This bill would add a new section to the Housing and Community Development Act that tells the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to run a competitive grant program under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The grants would incentivize States, insular areas, and Indian tribes to adopt laws or show data that give residents the chance to buy manufactured housing communities.
The bill sets eligibility rules for grants, including that applicants be recipients of Title I assistance and that States or tribes either adopt specified model law criteria or submit data showing effective resident purchase opportunities. Grantees must use at least 25% of each grant for land, site acquisition, and infrastructure for communities owned by eligible public, nonprofit, tribal, or resident-owned entities; the rest may be used for other eligible CDBG activities.
The bill describes model law criteria that require community owners to give written notice to residents and the state housing finance agency at least 60 days before a final sale. Residents or an organized group can present a purchase offer within 60 days. If the resident offer matches the price and substantially the same terms, the owner must sell to residents; if it differs, the owner must negotiate in good faith. The bill protects the use of financing contingencies, gives resident groups 120 days to form a buyer entity and a commercially reasonable time to close, and protects residents' rights to meet, form associations, and distribute materials without retaliation. It lists allowable exemptions to the notice and purchase rules (for certain family transfers, gifts, transfers within entities, lot leases, financing-conveyances, and eminent domain).
The Secretary may waive or set alternative requirements for HUD rules related to program use, except for fair housing, nondiscrimination, labor, environmental, and low- and moderate-income benefit rules. The bill also sets a definition of data that demonstrates an effective purchase opportunity and allows the Secretary to adjust that definition. It authorizes the appropriation of such sums as may be necessary to carry out the program, in addition to other funds under Title I.
The bill authorizes "such sums as may be necessary" to carry out the new HUD grant program, in addition to other Title I funds. No specific dollar amounts or cost estimates are provided in the bill text or metadata.
No publicly available information.
No publicly available information.