II 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 5180 

To establish the Great Lakes Authority, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 1, 2022 

Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. PORTMAN) introduced the following bill; 

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and 

Public Works 

A BILL 

To establish the Great Lakes Authority, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Great Lakes Authority 

5 Act of 2022’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) AUTHORITY.—The term ‘‘Authority’’ means 

9 the Great Lakes Authority established by section 

10 3(a)(1). 


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1 (2) GREAT LAKES.—The term ‘‘Great Lakes’’ 

2 has the meaning given the term in section 118(a)(3) 

3 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 

4 U.S.C. 1268(a)(3)). 

5 (3) GREAT LAKES COMMISSION.—The term 

6 ‘‘Great Lakes Commission’’ means the Great Lakes 

7 Commission established by article IV of the Great 

8 Lakes Basin Compact. 

9 (4) GREAT LAKES BASIN COMPACT.—The term 

10 ‘‘Great Lakes Basin Compact’’ means the Great 

11 Lakes Basin Compact to which Congress granted 

12 consent in the Act of July 24, 1968 (Public Law 

13 90–419; 82 Stat. 414). 

14 (5) GREAT LAKES REGION.—The term ‘‘Great 

15 Lakes region’’ means counties in the States of— 

16 (A) Ohio (other than counties served by 

17 the Appalachian Regional Commission estab18 lished by section 14301(a) of title 40, United 

19 States Code); 

20 (B) Illinois (other than counties served by 

21 the Delta Regional Authority established under 

22 subtitle F of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 

23 Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa et seq.)); 

24 (C) Indiana; 

25 (D) Michigan; and 


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1 (E) Wisconsin. 

2 (6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘‘Indian Tribe’’ 

3 has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the 

4 Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 

5 Act (25 U.S.C. 5304). 

6 (7) LAND BANK.—The term ‘‘land bank’’ 

7 means a government entity, agency, or program, or 

8 a special purpose nonprofit entity formed by 1 or 

9 more units of government in accordance with a State 

10 or local land bank enabling law, that has been des11 ignated by 1 or more State or local governments to 

12 acquire, steward, repurpose, or dispose of vacant, 

13 abandoned, or other problem properties in accord14 ance with locally determined priorities and goals. 

15 (8) LOCAL DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT.—The 

16 term ‘‘local development district’’ means any of the 

17 following entities for which the Governor of the 

18 State in which the entity is located, or the appro19 priate State officer, certifies to the Authority that 

20 the entity has a charter or authority that includes 

21 the economic development of counties or parts of 

22 counties or other political subdivisions within the 

23 Great Lakes region: 


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1 (A) A nonprofit incorporated body orga2 nized or chartered under the law of the State 

3 in which it is located. 

4 (B) A nonprofit agency or instrumentality 

5 of a State or local government. 

6 (C) A nonprofit agency or instrumentality 

7 created through an interstate compact. 

8 (D) An economic development district (as 

9 defined in section 3 of the Public Works and 

10 Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

11 3122)). 

12 (E) A nonprofit association or combination 

13 of bodies, agencies, entities, and instrumental14 ities described in subparagraphs (A) through 

15 (D). 

16 (9) PARTICIPATING STATE.—The term ‘‘partici17 pating State’’ means a State located within the 

18 Great Lakes region that elects to participate in the 

19 Authority. 

20 SEC. 3. GREAT LAKES AUTHORITY. 

21 (a) ESTABLISHMENT, MEMBERSHIP, AND EMPLOY22 EES.— 

23 (1) IN GENERAL.—There is established the 

24 Great Lakes Authority. 

25 (2) MEMBERSHIP.— 


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1 (A) FEDERAL AND STATE MEMBERS.—The 

2 Authority shall be composed of the following 

3 members: 

4 (i) A Federal Cochairperson, to be ap5 pointed by the President, not later than 60 

6 days after the date of enactment of this 

7 Act, by and with the advice and consent of 

8 the Senate. 

