Senate Committee passes livability bill

S. 1619

Jon Boyd, Aug 04, 10.

“The Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs today [on Tuesday] approved Chairman Christopher Dodd’s (D-CT) Livable Communities Act, S. 1619,” reports Transportation For America.

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan issued the following statement on Tuesday:

Today, the Senate Banking Committee took a bold and forward-thinking step toward creating the next generation of livable and sustainable communities. In particular, Chairman Dodd understands that if we’re going to encourage the development of smarter, more energy-efficient communities, we have to break down the policy silos that keep many parts of our government from talking to each another. Not only does this measure align the collective energies of the federal government toward this task, but it will help generate jobs, encourage a new way of thinking about land use, reduce congestion, and generally make our neighborhoods better places to live.

According to Transportation for America:

The Livable Communities Act would:
■Provide grants for comprehensive planning to communities looking to integrate transportation, housing, economic development and environmental issues;
■Set aside $3.75 billion over three years for competitive grants to fund implementation of projects identified in these integrated regional plans;
■Create an Interagency Council on Sustainable Communities to bring together the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency, along with other federal agencies, to coordinate federal efforts to support development that provides long-term economic and environmental benefits;
■Create an Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities within the Department of Housing and Urban Development to foster sustainable development, lead sustainability initiatives and provide technical assistance to communities seeking to plan for a more sustainable future.