§ 5318 — Urban Development Action Grants

(a) The Secretary is authorized to make urban development action grants to cities and urban counties which are experiencing severe economic distress to help stimulate economic development activity needed to aid in economic recovery. There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $225,000,000 for fiscal year 1988, and $225,000,000 for fiscal year 1989. Any amount appropriated under this subsection shall remain available until expended. (1) Urban development action grants shall be made only to cities and urban counties which have, in the determination of the Secretary, demonstrated results in providing housing for low- and moderate-income persons and in providing equal opportunity in housing and employment for low- and moderate-income persons and members of minority groups. The Secretary shall issue regulations establishing criteria in accordance with the preceding sentence and setting forth minimum standards for determining the level of economic distress of cities and urban counties for eligibility for such grants. These standards shall take into account factors such as the age of housing; the extent of poverty; the extent of population lag; growth of per capita income; and the extent of unemployment, job lag, or surplus labor. Any city that has a population of less than 50,000 persons and is not the central city of a metropolitan area, and that was eligible for fiscal year 1983 under this paragraph for assistance under this section, shall continue to be eligible for such assistance until the Secretary revises the standards for eligibility for such cities under this paragraph and includes the extent of unemployment, job lag, or labor surplus as a standard of distress for such cities. The Secretary shall make such revision as soon as practicable following November 30, 1983. (2) A city or urban county which fails to meet the minimum standards established pursuant to paragraph (1) shall be eligible for assistance under this section if it meets the requirements of the first sentence of such paragraph and— (A) in the case of a city with a population of fifty thousand persons or more or an urban county, contains an area (i) composed of one or more contiguous census tracts, enumeration districts, neighborhood statistics areas, or block groups, as defined by the United States Bureau of the Census, having at least a population of ten thousand persons or 10 per centum of the population of the city or urban county; (ii) in which at least 70 per centum of the residents have incomes below 80 per centum of the median income of the city or urban county; and (iii) in which at least 30 per centum of the residents have incomes below the national poverty level; or (B) in the case of a city with a population of less than fifty thousand persons, contains an area (i) composed of one or more contiguous census tracts, enumeration districts, neighborhood statistics areas, or block groups or other areas defined by the United States Bureau of the Census or for which data certified by the United States Bureau of the Census are available having at least a population of two thousand five hundred persons or 10 per centum of the population of the city, whichever is greater; (ii) in which at least 70 per centum of the residents have incomes below 80 per centum of the median income of the city; and (iii) in which at least 30 per centum of the residents have incomes below the national poverty level. (c) Applications for assistance under this section shall— (1) in the case of an application for a grant under subsection (b)(2), include documentation of grant eligibility in accordance with the standards described in that subsection; (2) set forth the activities for which assistance is sought, including (A) an estimate of the costs and general location of the activities; (B) a summary of the public and private resources which are expected to be made available in connection with the activities, including how the activities will take advantage of unique opportunities to attract private investment; and (C) an analysis of the economic benefits which the activities are expected to produce; (3) contain a certification satisfactory to the Secretary that the applicant, prior to submission of its application, (A) has held public hearings to obtain the views of citizens, particularly residents of the area in which the proposed activities are to be carried out; (B) has analyzed the impact of these proposed activities on the residents, particularly those of low and moderate income, of the residential neighborhood, and on the neighborhood in which they are to be carried out; and (C) has made available the analysis described in clause (B) to any interested person or organization residing or located in the neighborhood in which the proposed activities are to be carried out; and (4) contain a certification satisfactory to the Secretary that the applicant, prior to submission of its application, (A) has identified all properties, if any, which are included on the National Register of Historic Places and which, as determined by the applicant, will be affected by the project for which the application is made; (B) has identified all other properties, if any, which will be affected by such project and which, as determined by the applicant, may meet the criteria established by the Secretary of the Interior for inclusion on such Register, together with documentation relating to the inclusion of such properties on the Register; (C) has determined the effect, as determined by the applicant, of the project on the properties identified pursuant to clauses (A) and (B); and (D) will comply with the requirements of section 5320 of this title. (1) Except in the case of a city or urban county eligible under subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall establish selection criteria for a national competition for grants under this section which must include— (A) the comparative degree of economic distress among applicants, as measured (in the case of a metropolitan city or urban county) by the differences in the extent of growth lag, the extent of poverty, and the adjusted age of housing in the metropolitan city or urban county; (B) other factors determined to be relevant by the