[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3970 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3970

   To exempt from the requirements of NEPA the provision of certain 
assistance for the construction or modification of residential housing 
                on infill sites, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 3, 2026

 Mr. Ricketts introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To exempt from the requirements of NEPA the provision of certain 
assistance for the construction or modification of residential housing 
                on infill sites, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Housing Regulatory Relief 
Act''.

SEC. 2. APPLICABILITY OF NEPA TO THE PROVISION OF CERTAIN ASSISTANCE 
              FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OR MODIFICATION OF RESIDENTIAL 
              HOUSING ON INFILL SITES.

    (a) Exemption.--Providing assistance under section 501, 502, 504, 
515, 533, or 538 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471, 1472, 
1474, 1485, 1490m, or 1490p-2) for the construction or modification of 
residential housing located on an infill site may not be considered a 
major Federal action under section 102(2)(C) of the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)).
    (b) Report.--Not later than the date that is 5 years after the date 
of enactment of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit 
to Congress a report that--
            (1) determines whether the implementation of this section--
                    (A) reduced the amount of time it takes to review 
                an application for assistance described in subsection 
                (a); and
                    (B) reduced the administrative cost of providing 
                such assistance;
            (2) describes how the implementation of this section 
        affects the affordable housing sector in rural America; and
            (3) includes any recommendations from the Secretary of 
        Agriculture for future congressional action regarding revisions 
        to categorical exclusions or exemptions from the requirements 
        of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 
        4321 et seq.) related to the provision of assistance described 
        in subsection (a).
    (c) Savings Clause.--This section does not affect any requirement 
under any law other than the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Greenfield.--The term ``greenfield'' means a site that 
        has not been developed, including a woodland, farmland, and an 
        open field.
            (2) Infill site.--The term ``infill site''--
                    (A) means a site that is served by existing 
                infrastructure, including water lines, sewer lines, and 
                roads; and
                    (B) does not include--
                            (i) a site that is served by existing 
                        infrastructure that only consists of a road;
                            (ii) a site within a census tract 
                        designated as very high or relatively high risk 
                        for wildfire, coastal flooding, and riverine 
                        flooding under the National Risk Index of the 
                        Federal Emergency Management Agency pursuant to 
                        section 206 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 
                        Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 
                        5136); and
                            (iii) a greenfield.
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