RESTORE Third Spaces Act of 2026

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

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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.
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