Sec. 5. Office of sustainable housing and communities
500 words·~2 min read·
/bill/113/s/2900/is/section-5A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
There is established in the Department an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, which shall— coordinate Federal policies that— encourage locally directed comprehensive and integrated planning and development at the State, regional, and local levels; encourage coordinated public investments through the development of comprehensive regional plans; provide long-term affordable, accessible, energy-efficient, healthy, and location-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities, particularly for low-, very low-, and extremely low-income families; and achieve other goals consistent with the purposes of this Act; review Federal programs and policies to determine barriers to interagency collaboration and make recommendations to promote the ability of local communities to access resources in the Department and throughout the Federal Government and coordinate with and conduct outreach to Federal agencies, including the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, on methods to reduce duplicative programs and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of programs within the Department of Transportation, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Department; conduct research and advise the Secretary on the research agenda of the Department relating to coordinated development, in collaboration with the Office of Policy Development and Research of the Department; implement and oversee the grant programs established under this Act by— developing the process and format for grant applications for each grant program; promulgating regulations or guidance relating to each grant program; selecting recipients of grants under each grant program; creating performance measures for recipients of grants under each grant program; developing technical assistance and other guidance to assist recipients of grants and potential applicants for grants under each grant program; monitoring and evaluating the performance of recipients of grants under each grant program; and carrying out such other activities relating to the administration of the grant programs under this Act as the Secretary determines are necessary; provide guidance, information on best practices, and technical assistance to communities seeking to adopt sustainable development policies and practices; administer initiatives of the Department relating to the policies described in paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary; and work with the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration of the Department of Transportation and other offices and administrations of the Department of Transportation, as appropriate— to encourage transit-oriented development; and to coordinate Federal housing, community development, and transportation policies, including the policies described in paragraph (1).
The head of the Office shall be the Director of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. The Director shall carry out the grant programs established under this Act. The Director shall coordinate with the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to small and rural communities under sections 7 and 8. The Director may— coordinate with other Federal agencies to establish interagency and multidisciplinary teams to provide technical assistance to recipients of, and prospective applicants for, grants under this Act; by Federal interagency agreement, transfer funds to another Federal agency to facilitate and support technical assistance; and make contracts with third parties to provide technical assistance to grant recipients and prospective applicants for grants.