9 (ii) A State Cochairperson, to be ap10 pointed in accordance with subparagraph 

11 (C)(ii). 

12 (iii) The Governor of each partici13 pating State. 

14 (B) ALTERNATE MEMBERS.— 

15 (i) ALTERNATE FEDERAL COCHAIR16 PERSON.— 

17 (I) IN GENERAL.—The President 

18 shall appoint an alternate Federal Co19 chairperson for the Authority. 

20 (II) DUTIES.—The alternate 

21 Federal Cochairperson appointed 

22 under subclause (I), when not actively 

23 serving as an alternate for the Fed24 eral Cochairperson, shall perform such 


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1 functions and duties as are delegated 

2 by the Federal Cochairperson. 

3 (ii) STATE ALTERNATES.—The State 

4 member of a participating State may have 

5 a single alternate, who shall be appointed 

6 by the Governor of the participating State 

7 from among the members of the cabinet or 

8 personal staff of the Governor. 

9 (iii) VOTING.—An alternate member 

10 shall vote in the case of the absence, death, 

11 disability, removal, or resignation of the 

12 Federal or State member for which the al13 ternate member is an alternate. 

14 (C) COCHAIRPERSONS.—The Authority 

15 shall be headed by— 

16 (i) the Federal Cochairperson, who 

17 shall serve as a liaison between the Federal 

18 Government and the Authority; and 

19 (ii) a State Cochairperson, who shall 

20 be a Governor of a participating State and 

21 shall be elected by the State members for 

22 a term of not less than 1 year. 

23 (D) CONSECUTIVE TERMS.—A State mem24 ber may not be elected to serve as State Co25 chairperson for more than 2 consecutive terms. 


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1 (E) QUALIFICATIONS.—To be eligible to be 

2 appointed as the Federal Cochairperson under 

3 subparagraph (A) or the alternate Federal Co4 chairperson under subparagraph (B)(i), an indi5 vidual— 

6 (i) shall— 

7 (I) be a citizen of the United 

8 States; 

9 (II) be a legal resident of a State 

10 within the Great Lakes region; 

11 (III) have management expertise 

12 relating to a large for-profit or non13 profit corporate, government, or aca14 demic institution in a field of study or 

15 industry relating to the functions of 

16 the Authority; and 

17 (IV) make full disclosure to Con18 gress of any investments or other fi19 nancial interests that the individual 

20 may hold; and 

21 (ii) shall not be an employee of the 

22 Authority. 

23 (3) COMPENSATION.— 

24 (A) FEDERAL COCHAIRPERSON.—The Fed25 eral Cochairperson shall be compensated by the 


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1 Federal Government at level III of the Execu2 tive Schedule as described in section 5314 of 

3 title 5, United States Code. 

4 (B) ALTERNATE FEDERAL COCHAIR5 PERSONS.—Each alternate Federal Cochair6 person shall be compensated by the Federal 

7 Government at level V of the Executive Sched8 ule as described in section 5316 of title 5, 

9 United States Code. 

10 (C) STATE MEMBERS AND ALTERNATES.— 

11 Each State member and alternate shall be com12 pensated by the applicable participating State 

13 represented by the member or alternate at an 

14 appropriate rate in accordance with the laws of 

15 that State. 

16 (4) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AND STAFF.— 

17 (A) IN GENERAL.— 

18 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

19 (ii), the Authority shall fix the compensa20 tion of an Executive Director and such 

21 other personnel as are necessary to enable 

22 the Authority to carry out the duties of the 

23 Authority. 

24 (ii) MAXIMUM COMPENSATION.—Com25 pensation fixed under clause (i) may not 


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1 exceed the maximum rate of basic pay es2 tablished for the Senior Executive Service 

3 under section 5382 of title 5, United 

4 States Code, including any applicable local5 ity-based comparability payment that may 

6 be authorized under section 5304(h)(2)(C) 

7 of that title. 

