II 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3891 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 

update and expand Federal economic development investment in the 

economic recovery, resiliency, and competitiveness of communities, regions, and States across the United States, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2024 

Mr. CARPER (for himself, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. KELLY, and Mr. CRAMER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

A BILL 

To amend the Public Works and Economic Development 

Act of 1965 to update and expand Federal economic 

development investment in the economic recovery, resiliency, and competitiveness of communities, regions, and 

States across the United States, 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; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

4 (a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 

5 ‘‘Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024’’. 

6 (b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 

7 this Act is as follows: 


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Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

TITLE I—PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

Sec. 101. Findings and declarations. 

Sec. 102. Definitions. 

Sec. 103. Increased coordination. 

Sec. 104. Grants for public works and economic development. 

Sec. 105. Grants for planning and grants for administrative expenses. 

Sec. 106. Cost sharing. 

Sec. 107. Regulations on relative needs and allocations. 

Sec. 108. Research and technical assistance; university centers. 

Sec. 109. Investment priorities. 

Sec. 110. Grants for economic adjustment. 

Sec. 111. Renewable energy program. 

Sec. 112. Workforce training grants. 

Sec. 113. Congressional notification requirements. 

Sec. 114. Specific flexibilities related to deployment of high-speed broadband. 

Sec. 115. Critical supply chain site development grant program. 

Sec. 116. Updated distress criteria and grant rates. 

Sec. 117. Comprehensive economic development strategies. 

Sec. 118. Office of Tribal Economic Development. 

Sec. 119. Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. 

Sec. 120. Establishment of technical assistance liaisons. 

Sec. 121. Annual report to Congress. 

Sec. 122. Modernization of environmental reviews. 

Sec. 123. GAO report on economic development programs. 

Sec. 124. GAO report on Economic Development Administration regulations 

and policies. 

Sec. 125. GAO study on rural communities. 

Sec. 126. General authorization of appropriations. 

Sec. 127. Technical correction. 

TITLE II—REGIONAL ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE 

DEVELOPMENT 

Sec. 201. Regional commission authorizations. 

Sec. 202. Regional commission modifications. 

Sec. 203. Transfer of funds among Federal agencies. 

Sec. 204. Economic and infrastructure development grants. 

Sec. 205. Financial assistance. 

Sec. 206. Northern Border Regional Commission area. 

Sec. 207. Southwest Border Regional Commission area. 

Sec. 208. Great Lakes Authority area. 

Sec. 209. Additional regional commission programs. 

Sec. 210. Tribal and colonia participation in southwest border region. 

Sec. 211. Establishment of Mid-Atlantic Regional Commission. 

Sec. 212. Establishment of Southern New England Regional Commission. 

Sec. 213. Denali Commission reauthorization. 

Sec. 214. Denali Housing Fund. 

Sec. 215. Delta Regional Authority reauthorization. 

Sec. 216. Northern Great Plains Regional Authority reauthorization. 


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1 TITLE I—PUBLIC WORKS AND 

2 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

3 SEC. 101. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS. 

4 Section 2 of the Public Works and Economic Devel5 opment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121) is amended to read 

6 as follows: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND DECLARATIONS. 

8 ‘‘(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

9 ‘‘(1) there continue to be areas of the United 

10 States— 

11 ‘‘(A) experiencing chronic high unemploy12 ment, underemployment, outmigration, and low 

13 per capita incomes; and 

14 ‘‘(B) facing sudden and severe economic 

15 dislocations because of structural economic 

16 changes, changing trade patterns, certain Fed17 eral actions (including environmental require18 ments that result in the removal of economic 

19 activities from a locality), impacts from natural 

20 disasters, and transitioning industries, including 

21 energy generation, steel production, and min22 ing; 

23 ‘‘(2) economic growth in the States, cities, and 

24 rural areas of the United States is produced by ex25 panding economic opportunities, expanding free enVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 terprise through trade, promoting resilience in public 

2 infrastructure, creating conditions for job creation, 

3 job retention, and business development, and by cap4 turing the opportunities to lead the industries of the 

5 future, including advanced technologies, clean energy 

6 production, and advanced manufacturing tech7 nologies; 

8 ‘‘(3) the goal of Federal economic development 

9 programs is to raise the standard of living for all 

10 citizens and increase the wealth and overall rate of 

11 growth of the economy by encouraging communities 

12 to develop a more competitive and diversified eco13 nomic base by— 

14 ‘‘(A) creating an environment that pro15 motes economic activity by improving and ex16 panding modern public infrastructure; 

17 ‘‘(B) promoting job creation, retention, 

18 and workforce readiness through increased in19 novation, productivity, and entrepreneurship; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(C) empowering local and regional com22 munities experiencing chronic high unemploy23 ment, underemployment, low labor force partici24 pation, and low per capita income to develop 


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1 private sector business and attract increased 

2 private sector capital investment; 

3 ‘‘(4) while economic development is an inher4 ently local process, the Federal Government should 

5 work in partnership with public and private State, 

6 regional, Tribal, and local organizations to maximize 

7 the impact of existing resources and enable regions, 

8 communities, and citizens to participate more fully 

9 in the American dream and national prosperity; 

10 ‘‘(5) in order to avoid duplication of effort and 

11 achieve meaningful, long-lasting results, Federal, 

12 State, Tribal, and local economic development activi13 ties should have a clear focus, improved coordina14 tion, a comprehensive approach, and simplified and 

15 consistent requirements; 

16 ‘‘(6) Federal economic development efforts will 

17 be more effective if the efforts are coordinated with, 

18 and build on, the trade, workforce investment, sci19 entific research, environmental protection, transpor20 tation, and technology programs of the United 

21 States, including through the consolidation and 

22 alignment of plans and strategies to promote effec23 tive economic development; 

24 ‘‘(7) rural communities face unique challenges 

25 in addressing infrastructure needs, sometimes lackVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 ing the necessary tax base for required upgrades, 

2 and often encounter limited financing options and 

3 capacity, which can impede new development and 

4 long-term economic growth; and 

5 ‘‘(8) assisting communities and regions in be6 coming more resilient to the effects of extreme 

7 weather threats and events will promote economic 

8 development and job creation. 

9 ‘‘(b) DECLARATIONS.—In order to promote a strong, 

10 growing, resilient, competitive, and secure economy 

11 throughout the United States, the opportunity to pursue, 

12 and be employed in, high-quality jobs with family-sus13 taining wages, and to live in communities that enable busi14 ness creation and wealth, Congress declares that— 

15 ‘‘(1) assistance under this Act should be made 

16 available to both rural- and urban-distressed com17 munities; 

18 ‘‘(2) local communities should work in partner19 ship with neighboring communities, States, Indian 

20 tribes, and the Federal Government to increase the 

21 capacity of the local communities to develop and im22 plement comprehensive economic development strate23 gies to alleviate economic distress and enhance com24 petitiveness in the global economy; 


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1 ‘‘(3) whether suffering from long-term distress 

2 or a sudden dislocation, distressed communities 

3 should be encouraged to support entrepreneurship to 

4 take advantage of the development opportunities af5 forded by technological innovation and expanding 

6 newly opened global markets; and 

7 ‘‘(4) assistance under this Act should be made 

8 available to modernize and promote recycling, pro9 mote the productive reuse of abandoned industrial 

10 facilities and the redevelopment of brownfields, and 

11 invest in public assets that support travel and tour12 ism and outdoor recreation.’’. 

13 SEC. 102. DEFINITIONS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 3 of the Public Works and 

15 Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3122) is 

16 amended— 

17 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (1) through 

18 (12) as paragraphs (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), 

19 (12), (13), (14), (16), and (17), respectively; 

20 (2) by inserting before paragraph (3) (as so re21 designated) the following: 

22 ‘‘(1) BLUE ECONOMY.—The term ‘blue econ23 omy’ means the sustainable use of marine, lake, or 

24 other aquatic resources in support of economic devel25 opment objectives. 


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1 ‘‘(2) CAPACITY BUILDING.—The term ‘capacity 

2 building’ includes all activities associated with early 

3 stage community-based project formation and 

4 conceptualization, prior to project predevelopment 

5 activity, including grants to local community organi6 zations for planning participation, community out7 reach and engagement activities, research, and 

8 mentorship support to move projects from formation 

9 and conceptualization to project predevelopment.’’; 

10 (3) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), in 

11 subparagraph (A)(i), by striking ‘‘to the extent ap12 propriate’’ and inserting ‘‘to the extent determined 

13 appropriate by the Secretary’’; 

14 (4) in paragraph (6) (as so redesignated), in 

15 subparagraph (A)— 

16 (A) in clause (v), by striking ‘‘or’’ at the 

17 end; 

18 (B) in clause (vi), by striking the period at 

19 end and inserting a semicolon; and 

20 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(vii) an economic development orga22 nization; or 

23 ‘‘(viii) a public-private partnership for 

24 public infrastructure.’’; 


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1 (5) by inserting after paragraph (9) (as so re2 designated) the following: 

3 ‘‘(10) OUTDOOR RECREATION.—The term ‘out4 door recreation’ means all recreational activities, and 

5 the economic drivers of those activities, that occur in 

6 nature-based environments outdoors. 

