Edwards, Davis introduce bill to study the effect of part-time home ownership on federal funding in tourist communities

U.S. Congressman Chuck Edwards (NC-11) introduced today H.R. 7196, the Federal Parity for CASH Research Act, to require the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to study the effect of homeownership by part-time residents on Census Bureau data used to allocate federal funding for tourism-centric communities in comparison to non-tourist communities. Congressman Don Davis (NC-01) is co-leading this bipartisan legislation.

Communities that attract large numbers of tourists, including the mountains of western North Carolina, have higher rates of homeownership by part-time residents. These part-time residents, however, do not contribute to the total household count collected through the U.S. Census despite using community resources. Consequently, tourist communities receive less funding than may be needed to sufficiently address the needs of the population it serves during peak seasons and keep up with urban communities in infrastructure development.

“More and more folks are choosing to buy homes in Western North Carolina because of our beautiful mountains, and these part-time residents are not counted in the United States Census despite using local roads, broadband, and other resources. While the solution is not to include part-time residents as a household if they claim full-time residency elsewhere, tourist communities should not have to be at a disadvantage when it comes to supporting their community’s needs,” said Congressman Edwards.

“By conducting a study on how homeownership by part-time residents affects the allocation of federal funds, the Federal Parity for CASH Research Act will allow any gaps that may exist between part-time homeownership and insufficient federal fund allocation be addressed to meet overall community needs.”

"It's important to study and understand the impact of seasonal residents on communities across America,” said Congressman Davis. “Communities rely greatly on essential resources resulting from the U.S. Census count.”

Over 350 federal programs use the U.S. Census Bureau’s total household counts to allocate more than $2.8 trillion in federal funding for states and communities. These funds are used for critical community needs including hospitals, roads, schools, housing, supporting veterans, feeding children and families, economic development, and more.

The Federal Parity for CASH Research Act:

• Requires GAO to conduct a study on the effect of homeownership by part-time residents on Census Bureau demographics used for federal fund allocations.
• Requires GAO to provide recommendations to fix any gaps in federal allocations if a negative relationship is found between part-time homeownership and insufficient allocation of federal funding to meet community needs in comparison to non-tourist communities.

Endorsements

• Project on Government Oversight (POGO)

The text of the legislation can be found here.