Defines colonia as a recognized community: (1) along the United States-Mexico border region in Arizona, California, New Mexico; and (2) lacking such services as potable water, adequate sewage systems, and safe and sanitary housing.
[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5654 Introduced in House (IH)]
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5654
To enhance the capacity of organizations working in the United States-
Mexico border region to develop affordable housing and infrastructure
and to foster economic opportunity in the colonias.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
October 16, 2002
Mr. Bonilla (for himself, Mr. Pastor, and Mr. Ortiz) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial
Services, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and
Infrastructure, 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 enhance the capacity of organizations working in the United States-
Mexico border region to develop affordable housing and infrastructure
and to foster economic opportunity in the colonias.
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 ``Colonias Gateway Initiative Act''.
SEC. 2. COLONIAS GATEWAY INITIATIVE.
(a) In General.--To the extent amounts are made available to carry
out this section, the Secretary may make grants under this section to
one or more regional organizations to enhance the availability of
affordable housing, economic opportunity, and infrastructure in the
colonias.
(b) Grants.--Grants under this section may be made only to regional
organizations selected pursuant to subsection (c). After an
organization has been selected pursuant to subsection (c) to receive a
grant under this section, the Secretary may provide grants to such
organization in subsequent fiscal years, subject to subsection (e).
(c) Selection of Regional Organizations.--The Secretary shall
select one or more regional organizations that submit applications for
grants under this section to receive such grants. The selection shall
be made pursuant to a competition, which shall consider the applicant's
proposed work plan under subsection (e) and shall be based upon
criteria that reflect the purposes of this section. Such criteria shall
include a demonstration of the extent to which the applicant
organization has the capacity to--
(1) enhance the availability of affordable housing,
economic opportunity, and infrastructure in the colonias by
carrying out the eligible activities set forth in subsection
(f);
(2) provide assistance in each State in which colonias are
located;
(3) form partnerships with the public and private sectors
and local and regional housing and economic development
intermediaries to leverage and coordinate additional resources
to achieve the purposes of this section;
(4) ensure accountability to the residents of the colonias
through active and ongoing outreach to, and consultation with,
residents and local governments; and
(5) meet such other criteria as the Secretary may specify.
(d) Advisory Board.--
(1) Membership.--The Secretary shall appoint an Advisory
Board that shall consist of nine members, who shall include--
(A) one individual from each State in which
colonias are located;
(B) four individuals who are members of non-profit
or private sector organizations having substantial
investments in the colonias, at least one of whom is a
member of such a private sector organization; and
(C) one individual who is a resident of a colonia.
(2) Chairperson.--The Secretary shall designate a member of
the Advisory Board as Chairperson.
(3) Term.--Advisory Board members shall be appointed for
two year terms that shall be renewable at the discretion of the
Secretary.
(4) Compensation.--Advisory Board members shall serve
without compensation, but the Secretary may provide members
with travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of
subsistence, in accordance with section 5702 and 5703 of title
5, United States Code.
(5) Functions.--The Advisory Board shall--
(A) assist any regional organization that receives
a grant under this section in the development and
implementation of its final work plan under subsection
(e);
(B) review and approve all final work plans;
(C) assist the Secretary in monitoring and
evaluating the performance of any regional organization
in implementing its final work plan; and
(D) provide such other assistance as the Secretary
may request.
(e) Work Plans.--
(1) Application.--Each regional organization applying for a
grant under this section shall include in its application a
proposed work plan.
(2) Annual submission.--To be eligible to continue receive
annual grants under this section after selection pursuant to
subsection (c), a regional organization shall, on an annual
basis after such selection and subject to the Secretary's
determination to continue to provide grant amounts to such
regional organization, submit a proposed work plan to the
Advisory Board and the Secretary for review and approval.
(3) Final work plan.--In any fiscal year, including the
fiscal year in which any regional organization is selected
pursuant to subsection (c), prior to final determination and
allocation of specific grant amounts, each selected regional
organization shall, with the assistance of the Advisory Board,
develop a final work plan that thoroughly describes how the
regional organization will use specific grant amounts to carry
out its functions under this section, which shall include the
following:
(A) A description of outcome measures and other
baseline information to be used to monitor success in
promoting affordable housing, economic opportunity, and
infrastructure in the colonias.
