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Inserts a new section 13 ('Designation of environmental review procedure') into the Department of Housing and Urban Development Act after section 12, authorizing the Secretary to designate assistance administered by the Secretary as funds for a special project for purposes of section 305(c) of the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of 1994 for purposes of environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, with an exception where another NEPA procedure is specified in law.
Amends subsection 305(c) of the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of 1994 to replace references to 'State or unit of general local government' with 'State, Indian Tribe, or unit of general local government' and to add a definition of 'Indian Tribe' referencing 25 U.S.C. 4103(13)(B).
Allows the HUD Secretary to treat HUD-administered assistance as a “special project” for purposes of NEPA review under the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act, clarifying when and how HUD funding can be processed under that streamlined review category. Also updates statutory language to explicitly name States, Indian Tribes, and units of general local government and defines “Indian Tribe” consistent with existing federal law.
Authorizes the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to designate the treatment of assistance administered by the Secretary as funds for a "special project" for purposes of section 305(c) of the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of 1994, for purposes of environmental review, decision making, and action pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and other provisions of law that further NEPA's purposes.
States that the designation allowed in subsection (a) does not apply to any assistance for which a procedure for carrying out the Secretary's responsibilities under NEPA and related laws is already specified in law.
Amend Section 305(c) of the Multifamily Housing Property Disposition Reform Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 3547) by striking each place a certain term appears and inserting the phrase “State, Indian Tribe, or unit of general local government.”
In paragraph (1)(C), in the heading, amend the heading “by striking and inserting” (the text as provided shows the instruction but does not show the inserted text).
Add a new paragraph (5) to Section 305(c) defining the term “Indian Tribe” to mean a federally recognized tribe, as defined in section 4(13)(B) of the Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C. 4103(13)(B)).
Primary effects: HUD program staff, environmental reviewers, and applicants for HUD-administered assistance (including multifamily housing developers and public housing agencies) will see a procedural change in how NEPA review may be applied. When HUD assistance is treated as a "special project," the associated NEPA decisionmaking process tied to that designation will govern environmental review steps, which could shorten or clarify review pathways in some cases and affect the timing of approvals. State governments, federally recognized Indian Tribes, and local governments are explicitly named in the statute, clarifying their statutory status in the special-project framework and potentially affecting their roles in project approvals and consultations. The bill preserves other statutory NEPA procedures, so actions already subject to a different mandated NEPA process will not be shifted by this change. The amendment is narrowly procedural and legal; it does not authorize new spending, impose new funding requirements on States or tribes, nor create direct regulatory obligations beyond defining how NEPA applies to certain HUD-funded actions.
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Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Introduced July 23, 2025 by Andy Kim · Last progress July 23, 2025
BUILD Housing Act
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
Introduced in Senate