7 ‘‘(11) PROJECT PREDEVELOPMENT.—The term 

8 ‘project predevelopment’ means a measure required 

9 to be completed before the initiation of a project, in10 cluding— 

11 ‘‘(A) planning and community asset map12 ping; 

13 ‘‘(B) training; 

14 ‘‘(C) technical assistance and organiza15 tional development; 

16 ‘‘(D) feasibility and market studies; 

17 ‘‘(E) demonstration projects; and 

18 ‘‘(F) other predevelopment activities deter19 mined by the Secretary to be appropriate.’’; 

20 (6) by striking paragraph (12) (as so redesig21 nated) and inserting the following: 

22 ‘‘(12) REGIONAL COMMISSION.—The term ‘Re23 gional Commission’ means any of the following: 


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1 ‘‘(A) The Appalachian Regional Commis2 sion established by section 14301(a) of title 40, 

3 United States Code. 

4 ‘‘(B) The Delta Regional Authority estab5 lished by section 382B(a)(1) of the Consoli6 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

7 U.S.C. 2009aa–1(a)(1)). 

8 ‘‘(C) The Denali Commission established 

9 by section 303(a) of the Denali Commission Act 

10 of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; Public Law 

11 105–277). 

12 ‘‘(D) The Great Lakes Authority estab13 lished by section 15301(a)(4) of title 40, United 

14 States Code. 

15 ‘‘(E) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Commis16 sion established by section 15301(a)(5) of title 

17 40, United States Code. 

18 ‘‘(F) The Northern Border Regional Com19 mission established by section 15301(a)(3) of 

20 title 40, United States Code. 

21 ‘‘(G) The Northern Great Plains Regional 

22 Authority established by section 383B(a)(1) of 

23 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 

24 Act (7 U.S.C. 2009bb–1(a)(1)). 


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1 ‘‘(H) The Southeast Crescent Regional 

2 Commission established by section 15301(a)(1) 

3 of title 40, United States Code. 

4 ‘‘(I) The Southern New England Regional 

5 Commission established by section 15301(a)(6) 

6 of title 40, United States Code. 

7 ‘‘(J) The Southwest Border Regional Com8 mission established by section 15301(a)(2) of 

9 title 40, United States Code.’’; 

10 (7) by inserting after paragraph (14) (as so re11 designated) the following: 

12 ‘‘(15) TRAVEL AND TOURISM.—The term ‘trav13 el and tourism’ means any economic activity that 

14 primarily serves to encourage recreational or busi15 ness travel in or to the United States.’’; and 

16 (8) in paragraph (17) (as so redesignated), by 

17 striking ‘‘established as a University Center for Eco18 nomic Development under section 207(a)(2)(D)’’ 

19 and inserting ‘‘established under section 207(c)(1)’’. 

20 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 207(a)(3) 

21 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 

22 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3147(a)(3)) is amended by striking ‘‘sec23 tion 3(4)(A)(vi)’’ and inserting ‘‘section 3(6)(A)(vi)’’. 


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1 SEC. 103. INCREASED COORDINATION. 

2 Section 103 of the Public Works and Economic De3 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3133) is amended by 

4 striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘(b) MEETINGS.— 

6 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To carry out subsection 

7 (a), or for any other purpose relating to economic 

8 development activities, the Secretary may convene 

9 meetings with Federal agencies, State and local gov10 ernments, economic development districts, Indian 

11 tribes, and other appropriate planning and develop12 ment organizations. 

13 ‘‘(2) REGIONAL COMMISSIONS.— 

14 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to meet15 ings described in paragraph (1), not later than 

16 1 year after the date of enactment of the Eco17 nomic Development Reauthorization Act of 

18 2024, and not less frequently than every 2 

19 years thereafter, the Secretary shall convene a 

20 meeting with the Regional Commissions in fur21 therance of subsection (a). 

22 ‘‘(B) ATTENDEES.—The attendees for a 

23 meeting convened under this paragraph shall 

24 consist of— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the Secretary, acting through the 

2 Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Eco3 nomic Development, serving as Chair; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the Federal Cochairpersons of 

5 the Regional Commissions, or their des6 ignees; and 

7 ‘‘(iii) the State Cochairpersons of the 

8 Regional Commissions, or their designees. 

9 ‘‘(C) PURPOSE.—The purposes of a meet10 ing convened under this paragraph shall in11 clude— 

12 ‘‘(i) to enhance coordination between 

13 the Economic Development Administration 

14 and the Regional Commissions in carrying 

15 out economic development programs; 

16 ‘‘(ii) to reduce duplication of efforts 

17 by the Economic Development Administra18 tion and the Regional Commissions in car19 rying out economic development programs; 

20 ‘‘(iii) to develop best practices and 

21 strategies for fostering regional economic 

22 development; and 

23 ‘‘(iv) any other purposes as deter24 mined appropriate by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(D) REPORT.—Where applicable and pur2 suant to subparagraph (C), not later than 1 

3 year after a meeting under this paragraph, the 

4 Secretary shall prepare and make publicly avail5 able a report detailing, at a minimum— 

6 ‘‘(i) the planned actions by the Eco7 nomic Development Administration and 

8 the Regional Commissions to enhance co9 ordination or reduce duplication of efforts 

10 and a timeline for implementing those ac11 tions; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) any best practices and strategies 

13 developed.’’. 

14 SEC. 104. GRANTS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC DE15 VELOPMENT. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 201 of the Public Works 

17 and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141) 

18 is amended— 

19 (1) in subsection (a)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘or for 

21 the improvement of waste management and re22 cycling systems’’ after ‘‘development facility’’; 

23 and 

24 (B) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘in25 creasing the resilience’’ after ‘‘expansion,’’; 


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1 (2) in subsection (b)(1)— 

2 (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘suc3 cessful establishment or expansion’’ and insert4 ing ‘‘successful establishment, expansion, or re5 tention,’’; and 

6 (B) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 

7 ‘‘and underemployed’’ after ‘‘unemployed’’; 

8 (3) by redesignating subsection (c) as sub9 section (d); and 

10 (4) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol11 lowing: 

12 ‘‘(c) ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS.—In awarding 

13 grants under subsection (a) and subject to the criteria in 

14 subsection (b), the Secretary may also consider the extent 

15 to which a project would— 

16 ‘‘(1) lead to economic diversification in the 

17 area, or a part of the area, in which the project is 

18 or will be located; 

19 ‘‘(2) address and mitigate impacts from ex20 treme weather events, including development of resil21 ient infrastructure, products, and processes; 

22 ‘‘(3) benefit highly rural communities without 

23 adequate tax revenues to invest in long-term or cost24 ly infrastructure; 

25 ‘‘(4) increase access to high-speed broadband; 


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1 ‘‘(5) support outdoor recreation to spur eco2 nomic development, with a focus on rural commu3 nities; 

4 ‘‘(6) promote job creation or retention relative 

5 to the population of the impacted region with out6 sized significance; 

7 ‘‘(7) promote travel and tourism; or 

8 ‘‘(8) promote blue economy activities.’’. 

9 SEC. 105. GRANTS FOR PLANNING AND GRANTS FOR AD10 MINISTRATIVE EXPENSES. 

11 Section 203 of the Public Works and Economic De12 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3143) is amended— 

13 (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub14 section (e); 

15 (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the fol16 lowing: 

17 ‘‘(d) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Administrative 

18 expenses that may be paid with a grant under this section 

19 include— 

20 ‘‘(1) expenses related to carrying out the plan21 ning process described in subsection (b); 

22 ‘‘(2) expenses related to project 

23 predevelopment; and 

24 ‘‘(3) expenses related to hiring professional 

25 staff to assist communities in— 


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1 ‘‘(A) project predevelopment and imple2 menting projects and priorities included in— 

3 ‘‘(i) a comprehensive economic devel4 opment strategy; or 

5 ‘‘(ii) an economic development plan6 ning grant; 

7 ‘‘(B) identifying and using other Federal, 

8 State, and Tribal economic development pro9 grams; 

10 ‘‘(C) leveraging private and philanthropic 

11 investment; 

12 ‘‘(D) preparing disaster coordination and 

13 preparation plans; and 

14 ‘‘(E) carrying out economic development 

15 and predevelopment activities in accordance 

16 with professional economic development best 

17 practices.’’; and 

18 (3) in subsection (e) (as so redesignated), in 

19 paragraph (4)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (E), by striking ‘‘; 

21 and’’ and inserting ‘‘(including broadband);’’; 

22 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (F) as 

23 subparagraph (G); and 

24 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (E) 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(F) address and mitigate impacts of ex2 treme weather; and’’. 

