H.R. 9032

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9032 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 9032

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a pilot program to 
award grants to renovate and develop third spaces, and for other 
purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 26, 2026

Mrs. McIver (for herself, Mr. Carson, Mr. Moulton, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. 
Norton, Mr. Garcia of Illinois, Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, and Mr. 
Fields) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the 
Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently 
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

A BILL

To direct the Secretary of Commerce to establish a pilot program to 
award grants to renovate and develop third spaces, 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 ``Revitalizing Equitable Spaces to 
Transform Our Regional Environments and Third Spaces Act of 2026'' or 
the ``RESTORE Third Spaces Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds the following:
(1) Third spaces--social environments distinct from home 
and work--are essential for democratic participation, mental 
health, social trust, and cultural vitality. They provide 
opportunities for residents to connect across lines of 
difference; reduce social isolation; and foster emotional well-
being, civic engagement, and mutual aid.
(2) Third spaces serve as engines for local economic 
resilience and community wealth-building. They act as vital 
incubators for local entrepreneurship and innovation by 
providing low-barrier environments for networking and 
collaboration. In urban and rural settings, vibrant social hubs 
drive foot traffic to surrounding businesses, increase property 
values, and foster a distinct sense of place that attracts 
sustainable long-term investment. By providing shared-use 
infrastructure, third spaces lower the cost of entry for small 
businesses and cooperative enterprises, turning social capital 
into tangible economic opportunity.
(3) Decades of public disinvestment, segregation, urban 
renewal, and gentrification have disproportionately dismantled 
shared civic spaces in underserved and marginalized 
communities. The closure of community centers, parks, 
libraries, and gathering places has weakened social 
infrastructure that once supported local organizing, 
intergenerational relationships, and cultural continuity.
(4) The widespread loss of accessible third spaces in urban 
and rural areas has reduced opportunities for collective 
problem-solving, mutual aid, and civic participation, thereby 
deepening loneliness, disconnection, and mistrust.
(5) Social isolation and the decline of communal life have 
created conditions conducive to online radicalization and 
misinformation. When residents lack shared public spaces for 
dialogue, creativity, and belonging, they are more vulnerable 
to divisive and extremist influences online.
(6) Third spaces also contribute to local economic 
resilience. By fostering collaboration, creativity, and shared-
use infrastructure, these spaces can generate small business 
growth, cooperative enterprise, workforce development, and 
community wealth-building while remaining open and accessible 
to all.
(7) The Federal Government has a vital role in seeding and 
studying innovative third space models that promote equity, 
inclusion, and sustainability. A national pilot program can 
catalyze local leadership, restore social cohesion, and 
demonstrate how inclusive, low- or no-cost shared public life 
can flourish in the twenty-first century.

SEC. 3. PILOT GRANT PROGRAM TO RENOVATE AND DEVELOP THIRD SPACES.

