HR 5870
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5870
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make
grants to assist local governments with vacant housing problems, and for other
purposes.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 22, 2008
Mr. RYAN of Ohio (for himself and Mr. WILSON of Ohio) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
A BILL
To authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make
grants to assist local governments with vacant housing problems, 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 `Emergency Neighborhood Reclamation Act of 2008'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis has led to the widespread and
unprecedented abandonment of housing in many urban neighborhoods.
(2) Communities that have experienced a significant decrease in population
since 1980 due to the loss of well-paying manufacturing jobs and subsequent
economic decline were already subject to a severe problem of vacant and
abandoned housing when the subprime mortgage foreclosure crisis struck,
further exacerbating the problem.
(3) Although the prompt demolition and removal of vacant and abandoned housing
is necessary in order to protect public health and safety, communities experiencing
both economic decline and large numbers of subprime mortgage foreclosures
have insufficient resources to demolish and remove such housing in a timely
manner.
(4) Emergency grant assistance to such communities would enable them to
quickly demolish and remove vacant and abandoned housing in order to promote
public health and safety, and to create open space that could be used for
park land, recreation, future economic and residential development, or other
purposes that would benefit such communities.
SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM TO ASSIST MUNICIPALITIES WITH A VACANT HOUSING PROBLEM.
(a) Authority To Make Grants- From the amounts appropriated under section
4, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall make grants to eligible
units of general local government for the purpose of neighborhood reclamation
in accordance with subsection (c).
(b) Eligibility Requirements- To be eligible to receive a grant under subsection
(a), a unit of general local government shall submit to the Secretary, at
such time and in such manner as the Secretary may require pursuant to regulations,
an application that demonstrates that such local government has--
(1) experienced significant population loss within its jurisdiction since
1980, as measured by decennial census data;
(2) neighborhoods or other areas within its jurisdiction with--
(A) a high incidence of vacant and abandoned housing, or other vacant
and abandoned structures, located in areas that are primarily residential
in character; and
(B) substantial urban decay and neighborhood degradation resulting from
such housing or such other structures; and
(3) a comprehensive plan for the demolition of all such housing, and such
other structures, within the jurisdiction of such local government, that
will increase the stability of neighborhoods, or promote the rational utilization
of land, within the jurisdiction of such local government.
(c) Purposes- A unit of local government awarded a grant under subsection
(a), shall use such grant to fund--
(1) the demolition of vacant and abandoned housing, and other vacant and
abandoned structures, located in areas that are primarily residential in
character, and which are within the jurisdiction of such local government,
pursuant to such local government's comprehensive plan for demolition under
subsection (b)(3);
(2) prior to demolition, the abatement of any health and safety hazards
in accordance with applicable State and Federal laws, within such housing
or such other structures, or on the site upon which such housing or other
structures are located; and
(A) the capping or removal of utility connections and public infrastructure,
including street pavements and sewer lines; and
(B) the rehabilitation of a site for use as public open space, inclusion
in a land bank, or for sale.
(d) Reports- One year after the Secretary awards a grant under this Act to
a unit of general local government, such local government shall submit to
the Secretary a report on--
(1) the number of houses and other structures demolished, and the number
of houses and other structures remaining to be demolished, pursuant to such
local government's comprehensive plan under subsection (b)(3); and
(2) the amount of site rehabilitation completed pursuant to subsection (c)(3)(B).
(e) Relation to Other Programs of the Department of Housing and Urban Development-
The Secretary's award of a grant under this Act to a unit of general local
government shall not affect a decision by the Secretary to award funding to
such local government for the demolition of vacant and abandoned housing under
any other program of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
(f) Relation to Other Law- Nothing in this Act shall be construed to waive
any obligations under local, State, and Federal law.
(g) Public Housing- Funds made available under this Act shall not be used
to demolish public housing, as such term is defined in section 3 of the United
States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437a).
SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act, $1,000,000,000
for fiscal year 2009, and such sums as are necessary for each fiscal year
thereafter.
SEC. 5. IMPLEMENTATION.
(a) Effective Date- This Act shall take effect not later than 60 days after
the date that funds are appropriated or otherwise made available to carry
out this Act.
(b) Interim Regulations- The Secretary shall issue such interim regulations
as may be necessary to implement this Act not later than 60 days after the
effective date in subsection (a).
(c) Final Regulations- The Secretary shall issue final regulations necessary
to implement this Act not later than 180 days after such effective date.
SEC. 6. DEFINITIONS.
(1) the term `Secretary' means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development;
(2) the term `unit of general local government' means a unit of general
local government as defined in section 102 of the Housing and Community
Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5302); and
(3) the term `other vacant and abandoned structures' means vacant and abandoned
structures not used for residential purposes, or used for a combination
of residential and other purposes.
END