3 SEC. 106. COST SHARING. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 204 of the Public Works 

5 and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3144) 

6 is amended— 

7 (1) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ‘‘50’’ and 

8 inserting ‘‘60’’; 

9 (2) in subsection (b)— 

10 (A) by striking ‘‘In determining’’ and in11 serting the following: 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In determining’’; and 

13 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

14 ‘‘(2) REGIONAL COMMISSION FUNDS.—Notwith15 standing any other provision of law, any funds con16 tributed by a Regional Commission for a project 

17 under this title may be considered to be part of the 

18 non-Federal share of the costs of the project.’’; and 

19 (3) in subsection (c)— 

20 (A) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or can 

21 otherwise document that no local matching 

22 funds are reasonably obtainable’’ after ‘‘or po23 litical subdivision’’; 

24 (B) in paragraph (3)— 


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1 (i) by striking ‘‘section 207’’ and in2 serting ‘‘section 203 or 207’’; and 

3 (ii) by striking ‘‘project if’’ and all 

4 that follows through the period at the end 

5 and inserting ‘‘project.’’; and 

6 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(4) DISASTER ASSISTANCE.—In the case of a 

8 grant provided under section 209 for a project for 

9 economic recovery in response to a major disaster or 

10 emergency declared under the Robert T. Stafford 

11 Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

12 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), the Secretary may increase the 

13 Federal share under paragraph (1) up to 100 per14 cent of the total cost of the project. 

15 ‘‘(5) SMALL COMMUNITIES.—In the case of a 

16 grant to a political subdivision of a State (as de17 scribed in section 3(6)(A)(iv)) that has a population 

18 of fewer than 10,000 residents and meets 1 or more 

19 of the eligibility criteria described in section 301(a), 

20 the Secretary may increase the Federal share under 

21 paragraph (1) up to 100 percent of the total cost of 

22 the project.’’. 

23 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 703 of the 

24 Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 

25 U.S.C. 3233) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking subsection (b); and 

2 (2) by striking the section designation and 

3 heading and all that follows through ‘‘In addition’’ 

4 in subsection (a) and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 703. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR DIS6 ASTER ECONOMIC RECOVERY ACTIVITIES. 

7 ‘‘In addition’’. 

8 SEC. 107. REGULATIONS ON RELATIVE NEEDS AND ALLOCA9 TIONS. 

10 Section 206 of the Public Works and Economic De11 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3146) is amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph 

13 (B) and inserting the following: 

14 ‘‘(B) the per capita income levels, the labor 

15 force participation rate, and the extent of 

16 underemployment in eligible areas; and’’; and 

17 (2) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘and reten18 tion’’ after ‘‘creation’’. 

19 SEC. 108. RESEARCH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE; UNI20 VERSITY CENTERS. 

21 Section 207 of the Public Works and Economic De22 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3147) is amended— 

23 (1) in subsection (a)(2)(A), by inserting ‘‘, 

24 project predevelopment,’’ after ‘‘planning’’; and 

25 (2) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(c) UNIVERSITY CENTERS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—In accordance with 

3 subsection (a)(2)(D), the Secretary may make 

4 grants to institutions of higher education to serve as 

5 university centers. 

6 ‘‘(2) GEOGRAPHIC COVERAGE.—The Secretary 

7 shall ensure that the network of university centers 

8 established under this subsection provides services in 

9 each State. 

10 ‘‘(3) DUTIES.—To the maximum extent prac11 ticable, a university center established under this 

12 subsection shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) collaborate with other university cen14 ters; 

15 ‘‘(B) collaborate with economic develop16 ment districts and other relevant Federal eco17 nomic development technical assistance and 

18 service providers to provide expertise and tech19 nical assistance to develop, implement, and sup20 port comprehensive economic development strat21 egies and other economic development planning 

22 at the local, regional, and State levels, with a 

23 focus on innovation, entrepreneurship, work24 force development, and regional economic devel25 opment; 


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1 ‘‘(C) provide technical assistance, business 

2 development, and technology transfer services 

3 to businesses in the area served by the univer4 sity center; 

5 ‘‘(D) establish partnerships with 1 or more 

6 commercialization intermediaries that are public 

7 or nonprofit technology transfer organizations 

8 eligible to receive a grant under section 602 of 

9 the American Innovation and Competitiveness 

10 Act (42 U.S.C. 1862s–9); 

11 ‘‘(E) promote local and regional capacity 

12 building; and 

13 ‘‘(F) provide to communities and regions 

14 assistance relating to data collection and anal15 ysis and other research relating to economic 

16 conditions and vulnerabilities that can inform 

17 economic development and adjustment strate18 gies. 

19 ‘‘(4) CONSIDERATION.—In making grants 

20 under this subsection, the Secretary shall consider 

21 the significant role of regional public universities in 

22 supporting economic development in distressed com23 munities through the planning and the implementa24 tion of economic development projects and initia25 tives.’’. 


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1 SEC. 109. INVESTMENT PRIORITIES. 

2 Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop3 ment Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after section 

4 207 (42 U.S.C. 3147) the following: 

5 ‘‘SEC. 208. INVESTMENT PRIORITIES. 

6 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), for a 

7 project to be eligible for assistance under this title, the 

8 project shall be consistent with 1 or more of the following 

9 investment priorities: 

10 ‘‘(1) CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE.—Economic 

11 development planning or implementation projects 

12 that support development of public facilities, includ13 ing basic public infrastructure, transportation infra14 structure, or telecommunications infrastructure. 

15 ‘‘(2) WORKFORCE.—Economic development 

16 planning or implementation projects that— 

17 ‘‘(A) support job skills training to meet the 

18 hiring needs of the area in which the project is 

19 to be carried out and that result in well-paying 

20 jobs; or 

21 ‘‘(B) otherwise promote labor force partici22 pation. 

23 ‘‘(3) INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.— 

24 Economic development planning or implementation 

25 projects that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) support the development of innova2 tion and entrepreneurship-related infrastruc3 ture; 

4 ‘‘(B) promote business development and 

5 lending; or 

6 ‘‘(C) foster the commercialization of new 

7 technologies that are creating technology-driven 

8 businesses and high-skilled, well-paying jobs of 

9 the future. 

10 ‘‘(4) ECONOMIC RECOVERY RESILIENCE.—Eco11 nomic development planning or implementation 

12 projects that enhance the ability of an area to with13 stand and recover from adverse short-term or long14 term changes in economic conditions, including ef15 fects from industry contractions or impacts from 

16 natural disasters. 

17 ‘‘(5) MANUFACTURING.—Economic development 

18 planning or implementation projects that encourage 

19 job creation, business expansion, technology and 

20 capital upgrades, and productivity growth in manu21 facturing, including efforts that contribute to the 

22 competitiveness and growth of domestic suppliers or 

23 the domestic production of innovative, high-value 

24 products and production technologies. 


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1 ‘‘(b) CONDITIONS.—If the Secretary plans to use an 

2 investment priority that is not described in subsection (a), 

3 the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Environ4 ment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee 

5 on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of 

6 Representatives a written notification that explains the 

7 basis for using that investment priority. 

8 ‘‘(c) SAVINGS CLAUSE.—Nothing in this section 

9 waives any other requirement of this Act.’’. 

10 SEC. 110. GRANTS FOR ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT. 

11 Section 209 of the Public Works and Economic De12 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3149) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (c)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 

15 the end; 

16 (B) in paragraph (5)— 

17 (i) by inserting ‘‘, travel and tourism, 

18 natural resource-based, blue economy, or 

19 agricultural’’ after ‘‘manufacturing’’; and 

20 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

21 and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 

22 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

23 ‘‘(6) economic dislocation in the steel industry 

24 due to the closure of a steel plant, primary steel 

25 economy contraction events (including temporary 


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•S 3891 IS

1 layoffs and shifts to part-time work), or job losses 

2 in the steel industry or associated with the departure 

3 or contraction of the steel industry, for help in eco4 nomic restructuring of the communities.’’; 

5 (2) by redesignating subsections (d) and (e) as 

6 subsections (f) and (g), respectively; and 

7 (3) by inserting after section (c) the following: 

8 ‘‘(d) ASSISTANCE TO COAL COMMUNITIES.— 

9 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

10 ‘‘(A) COAL ECONOMY.—The term ‘coal 

11 economy’ means the complete supply chain of 

12 coal-reliant industries, including— 

13 ‘‘(i) coal mining; 

14 ‘‘(ii) coal-fired power plants; 

15 ‘‘(iii) transportation or logistics; and 

16 ‘‘(iv) manufacturing. 

17 ‘‘(B) CONTRACTION EVENT.—The term 

18 ‘contraction event’ means the closure of a facil19 ity or a reduction in activity relating to a coal20 reliant industry, including an industry described 

21 in any of clauses (i) through (iv) of subpara22 graph (A). 

23 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION.—On the application of 

24 an eligible recipient, the Secretary may make grants 


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1 for projects in areas adversely impacted by a con2 traction event in the coal economy. 

3 ‘‘(3) ELIGIBILITY.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out this 

5 subsection, the Secretary shall determine the 

6 eligibility of an area based on whether the eligi7 ble recipient can reasonably demonstrate that 

8 the area— 

9 ‘‘(i) has been adversely impacted by a 

10 contraction event in the coal economy with11 in the previous 25 years; or 

12 ‘‘(ii) will be adversely impacted by a 

13 contraction event in the coal economy. 

14 ‘‘(B) PROHIBITION.—No regulation or 

15 other policy of the Secretary may limit the eligi16 bility of an eligible recipient for a grant under 

17 this subsection based on the date of a contrac18 tion event except as provided in subparagraph 

19 (A)(i). 

20 ‘‘(C) DEMONSTRATING ADVERSE IM21 PACT.—For the purposes of this paragraph, an 

22 eligible recipient may demonstrate an adverse 

23 impact by demonstrating— 

24 ‘‘(i) a loss in employment; 

25 ‘‘(ii) a reduction in tax revenue; or 


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1 ‘‘(iii) any other factor, as determined 

2 to be appropriate by the Secretary. 

