[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7103 Introduced in House (IH)]

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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.
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