March 3, 2026
Mr. Ricketts introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works
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.