3 ‘‘(e) ASSISTANCE TO NUCLEAR HOST COMMU4 NITIES.— 

5 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

6 ‘‘(A) COMMISSION.—The term ‘Commis7 sion’ means the Nuclear Regulatory Commis8 sion. 

9 ‘‘(B) COMMUNITY ADVISORY BOARD.—The 

10 term ‘community advisory board’ means a com11 munity committee or other advisory organiza12 tion that aims to foster communication and in13 formation exchange between a licensee planning 

14 for and involved in decommissioning activities 

15 and members of the community that decommis16 sioning activities may affect. 

17 ‘‘(C) DECOMMISSION.—The term ‘decom18 mission’ has the meaning given the term in sec19 tion 50.2 of title 10, Code of Federal Regula20 tions (or successor regulations). 

21 ‘‘(D) LICENSEE.—The term ‘licensee’ has 

22 the meaning given the term in section 50.2 of 

23 title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or suc24 cessor regulations). 


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1 ‘‘(E) NUCLEAR HOST COMMUNITY.—The 

2 term ‘nuclear host community’ means an eligi3 ble recipient that has been impacted, or reason4 ably demonstrates to the satisfaction of the Sec5 retary that it will be impacted, by a nuclear 

6 power plant licensed by the Commission that— 

7 ‘‘(i) is not co-located with an oper8 ating nuclear power plant; 

9 ‘‘(ii) is at a site with spent nuclear 

10 fuel; and 

11 ‘‘(iii) as of the date of enactment of 

12 the Economic Development Reauthoriza13 tion Act of 2024— 

14 ‘‘(I) has ceased operations; or 

15 ‘‘(II) has provided a written noti16 fication to the Commission that it will 

17 cease operations. 

18 ‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION.—On the application of 

19 an eligible recipient, the Secretary may make 

20 grants— 

21 ‘‘(A) to assist with economic development 

22 in nuclear host communities; and 

23 ‘‘(B) to fund community advisory boards 

24 in nuclear host communities. 


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1 ‘‘(3) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out this sub2 section, to the maximum extent practicable, the Sec3 retary shall implement the recommendations de4 scribed in the report submitted to Congress under 

5 section 108 of the Nuclear Energy Innovation and 

6 Modernization Act (Public Law 115–439; 132 Stat. 

7 5577) entitled ‘Best Practices for Establishment and 

8 Operation of Local Community Advisory Boards As9 sociated with Decommissioning Activities at Nuclear 

10 Power Plants’. 

11 ‘‘(4) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—The Secretary 

12 shall establish a methodology to ensure, to the max13 imum extent practicable, geographic diversity among 

14 grant recipients under this subsection.’’. 

15 SEC. 111. RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM. 

16 Section 218 of the Public Works and Economic De17 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3154d) is amended— 

18 (1) in the section heading, by striking 

19 ‘‘BRIGHTFIELDS DEMONSTRATION’’ and insert20 ing ‘‘RENEWABLE ENERGY’’; 

21 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

22 following: 

23 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SITE.— 

24 In this section, the term ‘renewable energy site’ means a 

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1 tion of 1 or more renewable energy technologies, including 

2 solar, wind, geothermal, ocean, and emerging, but proven, 

3 renewable energy technologies.’’; 

4 (3) in subsection (b)— 

5 (A) in the subsection heading, by striking 

6 ‘‘DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM’’ and inserting 

7 ‘‘ESTABLISHMENT’’; 

8 (B) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 

9 by striking ‘‘brightfield’’ and inserting ‘‘renew10 able energy’’; and 

11 (C) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘solar 

12 energy technologies’’ and inserting ‘‘renewable 

13 energy technologies described in subsection 

14 (a),’’; and 

15 (4) by striking subsection (d). 

16 SEC. 112. WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANTS. 

17 Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop18 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) is amended 

19 by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 219. WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANTS. 

21 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—On the application of an eligible 

22 recipient, the Secretary may make grants to support the 

23 development and expansion of innovative workforce train24 ing programs through sectoral partnerships leading to 

25 quality jobs and the acquisition of equipment or construcVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 tion of facilities to support workforce development activi2 ties. 

3 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE USES.—Funds from a grant under 

4 this section may be used for— 

5 ‘‘(1) acquisition or development of land and im6 provements to house workforce training activities; 

7 ‘‘(2) acquisition, design and engineering, con8 struction, rehabilitation, alteration, expansion, or im9 provement of such a facility, including related equip10 ment and machinery; 

11 ‘‘(3) acquisition of machinery or equipment to 

12 support workforce training activities; 

13 ‘‘(4) planning, technical assistance, and train14 ing; 

15 ‘‘(5) sector partnerships development, program 

16 design, and program implementation; and 

17 ‘‘(6) in the case of an eligible recipient that is 

18 a State, subject to subsection (c), a State program 

19 to award career scholarships to train individuals for 

20 employment in critical industries with high demand 

21 and vacancies necessary for further economic devel22 opment of the applicable State that— 

23 ‘‘(A) requires significant post-secondary 

24 training; but 


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1 ‘‘(B) does not require a post-secondary de2 gree. 

3 ‘‘(c) CAREER SCHOLARSHIPS STATE GRANT PRO4 GRAM.— 

5 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may award 

6 grants to States for the purpose described in sub7 section (b)(6). 

8 ‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to receive a 

9 grant under this subsection, the Chief Executive of 

10 a State shall submit to the Secretary an application 

11 at such time, in such manner, and containing such 

12 information as the Secretary may require, which 

13 shall include, at a minimum, the following: 

14 ‘‘(A) A method for identifying critical in15 dustry sectors driving in-State economic growth 

16 that face staffing challenges for in-demand jobs 

17 and careers. 

18 ‘‘(B) A governance structure for the imple19 mentation of the program established by the 

20 State, including defined roles for the consortia 

21 of agencies of such State, at a minimum, to in22 clude the State departments of economic devel23 opment, labor, and education, or the State de24 partments or agencies with jurisdiction over 

25 those matters. 


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1 ‘‘(C) A strategy for recruiting participants 

2 from at least 1 community that meets 1 or 

3 more of the criteria described in section 301(a). 

4 ‘‘(D) A plan for how the State will develop 

5 a tracking system for eligible programs, partici6 pant enrollment, participant outcomes, and an 

7 application portal for individual participants. 

8 ‘‘(3) SELECTION.—The Secretary shall award 

9 not more than 1 grant under this subsection to any 

10 State. 

11 ‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE USES.—A grant under this sub12 section may be used for— 

13 ‘‘(A) necessary costs to carry out the mat14 ters described in this subsection, including tui15 tion and stipends for individuals that receive a 

16 career scholarship grant, subject to the require17 ments described in paragraph (6); and 

18 ‘‘(B) program implementation, planning, 

19 technical assistance, or training. 

20 ‘‘(5) FEDERAL SHARE.—Notwithstanding sec21 tion 204, the Federal share of the cost of any award 

22 carried out with a grant made under this subsection 

23 shall not exceed 70 percent. 

24 ‘‘(6) PARTICIPANT AMOUNTS.—A State shall 

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1 section to each individual that receives a career 

2 scholarship grant under the program established by 

3 the applicable State is the lesser of the following 

4 amounts: 

5 ‘‘(A) In a case in which the individual is 

6 also eligible for a Federal Pell Grant under sec7 tion 401 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 

8 (20 U.S.C. 1070a) for enrollment at the appli9 cable training program for any award year of 

10 the training program, $11,000 minus the 

11 amount of the awarded Federal Pell Grant. 

12 ‘‘(B) For an individual not described in 

13 paragraph (1), the lesser of— 

14 ‘‘(i) $11,000; and 

15 ‘‘(ii) the total cost of the training pro16 gram in which the individual is enrolled, 

17 including tuition, fees, career navigation 

18 services, textbook costs, expenses related to 

19 assessments and exams for certification or 

20 licensure, equipment costs, and wage sti21 pends (in the case of a training program 

22 that is an earn-and-learn program). 

23 ‘‘(d) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall coordi24 nate the development of new workforce development modVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00035 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 els with the Secretary of Labor and the Secretary of Edu2 cation.’’. 

3 SEC. 113. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS. 

4 Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop5 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) (as amended 

6 by section 112) is amended by adding at the end the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 220. CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATION REQUIRE9 MENTS. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a project described 

11 in subsection (b), the Secretary shall provide to the Com12 mittee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate 

13 and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure 

14 of the House of Representatives notice, in accordance with 

15 subsection (c), of the award of a grant for the project not 

16 less than 3 business days before notifying an eligible re17 cipient of their selection for that award. 

18 ‘‘(b) PROJECTS DESCRIBED.—A project referred to 

19 in subsection (a) is a project that the Secretary has se20 lected to receive a grant administered by the Economic 

21 Development Administration in an amount not less than 

22 $100,000. 

