American Homeownership and Economic Opportunity Act of 2000/Title I

==TITLE I — FINANCIAL REGULATORY RELIEF==

Sec. 101. Short Title.

This title may be cited as the ``Housing Affordability Barrier Removal Act of 2000´´.

Sec. 102. Grants for Regulatory Barrier Removal Strategies.

(a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—

Subsection (a) of section 1204 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705c(a)) is amended to read as follows:

``(a) FUNDING- There is authorized to be appropriated for grants under subsections (b) and (c) such sums as may be necessary for each of fiscal years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.´´.

(b) CONSOLIDATION OF STATE AND LOCAL GRANTS.—

Subsection (b) of section 1204 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705c(b)) is amended--

(1) in the subsection heading, by striking ``STATE GRANTS´´ and inserting ``GRANT AUTHORITY´´;

(2) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by inserting after ``States´´ the following: ``and units of general local government (including consortia of such governments)´´;

(3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``a State program to reduce State and local´´ and inserting ``State, local, or regional programs to reduce´´;

(4) in paragraph (4), by inserting ``or local´´ after ``State´´; and

(5) in paragraph (5), by striking ``State´´.

(c) REPEAL OF LOCAL GRANTS PROVISION.—

Section 1204 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705c) is amended by striking subsection (c).

(d) APPLICATION AND SELECTION.—

The last sentence of section 1204(e) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705c(e)) is amended—

(1) by striking ``and for the selection of units of general local government to receive grants under subsection (f)(2)´´; and

(2) by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``and such criteria shall require that grant amounts be used in a manner consistent with the strategy contained in the comprehensive housing affordability strategy for the jurisdiction pursuant to section 105(b)(4) of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act´´.

(e) SELECTION OF GRANTEES.—

Subsection (f) of section 1204 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705c(f)) is amended to read as follows:

``(f) SELECTION OF GRANTEES.— To the extent amounts are made available to carry out this section, the Secretary shall provide grants on a competitive basis to eligible grantees based on the proposed uses of such amounts, as provided in applications under subsection (e).´´.

(f) TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.—

Section 107(a)(1) of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5307(a)(1)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (G), by inserting ``and´´ after the semicolon at the end;

(2) by striking subparagraph (H); and

(3) by redesignating subparagraph (I) as subparagraph (H).

Sec. 103. Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse.

Section 1205 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1992 (42 U.S.C. 12705d) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking ``receive, collect, process, and assemble´´ and inserting ``serve as a national repository to receive, collect, process, assemble, and disseminate´´;

(B) in paragraph (1)—

(i) by striking ``, including´´ and inserting ``(including´´; and

(ii) by inserting before the semicolon at the end the following: ``), and the prevalence and effects on affordable housing of such laws, regulations, and policies´´;

(C) in paragraph (2), by inserting before the semicolon the following: ``, including particularly innovative or successful activities, strategies, and plans´´; and

(D) in paragraph (3), by inserting before the period at the end the following: ``, including particularly innovative or successful strategies, activities, and plans´´;

(2) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and´´ at the end;

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; and´´; and

(C) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:

``(3) by making available through a World Wide Web site of the Department, by electronic mail, or otherwise, provide to each housing agency of a unit of general local government that serves an area having a population greater than 100,000, an index of all State and local strategies and plans submitted under subsection (a) to the clearinghouse, which—

``(A) shall describe the types of barriers to affordable housing that the strategy or plan was designed to ameliorate or remove; and

``(B) shall, not later than 30 days after submission to the clearinghouse of any new strategy or plan, be updated to include the new strategy or plan submitted.´´; and

(3) by adding at the end the following new subsections:

``(c) ORGANIZATION.— The clearinghouse under this section shall be established within the Office of Policy Development of the Department of Housing and Urban Development and shall be under the direction of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.

``(d) TIMING.— The clearinghouse under this section (as amended by section 103 of the Housing Affordability Barrier Removal Act of 2000) shall be established and commence carrying out the functions of the clearinghouse under this section not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of such Act. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development may comply with the requirements under this section by reestablishing the clearinghouse that was originally established to comply with this section and updating and improving such clearinghouse to the extent necessary to comply with the requirements of this section as in effect pursuant to the enactment of such Act.´´.