Healthy Housing Council Bill (Update): On September 23, 2011, Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Mike Johanns (R-NE) introduced the Healthy Housing Council Act of 2011. The Bill is co-sponsored by Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Al Franken (D-MN). It would create the first Healthy Housing Council (Council) - bringing together Federal, State and local government representatives as well as industry and non-profit representatives. The bill aims to promote coordination and collaboration among the Federal departments and agencies involved with housing, public health, energy efficiency, emergency preparedness and response and the environment. The bill would improve services for familities and individuals residing in inadequate or unsafe housing and to make recommendations about needed changes in programs and services.
For full press release, click here.
Livable Communities Act of 2011: On September 26, 2011, US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) led the introduction of the Livable Communities Act of 2011, marking an important step forward in transforming the federal government into a better partner for communities as they work to achieve their goals. The bill would formally authorize the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and its Regional Planning and Community Challenge grant programs. These programs support community efforts to establish and implement a locally-defined vision for future growth and redevelopment through comprehensive planning and capital improvement programs. The bill would also create a loan program for infrastructure improvements (streetscape, utilities) in preparation for transit oriented development.
For full press release, click here.
Healthy Housing "Vision" Bill: On October 2, 2008, Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) introduced Senate bill S. 3654 to improve the quality of housing in the United States. The bill emphasizes cost-effective approaches and market-based incentives to make homes healthier and safer without detracting from their affordability. Entitled the Research, Hazard Intervention, and National Outreach for Healthier Housing Act, the multi-faceted legislation aims to improve research, enhance the capacity of federal programs, and expand national outreach efforts.
On October 21, 2009, Representative Robert Brady (D-PA) introduced H.R.3891, The Safe and Healthy Housing Act of 2009.
Key bill provisions include:
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Funding for existing federal housing programs, such as CDBG, HOME, and LIHEAP to add healthy homes components to their programs.
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Leveraging the private market interest in healthy homes by creating a voluntary “Healthy Homes Seal of Approval” modeled after the successful Energy Star program.
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Authorizing $7,000,000 for each of the next five years for the National Institute of Environmental Health Science and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to evaluate the health risks and human health effects of indoor exposure to chemical pollutants including carbon monoxide, chemical asthma triggers, and common household and garden pesticides.
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Authorizing $6,000,000 for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to study methods for the assessment and control of housing-related health hazards.
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Providing $10,000,000 for HUD and CDC to study the indoor environmental quality of existing housing and to create a system for monitoring housing related hazards.