23 ‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.—A notification under sub24 section (a) shall include— 

25 ‘‘(1) the name of the project; 


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1 ‘‘(2) the name of the applicant; 

2 ‘‘(3) the region in which the project is to be 

3 carried out; 

4 ‘‘(4) the State in which the project is to be car5 ried out; 

6 ‘‘(5) the amount of the grant awarded; 

7 ‘‘(6) a description of the project; and 

8 ‘‘(7) any additional information, as determined 

9 to be appropriate by the Secretary. 

10 ‘‘(d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary shall 

11 make a notification under subsection (a) publicly available 

12 not later than 60 days after the date on which the Sec13 retary provides the notice.’’. 

14 SEC. 114. SPECIFIC FLEXIBILITIES RELATED TO DEPLOY15 MENT OF HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND. 

16 Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop17 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) (as amended 

18 by section 113) is amended by adding at the end the fol19 lowing: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 221. HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND DEPLOYMENT INITIA21 TIVE. 

22 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 ‘‘(1) BROADBAND PROJECT.—The term 

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1 speed broadband service to further the goals of this 

2 Act— 

3 ‘‘(A) planning, technical assistance, or 

4 training; 

5 ‘‘(B) the acquisition or development of 

6 land; or 

7 ‘‘(C) the acquisition, design and engineer8 ing, construction, rehabilitation, alteration, ex9 pansion, or improvement of facilities, including 

10 related machinery, equipment, contractual 

11 rights, and intangible property. 

12 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE RECIPIENT.—The term ‘eligible 

13 recipient’ includes— 

14 ‘‘(A) a public-private partnership; and 

15 ‘‘(B) a consortium formed for the purpose 

16 of providing, extending, expanding, or improv17 ing high-speed broadband service between 1 or 

18 more eligible recipients and 1 or more for-profit 

19 organizations. 

20 ‘‘(3) HIGH-SPEED BROADBAND.—The term 

21 ‘high-speed broadband’ means the provision of 2-way 

22 data transmission with sufficient downstream and 

23 upstream speeds to end users to permit effective 

24 participation in the economy and to support eco25 nomic growth, as determined by the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(b) BROADBAND PROJECTS.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—On the application of an el3 igible recipient, the Secretary may make grants 

4 under this title for broadband projects, which shall 

5 be subject to the provisions of this section. 

6 ‘‘(2) CONSIDERATIONS.—In reviewing applica7 tions submitted under paragraph (1), the Secretary 

8 shall take into consideration geographic diversity of 

9 grants provided, including consideration of under10 served markets, in addition to data requested in 

11 paragraph (3). 

12 ‘‘(3) DATA REQUESTED.—In reviewing an ap13 plication submitted under paragraph (1), the Sec14 retary shall request from the Federal Communica15 tions Commission, the Administrator of the National 

16 Telecommunications and Information Administra17 tion, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Appa18 lachian Regional Commission data on— 

19 ‘‘(A) the level and extent of broadband 

20 service that exists in the area proposed to be 

21 served; and 

22 ‘‘(B) the level and extent of broadband 

23 service that will be deployed in the area pro24 posed to be served pursuant to another Federal 

25 program. 


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1 ‘‘(4) INTEREST IN REAL OR PERSONAL PROP2 ERTY.—For any broadband project carried out by an 

3 eligible recipient that is a public-private partnership 

4 or consortium, the Secretary shall require that title 

5 to any real or personal property acquired or im6 proved with grant funds, or if the recipient will not 

7 acquire title, another possessory interest acceptable 

8 to the Secretary, be vested in a public partner or eli9 gible nonprofit organization or association for the 

10 useful life of the project, after which title may be 

11 transferred to any member of the public-private 

12 partnership or consortium in accordance with regu13 lations promulgated by the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(5) PROCUREMENT.—Notwithstanding any 

15 other provision of law, no person or entity shall be 

16 disqualified from competing to provide goods or serv17 ices related to a broadband project on the basis that 

18 the person or entity participated in the development 

19 of the broadband project or in the drafting of speci20 fications, requirements, statements of work, or simi21 lar documents related to the goods or services to be 

22 provided. 

23 ‘‘(6) BROADBAND PROJECT PROPERTY.— 

24 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may 

25 permit a recipient of a grant for a broadband 


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1 project to grant an option to acquire real or 

2 personal property (including contractual rights 

3 and intangible property) related to that project 

4 to a third party on such terms as the Secretary 

5 determines to be appropriate, subject to the 

6 condition that the option may only be exercised 

7 after the Secretary releases the Federal interest 

8 in the property. 

9 ‘‘(B) TREATMENT.—The grant or exercise 

10 of an option described in subparagraph (A) 

11 shall not constitute a redistribution of grant 

12 funds under section 217. 

13 ‘‘(c) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—In determining the 

14 amount of the non-Federal share of the cost of a 

15 broadband project, the Secretary may provide credit to16 ward the non-Federal share for the present value of allow17 able contributions over the useful life of the broadband 

18 project, subject to the condition that the Secretary may 

19 require such assurances of the value of the rights and of 

20 the commitment of the rights as the Secretary determines 

21 to be appropriate.’’. 

22 SEC. 115. CRITICAL SUPPLY CHAIN SITE DEVELOPMENT 

23 GRANT PROGRAM. 

24 Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop25 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) (as amended 


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1 by section 114) is amended by adding at the end the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘SEC. 222. CRITICAL SUPPLY CHAIN SITE DEVELOPMENT 

4 GRANT PROGRAM. 

5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—On the application of an eligible 

6 recipient, the Secretary may make grants under the ‘Crit7 ical Supply Chain Site Development grant program’ (re8 ferred to in this section as the ‘grant program’) to carry 

9 out site development or expansion projects for the purpose 

10 of making the site ready for manufacturing projects. 

11 ‘‘(b) CONSIDERATIONS.—In providing a grant to an 

12 eligible recipient under the grant program, the Secretary 

13 may consider whether— 

14 ‘‘(1) the proposed improvements to the site will 

15 improve economic conditions for rural areas, Tribal 

16 communities, or areas that meet 1 or more of the 

17 criteria described in section 301(a); 

18 ‘‘(2) the project is consistent with regional eco19 nomic development plans, which may include a com20 prehensive economic development strategy; 

21 ‘‘(3) the eligible recipient has initiatives to 

22 prioritize job training and workforce development; 

23 and 


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1 ‘‘(4) the project supports industries determined 

2 by the Secretary to be of strategic importance to the 

3 national or economic security of the United States. 

4 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants to eligible re5 cipients under the grant program, the Secretary shall give 

6 priority to eligible recipients that propose to carry out a 

7 project that— 

8 ‘‘(1) has State, local, private, or nonprofit 

9 funds being contributed to assist with site develop10 ment efforts; and 

11 ‘‘(2) if the site development or expansion 

12 project is carried out, will result in a demonstrated 

13 interest in the site by commercial entities or other 

14 entities. 

15 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.—A grant provided under the 

16 grant program may be used for the following activities re17 lating to the development or expansion of a site: 

18 ‘‘(1) Investments in site utility readiness, in19 cluding— 

20 ‘‘(A) construction of on-site utility infra21 structure; 

22 ‘‘(B) construction of last-mile infrastruc23 ture, including road infrastructure, water infra24 structure, power infrastructure, broadband inVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00043 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 frastructure, and other physical last-mile infra2 structure; 

3 ‘‘(C) site grading; and 

4 ‘‘(D) other activities to extend public utili5 ties or services to a site, as determined appro6 priate by the Secretary. 

7 ‘‘(2) Investments in site readiness, including— 

8 ‘‘(A) land assembly; 

9 ‘‘(B) environmental reviews; 

10 ‘‘(C) zoning; 

11 ‘‘(D) design; 

12 ‘‘(E) engineering; and 

13 ‘‘(F) permitting. 

14 ‘‘(3) Investments in workforce development and 

15 sustainability programs, including job training and 

16 retraining programs. 

17 ‘‘(4) Investments to ensure that disadvantaged 

18 communities have access to on-site jobs. 

19 ‘‘(e) PROHIBITION.—In awarding grants under the 

20 grant program, the Secretary shall not require an eligible 

21 recipient to demonstrate that a private company or invest22 ment has selected the site for development or expansion.’’. 


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1 SEC. 116. UPDATED DISTRESS CRITERIA AND GRANT 

2 RATES. 

3 Section 301(a) of the Public Works and Economic 

4 Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161(a)) is amended 

5 by striking paragraph (3) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(3) UNEMPLOYMENT, UNDEREMPLOYMENT, OR

7 ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT PROBLEMS.—The area is 

8 an area that the Secretary determines has experi9 enced or is about to experience a special need arising 

10 from actual or threatened severe unemployment, 

11 underemployment, or economic adjustment problems 

12 resulting from severe short-term or long-term 

13 changes in economic conditions. 

14 ‘‘(4) LOW MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME.—The 

15 area has a median household income of 80 percent 

16 or less of the national average. 

17 ‘‘(5) WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION.—The area 

18 has— 

19 ‘‘(A) a labor force participation rate of 90 

20 percent or less of the national average; or 

21 ‘‘(B) a prime-age employment gap of 5 

22 percent or more. 

23 ‘‘(6) EXPECTED ECONOMIC DISLOCATION AND

24 DISTRESS FROM ENERGY INDUSTRY TRANSITIONS.— 

25 The area is an area that is expected to experience 

26 actual or threatened severe unemployment or ecoVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00045 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 nomic adjustment problems resulting from severe 

2 short-term or long-term changes in economic condi3 tions from energy industries that are experiencing 

4 accelerated contraction.’’. 

