in after-school programs, are 49 percent more likely to have used
drugs and 37 percent more likely to become teen parents than are those students
who spend 1 to 4 hours per week in extracurricular activities.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
The purposes of this Act are as follows:
(1) To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish
and carry out an urban revitalization and livable communities program to
provide Federal grants for the rehabilitation and construction of critically
needed recreational areas and facilities and development of improved recreation
programs in urban areas.
(2) To improve urban areas through economic development.
(3) To prevent and improve chronic disease outcomes, including cardiovascular
disease, diabetes, depression, and obesity.
(4) To improve recreational areas and facilities and expand recreation services
in urban areas with a high incidence of crime and to help expand recreation
opportunities for at-risk youth.
(5) To promote collaboration between local agencies involved in parks and
recreation, law enforcement, youth social services, and juvenile justice
system.
(6) To ensure accessibility to therapeutic recreation services and to provide
recreation opportunities for injured or disabled members of the Armed Forces.
(7) To encourage the rehabilitation of existing and construction of new
urban recreational areas and facilities with environmentally beneficial
components, when possible, such as sustainable landscape features and upcycled
and recycled materials, and to prioritize the selection of projects that
provide environmental benefits to urban areas, including by updating lighting,
planting trees, increasing the urban forestry canopy, improving stormwater
management, increasing green infrastructure, employing water conservation
measures, and adding green spaces to urban areas.
SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act, the following definitions shall apply:
(1) The term `recreational areas and facilities' means indoor or outdoor
parks, buildings, sites, or other facilities that are dedicated to recreation
purposes and administered by public or private nonprofit agencies to serve
the recreation needs of community residents, with emphasis on public facilities
readily accessible to residential neighborhoods, including multiple-use
community centers that have recreation as a primary purpose, but excluding
major sports arenas, exhibition areas, and conference halls used primarily
for commercial sports, spectator, or display activities.
(2) The term `rehabilitation and construction grants' means matching capital
grants to local governments for the purpose of rebuilding, remodeling, expanding,
or developing existing or building new recreational areas and facilities,
including improvements in park landscapes, infrastructure, buildings, and
support facilities, and the provision of lighting, emergency phones, or
other capital improvements to improve the security of urban parks, but excluding
routine maintenance and upkeep activities.
(3) The term `innovation grants' means matching grants to local governments
to cover costs of personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies, or services
designed to demonstrate innovative and cost-effective ways to augment park
and recreation opportunities at the neighborhood level and to address common
problems related to facility operations and improved delivery of recreation
service, but excluding routine operation and maintenance activities.
(4) The term `at-risk youth recreation grants' means matching grants to
local governments for new programs, or continuing program support for existing
programs, that provide constructive alternatives to youth at risk for engaging
in criminal behavior, including grants for operating or coordinating recreation
programs and services in neighborhoods and communities with a high prevalence
of crime, particularly violent crime or crime committed by youthful offenders.
(5) The term `recovery action program grants' means matching grants to local
governments for development of local park and recreation recovery action
programs, including for resource and needs assessment, coordination, citizen
involvement and planning, and program development activities to encourage
public definition of goals and develop priorities and strategies for overall
recreation system recovery.
(6) The term `maintenance' means all commonly accepted practices necessary
to keep recreational areas and facilities operating in a state of good repair
and to protect such areas and facilities from deterioration resulting from
normal wear and tear.
(7) The term `local government' means any city, county, town, township,
parish, village, or any local or regional special district such as a park
district, conservation district, or park authority.
(8) The term `private nonprofit agency' means a community-based, non-profit
organization, corporation, or association organized for purposes of providing
recreation, conservation, and educational services directly to urban residents
on either a neighborhood or community-wide basis through voluntary donations,
voluntary labor, or public or private grants.
(9) The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
(10) The term `State' means any State of the United States (or any instrumentality
of a State approved by the Governor), the District of Columbia, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
(11) The term `insular areas' means Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa,
and the Northern Mariana Islands.
SEC. 5. FEDERAL ASSISTANCE GRANTS.
(a) Regulations- Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this
Act, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations establishing an urban revitalization
and livable communities program to, in accordance with this Act, provide Federal
rehabilitation and construction grants, innovation grants, at-risk youth recreation
grants, and recovery action program grants.
