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Increase the supply of housing in America › Section 103

Exemption on Construction or Modification of Residential Housing Located on an Infill Site

Section 103 · Sec. 103 ·

What this chapter is about

This part is about rural housing help from the farm agency. Some homes go up on land that already has water, sewer, and roads. For those homes the agency need not study the effect on nature. The agency must report in five years on how that worked. The part also says what counts as that kind of land.

3 proposals indexed from this chapter.

No environmental study is required for rural housing on an infill site

The document says “shall not”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 103 in the PDF
What the document says

“In providing assistance under section 501, 502, 504, 515, 533, or 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471, 1472, 1474, 1485, 1490m, or 1490p-2) for the construction or modification of residential housing located on an infill site, the Secretary of Agriculture shall not be required to carry out any study or report on the environmental effects of such assistance.”

To increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes, Sec. 103

The section provides that when the Secretary of Agriculture gives assistance under sections 501, 502, 504, 515, 533, or 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 for building or changing housing on an infill site, no study or report on the environmental effects of that assistance is required.

What the document actually says

“In providing assistance under section 501, 502, 504, 515, 533, or 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471, 1472, 1474, 1485, 1490m, or 1490p-2) for the construction or modification of residential housing located on an infill site, the Secretary of Agriculture shall not be required to carry out any study or report on the environmental effects of such assistance.”

To increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes, Sec. 103
That sentence, in plain words

The farm agency helps pay for some rural homes. When the home sits on land that is already built up, the agency skips one step. It does not have to study the effect on nature.

What this is about

An environmental study looks at what a project does to land, air, and water. It takes time to do. This part drops that step for these projects.

No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.

A report on the exemption is due in five years

The document says “shall”Who acts: Secretary of AgricultureHow: statuteSec. 103 in the PDF
What the document says

“Not later than the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit, to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, a report that--”

To increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes, Sec. 103

The section requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report to the House Committee on Financial Services and the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs within 5 years of enactment. The report must say whether the exemption cut review time and administrative cost, describe how it affected the affordable housing sector in rural America, and include any legislative recommendations.

What the document actually says

“Not later than the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit, to the Committee on Financial Services of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate, a report that--”

To increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes, Sec. 103
That sentence, in plain words

The farm agency must write a report. It has five years to send it. It goes to two committees in Congress.

What this is about

A report is how Congress checks on a change it made. This one asks whether the skipped step saved time and money. It also asks what happened to rural housing.

No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.

Infill site and greenfield are defined, and risky or empty land is excluded

The document says “means”Who acts: CongressHow: statuteSec. 103 in the PDF
What the document says

“(A) means a site that is served by existing infrastructure, including water lines, sewer lines, and roads; and (B) does not include-- (i) a site that is served by existing infrastructure that only consists of a road;”

To increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes, Sec. 103

The section defines an infill site as one served by existing infrastructure including water lines, sewer lines, and roads, and excludes a site served only by a road, a site in a census tract rated very high or relatively high risk for wildfire, coastal flooding, or riverine flooding under the National Risk Index of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a greenfield. A greenfield is defined as an undeveloped site, including woodland, farmland, and open field.

What the document actually says

“(A) means a site that is served by existing infrastructure, including water lines, sewer lines, and roads; and (B) does not include-- (i) a site that is served by existing infrastructure that only consists of a road;”

To increase the supply of housing in America, and for other purposes, Sec. 103
That sentence, in plain words

This kind of land already has pipes and roads. Land with only a road does not count.

What this is about

The word infill means filling a gap in a built-up place. Land at high risk of fire or flood is left out. So is land that has never been built on.

No action is recorded against this proposal. That is not evidence that none has been taken, and nobody has yet read it against the record. See what the tracker does not yet cover.

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What This Page Covers, and What It Leaves Out

The three things the section does: the exemption from environmental study, the report due in five years, and the definitions of greenfield and infill site.

Nothing the section does is left out.

The exemption applies to assistance under sections 501, 502, 504, 515, 533, and 538 of the Housing Act of 1949. That Act is not indexed here, so nothing is recorded about what those programs do.