5 SEC. 117. COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 

6 STRATEGIES. 

7 Section 302 of the Public Works and Economic De8 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3162) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (a)(3)(A), by inserting ‘‘in10 cluding to mitigate and adapt to extreme weather,’’ 

11 after ‘‘enhances and protects the environment,’’; and 

12 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘(d) EXCEPTION.—This section shall not apply to 

14 grants awarded under section 207 or grants awarded 

15 under section 209(c)(2) that are regional in scope.’’. 

16 SEC. 118. OFFICE OF TRIBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 

17 Title V of the Public Works and Economic Develop18 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3191 et seq.) is amended 

19 by adding at the end the following: 

20 ‘‘SEC. 508. OFFICE OF TRIBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 

21 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

22 the Economic Development Administration an Office of 

23 Tribal Economic Development (referred to in this section 

24 as the ‘Office’). 


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1 ‘‘(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the Office shall 

2 be— 

3 ‘‘(1) to coordinate all Tribal economic develop4 ment activities carried out by the Secretary; 

5 ‘‘(2) to help Tribal communities access eco6 nomic development assistance programs, including 

7 the assistance provided under this Act; 

8 ‘‘(3) to coordinate Tribal economic development 

9 strategies and efforts with other Federal agencies; 

10 and 

11 ‘‘(4) to be a participant in any negotiated 

12 rulemakings or consultations relating to, or having 

13 an impact on, projects, programs, or funding that 

14 benefit Tribal communities. 

15 ‘‘(c) TRIBAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRAT16 EGY.— 

17 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

18 the date of enactment of the Economic Development 

19 Reauthorization Act of 2024, the Office shall initiate 

20 a Tribal consultation process to develop, and not less 

21 frequently than every 3 years thereafter, update, a 

22 strategic plan for Tribal economic development for 

23 the Economic Development Administration. 

24 ‘‘(2) SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

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1 nomic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024 

2 and not less frequently than every 3 years there3 after, the Office shall submit to Congress the stra4 tegic plan for Tribal economic development devel5 oped under paragraph (1). 

6 ‘‘(d) OUTREACH.—The Secretary shall establish a 

7 publicly facing website to help provide a comprehensive, 

8 single source of information for Indian tribes, Tribal lead9 ers, Tribal businesses, and citizens in Tribal communities 

10 to better understand and access programs that support 

11 economic development in Tribal communities, including 

12 the economic development programs administered by Fed13 eral agencies or departments other than the Department. 

14 ‘‘(e) DEDICATED STAFF.—The Secretary shall en15 sure that the Office has sufficient staff to carry out all 

16 outreach activities under this section.’’. 

17 SEC. 119. OFFICE OF DISASTER RECOVERY AND RESIL18 IENCE. 

19 Title V of the Public Works and Economic Develop20 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3191 et seq.) (as amended 

21 by section 118) is amended by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 509. OFFICE OF DISASTER RECOVERY AND RESIL2 IENCE. 

3 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab4 lish an Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience— 

5 ‘‘(1) to direct and implement the post-disaster 

6 economic recovery responsibilities of the Economic 

7 Development Administration pursuant to subsections 

8 (c)(2) and (e) of section 209 and section 703; 

9 ‘‘(2) to direct and implement economic recovery 

10 and enhanced resilience support function activities 

11 as directed under the National Disaster Recovery 

12 Framework; and 

13 ‘‘(3) support long-term economic recovery in 

14 communities in which a major disaster or emergency 

15 has been declared under the Robert T. Stafford Dis16 aster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 

17 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), or otherwise impacted by an 

18 event of national significance, as determined by the 

19 Secretary, through— 

20 ‘‘(A) convening and deploying an economic 

21 development assessment team; 

22 ‘‘(B) hosting or attending convenings re23 lated to identification of additional Federal, 

24 State, local, and philanthropic entities and re25 sources; 


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1 ‘‘(C) exploring potential flexibilities related 

2 to existing awards; 

3 ‘‘(D) provision of technical assistance 

4 through staff or contractual resources; and 

5 ‘‘(E) other activities determined by the 

6 Secretary to be appropriate. 

7 ‘‘(b) APPOINTMENT AND COMPENSATION AUTHORI8 TIES.— 

9 ‘‘(1) APPOINTMENT.—The Secretary is author10 ized to appoint such temporary personnel as may be 

11 necessary to carry out the responsibilities of the Of12 fice of Disaster Recovery and Resilience, without re13 gard to the provisions of subchapter I of chapter 33 

14 of title 5, United States Code, governing appoint15 ments in the competitive service and compensation 

16 of personnel. 

17 ‘‘(2) CONVERSION OF EMPLOYEES.—Notwith18 standing chapter 33 of title 5, United States Code, 

19 or any other provision of law relating to the exam20 ination, certification, and appointment of individuals 

21 in the competitive service, the Secretary is author22 ized to convert a temporary employee appointed 

23 under this subsection to a permanent appointment 

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1 ment Administration under merit promotion proce2 dures if— 

3 ‘‘(A) the employee has served continuously 

4 for at least 2 years under 1 or more appoint5 ments under this subsection; and 

6 ‘‘(B) the employee’s performance has been 

7 at an acceptable level of performance through8 out the period or periods referred to in sub9 paragraph (A). 

10 ‘‘(3) COMPENSATION.—An individual converted 

11 under this subsection shall become a career-condi12 tional employee, unless the employee has already 

13 completed the service requirements for career ten14 ure. 

15 ‘‘(c) DISASTER TEAM.— 

16 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—As soon as practicable 

17 after the date of enactment of this section, the Sec18 retary shall establish a disaster team (referred to in 

19 this section as the ‘disaster team’) for the deploy20 ment of individuals to carry out responsibilities of 

21 the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience after 

22 a major disaster or emergency has been declared 

23 under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 

24 Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) 


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1 and the Department has been activated by the Fed2 eral Emergency Management Agency. 

3 ‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 

4 ‘‘(A) DESIGNATION OF STAFF.—As soon 

5 as practicable after the date of enactment of 

6 this section, the Secretary shall designate to 

7 serve on the disaster team— 

8 ‘‘(i) employees of the Office of Dis9 aster Recovery and Resilience; 

10 ‘‘(ii) employees of the Department 

11 who are not employees of the Economic 

12 Development Administration; and 

13 ‘‘(iii) in consultation with the heads of 

14 other Federal agencies, employees of those 

15 agencies, as appropriate. 

16 ‘‘(B) CAPABILITIES.—In designating indi17 viduals under subparagraph (A), the Secretary 

18 shall ensure that the disaster team includes a 

19 sufficient quantity of— 

20 ‘‘(i) individuals who are capable of de21 ploying rapidly and efficiently to respond 

22 to major disasters and emergencies; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) highly trained full-time employ24 ees who will lead and manage the disaster 

25 team. 


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1 ‘‘(3) TRAINING.—The Secretary shall ensure 

2 that appropriate and ongoing training is provided to 

3 members of the disaster team to ensure that the 

4 members are adequately trained regarding the pro5 grams and policies of the Economic Development 

6 Administration relating to post-disaster economic re7 covery efforts. 

8 ‘‘(4) EXPENSES.—In carrying out this section, 

9 the Secretary may— 

10 ‘‘(A) use, with or without reimbursement, 

11 any service, equipment, personnel, or facility of 

12 any Federal agency with the explicit support of 

13 that agency, to the extent such use does not im14 pair or conflict with the authority of the Presi15 dent or the Administrator of the Federal Emer16 gency Management Agency under the Robert T. 

17 Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assist18 ance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) to direct 

19 Federal agencies in any major disaster or emer20 gency declared under that Act; and 

21 ‘‘(B) provide members of the disaster team 

22 with travel expenses, including per diem in lieu 

23 of subsistence, at rates authorized for an em24 ployee of an agency under subchapter I of chap25 ter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while 


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1 away from the home or regular place of busi2 ness of the member in the performance of serv3 ices for, or relating to, the disaster team.’’. 

4 SEC. 120. ESTABLISHMENT OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE LI5 AISONS. 

6 Title V of the Public Works and Economic Develop7 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3191 et seq.) (as amended 

8 by section 119) is amended by adding at the end the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘SEC. 510. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE LIAISONS. 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—A Regional Director of a re12 gional office of the Economic Development Administration 

13 may designate a staff member to act as a ‘Technical As14 sistance Liaison’ for any State served by the regional of15 fice. 

16 ‘‘(b) ROLE.—A Technical Assistance Liaison shall— 

17 ‘‘(1) work in coordination with an Economic 

18 Development Representative to provide technical as19 sistance, in addition to technical assistance under 

20 section 207, to eligible recipients that are 

21 underresourced communities, as determined by the 

22 Technical Assistance Liaison, that submit applica23 tions for assistance under title II; and 

24 ‘‘(2) at the request of an eligible recipient that 

25 submitted an application for assistance under title 


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1 II, provide technical feedback on unsuccessful grant 

2 applications. 

3 ‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 

4 enter into a contract or cooperative agreement with an eli5 gible recipient for the purpose of providing technical as6 sistance to eligible recipients that are underresourced com7 munities that have submitted or may submit an applica8 tion for assistance under this Act.’’. 

