H.R. 149 would authorize the appropriation of $58 million annually over the 2021-2025 period and $70 million annually from 2026 through 2031for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to make grants to states, localities, and nonprofit organizations to prevent discriminatory housing practices through the Fair Housing Initiatives Program. (In 2020, the Congress provided $46 million to the program.)
The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $5 million annually over the 2021-2025 period for a competitive grant program for nonprofits to study the causes and effects of housing discrimination and to implement pilot projects to test approaches to preventing discrimination. Finally, the bill would require HUD to study the feasibility and effectiveness of converting the Fair Housing Initiatives Program into a noncompetitive, entitlement program.
Most of the authorized amounts would be allocated for activities carried out by nonprofit organizations to enforce laws against discrimination in housing, as well as for education and outreach efforts. CBO estimates that implementing the bill would cost $207 million over the 2021-2025 period, $541 million over the 2021-2030 period, and $195 million after 2030, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts. That estimate is based on historical spending patterns for the programs and on information from the department.
The costs of the legislation, detailed in Table 1, fall under budget function 750 (administration of justice).