8 (B) ELIGIBILITY.—The Executive Director 

9 shall comply with the same qualification re10 quirements for the Federal Cochairperson and 

11 State members of the Authority, as described in 

12 paragraph (2)(E). 

13 (C) DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.— 

14 The Executive Director shall be responsible 

15 for— 

16 (i) carrying out the administrative du17 ties of the Authority; 

18 (ii) directing the Authority staff; and 

19 (iii) such other duties as the Author20 ity may assign. 

21 (5) NO FEDERAL EMPLOYEE STATUS.—No 

22 member, alternate, officer, or employee of the Au23 thority (other than the Federal Cochairperson, the 

24 alternate Federal Cochairperson, staff of the Federal 

25 Cochairperson, and any Federal employee detailed to 


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1 the Authority) shall be considered to be a Federal 

2 employee for any purpose. 

3 (6) REMOVAL.—The Federal Cochairperson and 

4 the alternate Federal Cochairperson may be removed 

5 by the President only for inefficiency, neglect of 

6 duty, or malfeasance in office. 

7 (7) COMMENCEMENT OF OPERATIONS.—The 

8 Authority shall begin operations when— 

9 (A) the Federal Cochairperson has been 

10 appointed by the President and confirmed by 

11 the Senate; and 

12 (B) not fewer than 2 States in the Great 

13 Lakes region have elected to participate in the 

14 Authority. 

15 (b) DECISIONS OF THE AUTHORITY.— 

16 (1) REQUIREMENTS FOR APPROVAL.—Except 

17 as provided in subsection (d)(3)(C), decisions by the 

18 Authority shall require the affirmative vote of the 

19 Federal Cochairperson and a majority of the State 

20 members (exclusive of members representing partici21 pating States that are delinquent under clause (iii) 

22 of that subsection) at the applicable meeting in 

23 which the decision is being considered. 

24 (2) CONSULTATION.—In matters coming before 

25 the Authority, the Federal Cochairperson shall, to 


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1 the extent practicable, consult with the Federal and 

2 State departments and agencies having an interest 

3 in the subject matter, including transportation plan4 ning entities in the Great Lakes region. 

5 (3) QUORUM.—A quorum of the Federal Co6 chairperson or the alternate Federal Cochairperson 

7 and 2 State members of the Authority shall be re8 quired to be present at any meeting in order for the 

9 Authority to make any policy decision, including a 

10 modification or revision of a Authority policy deci11 sion. 

12 (c) FUNCTIONS.— 

13 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Authority shall— 

14 (A) promote economic development and job 

15 creation and to create worldclass worker edu16 cation and training institutions to spur eco17 nomic growth, especially in communities that 

18 have been disproportionately affected by the 

19 outsourcing of jobs, in the Great Lakes region; 

20 (B) foster innovation and strengthen and 

21 expand the core manufacturing and industrial 

22 base in the Great Lakes region; 

23 (C) not later than 1 year after the date of 

24 enactment of this Act, and after taking into ac25 count State plans developed under section 6, 


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1 develop an economic development plan for the 

2 Great Lakes region, including priorities and 5- 

3 year regional outcome targets; 

4 (D) provide technical assistance to eligible 

5 entities receiving a grant from the Authority 

6 under the economic development grant program 

7 under section 5; 

8 (E) develop, on a continuing basis, com9 prehensive and coordinated economic and work10 force development plans and programs and es11 tablish priorities under those plans and pro12 grams, giving due consideration to other Fed13 eral, State, Tribal, and local planning efforts in 

14 the Great Lakes region; 

15 (F) enhance the capacity of, and provide 

16 support for, local development districts in the 

17 Great Lakes region; 

18 (G) review and study, in cooperation with 

19 the applicable Federal, State, Tribal, or local 

20 agency or department involved, Federal, State, 

21 Tribal, and local public and private economic 

22 and workforce development programs and, 

23 where appropriate, recommend modifications or 

24 additions that will increase the effectiveness of 

25 those programs in the Great Lakes region; 


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1 (H) consult with Federal agencies in the 