(B) An account of how the regional organization
will strengthen the coordination of existing resources
used to assist residents of the colonias, and how the
regional organization will leverage additional public
and private resources to complement such existing
resources.
(C) An explanation, in part, of the effects that
implementation of the work plan will have on areas in
and around colonias.
(D) Such assurances as the Secretary may require
that grant amounts will be used in a manner that
results in assistance and investments for colonias in
each State containing colonias, in accordance with
requirements that the Advisory and the Secretary may
establish that provide for a minimum level of such
investment and assistance as a condition of the
approval of the work plans.
(4) Approval.--No grant amounts under this section for a
fiscal year may be provided to a regional organization until
the Secretary approves the final work plan of the organization,
including a specific grant amount for the organization. In
determining whether to approve a final work plan, the Secretary
shall consider whether the Advisory Board approved the plan. To
the extent that the Advisory Board or the Secretary does not
approve a work plan, the Advisory Board or the Secretary shall,
to the maximum extent practicable, assist the selected regional
organization that submitted the plan to develop an approvable
plan.
(f) Eligible Activities.--Grant amounts under this section may be
used only to carry out the following eligible activities to benefit the
colonias:
(1) Coordination of public, private, and community-based
resources and the use of grant amounts to leverage such
resources.
(2) Technical assistance and capacity building, including
training, business planning and investment advice, and the
development of marketing and strategic investment plans.
(3) Initial and early-stage investments in activities to
provide--
(A) housing, infrastructure, and economic
development;
(B) housing counseling and financial education,
including counseling and education about avoiding
predatory lending; and
(C) access to financial services for residents of
colonias.
(4) Development of comprehensive, regional, socioeconomic,
and other data, and the establishment of a centralized
information resource, to facilitate strategic planning and
investments.
(5) Administrative and planning costs of any regional
organization in carrying out this section, except that the
Secretary may limit the amount of grant funds used for such
costs.
(6) Such other activities as the Secretary deems
appropriate to carry out this section.
(g) Grant Agreements.--A grant under this section shall be made
only pursuant to a grant agreement between the Secretary and a regional
organization selected under this section.
(h) Termination and Recapture.--If the Secretary determines that a
regional organization awarded a grant under this section has not
substantially fulfilled its obligations under its final work plan or
grant agreement, the Secretary shall terminate the regional
organization's participation under this section, and shall recapture
any unexpended grant amounts.
(i) Details From Other Agencies.--Upon request of any selected
regional organization that has an approved work plan, the head of any
Federal agency may detail, on a reimbursable basis, any of the
personnel of such agency to that regional organization to assist it in
carrying out its duties under this section.
(j) Environmental Review.--For purposes of environmental review,
projects assisted by grant amounts under this section shall be treated
as special projects that are subject to section 305(c) of the
Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C.
3547), and shall be subject to regulations issued by the Secretary to
implement such section.
(k) Definitions.--For the purposes of this section:
(1) The term ``colonia'' means any identifiable community
that--
(A) is located in the State of Arizona, California,
New Mexico, or Texas;
(B) is located in the United States-Mexico border
region;
(C) is determined to be a colonia on the basis of
objective criteria, including lack of potable water
supply, lack of adequate sewage systems, and lack of
decent, safe, and sanitary housing; and
(D) was in existence and generally recognized as a
colonia before the date of the enactment of this Act.
(2) The term ``regional organization'' means a nonprofit
organization or a consortium of nonprofit organizations with
the capacity to serve colonias.
(3) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Housing
and Urban Development.
(4) The term ``United States-Mexico border region'' means
the area of the United States within 150 miles of the border
between the United States and Mexico, except that such term
does not include any standard metropolitan statistical area
that has a population exceeding 1,000,000.
(l) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2003
and such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2004 through
2009.
(m) Sunset.--No new grants may be provided under this section after
September 30, 2009.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
Referred to the Committee on Financial Services, and in addition to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, 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.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity.
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