9 SEC. 121. ANNUAL REPORT TO CONGRESS. 

10 Section 603(b) of the Public Works and Economic 

11 Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3213(b)) is amend12 ed— 

13 (1) in paragraph (2)— 

14 (A) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

15 ‘‘areas’’ after ‘‘rural’’; and 

16 (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 

17 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

18 (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at 

19 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

21 ‘‘(4)(A) include a list of all of the grants pro22 vided by the Economic Development Administration 

23 for projects located in, or that primarily benefit, 

24 rural areas; 


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1 ‘‘(B) an explanation of the process used to de2 termine how each project referred to in subpara3 graph (A) would benefit a rural area; and 

4 ‘‘(C) a certification that each project referred to 

5 in subparagraph (A)— 

6 ‘‘(i) is located in a rural area; or 

7 ‘‘(ii) will primarily benefit a rural area.’’. 

8 SEC. 122. MODERNIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS. 

9 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the 

10 date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce 

11 (referred to in this section as the ‘‘Secretary’’) shall sub12 mit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works 

13 of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and 

14 Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a report 

15 on the efforts of the Secretary to facilitate efficient, time16 ly, and predictable environmental reviews of projects fund17 ed by the Public Works and Economic Development Act 

18 of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.), including through ex19 panded use of categorical exclusions, environmental as20 sessments, or programmatic environmental impact state21 ments. 

22 (b) REQUIREMENTS.—In completing the report under 

23 subsection (a), the Secretary shall— 

24 (1) describe the actions the Secretary will take 

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1 ronmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 

2 seq.) made by section 321 of the Fiscal Responsi3 bility Act of 2023 (Public Law 118–5; 137 Stat. 

4 38); 

5 (2) describe the existing categorical exclusions 

6 most frequently used by the Secretary to streamline 

7 the environmental review of projects funded by the 

8 Public Works and Economic Development Act of 

9 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.); and 

10 (3) consider— 

11 (A) the adoption of additional categorical 

12 exclusions, including those used by other Fed13 eral agencies, that would facilitate the environ14 mental review of projects funded by the Public 

15 Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 

16 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.); 

17 (B) the adoption of new programmatic en18 vironmental impact statements that would fa19 cilitate the environmental review of projects 

20 funded by the Public Works and Economic De21 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et 

22 seq.); and 

23 (C) agreements with other Federal agen24 cies that would facilitate a more efficient proc25 ess for the environmental review of projects 


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1 funded by the Public Works and Economic De2 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et 

3 seq.). 

4 (c) RULEMAKING.—Not later than 2 years after the 

5 submission of the report under subsection (a), the Sec6 retary shall promulgate a final rule implementing, to the 

7 maximum extent practicable, measures considered by the 

8 Secretary under subsection (b) that are necessary to 

9 streamline the environmental review of projects funded by 

10 the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 

11 (42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.). 

12 SEC. 123. GAO REPORT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PRO13 GRAMS. 

14 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

15 (1) COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—The term 

16 ‘‘Comptroller General’’ means the Comptroller Gen17 eral of the United States. 

18 (2) REGIONAL COMMISSION.—The term ‘‘Re19 gional Commission’’ has the meaning given the term 

20 in section 3 of the Public Works and Economic De21 velopment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3122). 

22 (b) REPORT.—Not later than September 30, 2026, 

23 the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee 

24 on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the 

25 Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the 


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1 House of Representatives a report that evaluates economic 

2 development programs administered by the Economic De3 velopment Administration and the Regional Commissions. 

4 (c) CONTENTS.—In carrying out the report under 

5 subsection (b), the Comptroller General shall— 

6 (1) evaluate the impact of programs described 

7 in that subsection on economic outcomes, including 

8 job creation and retention, the rate of unemployment 

9 and underemployment, labor force participation, and 

10 private investment leveraged; 

11 (2) describe efforts by the Economic Develop12 ment Administration and the Regional Commissions 

13 to document the impact of programs described in 

14 that subsection on economic outcomes described in 

15 paragraph (1); 

16 (3) describe efforts by the Economic Develop17 ment Administration and the Regional Commissions 

18 to carry out coordination activities described in sec19 tion 103 of the Public Works and Economic Devel20 opment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3133); 

21 (4) consider other factors, as determined to be 

22 appropriate by the Comptroller General of the 

23 United States, to assess the effectiveness of pro24 grams described in subsection (b); and 


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1 (5) make legislative recommendations for im2 provements to programs described in subsection (b) 

3 as applicable. 

4 SEC. 124. GAO REPORT ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AD5 MINISTRATION REGULATIONS AND POLICIES. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) COMPTROLLER GENERAL.—The term 

8 ‘‘Comptroller General’’ means the Comptroller Gen9 eral of the United States. 

10 (2) SMALL COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘small 

11 community’’ means a community of less than 10,000 

12 year-round residents. 

13 (b) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

14 of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General shall 

15 submit to the Committee on Environment and Public 

16 Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transpor17 tation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives 

18 a report that evaluates economic development regulations 

19 and policies administered by the Economic Development 

20 Administration that have hindered the ability of commu21 nities to apply for and administer Economic Development 

22 Administration grants. 

23 (c) CONTENTS.—In carrying out the report under 

24 subsection (b), the Comptroller General shall— 


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1 (1) review regulations and grant application 

2 processes promulgated by the Assistant Secretary of 

3 Commerce for Economic Development; 

4 (2) evaluate the technical capacity of eligible re5 cipients (as defined in section 3 of the Public Works 

6 and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 

7 3122)) to apply for Economic Development Adminis8 tration grants; 

9 (3) identify barriers to small communities ap10 plying for Economic Development Administration 

11 grants, in consultation with— 

12 (A) State economic development represent13 atives; 

14 (B) secretaries of State departments of 

15 economic development; 

16 (C) representatives for small communities 

17 that have received Economic Development Ad18 ministration grants; and 

19 (D) representatives for small communities 

20 that have never applied for Economic Develop21 ment Administration grants; and 

22 (4) provide recommendations for simplifying 

23 and easing the ability for grant applicants to navi24 gate the Economic Development Administration 

25 grant application process, including through a review 


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1 of regulations, including environmental regulations, 

2 not in the jurisdiction of the Economic Development 

3 Administration to identify possible grant application 

4 process improvements. 

5 SEC. 125. GAO STUDY ON RURAL COMMUNITIES. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after the 

7 date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General 

8 of the United States (referred to in this section as the 

9 ‘‘Comptroller General’’) shall conduct a study to evaluate 

10 the impacts of funding provided by the Economic Develop11 ment Administration to distressed communities (as de12 scribed in section 301(a) of the Public Works and Eco13 nomic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161(a))) lo14 cated in rural areas. 

15 (b) CONTENTS.—In carrying out the study under 

16 subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall— 

17 (1) identify not less than 5 geographically di18 verse distressed communities in rural areas; and 

19 (2) for each distressed community identified 

20 under paragraph (1), examine the impacts of fund21 ing provided by the Economic Development Adminis22 tration on— 

23 (A) the local jobs and unemployment of the 

24 community; and 


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1 (B) the availability of affordable housing in 

2 the community. 

3 (c) REPORT.—On completion of the study under sub4 section (a), the Comptroller General shall submit to the 

5 Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Sen6 ate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc7 ture of the House of Representatives a report on the find8 ings of the study and any recommendations that result 

9 from the study. 

10 SEC. 126. GENERAL AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 701 of the Public Works 

12 and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3231) 

13 is amended— 

14 (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as sub15 section (k); and 

16 (2) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(a) GRANTS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC

19 DEVELOPMENT.—There are authorized to be appropriated 

20 to carry out section 201, to remain available until ex21 pended— 

22 ‘‘(1) $170,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

23 ‘‘(2) $195,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

24 ‘‘(3) $220,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

25 ‘‘(4) $245,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 


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1 ‘‘(5) $270,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 

2 ‘‘(b) GRANTS FOR PLANNING AND GRANTS FOR AD3 MINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—There are authorized to be 

4 appropriated to carry out section 203, to remain available 

5 until expended— 

6 ‘‘(1) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

7 ‘‘(2) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

8 ‘‘(3) $110,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

9 ‘‘(4) $120,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 

10 ‘‘(5) $130,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 

11 ‘‘(c) GRANTS FOR TRAINING, RESEARCH, AND TECH12 NICAL ASSISTANCE.—There are authorized to be appro13 priated to carry out section 207, to remain available until 

14 expended— 

15 ‘‘(1) $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

16 ‘‘(2) $30,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 

17 ‘‘(3) $35,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

18 ‘‘(4) $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 

19 ‘‘(5) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 

20 ‘‘(d) GRANTS FOR ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENT.—There 

21 are authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 209 

22 (other than subsections (d) and (e)), to remain available 

23 until expended— 

24 ‘‘(1) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; 

25 ‘‘(2) $75,000,000 for fiscal year 2026; 


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1 ‘‘(3) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2027; 

2 ‘‘(4) $95,000,000 for fiscal year 2028; and 

3 ‘‘(5) $105,000,000 for fiscal year 2029. 