2 Great Lakes region on economic development 

3 activities; 

4 (I) promote coordination with the govern5 ment of Canada, including the provinces and 

6 local governmental entities around the Great 

7 Lakes region, on economic and workforce devel8 opment activities; 

9 (J) consult with economic development dis10 tricts throughout the Great Lakes region to ad11 vance the functions of the Authority; 

12 (K) conduct and sponsor investigations, re13 search, and studies, including an inventory and 

14 analysis of the economic resources of the Great 

15 Lakes region; 

16 (L) in cooperation with Federal, State, 

17 Tribal, and local agencies, sponsor demonstra18 tion projects designed to foster productivity and 

19 growth in the Great Lakes region; 

20 (M) encourage private investment in indus21 trial, commercial, and recreational projects in 

22 the Great Lakes region; 

23 (N) support broadband access and adop24 tion in the Great Lakes region; and 


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1 (O) in coordination with the Great Lakes 

2 Commission, provide a forum for consideration 

3 of economic and environmental problems of the 

4 Great Lakes region, and proposed solutions to 

5 those problems, and establish and utilize, as ap6 propriate, citizens and special advisory councils 

7 and public conferences. 

8 (2) IDENTIFY NEEDS AND GOALS OF SUB9 REGIONAL AREAS.—In carrying out the functions of 

10 the Authority under paragraph (1), the Authority 

11 shall identify the characteristics, and may distin12 guish between the economic needs and goals, of ap13 propriate subregional areas, including the respective 

14 watersheds of each of the Great Lakes. 

15 (d) ADMINISTRATIVE POWERS AND EXPENSES.— 

16 (1) POWERS.—In carrying out the duties of the 

17 Authority under this Act, the Authority may— 

18 (A) enter into agreements and contracts 

19 with eligible recipients (as defined in section 

20 5(a)) in furtherance of the business of the Au21 thority; 

22 (B) provide technical assistance to eligible 

23 recipients (as so defined) receiving or seeking a 

24 grant from the Authority; 


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1 (C) adopt, amend, and repeal bylaws and 

2 regulations governing the conduct of the busi3 ness of the Authority and the performance of 

4 the functions of the Authority; 

5 (D) make arrangements, including con6 tracts, with any participating State for inclu7 sion in a suitable retirement and employee ben8 efit system of Authority personnel who may not 

9 be eligible for, or continue in, another govern10 mental retirement or employee benefit system, 

11 or otherwise provide for that coverage of the 

12 personnel of the Authority; 

13 (E) enter into and perform contracts, 

14 leases (including the lease of office space for 

15 any term), cooperative agreements, or other 

16 transactions necessary in order to carry out the 

17 functions of the Authority, on such terms as the 

18 Authority considers to be appropriate, with 

19 any— 

20 (i) department, agency, or instrumen21 tality of the Federal Government; or 

22 (ii) participating State or political 

23 subdivision, agency, or instrumentality of a 

24 participating State; 


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1 (F) accept, use, and dispose of gifts, dona2 tions, services, or any property; 

3 (G) maintain a governmental relations of4 fice in the District of Columbia; 

5 (H) establish a permanent office and head6 quarters in the Great Lakes region; 

7 (I) establish field offices at other places 

8 throughout the Great Lakes region, as deter9 mined appropriate by the Authority; and 

10 (J) take any other actions and incur any 

11 other expenses as may be necessary or appro12 priate. 

13 (2) FEDERAL AGENCY COOPERATION.—Each 

14 Federal agency shall— 

15 (A) cooperate with the Authority; and 

16 (B) provide, to the extent practicable, on 

17 request of the Federal Cochairperson, appro18 priate assistance in carrying out this Act, in ac19 cordance with applicable Federal laws (includ20 ing regulations). 

21 (3) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subpara23 graph (B), the administrative expenses of the 

24 Authority shall be paid— 


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1 (i) by the Federal Government, in an 

2 amount equal to 50 percent of the admin3 istrative expenses of the Authority; and 

4 (ii) by participating States, in an 

5 amount equal to 50 percent of those ad6 ministrative expenses. 