(b) Requirements- The regulations required under subsection (a) shall include--
(1) eligibility requirements for the grant program established pursuant
to such subsection;
(2) the timing and form of applications required to be submitted to the
Secretary by local governments seeking such grants;
(3) required elements of any grant application required to be submitted
to the Secretary by local governments seeking such grants;
(4) criteria for priority selection and approval by the Secretary in choosing
which local governments receive grant funds;
(5) guidelines for seeking modification of a project to be funded or which
is funded by the grant program established pursuant to such subsection;
and
(6) penalties placed on local governments that received amounts under the
grant program established pursuant to such subsection for failing to comply
with the reporting and recordkeeping requirements set forth in section 13,
up to and including rescission of grant amounts for repetitive violations.
SEC. 6. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS AND PRIORITY CRITERIA.
(a) Eligibility Requirements-
(1) IN GENERAL- In developing the regulations required under section 5(a),
the Secretary shall set forth eligibility requirements for receiving grants
under the urban revitalization and livable communities program established
pursuant to this Act.
(2) CONSIDERATIONS- The eligibility requirements required to be established
under paragraph (1) shall be based on--
(A) evidence of a commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service,
operation, and maintenance programs for park and recreations systems,
as described in section 8;
(B) population density (the number of persons per square mile of land
area);
(C) total population under 18 years of age or over 59 years of age;
(D) the number of unemployed people as a percentage of the civilian labor
force;
(E) the percent of households without automobiles available;
(F) the percent of persons with income below 125 percent of the poverty
level;
(G) the change in per capita income;
(H) the percent of single-headed households with children present; and
(I) any additional criteria the Secretary determines appropriate.
(b) Partial Eligibility Waiver-
(1) GENERALLY- Subject to paragraph (2), the Secretary may authorize local
governments that do not meet the eligibility requirements required to be
established under subsection (a) in standard metropolitan statistical areas
as defined by the most current census as eligible to receive grants under
the urban revitalization and livable communities program established pursuant
to this Act, in accordance with the findings and purposes of this Act.
(2) LIMITATION OF FUNDS- Grants to local governments described in paragraph
(1) shall not exceed, in the aggregate, 15 percent of the funds appropriated
pursuant to this Act for rehabilitation and construction, innovation, at-risk
youth recreation, and recovery action program grants.
(c) Eligibility Certification- As part of any application process set forth
pursuant to the regulations prescribed under section 5, a responsible official
for a local government that has applied for a grant under this Act shall certify
that the local government meets all of the eligibility requirements established
under this Act with respect to receipt of grant amounts under the urban revitalization
and livable communities program established pursuant to this Act. If a local
government applies for a partial eligibility waiver under subsection (b),
such certification shall specify which of the eligibility requirements are
met by the local government.
(1) GENERAL PRIORITY CRITERIA- The Secretary shall establish priority criteria
for the selection and approval of projects to be funded by grant amounts
made available pursuant to this Act. The priority criteria established under
this subsection shall be based on--
(A) a higher population density of the project neighborhood;
(B) demonstrated deficiencies in the condition of existing recreational
areas and facilities in the project neighborhood;
(C) demonstrated deficiencies in access to neighborhood recreation opportunities,
particularly for minority and low- and moderate-income residents and residents
with physical or mental disabilities;
(D) public participation in determining rehabilitation or development
needs;
(E) the extent to which a project supports or complements target activities
undertaken as part of a local government's overall community development
and urban revitalization program;
(F) the extent to which such a project would--
(i) provide employment opportunities for minorities, youth, and low-
and moderate-income residents in the project neighborhood; and
(ii) provide for participation of neighborhood, nonprofit, or tenant
organizations in the proposed rehabilitation and construction activity
or in subsequent maintenance, staffing, or supervision of recreational
areas and facilities;
(G) the amount of State, local, and private support for the project as
evidenced by commitments of non-Federal resources to project construction
or operation; and
(H) any additional criteria the Secretary determines appropriate.