Secretary in assessing the comparative degree of economic deterioration in cities and urban counties; (C) the following other criteria: (i) the extent to which the grant will stimulate economic recovery by leveraging private investment; (ii) the number of permanent jobs to be created and their relation to the amount of grant funds requested; (iii) the proportion of permanent jobs accessible to lower income persons and minorities, including persons who are unemployed; (iv) the extent to which the project will retain jobs that will be lost without the provision of a grant under this section; (v) the extent to which the project will relieve the most pressing employment or residential needs of the applicant by— (I) reemploying workers in a skill that has recently suffered a sharp increase in unemployment locally; (II) retraining recently unemployed residents in new skills; (III) providing training to increase the local pool of skilled labor; or (IV) producing decent housing for low- and moderate-income persons in cases where such housing is in severe shortage in the area of the applicant, except that an application shall be considered to produce housing for low- and moderate-income persons under this clause only if such application proposes that (a) not less than 51 percent of all funds available for the project shall be used for dwelling units and related facilities; and (b) not less than 30 percent of all funds used for dwelling units and related facilities shall be used for dwelling units to be occupied by persons of low and moderate income, or not less than 20 percent of all dwelling units made available to occupancy using such funds shall be occupied by persons of low and moderate income, whichever results in the occupancy of more dwelling units by persons of low and moderate income; (vi) the impact of the proposed activities on the fiscal base of the city or urban county and its relation to the amount of grant funds requested; (vii) funding or special economic incentives have been committed; and (viii) the extent to which the project will have a substantial impact on physical and economic development of the city or urban county, the proposed activities are likely to be accomplished in a timely fashion with the grant amount available, and the city or urban county has demonstrated performance in housing and community development programs; and (D) additional consideration for projects with the following characteristics: (i) projects to be located within a city or urban county which did not receive a preliminary grant approval under this section during the 12-month period preceding the date on which applications are required to be submitted for the grant competition involved; and (ii) twice the amount of the additional consideration provided under clause (i) for projects to be located in cities or urban counties which did not receive a preliminary grant approval during the 24-month period preceding the date on which applications under this section are required to be submitted for the grant competition involved. (2) For the purpose of making grants with respect to areas described in subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall establish selection criteria, which must include (A) factors determined to be relevant by the Secretary in assessing the comparative degree of economic deterioration among eligible areas, and (B) such other criteria as the Secretary may determine, including at a minimum the criteria listed in paragraph (1)(C) of this subsection. (3) The Secretary shall award points to each application as follows: (A) not more than 35 points on the basis of the criteria referred to in paragraph (1)(A); (B) not more than 35 points on the basis of the criteria referred to in paragraph (1)(B); (C) not more than 33 points on the basis of the criteria referred to in paragraph (1)(C); and (i) 1 additional point on the basis of the criterion referred to in paragraph (1)(D)(i); or (ii) 2 additional points on the basis of the criterion referred to in paragraph (1)(D)(ii). (4) The Secretary shall distribute grant funds under this section so that to the extent practicable during each funding cycle— (A) 65 percent of the funds is first made available utilizing all of the criteria set forth in paragraph (1); and (B) 35 percent of the funds is then made available solely on the basis of the factors referred to in subparagraphs (C) and (D) of paragraph (1). (A) Within 30 days of the start of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall announce the number of competitions for grants to be held in that fiscal year. The number of competitions shall be not less than two nor more than three. (B) Each competition for grants described in any clause of subparagraph (A) shall be for an amount equal to the sum of— (i) approximately the amount of the funds available for such grants for the fiscal year divided by the number of competitions for those funds; (ii) any funds available for such grants in any previous competition that are not awarded; and (iii) any funds available for such grants in any previous competition that are recaptured. (C) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, in each competition for grants under this section, no city or urban county may be awarded a grant or grants in an amount in excess of $10,000,000 until all cities and urban counties which submitted fundable applications have been awarded a grant. If funds are available for additional grants after each city and urban county submitting a fundable application is awarded one or more grants under the preceding sentence, then additional grants shall be made so that each city or urban county that has submitted multiple applications is awarded one additional grant in order of ranking, with no single city or urban county receiving more than one grant approval in any subsequent series of grant determinations within the same competition. (D) All grants under this section, including grants to cities and urban counties described in subsection (b)(2), shall be awarded in accordance with subparagraph (C) so that all grants under this section are made in order of ranking. (e) The Secretary may not approve any grant to a city or urban county eligible under subsection (b)(2) unless— (1) the grant will be