7 (B) EXPENSES OF THE FEDERAL CHAIR8 PERSON.—All expenses of the Federal Cochair9 person, including expenses of the alternate and 

10 staff of the Federal Cochairperson, shall be 

11 paid by the Federal Government. 

12 (C) STATE SHARE.— 

13 (i) IN GENERAL.—Subject to clause 

14 (ii), the share of administrative expenses of 

15 the Authority to be paid by each partici16 pating State shall be determined by a ma17 jority vote of the State members of the Au18 thority. 

19 (ii) NO FEDERAL PARTICIPATION.— 

20 The Federal Cochairperson shall not par21 ticipate or vote in any decision under 

22 clause (i). 

23 (iii) DELINQUENT STATES.— 

24 (I) IN GENERAL.—During any 

25 period in which a participating State 


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1 is more than 1 year delinquent in pay2 ment of the share of the participating 

3 State of administrative expenses of 

4 the Authority under this paragraph— 

5 (aa) no assistance under this 

6 Act shall be furnished to that 

7 participating State; and 

8 (bb) no member of the Au9 thority from that participating 

10 State shall participate or vote in 

11 any action by the Authority. 

12 (II) ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

13 PROGRAM.—Any ongoing projects in a 

14 delinquent State that are funded 

15 under section 5 may continue during 

16 the period in which the State is delin17 quent. 

18 (e) MEETINGS.— 

19 (1) INITIAL MEETING.—The Authority shall 

20 hold an initial meeting not later than 180 days after 

21 the date of enactment of this Act. 

22 (2) ANNUAL MEETING.—The Authority shall 

23 conduct at least 1 meeting each year with the Fed24 eral Cochairperson and at least a majority of the 

25 State members present. 


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1 (3) ADDITIONAL MEETINGS.— 

2 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Authority shall 

3 conduct additional meetings at such times as 

4 the Authority determines appropriate. 

5 (B) FORMAT.—The Authority may conduct 

6 meetings in person or via electronic means. 

7 (f) PERSONAL FINANCIAL INTERESTS.— 

8 (1) CONFLICTS OF INTEREST.— 

9 (A) NO ROLE ALLOWED.—Except as per10 mitted by subparagraph (B), an individual who 

11 is the Federal Cochairperson or alternate Fed12 eral Cochairperson, a State member or alter13 nate, or an officer or employee of the Authority 

14 shall not participate personally and substan15 tially as a member, alternate, officer, or em16 ployee of the Authority, through decision, ap17 proval, disapproval, recommendation, request 

18 for a ruling, or other determination, contract, 

19 claim, controversy, or other matter in which, to 

20 the knowledge of the individual, any of the fol21 lowing has a financial interest: 

22 (i) The individual. 

23 (ii) A spouse, minor child, or partner 

24 of the individual. 


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1 (iii) An organization (except a State 

2 or political subdivision of a State) in which 

3 the individual is serving as an officer, di4 rector, trustee, partner, or employee. 

5 (iv) Any person or organization with 

6 whom the individual is negotiating or has 

7 any arrangement concerning prospective 

8 employment. 

9 (B) EXCEPTION.—Subparagraph (A) shall 

10 not apply if the individual, in advance of the 

11 proceeding, application, request for a ruling, or 

12 other determination, contract, claim con13 troversy, or other particular matter presenting 

14 a potential conflict of interest— 

15 (i) advises the Authority of the nature 

16 and circumstances of the matter presenting 

17 the conflict of interest; 

18 (ii) makes full disclosure of the finan19 cial interest; and 

20 (iii) receives a written decision of the 

21 Authority that the interest is not so sub22 stantial as to be considered likely to affect 

23 the integrity of the services that the Au24 thority may expect from the individual. 


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1 (C) VIOLATION.—An individual violating 

2 this paragraph shall be fined under title 18, 

3 United States Code, imprisoned for not more 

4 than 1 year, or both. 

