[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2222 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2222

    To direct the Secretary of Commerce to make grants for programs 
   promoting community greening initiatives, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 30, 2009

 Ms. Schwartz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
   Committee on Financial Services, 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 direct the Secretary of Commerce to make grants for programs 
   promoting community greening initiatives, 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 ``Green Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; PURPOSES; DEFINITIONS.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Landscaping adds to the economic value and sales appeal 
        of commercial real estate and increases office occupancy rates.
            (2) Greening can change people's perceptions of their 
        neighborhoods, reduce violence and crime, and increase 
        neighborhood stability.
            (3) Planting new trees, improving streetscapes, and 
        cleaning vacant lots increases property values.
            (4) People will stay longer and shop more in shopping 
        districts that are well landscaped.
            (5) Improvements to neighborhood parks increase the value 
        of single-family homes in the surrounding community.
            (6) Homes adjacent to vacant lots that are greened have a 
        much higher property value than homes adjacent to vacant lots 
        that have not been greened.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are to--
            (1) promote investment in greening projects and programs as 
        effective economic development tools;
            (2) connect urban economic development initiatives with 
        environmental initiatives;
            (3) improve quality of life for city residents; and
            (4) encourage public-private partnerships.
    (c) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) Community greening initiatives.--The term ``community 
        greening initiatives'' means programs increasing economic 
        development through environmental improvements.
            (2) Eligible nonprofit organization.--The term ``eligible 
        nonprofit organization'' means a nonprofit organization that 
        receives a grant under section 4.
            (3) Eligible program partner.--The term ``eligible program 
        partner'' means a municipality that receives a grant under 
        section 3.
            (4) Green roof.--The term ``green roof'' means a roof 
        consisting of vegetation and soil or a growing medium planted 
        over a waterproofing membrane.
            (5) Green stormwater infrastructure.--The term ``green 
        stormwater infrastructure'' means systems and practices that 
        use or mimic natural processes to infiltrate, evapotranspirate, 
        or reuse stormwater on the site where it occurs rather than 
        transporting the water to a stream or treatment facility.
            (6) Nonprofit organization.--The term ``nonprofit 
        organization'' means an organization that is described in 
        section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and 
        exempt from tax under section 501(a) of such Code.
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.
            (8) Urban forestry.--The term ``urban forestry'' means an 
        integrated citywide or neighborhood-wide approach to the 
        planting, care, and management of trees in the city or the 
        neighborhood in order to ensure environmental and social 
        benefits for residents.

SEC. 3. INITIATIVES FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND GREENING.

    (a) Grant Authority.--To the extent funds are available, the 
Secretary, through the Economic Development Administration, shall make 
grants to municipalities for promoting community greening initiatives.
    (b) Selection of Eligible Program Partners.--The Secretary, in 
consultation with the eligible nonprofit organizations, shall select 80 
municipalities to receive grants under this section. The Secretary 
shall ensure that the municipalities meet--
            (1) the criteria described by section 209(b) of the Public 
        Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3149(b)); 
        or
            (2) the circumstances described by section 209(c) of such 
        Act (42 U.S.C. 3149(c)).
    (c) Community Greening Initiatives.--An eligible program partner, 
with technical assistance and training from an eligible nonprofit 
organization as provided under section 4(b), shall develop and plan a 
community greening initiative. Such initiatives may include--
            (1) revitalizing municipal parks and public spaces;
            (2) landscaping community gateways and key corridors;
            (3) tree plantings and urban forestry projects;
            (4) comprehensive planning for open space preservation;
            (5) education, training, and volunteer management 
        concerning community green initiatives;
            (6) green roof construction;
            (7) green stormwater infrastructure; or
            (8) vacant lot management.
    (d) Implementing Initiatives.--
            (1) Completion of developing and planning.--The Secretary 
        may make a grant under this section only to an eligible program 
        partner that has successfully developed and planned a community 
        greening initiative under subsection (c), as determined by the 
        Secretary.
            (2) Use of funds.--Grants under this section shall be used 
        by an eligible program partner to implement the community 
        greening initiative developed under subsection (c). An eligible 
        program partner may not receive a grant under this section for 
        a community greening initiative that takes more than 2 years to 
        complete.
            (3) Grant amount.--The Secretary may not award a grant 
        under this section in an amount that is more than $2,000,000.
            (4) Matching funds.--An eligible program partner receiving 
        a grant under this section shall provide, either directly or 
        through private contributions, non-Federal matching funds equal 
        to not less than 50 percent of the amount of the grant. Such 
        matching funds shall be used for implementing a community 
        greening initiative.
            (5) Report.--Not later than 60 days after an eligible 
        program partner implements a community greening initiative, the 
        eligible nonprofit organization that assisted the eligible 
        program partner under subsection (c) shall submit to the 
        Secretary a report assessing the implementation of the 
        initiative.

SEC. 4. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING BY ELIGIBLE NONPROFIT 
              ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Selection of Eligible Nonprofit Organizations.--To the extent 
funds are available, the Secretary shall make grants to, or enter into 
contracts with, 5 nonprofit organizations to provide technical 
assistance and training to eligible program partners. The Secretary 
shall select nonprofit organizations that have experience with--
            (1) planning and implementing projects concerning urban 
        open space, landscape management, and community greening 
        initiatives;
            (2) land and water conservation;
            (3) working on the community level;
            (4) forming partnerships or regional consortiums;
            (5) urban ecology; and
            (6) other activities the Secretary considers appropriate.
    (b) Technical Training and Assistance.--In accordance with section 
3(c), eligible nonprofit organizations shall provide eligible program 
partners with technical assistance and training for the following 
activities:
            (1) Developing, planning, implementing, and assessing 
        community greening initiatives.
            (2) Developing and implementing training and workshops for 
        municipal agencies and local partners.
            (3) Evaluating the community greening initiative.
    (c) Period.--A grant or agreement under this section shall be for a 
period of 5 years.
    (d) Report to Congress.--Not later than 90 days after the end of 
each fiscal year for which amounts are made available for grants under 
this section, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the 
technical assistance and training provided under this section. Each 
report shall describe the actions taken by the Secretary to ensure that 
technical assistance and training is responsive to the needs of 
eligible program partners.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) In General.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry 
out this Act--
            (1) $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010, 2013, and 
        2014; and
            (2) $90,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 and 2012.
    (b) Reservation of Funds.--
            (1) Eligible nonprofit organizations.--
                    (A) Not less than 85 percent of the amounts made 
                available to carry out this Act for each of fiscal 
                years 2010, 2013, and 2014 shall be made available for 
                technical assistance and training by eligible nonprofit 
                organizations under section 4.
                    (B) Not less than 28 percent of the amounts made 
                available to carry out this Act for each of fiscal 
                years 2011 and 2012 shall be made available for 
                technical assistance and training by eligible nonprofit 
                organizations under section 4.
            (2) Eligible program partners.--Not less than 66 percent of 
        the amounts made available to carry out this Act for each of 
        fiscal years 2011 and 2012 shall be made available for the 
        planning, developing, and implementing of community greening 
        initiatives by eligible program partners under section 3.
    (c) Availability of Appropriations.--Funds made available under 
this Act shall remain available until expended.
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