used in connection with a project located in an area described in subsection (b)(2), except that the Secretary may waive this requirement where the Secretary determines (A) that there is no suitable site for the project within that area, (B) the project will be located directly adjacent to that area, and (C) the project will contribute substantially to the economic development of that area; (2) the city or urban county has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Secretary that basic services supplied by the city or urban county to the area described in subsection (b)(2) are at least equivalent, as measured by per capita expenditures, to those supplied to other areas within the city or urban county which are similar in population size and physical characteristics and which have median incomes above the median income for the city or urban county; (3) the grant will be used in connection with a project which will directly benefit the low- and moderate-income families and individuals residing in the area described in subsection (b)(2); and (4) the city or urban county makes available, from its own funds or from funds received from the State or under any Federal program which permits the use of financial assistance to meet the non-Federal share requirements of Federal grant-in-aid programs, an amount equal to 20 per centum of the grant to be available under this section to be used in carrying out the activities described in the application. (f) Activities assisted under this section may include such activities, in addition to those authorized under section 5305(a) of this title, as the Secretary determines to be consistent with the purposes of this section. In any case in which the project proposes the repayment to the applicant of the grant funds, such funds shall be made available by the applicant for economic development activities that are eligible activities under this section or section 5305 of this title. The applicant shall annually provide the Secretary with a statement of the projected receipt and use of repaid grant funds during the next year together with a report acceptable to the Secretary on the use of such funds during the most recent preceding full fiscal year of the applicant. (g) The Secretary shall, at least on an annual basis, make reviews and audits of recipients of grants under this section as necessary to determine the progress made in carrying out activities substantially in accordance with approved plans and timetables. The Secretary may adjust, reduce, or withdraw grant funds, or take other action as appropriate in accordance with the findings of these reviews and audits, except that funds already expended on eligible activities under this chapter shall not be recaptured or deducted from future grants made to the recipient. (1) No assistance may be provided under this section for projects intended to facilitate the relocation of industrial or commercial plants or facilities from one area to another, unless the Secretary finds that the relocation does not significantly and adversely affect the unemployment or economic base of the area from which the industrial or commercial plant or facility is to be relocated. The provisions of this paragraph shall apply only to projects that do not have identified intended occupants. (2) No assistance may be provided or utilized under this section for any project with identified intended occupants that is likely to facilitate— (A) a relocation of any operation of an industrial or commercial plant or facility or other business establishment— (i) from any city, urban county, or identifiable community described in subsection (p), that is eligible for assistance under this section; and (ii) to the city, urban county, or identifiable community described in subsection (p), in which the project is located; or (B) an expansion of any such operation that results in a reduction of any such operation in any city, county, or community described in subparagraph (A)(i). (3) The restrictions established in paragraph (2) shall not apply if the Secretary determines that the relocation or expansion does not significantly and adversely affect the employment or economic base of the city, county, or community from which the relocation or expansion occurs. (4) Following notice of intent to withhold, deny, or cancel assistance under paragraph (1) or (2), the Secretary shall provide a period of not less than 90 days in which the applicant can appeal to the Secretary the withholding, denial, or cancellation of assistance. Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, nothing in this section or in any legislative history related to the enactment of this section may be construed to permit an inference or conclusion that the policy of the Congress in the urban development action grant program is to facilitate the relocation of businesses from one area to another. (A) Any amount withdrawn by, recaptured by, or paid to the Secretary due to a violation (or a settlement of an alleged violation) of this subsection (or of any regulation issued or contractual provision entered into to carry out this subsection) by a project with identified intended occupants shall be made available by the Secretary as a grant to the city, county, or community described in subsection (p), from which the operation of an industrial or commercial plant or facility or other business establishment relocated or in which the operation was reduced. (i) Any amount made available under this paragraph shall be used by the grantee to assist individuals who were employed by the operation involved prior to the relocation or reduction and whose employment or terms of employment were adversely affected by the relocation or reduction. The assistance shall include job training, job retraining, and job placement. (ii) If any amount made available to a grantee under this paragraph is more than is required to provide assistance under clause (i), the grantee shall use the excess amount to carry out community development activities eligible under section 5305(a) of this title. (i) The provisions of this paragraph shall be applicable to any amount withdrawn by, recaptured by, or paid to the Secretary under this section, including any amount withdrawn, recaptured, or paid before