5 (2) STATE MEMBER OR ALTERNATE.—A State 

6 member or alternate State member of the Authority 

7 may not receive any salary, or any contribution to, 

8 or supplementation of, salary, for services on the 

9 Authority from a source other than the participating 

10 State represented by the member or alternate. 

11 (3) DETAILED EMPLOYEES.— 

12 (A) IN GENERAL.—No person detailed to 

13 serve the Authority shall receive any salary, or 

14 any contribution to, or supplementation of, sal15 ary, for services provided to the Authority from 

16 any source other than the State, local, or inter17 governmental department or agency from which 

18 the person was detailed to the Authority. 

19 (B) VIOLATION.—Any person that violates 

20 this paragraph shall be fined under title 18, 

21 United States Code, imprisoned not more than 

22 1 year, or both. 

23 (4) FEDERAL COCHAIRPERSON, ALTERNATE TO

24 FEDERAL COCHAIRPERSON, AND FEDERAL OFFICERS

25 AND EMPLOYEES.—The Federal Cochairperson, the 


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1 alternate to the Federal Cochairperson, and any 

2 Federal officer or employee detailed with the Au3 thority are not subject to this subsection but remain 

4 subject to sections 202 through 209 of title 18, 

5 United States Code. 

6 (5) RESCISSION.—The Authority may declare 

7 void any contract, loan, or grant of or by the Au8 thority in relation to which the Authority determines 

9 that there has been a violation of any of paragraphs 

10 (1)(A), (2), or (3), or any of sections 202 through 

11 209 of title 18, United States Code. 

12 (g) TRIBAL PARTICIPATION.—Governments of Indian 

13 Tribes in the Great Lakes region shall be allowed to par14 ticipate in matters before the Authority in the same man15 ner and to the same extent as State agencies and instru16 mentalities in the Great Lakes region. 

17 (h) ANNUAL REPORT.—Not later than 90 days after 

18 the last day of each fiscal year, the Authority shall prepare 

19 and submit to the Governor of each participating State 

20 and the President, for transmittal to Congress, a report 

21 on the activities carried out under this Act during the pre22 ceding fiscal year. 

23 SEC. 4. INSPECTOR GENERAL. 

24 Section 8G(a)(2) of the Inspector General Act of 

25 1978 (5 U.S.C. App.) is amended by inserting ‘‘the Great 


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1 Lakes Authority,’’ after ‘‘the Federal Trade Commis2 sion,’’. 

3 SEC. 5. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM. 

4 (a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—In this 

5 section, the term ‘‘eligible recipient’’ means— 

6 (1) a State; 

7 (2) a political subdivision of a State or a local 

8 government; 

9 (3) a public agency or publicly chartered au10 thority established by 1 or more States; 

11 (4) a special purpose district with a transpor12 tation, energy, environmental, or economic develop13 ment function; 

14 (5) an Indian Tribe or a consortium of Indian 

15 Tribes; 

16 (6) an institution of higher education (as de17 fined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 

18 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))); 

19 (7) a nonprofit entity; 

20 (8) a local development district; 

21 (9) a multistate or multijurisdictional group of 

22 entities described in any of paragraphs (1) through 

23 (8); and 


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1 (10) an entity described in any of paragraphs 

2 (1) through (8) acting jointly with a private entity 

3 or group of private entities. 

4 (b) GRANTS.—The Authority may award grants, on 

5 a competitive basis, to eligible recipients to promote eco6 nomic and workforce development, and to combat poverty 

7 and economic decline, in the Great Lakes region. 

8 (c) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible recipient receiving 

9 a grant under this section may use the grant to carry out 

10 projects in the Great Lakes region, which shall include 1 

11 or more of the following activities: 

12 (1) Acquiring or developing land, including 

13 making improvements to that land, for use for pub14 lic works, public service, or development facilities. 

15 (2) Supporting the development of, and rein16 vestment in, land banks in the Great Lakes region. 

