# 119-hr-5085: To exempt Federal actions related to the construction of infill housing from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes.

119-hr-5085, To exempt Federal actions related to the construction of infill housing from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes., is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30] (D-CA); status in_committee; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-08-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5085
- As of: 2026-08-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-5085
- Congress: 119
- Title: To exempt Federal actions related to the construction of infill housing from the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, and for other purposes.
- Status: in_committee
- Introduced: 2025-09-02
- Sponsor: Rep. Friedman, Laura [D-CA-30] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 10
- Policy area: Emergency Management
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-08-22

## Summary

**Would exempt qualified infill housing actions by federal agencies from NEPA review.** It would also set strict site and environmental checks for what counts as infill housing and speed FEMA's hazard updates. - Site rules and tests: Defines "infill housing" as residential development on vacant or underutilized sites no larger than 20 acres that meet either 75 percent perimeter adjacency or 75 percent development within a 1/4-mile, and requires a Phase I environmental site assessment and, when indicated, a Phase II assessment and remediation to CERCLA remedial standards. - Covered activities: Lists infill housing activity to include land acquisition or disposition for development, demolition (excluding nationally, State, or locally listed historic structures), construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, development, and conversion of nonresidential buildings into housing. - FEMA timing: Changes the Natural Hazard Risk Assessment law to require the Federal Emergency Management Agency's risk index be updated every 3 years instead of every 5 years.

## Cosponsors (10)

- Rep. Edwards, Chuck [R-NC-11] (R-NC), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Peters, Scott H. [D-CA-50] (D-CA), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Torres, Ritchie [D-NY-15] (D-NY), 2025-09-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Harder, Josh [D-CA-9] (D-CA), 2025-09-09T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Magaziner, Seth [D-RI-2] (D-RI), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davids, Sharice [D-KS-3] (D-KS), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Auchincloss, Jake [D-MA-4] (D-MA), 2025-10-03T00:00:00.000Z
- Rescom. Hernández, Pablo Jose [D-PR-At Large] (D-PR), 2025-12-11T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Suozzi, Thomas R. [D-NY-3] (D-NY), 2026-01-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Moulton, Seth [D-MA-6] (D-MA), 2026-08-20T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- FEMA risk maps updated every 3 years: benefit, high. If enacted, FEMA would update its National Risk Index every 3 years instead of every 5 years. Community risk ratings could change more often. This could affect local plans, grant priorities, and some insurance decisions. The bill does not add new funding.
- Faster approvals for some infill housing: mixed, medium. If enacted, some federal actions for infill housing would not count as a major action under the National Environmental Policy Act. That could remove the need for an environmental assessment or impact statement. To qualify, the site would be vacant or underused, was previously urban, and is 20 acres…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-5085 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/5085)

## Related
- [119-hr-9877: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9877)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-1065: Protect Our Letter Carriers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1065)
- [119-hr-7853: PrEP Access and Coverage Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7853)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-5085 (as of 2026-08-22).