the effective date of this paragraph. (ii) Grants may be made under this paragraph only to the extent of amounts provided in appropriation Acts. (6) For purposes of this subsection, the term “operation” includes any plant, equipment, facility, position, employment opportunity, production capacity, or product line. (7) Not later than 60 days after February 5, 1988, the Secretary shall issue such regulations as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this subsection. Such regulations shall include specific criteria to be used by the Secretary in determining whether there is a significant and adverse effect under paragraph (3). (i) Not less than 25 per centum of the funds made available for grants under this section shall be used for cities with populations of less than fifty thousand persons which are not central cities of a metropolitan statistical area. The Secretary shall encourage cooperation by geographically proximate cities of less than 50,000 population by permitting consortia of such cities, which may also include county governments that are not urban counties, to apply for grants on behalf of a city that is otherwise eligible for assistance under this section. Any grants awarded to such consortia shall be administered in compliance with eligibility requirements applicable to individual cities. (j) A grant may be made under this section only where the Secretary determines that there is a strong probability that (1) the non-Federal investment in the project would not be made without the grant, and (2) the grant would not substitute for non-Federal funds which are otherwise available to the project. (k) In making grants under this section, the Secretary shall take such steps as the Secretary deems appropriate to assure that the amount of the grant provided is the least necessary to make the project feasible. (l) For purposes of this section, the Secretary may reduce or waive the requirement in section 5302(a)(5)(B)(ii) of this title that a town or township be closely settled. (m) In the case of any application which identifies any property in accordance with subsection (c)(4)(B), the Secretary may not commit funds with respect to an approved application unless the applicant has certified to the Secretary that the appropriate State historic preservation officer and the Secretary of the Interior have been provided an opportunity to take action in accordance with the provisions of section 5320(b) of this title. (1) For the purposes of this section, the term “city” includes Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands, and Indian tribes. Such term also includes the counties of Kauai, Maui and Hawaii in the State of Hawaii. (2) The Secretary may not approve a grant to an Indian tribe under this section unless the tribe (A) is located on a reservation, or on former Indian reservations in Oklahoma as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, or in an Alaskan Native Village, and (B) was an eligible recipient under chapter 67 of title 31 prior to the repeal of such chapter. (o) (p) An unincorporated portion of an urban county that is approved by the Secretary as an identifiable community for purposes of this section is eligible for a grant under subsection (b)(2) if such portion meets the eligibility requirements contained in the first sentence of subsection (b)(1) and the requirements of subsection (b)(2)(B) (applied to the population of the portion of the urban county) and if it otherwise complies with the provisions of this section. (q) Of the amounts appropriated for purposes of this section for any fiscal year, not more than $2,500,000 may be used by the Secretary to make technical assistance grants to States or their agencies, municipal technical advisory services operated by universities, or State associations of counties or municipalities, to enable such entities to assist units of general local government described in subsection (i) in developing, applying for assistance for, and implementing programs eligible for assistance under this section. (r) In utilizing the discretion of the Secretary when providing assistance and applying selection criteria under this section, the Secretary may not discriminate against applications on the basis of (1) the type of activity involved, whether such activity is primarily housing, industrial, or commercial; or (2) the type of applicant, whether such applicant is a city or urban county. (s) For fiscal years 1988 and 1989, the maximum grant amount for any project under this section is $10,000,000. (t) If a grant or a portion of a grant under this section remains unexpended upon the issuance of a notice implementing this subsection, the grantee may enter into an agreement, as provided under this subsection, with the Secretary to receive a percentage of the grant amount and relinquish all claims to the balance of the grant within 90 days of the issuance of notice implementing this subsection (or such later date as the Secretary may approve). The Secretary shall not recapture any funds obligated pursuant to this section during a period beginning on April 11, 1994, until 90 days after the issuance of a notice implementing this subsection. A grantee may receive as a grant under this subsection— (1) 33 percent of such unexpended amounts if— (A) the grantee agrees to expend not less than one-half of the amount received for activities authorized pursuant to section 5308(q) of this title and to expend such funds in conjunction with a loan guarantee made under section 5308 of this title at least equal to twice the amount of the funds received; and (i) the remainder of the amount received is used for economic development activities eligible under this chapter; and (ii) except when waived by the Secretary in the case of a severely distressed jurisdiction, not more than one-half of the costs of activities under subparagraph (B) are derived from such unexpended amounts; or (2) 25 percent of such unexpended amounts if— (A) the grantee agrees to expend such funds for economic development activities eligible under this chapter; and (B) except when waived by the Secretary in the case of a severely distressed jurisdiction, not more than one-half of the costs of such activities are derived from such unexpended amount.