Green communities requirements

(a)

In general

Section 24(e) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

(4)

Green communities requirements

(A)

Requirements

The Secretary may not make a grant under this section to an applicant unless the revitalization plan of the applicant to be carried out with such grant amounts complies with the following requirements: (i)

Affordable housing

The plan complies with the green communities criteria checklist of the national Green Communities program that provides criteria for the design, development, and operation of affordable housing, as such checklist is in effect upon the date of the enactment of the HOPE VI Green Building and Technical Assistance Act of 2007, as follows: (I)The revitalization plan shall comply with all items of the green communities criteria checklist that are identified as mandatory. (II)The revitalization plan shall comply with such other nonmandatory items of the green communities criteria checklist so as to result in a cumulative number of points attributable to such nonmandatory items under such checklist of not less than— (aa)25 points, in the case of any plan (or portion thereof) consisting of new construction; and (bb)20 points, in the case of any plan (or portion thereof) consisting of rehabilitation. (ii)

Nonresidential structures

The plan provides that any nonresidential structure covered by the plan that has 50,000 square feet of gross floor area or more complies with version 2.2 of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design green building rating system for new construction and major renovations (LEED–NC 2.2) or version 2.0 of such green building rating system for core and shell (LEED–CS 2.0) at the certification level. (B)

Verification

(i)

In general

The Secretary shall verify, or provide for verification, sufficient to ensure that each revitalization plan carried out with amounts from a grant under this section complies with the requirements under subparagraph (A) and that the revitalization program is carried out in accordance with such requirements and plan. (ii)

Timing

In providing for such verification, the Secretary shall establish procedures to ensure such compliance with respect to each grantee, and shall report to the Congress with respect to the compliance of each grantee, at each of the following times: (I)Not later than 60 days after award of a grant under this section for the grantee. (II)Upon completion of the revitalization program of the grantee.

(b)

Selection criteria

Section 24(e)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(e)(2)) is amended— (1)in subparagraph (K), by striking and at the end; (2)by redesignating subparagraph (L) as subparagraph (M); and (3)by inserting after subparagraph (K) the following new subparagraph:

(L)the extent of compliance of the revitalization program proposed under the plan with the nonmandatory items of the national Green Communities criteria checklist identified in paragraph (4)(A); and

Planning and technical assistance grants

Section 24(m) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 U.S.C. 1437v(m)) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following new paragraph:

(2)

Planning and technical assistance grants

Subject only to approvable requests for grants under this paragraph, of the amount appropriated pursuant to paragraph (1) for any fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not less than two percent for grants in such fiscal year to potential applicants and applicants for grants under this section to assist such entities in developing and planning revitalization programs under this section or to recipients of grants under this section to assist such recipients in obtaining technical assistance in carrying out revitalization programs.