(2) PRIORITY CRITERIA FOR REHABILITATION AND CONSTRUCTION GRANTS AND INNOVATION
GRANTS- In addition to the general priority criteria established under paragraph
(1), the Secretary shall establish priority criteria for the selection and
approval of projects to be funded by a rehabilitation and construction grant
or an innovation grant made pursuant to this Act, including whether the
project--
(A) builds recreational areas and facilities in areas that are located
within half a mile of public housing or a school and do not currently
have indoor or outdoor facilities;
(B) creates, maintains, or revitalizes playgrounds or active play areas
for children;
(C) connects children to the outdoors for physical activity and access
to nature;
(D) promotes physical activity for individuals and the community at large;
(E) works collaboratively with local governments, colleges, and universities,
and other institutions to track the longitudinal rates of chronic diseases
in the community such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression,
and obesity;
(F) uses environmentally beneficial components such as sustainable landscape
features and upcycled and recycled materials;
(G) provides environmental benefits to urban areas, including by--
(iii) increasing the urban forestry canopy;
(iv) improving stormwater management;
(v) increasing green infrastructure;
(vi) employing water conservation measures; and
(vii) adding green spaces;
(H) connects to public transportation;
(I) uses LEED Green Building Standards or contains energy efficiency components
such as energy efficient lighting and HVAC systems, and other sustainable
components and practices;
(J) contains safe trails or routes, such as trails, bikeways, and sidewalks
that connect to neighborhoods and enhance access to parks and recreational
areas and facilities;
(K) either employs youth or uses youth volunteers;
(L) enhances or expands youth development in neighborhoods and communities
by engaging youth in environmental stewardship, conservation, and service
projects;
(M) updates existing equipment or facilities to be in compliance with
the most recent accessibility guidelines published by the United States
Access Board, specifically by removing architectural barriers so that
sites comply or exceed the requirements of the final guidelines for the
accessibility of recreational areas and facilities; or
(N) constructs new facilities or sites to comply with or exceed the minimum
requirements of the final guidelines for the accessibility of recreational
sites and facilities published by the United States Access Board.
(3) PRIORITY CRITERIA FOR AT-RISK YOUTH RECREATION GRANTS- In addition to
the general priority criteria established under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall establish priority criteria for the selection and approval of programs
to be funded by an at-risk youth recreation grant made pursuant to this
Act, including whether the program--
(A) targets youth who are at the greatest risk of becoming involved in
violence and crime;
(B) teaches important values and life skills, including teamwork, respect,
leadership, and self-esteem;
(C) demonstrates past success in providing constructive alternatives to
youth at risk for engaging in criminal behavior;
(D) offers tutoring, remedial education, mentoring, and counseling in
addition to recreation opportunities;
(E) offers services during nonschool hours;
(F) demonstrates collaboration between local park and recreation, juvenile
justice, law enforcement, and youth social service agencies and nongovernmental
entities, including private nonprofit agencies;
(G) leverages public or private recreation investments in the form of
services, materials, or other funding; or
(H) shows the greatest potential of being continued with non-Federal funds
or may serve as models for other communities.
SEC. 7. REHABILITATION AND CONSTRUCTION, INNOVATION, AND AT-RISK YOUTH RECREATION
GRANTS.
(a) Authorization- Upon approval of an application by the chief executive
of an eligible local government, the Secretary may provide 70 percent matching
rehabilitation and construction, innovation, and at-risk youth recreation
grants directly to such eligible local government.
(b) Transfer- At the discretion of a local government receiving a rehabilitation
and construction, innovation, or at-risk youth recreation grant pursuant to
subsection (a), and if consistent with an approved application, such a grant
may be transferred in whole or in part to private nonprofit agencies, provided
that assisted recreational areas and facilities owned or managed by such private
nonprofit agencies offer recreation opportunities to the general population
within the jurisdictional boundaries of the local government.
(c) Payments- Grant payments may be made only for rehabilitation and construction
or innovation projects or at-risk recreation youth programs approved by the
Secretary. In the case of rehabilitation and construction and innovation projects,
such payments may be made periodically in keeping with the rate of progress
toward the satisfactory completion of a project, except that the Secretary
may, when appropriate, make advance payments on approved rehabilitation and
construction and innovation projects in an amount not to exceed 20 percent
of the total project cost.
(d) Modification of Project- The Secretary may authorize modification of an
approved rehabilitation and construction or innovation project only when a
grantee has adequately demonstrated that such modification is necessary because
of circumstances not foreseeable at the time such project was proposed.
(e) Special Considerations for Innovation Grants- Innovation grants shall
correspond to the goals, priorities, and implementation strategies expressed
in local park and recreation recovery action programs, with particular regard
to the special considerations listed in section 8(b) of this Act.
SEC. 8. LOCAL COMMITMENTS TO SYSTEM RECOVERY AND MAINTENANCE.
(a) Recovery Action Programs-
(1) IN GENERAL- As a requirement for project approval, a local government
applying for a grant under this Act shall submit to the Secretary evidence
of its commitment to ongoing planning, rehabilitation, service, operation,
and maintenance programs for its park and recreation systems. Such commitment
shall be expressed in a local park and recreation recovery action program
that maximizes coordination of all community resources, including other
federally supported urban development and recreation programs.