17 (3) Supporting wastewater infrastructure 

18 projects. 

19 (4) Broadband infrastructure projects. 

20 (5) Water infrastructure projects. 

21 (6) Weatherization and lead abatement 

22 projects. 

23 (7) Supporting port infrastructure projects, in24 cluding supporting and expanding seaport infra25 structure— 


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1 (A) to enhance the movement of people or 

2 goods; 

3 (B) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions; 

4 (C) to improve water quality; and 

5 (D) to improve resiliency. 

6 (8) Promoting workforce education and training 

7 programs in the Great Lakes region, including pro8 grams that support incumbent workers that have ex9 perienced economic displacement or train youth to 

10 assume in-demand occupations within the Great 

11 Lakes region. 

12 (9) Promoting the development of renewable 

13 and alternative energy sources. 

14 (10) Promoting resource conservation, tourism, 

15 recreation, and preservation of open space in a man16 ner consistent with economic development goals for 

17 the Great Lakes region. 

18 (11) Supporting entrepreneurship, business de19 velopment, and technology development in the Great 

20 Lakes region. 

21 (12) Growing the capacity for successful com22 munity economic development in the Great Lakes re23 gion. 

24 (13) Facilitating the construction or rehabilita25 tion of housing to meet the needs of low-income and 


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1 moderate-income families and individuals in the 

2 Great Lakes region. 

3 (14) Developing surface transportation infra4 structure in the Great Lakes region. 

5 (15) Supporting severely economically dis6 tressed communities in the Great Lakes region by 

7 improving basic health care and other public serv8 ices. 

9 (16) Any other activity that achieves the pur10 pose of the grants described in subsection (b), as de11 termined by the Authority. 

12 (d) CONSIDERATIONS.—In selecting activities to re13 ceive a grant from the Authority under this section, and 

14 in establishing a priority ranking for applications sub15 mitted to the Authority for assistance under this section, 

16 the Authority shall follow procedures that ensure, to the 

17 maximum extent practicable, consideration of— 

18 (1) the relationship of the project or class of 

19 projects to overall development and poverty allevi20 ation in the Great Lakes region, including whether 

21 the location of the project is in a severely and per22 sistently distressed county or area; 

23 (2) the population and area to be served by the 

24 project or class of projects, including the per capita 


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1 market income and the unemployment rates in the 

2 area; 

3 (3) the relative financial resources available to 

4 the eligible recipient that seeks to undertake the 

5 project; 

6 (4) the importance of the project or class of 

7 projects in relation to other projects or classes of 

8 projects that may be in competition for the same 

9 amounts under this section; 

10 (5) the prospects that the project for which as11 sistance is sought will improve, on a continuing rath12 er than a temporary basis, the opportunities for em13 ployment in the Great Lakes region, including for 

14 populations with the highest unemployment rates, 

15 the average level of income, or the economic and so16 cial development of the area served by the project; 

17 and 

18 (6) the extent to which the project design pro19 vides for detailed outcome measurements by which 

20 financing expenditures may be evaluated. 

21 (e) REQUEST FOR DATA FOR BROADBAND INFRA22 STRUCTURE PROJECTS.—Before making a grant for a 

23 project or activity described in subsection (c)(4), the Au24 thority shall request from the Federal Communications 

25 Commission, the National Telecommunications and InforVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:20 Dec 03, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5180.IS S5180

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1 mation Administration, the Economic Development Ad2 ministration, and the Department of Agriculture data 

3 on— 

4 (1) the level and extent of broadband service 

5 that exists in the area proposed to be served by the 

6 broadband service-related infrastructure; and 

7 (2) the level and extent of broadband service 

8 that will be deployed in the area proposed to be 

9 served by the broadband service-related infrastruc10 ture pursuant to another Federal program. 

11 (f) MAXIMUM AUTHORITY CONTRIBUTIONS.— 

12 (1) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with para13 graph (2), the Authority may contribute not more 

14 than 90 percent of a project or activity cost eligible 

15 for financial assistance under this section from 

16 amounts appropriated to carry out this section. 

