National Land Bank Network Act of 2020
This bill requires the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation to establish and operate a national land bank network. Land banks are entities designated by local governments to acquire and dispose of vacant and abandoned properties.
The network must provide technical assistance to land banks and otherwise support land banks and communities.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7103 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7103
To direct the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation with respect to the
establishment of a national land bank network, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2020
Mr. Kildee (for himself and Mr. Ferguson) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Financial Services
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation with respect to the
establishment of a national land bank network, 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 ``National Land Bank Network Act of
2020''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) Vacant and abandoned properties destabilize rural,
suburban, and urban neighborhoods across the United States by
creating fire and other public safety hazards, driving down
property values, and draining local tax dollars.
(2) The cost of repairs to maintain such properties, as
well as the potential unpaid taxes and public liens on such
properties, often exceed the property values of such
properties, driving away purchasers.
(3) Additionally, the lack of an insurable and marketable
title frequently prevents such properties from returning to
productive use.
(4) Low-income neighborhoods and communities of color
disproportionately bear the burden of living near such
properties and the associated hazards.
(5) Land banks--
(A) have been developed to respond to the
challenges posed by such properties; and
(B) are primarily focused on the return of vacant,
abandoned, and tax delinquent properties to productive
use in accordance with locally determined goals and
priorities.
(6) Land banks, regardless of location, size of inventory,
or duration of existence, share challenges in accessing best
practices, research, technical assistance, and other resources.
SEC. 3. SENSE OF CONGRESS.
It is the sense of Congress that a national land bank network would
provide the tools necessary to ensure that land banks--
(1) use best practices;
(2) operate transparently;
(3) develop partnerships and programming to drive community
redevelopment forward; and
(4) access education, expertise, and research to strengthen
the critical work of land banks in supporting equitable
communities.
SEC. 4. NATIONAL LAND BANK NETWORK.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation shall
enter into a contract with a national nonprofit organization that has
demonstrated and established expertise in supporting the creation,
implementation, and operation of land banks, as well as expertise
relating to the systems, laws, and policies that impact vacant,
abandoned, and other problem properties, to establish and operate a
membership-based national land bank network.
(b) Duties.--The duties of the national land bank network
established under this section shall be--
(1) to provide technical assistance to rural, suburban, and
urban land banks who are members of the network to support
skills training, staffing support, and other operational
capacity needs of such land banks;
(2) to work with those rural, suburban, and urban
communities that are considering whether a land bank is an
appropriate tool to address vacancy, abandonment, and other
problem properties in their community, and provide technical
assistance in the formation of a local land bank;
(3) to develop partnerships and programming to advance the
work of land banks;
(4) to provide land banks with access to education,
expertise, and research that supports the work of land banks;
(5) to develop and administer grant programs to support
existing land banks and communities in the creation of new land
banks, including with respect to the ability to design, develop
eligibility criteria, and disperse grant funds directly;
(6) to work with rural communities and land banks to ensure
the specific challenges of rural areas are addressed through
the grant programs, education, expertise, and research; and
(7) to track and evaluate the activities and outcomes of
land banks who are members of the network.
(c) Annual Report.--Each fiscal year, the Neighborhood Reinvestment
Corporation shall submit to Congress a report describing, with respect
to the preceding fiscal year--
(1) the services provided to land banks by the national
land bank network; and
(2) the outcomes, qualitative impacts, and quantifiable
impacts that land banks who are members of the network have had
in their respective communities.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--This is authorized to be
appropriated to the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation to carry out
this section--
(1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, except that not less
than $7,000,000 shall be used for the grant programs developed
and administered pursuant to subsection (b)(5); and
(2) $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2031.
(e) Land Bank Defined.--For purposes of this section, the term
``land bank'' means any of the following:
(1) A government entity, agency, or program that has been
designated by the local government (or two or more local
governments) to acquire, steward, and dispose of vacant,
abandoned, and other problem properties in line with locally
determined goals and priorities.
(2) A nonprofit organization that has been designated by a
local government (or two or more local governments) for the
sole or principal purpose of acquiring, stewarding, and
disposing of vacant, abandoned, or other problem properties in
accordance with locally determined priorities and goals.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Financial Services.
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