(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with 
the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development and the Secretary of 
Health and Human Services, shall establish a pilot program to award 
grants to eligible entities to renovate and develop third spaces.
(b) Grant Priorities.--In awarding grants under subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall prioritize any eligible entity that seeks to renovate 
or develop a third space that--
(1) strengthens the local economy; and
(2) mitigates social isolation and the decline of communal 
life.
(c) Application Requirements.--An application submitted by an 
eligible entity for a grant under subsection (a) shall--
(1) include documentation of the history of the community 
in which the third space to be renovated or developed is 
located, including documentation of historical inequities--
(A) within such community; and
(B) between such community and other communities; 
and
(2) describe how such eligible entity, in renovating or 
developing a third space pursuant to such grant, plans to--
(A) engage members of such community in the design 
of such third space;
(B) ensure that such renovation or development--
(i) benefits members of such community; and
(ii) does not exacerbate such historical 
inequities; and
(C) preserve local--
(i) culture;
(ii) history; and
(iii) identity.
(d) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity may use a grant under 
subsection (a) to--
(1) plan the renovation or development of a third space, 
including through--
(A) community engagement initiatives;
(B) feasibility studies; and
(C) other pre-development activities; and
(2) pay construction costs associated with the renovation 
or development of such third space.
(e) Equity and Historical Justice Requirements.--
(1) Federal requirements.--Not less than 60 percent of any 
amounts awarded under subsection (a) for a fiscal year shall be 
awarded to eligible entities serving low-income and underserved 
communities.
(2) Accessibility policies.--Each eligible entity 
renovating or developing a third space pursuant to a grant 
under subsection (a) shall establish a policy to ensure that 
such third space remains free or low-cost to members of the 
public, except that an eligible entity may charge a reasonable 
rent to a business for the use of such third space.
(f) Expiration of Pilot.--
(1) In general.--Except as provided in paragraph (2), the 
pilot program shall expire on the date that is 3 years after 
the date of enactment of this Act.
(2) Optional extension of pilot.--Not later than 30 days 
before the expiration of the 3-year period following the date 
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary may extend the 
pilot program for an additional period of 2 years.
(g) Reports.--
(1) Eligible entity reports.--Not later than 30 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
establish reporting requirements for an eligible entity 
renovating or developing a third space pursuant to a grant 
under subsection (a), which shall--
(A) be responsive to the resources available to 
such eligible entity to engage in such reporting; and
(B) include required reporting regarding--
(i) attendance rates at such third spaces;
(ii) programs offered at such third spaces; 
and
(iii) social, cultural, and direct and 
indirect economic impacts of such third spaces.
(2) Reports to congress.--Not later than 3 years after the 
expiration of the pilot program under subsection (f), the 
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report--
(A) summarizing metrics of success for third spaces 
renovated and developed pursuant to grants under 
subsection (a), including--
(i) attendance rates at such third spaces;
(ii) the number of new businesses formed in 
the communities in which such third spaces are 
located;
(iii) the affordability of such third 
spaces; and
(iv) survey-based measures of belonging 
experienced by attendees at such third spaces;
(B) assessing, based on the metrics established in 
paragraph (1), the outcomes of the pilot program, 
including, for third spaces renovated and developed 
pursuant to grants under subsection (a)--
(i) social, cultural, and direct and 
indirect economic impacts of such third spaces; 
and
(ii) the effectiveness of such third spaces 
in--
(I) reducing social isolation; and
(II) supporting community life; and
(C) providing recommendations regarding the 
expansion of the pilot program.
(h) Administrative Expense Cap.--Not more than 5 percent of any 
funds appropriated to carry out this section for a fiscal year may be 
expended for Federal administration of the pilot program.
(i) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $200,000,000.
(j) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a local government;
(B) a nonprofit corporation;
(C) a Federally recognized Indian tribe;
(D) a Native Hawaiian organization;
(E) a public library;
(F) a community college; or
(G) a partnership including at least--
(i) one nonprofit corporation; and
(ii) one local government or an agency 
thereof.
(2) The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce.
(3) The term ``third space''--
(A) means a space open to members of the public 
that--
(i) does not function primarily as a 
residence or a workplace; and
(ii) supports social, cultural, and 
economic life; and
(B) may include--
(i) a community athletic field;
(ii) a community center;
(iii) a library;
(iv) a cultural center;
(v) a makerspace;
(vi) a nonprofit incubator;
(vii) a park;
(viii) a playground;
(ix) a public market;
(x) a schoolyard with a shared use 
agreement;
(xi) a small business concern (as described 
in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 632)); and
(xii) a combination of two or more spaces 
listed in clauses (i) through (xi).
(4) The term ``underserved community'' means a community--
(A) that is subject to one or more of the economic 
distress criteria under section 301.3(a)(1) of title 
13, Code of Federal Regulations (or any successor 
regulation); and
(B) that--
(i) is located in a rural area; or
(ii) has experienced--
(I) poverty;
(II) disinvestment;
(III) racial segregation;
(IV) economic segregation; or
(V) the loss of third spaces due 
to--
(aa) redevelopment;
(bb) gentrification; or
(cc) the construction of 
new infrastructure.
<all>