17 (2) DISTRESSED COMMUNITIES.—In making a 

18 contribution under paragraph (1), the Authority 

19 shall ensure that the Authority contributes a higher 

20 percentage for a project or activity to be carried out 

21 in a distressed community as compared to a project 

22 or activity to be carried out in a non-distressed com23 munity. 

24 (g) MAINTENANCE OF EFFORT.—Funds may be pro25 vided by the Authority for a program or project in a parVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:20 Dec 03, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5180.IS S5180

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1 ticipating State under this section only if the Authority 

2 determines that the level of Federal or State financial as3 sistance provided under a law other than this Act, for the 

4 same type of program or project in the same area of the 

5 State within the Great Lakes region, will not be reduced 

6 as a result of funds made available by this Act. 

7 (h) APPROVAL OF APPLICATIONS FOR ASSIST8 ANCE.— 

9 (1) EVALUATION BY STATE MEMBER.—An ap10 plication submitted by an eligible recipient to the 

11 Authority for a grant under this section shall be 

12 made through, and evaluated for approval by, the 

13 State member of the Authority representing the eli14 gible recipient. 

15 (2) CERTIFICATION.—An application submitted 

16 by an eligible recipient to the Authority for a grant 

17 under this section shall be eligible for assistance only 

18 on certification by the State member of the Author19 ity representing the eligible recipient that the appli20 cation for the project— 

21 (A) describes ways in which the project 

22 complies with any applicable State economic de23 velopment plan developed under section 6(a); 

24 (B) describes the 1 or more activities in25 tended to be carried out using grant funds; 


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1 (C) adequately ensures that the project will 

2 be properly administered, operated, and main3 tained; and 

4 (D) otherwise meets the requirements for 

5 assistance under this section. 

6 (3) VOTES FOR DECISIONS.—On certification by 

7 a State member of the Authority of an application 

8 for a grant under this section, an affirmative vote of 

9 the Authority under section 3(b)(1) shall be required 

10 for approval of the application. 

11 (i) CONSULTATION WITH THE GREAT LAKES COM12 MISSION ON CERTAIN PROJECTS.—The Authority shall 

13 consult with the Great Lakes Commission on any project 

14 submitted by an eligible recipient to the Authority under 

15 this section that impacts the water resources of the Great 

16 Lakes basin, as described in the Great Lakes Basin Com17 pact, prior to awarding a grant under this section for the 

18 applicable project. 

19 (j) SAVINGS PROVISION.—Nothing in this section 

20 limits, alters, or amends the Great Lakes Basin Compact. 

21 SEC. 6. COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

22 PLANS. 

23 (a) STATE PLANS.—In accordance with policies es24 tablished by the Authority, each State member of the Au25 thority shall develop and submit a comprehensive ecoVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:20 Dec 03, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S5180.IS S5180

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1 nomic development plan for the area of the Great Lakes 

2 region represented by that member. 

3 (b) CONTENT OF PLAN.—A State economic develop4 ment plan developed under subsection (a) shall reflect the 

5 goals, objectives, and priorities identified in any applicable 

6 economic development plan developed by the Authority 

7 under section 3(c). 

8 (c) CONSULTATION WITH INTERESTED LOCAL PAR9 TIES.—In carrying out the development planning process 

10 (including the selection of programs and projects for as11 sistance) under subsection (a), a participating State 

12 shall— 

13 (1) consult with local development districts, 

14 local units of government, and local colleges and uni15 versities; and 

16 (2) take into consideration the goals, objectives, 

17 priorities, and recommendations of the entities de18 scribed in paragraph (1). 

19 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

20 There is authorized to be appropriated not less than 

21 $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and each fiscal year 

22 thereafter— 

23 (1) to carry out the economic development 

24 grant program under section 5; and 


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1 (2) for administrative expenses of the Author2 ity. 

Æ 


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