(2) INTERIM PRELIMINARY ACTION PROGRAMS- During an initial interim period
to be established by regulation, the recovery action program requirement
under paragraph (1) may be satisfied by submission of preliminary action
programs of a local government that define objectives, priorities, and implementation
strategies for overall system recovery and maintenance and commit such local
government to a scheduled program development process.
(3) 5-year ACTION PROGRAM- Following the interim period under paragraph
(2), each local government applicant shall submit to the Secretary, as a
condition of eligibility, a 5-year park and recreation recovery action program
that demonstrates--
(A) identification of recovery objectives, priorities, and implementation
strategies;
(B) adequate planning for rehabilitation of specific recreational areas
and facilities, including projections of the cost of proposed projects;
(C) capacity and commitment to assure that facilities provided or improved
under this Act shall thereafter continue to be adequately maintained,
protected, staffed, and supervised;
(D) intention to maintain total local public outlays for park and recreation
purposes at levels at least equal to those in the year preceding that
in which grant assistance is sought, except in any case where a reduction
in park and recreation outlays is proportionate to a reduction in overall
spending by the applicant; and
(E) the relationship of the park and recreation recovery action program
to overall community development and urban revitalization efforts.
(4) CONTINUING PLANNING PROCESS- Where appropriate, the Secretary may encourage
local governments to meet recovery action program requirements through a
continuing planning process which includes periodic improvements and updates
in recovery action program submissions to eliminate identified gaps in program
information and policy development.
(b) Recovery Action Program Special Considerations- Recovery action programs
shall address, at a minimum, the following special considerations:
(1) Rehabilitation of existing recreational areas and facilities, including--
(A) general systemwide renovation;
(B) special rehabilitation requirements for recreational areas and facilities
in areas of high population concentration and economic distress; and
(C) restoration of outstanding or unique structures, landscaping, or similar
features in parks of historical or architectural significance.
(2) Local commitments to innovative and cost-effective programs and projects
at the neighborhood level to augment recovery of park and recreation systems,
including--
(A) recycling of abandoned schools and other public buildings for recreation
purposes;
(B) multiple use of operating educational and other public buildings;
(C) purchase of recreation services on a contractual basis;
(D) use of mobile facilities and recreational, cultural, and educational
programs or other innovative approaches to improving access for neighborhood
residents;
(E) integration of the recovery action program with federally assisted
projects to maximize recreation opportunities through conversion of abandoned
railroad and highway rights-of-way, waterfront, and other redevelopment
efforts and such other federally assisted projects, as appropriate;
(F) conversion to recreational use of street space, derelict land, and
other public lands not now designated for neighborhood recreational use;
and
(G) use of various forms of compensated and uncompensated land regulation,
tax inducements, or other means to encourage the private sector to provide
neighborhood park and recreation facilities and programs.
(c) Publication of Requirements- The Secretary shall establish and publish
in the Federal Register requirements for preparation, submission, and updating
of local park and recreation recovery action programs.
(d) At-Risk Youth Recreation Grants-
(1) ELIGIBILITY- In order to be eligible to receive an at-risk youth recreation
grant, a local government shall include in its 5-year park and recreation
recovery action program the goal of reducing crime and juvenile delinquency
and provide a description of the implementation strategies to achieve this
goal.
(2) COORDINATION- The description of implementation strategies under paragraph
(1) shall also address how the local government is coordinating its recreation
programs with crime prevention efforts of law enforcement, juvenile corrections,
and youth social service agencies.
(e) Recovery Action Program Grants- The Secretary is authorized to provide
up to 50 percent matching grants to eligible local government applicants for
recovery action program development and planning to meet the objectives of
this section.
SEC. 9. STATE ACTION INCENTIVE; FEDERAL GRANTS, INCREASE.
The Secretary is authorized to increase Federal rehabilitation and construction,
innovation, and at-risk youth recreation grants authorized in section 7 of
this Act by providing an additional match equal to the total match provided
by a State of up to 15 percent of total project or program costs. In no event
may the Federal matching amount exceed 85 percent of total project or program
cost. The Secretary shall further encourage the States to assist in assuring
that local recovery plans and programs are adequately implemented by cooperating
with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in monitoring local park
and recreation recovery action programs and in assuring consistency of such
plans and programs, where appropriate, with State recreation policies as set
forth in statewide comprehensive outdoor recreation plans.
