Rural Housing Regulatory Relief Act

This bill says that when the federal government provides certain rural housing assistance under the Housing Act of 1949 to build or modify homes on infill sites, that assistance does not count as a major federal action under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). This means a NEPA environmental review would not be required for those projects. An infill site is one already served by existing infrastructure such as water lines, sewer lines, and roads; it excludes sites served only by a road, undeveloped land like woodland or farmland, and areas FEMA rates as high risk for wildfire or flooding. Within 5 years, the Secretary of Agriculture must report to Congress on whether the change reduced review time and administrative costs, and how it affected rural affordable housing. Other laws besides NEPA still apply.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Pete Ricketts Republican sponsor
• 0 cosponsors