SEC. 10. MATCHING REQUIREMENTS; NON-FEDERAL SHARE OF PROJECT OR PROGRAM
COSTS.
(a) Non-Federal Sources- The non-Federal share of project or program costs
assisted under this Act may be derived from--
(1) general or special purpose State or local revenues;
(2) State categorical grants;
(3) special appropriations by State legislatures;
(4) donations of land, buildings, or building materials;
(5) in-kind construction, technical, and planning services; or
(6) any combination of paragraphs (1) through (5).
(b) Prohibited Sources- No moneys from any Federal grant program other than
general revenue sharing and the community development and energy efficiency
and conservation block grant programs shall be used to match Federal grants
under this program.
(c) Private Contributions- The Secretary shall encourage States and private
interests to contribute, to the maximum extent possible, to the non-Federal
share of project or program costs.
SEC. 11. CONVERSION OF RECREATION PROPERTY.
No property improved or developed with assistance under this Act shall, without
the approval of the Secretary, be converted for uses other than for public
recreation. The Secretary shall approve such conversion only if the Secretary
determines it to be consistent with the current local park and recreation
recovery action program and only upon such conditions as the Secretary determines
necessary to assure the provision of adequate recreation properties and opportunities
of reasonably equivalent location and usefulness.
SEC. 12. COORDINATION OF PROGRAM.
(1) coordinate the urban revitalization and livable communities program
with other Federal departments and agencies and with State agencies that
administer programs and policies affecting urban areas such as the White
House Office of Urban Policy and departments that administer programs and
policies affecting climate change, green jobs, housing, urban development,
natural resources management, employment, transportation, community services,
and voluntary action;
(2) encourage maximum coordination of the program between appropriate State
agencies and local government applicants; and
(3) require that local government applicants include provisions for participation
of community and neighborhood residents, including youth, and for public-private
coordination in recovery action program planning and project selection.
SEC. 13. REPORT; RECORDKEEPING; AUDIT AND EXAMINATION.
(a) Report- Each recipient of assistance under this Act shall submit to the
Secretary, for each fiscal year such assistance is received, an annual report
detailing the projects and programs undertaken with such assistance, the number
of jobs created by such assistance, and any other information the Secretary
determines appropriate based on the priority criteria established by the Secretary
under sections 5 and 6.
(b) Recordkeeping- Each recipient of assistance under this Act shall keep
such records as the Secretary shall prescribe, including records that fully
disclose the amount and disposition of project or program undertakings in
connection with which assistance under this Act is given or used, and the
amount and nature of that portion of the cost of the project or program undertaking
supplied by other sources, and such other records as will facilitate an effective
audit.
(c) Audit and Examination- The Secretary and the Comptroller General of the
United States, or their duly authorized representatives, shall have access,
for the purpose of audit and examination, to any books, documents, papers,
and records of a recipient of assistance under this Act that are pertinent
to such assistance.
SEC. 14. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) In General- There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this
Act $445,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2012 through 2022.
(b) Recovery Action Program Grants- Not more than 3 percent of the funds appropriated
pursuant to subsection (a) in any fiscal year may be used for grants for the
development of local park and recreation recovery action programs pursuant
to section 8 of this Act.
(c) Innovation Grants- Not more than 10 percent of the funds appropriated
pursuant to subsection (a) in any fiscal year may be used for innovation grants
pursuant to section 7 of this Act.
(d) Discretionary Fund- Notwithstanding any other provision of this Act or
any other law or regulation, not more than 2 percent of the funds appropriated
pursuant to subsection (a) in any fiscal year may be used to provide rehabilitation
and construction grants, innovation grants, at-risk youth recreation grants,
and recovery action program grants to be used in the insular areas. Such sums
will not be subject to the matching provisions of this Act, and may only be
subject to such conditions, reports, plans, and agreements, if any, as determined
by the Secretary.
SEC. 15. LIMITATION OF USE OF FUNDS.
Not more than 10 percent of funds appropriated pursuant to section 14 for
rehabilitation and construction grants in any fiscal year may be used for
the acquisition of lands or interests in land.
SEC. 16. REPORTS TO CONGRESS.
(a) Interim Report- Not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress an interim report containing
such findings and recommendations as the Secretary determines appropriate
with respect to the urban revitalization and livable communities program established
pursuant to this Act.
(b) Final Report- Not later than 10 years after the date of the enactment
of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing the
overall impact of the urban revitalization and livable communities program
established pursuant to this Act.
END