4 ‘‘(e) ASSISTANCE TO COAL COMMUNITIES.—There is 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 209(d) 

6 $75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, 

7 to remain available until expended. 

8 ‘‘(f) ASSISTANCE TO NUCLEAR HOST COMMU9 NITIES.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry 

10 out section 209(e), to remain available until expended— 

11 ‘‘(1) to carry out paragraph (2)(A), 

12 $35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

13 2029; and 

14 ‘‘(2) to carry out paragraph (2)(B), $5,000,000 

15 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2027. 

16 ‘‘(g) RENEWABLE ENERGY PROGRAM.—There is au17 thorized to be appropriated to carry out section 218 

18 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, 

19 to remain available until expended. 

20 ‘‘(h) WORKFORCE TRAINING GRANTS.—There is au21 thorized to be appropriated to carry out section 219 

22 $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, 

23 to remain available until expended, of which $10,000,000 

24 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029 shall be used 

25 to carry out subsection (c) of that section. 


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1 ‘‘(i) CRITICAL SUPPLY CHAIN SITE DEVELOPMENT

2 GRANT PROGRAM.—There is authorized to be appro3 priated to carry out section 222 $20,000,000 for each of 

4 fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to remain available until 

5 expended. 

6 ‘‘(j) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE LIAISONS.—There is 

7 authorized to be appropriated to carry out section 510 

8 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, 

9 to remain available until expended.’’. 

10 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Title VII of the 

11 Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 

12 U.S.C. 3231 et seq.) is amended by striking section 704. 

13 SEC. 127. TECHNICAL CORRECTION. 

14 Section 1 of the Public Works and Economic Devel15 opment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; Public Law 

16 89–136) is amended by striking subsection (b) and insert17 ing the following: 

18 ‘‘(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents 

19 for this Act is as follows: 

‘‘Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 

‘‘Sec. 2. Findings and declarations. 

‘‘Sec. 3. Definitions. 

‘‘TITLE I—ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIPS 

COOPERATION AND COORDINATION 

‘‘Sec. 101. Establishment of economic development partnerships. 

‘‘Sec. 102. Cooperation of Federal agencies. 

‘‘Sec. 103. Coordination. 

‘‘TITLE II—GRANTS FOR PUBLIC WORKS AND ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT 

‘‘Sec. 201. Grants for public works and economic development. 


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‘‘Sec. 202. Base closings and realignments. 

‘‘Sec. 203. Grants for planning and grants for administrative expenses. 

‘‘Sec. 204. Cost sharing. 

‘‘Sec. 205. Supplementary grants. 

‘‘Sec. 206. Regulations on relative needs and allocations. 

‘‘Sec. 207. Research and technical assistance; university centers. 

‘‘Sec. 208. Investment priorities. 

‘‘Sec. 209. Grants for economic adjustment. 

‘‘Sec. 210. Changed project circumstances. 

‘‘Sec. 211. Use of funds in projects constructed under projected cost. 

‘‘Sec. 212. Reports by recipients. 

‘‘Sec. 213. Prohibition on use of funds for attorney’s and consultant’s fees. 

‘‘Sec. 214. Special impact areas. 

‘‘Sec. 215. Performance awards. 

‘‘Sec. 216. Planning performance awards. 

‘‘Sec. 217. Direct expenditure or redistribution by recipient. 

‘‘Sec. 218. Renewable energy program. 

‘‘Sec. 219. Workforce training grants. 

‘‘Sec. 220. Congressional notification requirements. 

‘‘Sec. 221. High-Speed Broadband Deployment Initiative. 

‘‘Sec. 222. Critical supply chain site development grant program. 

‘‘TITLE III—ELIGIBILITY; COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC 

DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES 

‘‘Sec. 301. Eligibility of areas. 

‘‘Sec. 302. Comprehensive economic development strategies. 

‘‘TITLE IV—ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS 

‘‘Sec. 401. Designation of economic development districts. 

‘‘Sec. 402. Termination or modification of economic development districts. 

‘‘Sec. 404. Provision of comprehensive economic development strategies to Regional Commissions. 

‘‘Sec. 405. Assistance to parts of economic development districts not in eligible 

areas. 

‘‘TITLE V—ADMINISTRATION 

‘‘Sec. 501. Assistant Secretary for Economic Development. 

‘‘Sec. 502. Economic development information clearinghouse. 

‘‘Sec. 503. Consultation with other persons and agencies. 

‘‘Sec. 504. Administration, operation, and maintenance. 

‘‘Sec. 506. Performance evaluations of grant recipients. 

‘‘Sec. 507. Notification of reorganization. 

‘‘Sec. 508. Office of Tribal Economic Development. 

‘‘Sec. 509. Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience. 

‘‘Sec. 510. Technical Assistance Liaisons. 

‘‘TITLE VI—MISCELLANEOUS 

‘‘Sec. 601. Powers of Secretary. 

‘‘Sec. 602. Maintenance of standards. 

‘‘Sec. 603. Annual report to Congress. 

‘‘Sec. 604. Delegation of functions and transfer of funds among Federal agencies. 

‘‘Sec. 605. Penalties. 


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‘‘Sec. 606. Employment of expediters and administrative employees. 

‘‘Sec. 607. Maintenance and public inspection of list of approved applications 

for financial assistance. 

‘‘Sec. 608. Records and audits. 

‘‘Sec. 609. Relationship to assistance under other law. 

‘‘Sec. 610. Acceptance of certifications by applicants. 

‘‘Sec. 611. Brownfields redevelopment reports. 

‘‘Sec. 612. Savings clause. 

‘‘TITLE VII—FUNDING 

‘‘Sec. 701. General authorization of appropriations. 

‘‘Sec. 702. Authorization of appropriations for defense conversation activities. 

‘‘Sec. 703. Authorization of appropriations for disaster economic recovery activities.’’. 

1 TITLE II—REGIONAL ECONOMIC 

2 AND INFRASTRUCTURE DE3 VELOPMENT 

4 SEC. 201. REGIONAL COMMISSION AUTHORIZATIONS. 

5 Section 15751 of title 40, United States Code, is 

6 amended by striking subsection (a) and inserting the fol7 lowing: 

8 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro9 priated to each Commission to carry out this subtitle 

10 $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029.’’. 

11 SEC. 202. REGIONAL COMMISSION MODIFICATIONS. 

12 (a) MEMBERSHIP OF COMMISSIONS.—Section 15301 

13 of title 40, United States Code, is amended— 

14 (1) in subsection (b)(2)(C)— 

15 (A) by striking ‘‘An alternate member’’ 

16 and inserting the following: 

17 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An alternate 

18 member’’; and 


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1 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

2 ‘‘(ii) STATE ALTERNATES.—If the al3 ternate State member is unable to vote in 

4 accordance with clause (i), the alternate 

5 State member may delegate voting author6 ity to a designee, subject to the condition 

7 that the executive director shall be notified, 

8 in writing, of the designation not less than 

9 1 week before the applicable vote is to take 

10 place.’’; and 

11 (2) in subsection (f), by striking ‘‘a Federal em12 ployee’’ and inserting ‘‘an employee’’. 

13 (b) DECISIONS OF COMMISSIONS.—Section 15302 of 

14 title 40, United States Code, is amended— 

15 (1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or alternate 

16 State members, including designees’’ after ‘‘State 

17 members’’; and 

18 (2) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the 

19 following: 

20 ‘‘(c) QUORUMS.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), a 

22 Commission shall determine what constitutes a 

23 quorum for meetings of the Commission. 

24 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—Any quorum for meet25 ings of a Commission shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(A) the Federal Cochairperson or the al2 ternate Federal Cochairperson; and 

3 ‘‘(B) a majority of State members or alter4 nate State members, including designees (exclu5 sive of members representing States delinquent 

6 under section 15304(c)(3)(C)).’’. 

7 (c) ADMINISTRATIVE POWERS AND EXPENSES OF

8 COMMISSIONS.—Section 15304(a) of title 40, United 

9 States Code, is amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘, which may 

11 be done without a requirement for the Commission 

12 to reimburse the agency or local government’’ after 

13 ‘‘status’’; 

14 (2) by redesignating paragraphs (8) and (9) as 

15 paragraphs (9) and (10), respectively; 

16 (3) by inserting after paragraph (7) the fol17 lowing: 

18 ‘‘(8) collect fees for services provided and retain 

19 and expend such fees;’’; 

20 (4) in paragraph (9) (as so redesignated), by 

21 inserting ‘‘leases (including the lease of office space 

22 for any term),’’ after ‘‘cooperative agreements,’’; and 

23 (5) in paragraph (10) (as so redesignated), by 

24 striking ‘‘maintain a government relations office in 

25 the District of Columbia and’’. 


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1 (d) MEETINGS OF COMMISSIONS.—Section 15305(b) 

2 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking 

3 ‘‘with the Federal Cochairperson’’ and all that follows 

4 through the period at the end and inserting the following: 

5 ‘‘with— 

6 ‘‘(1) the Federal Cochairperson; and 

7 ‘‘(2) at least a majority of the State members 

8 or alternate State members (including designees) 

9 present in-person or via electronic means.’’. 

10 (e) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Section 15308(a) of title 40, 

11 United States Code, is amended by striking ‘‘90’’ and in12 serting ‘‘180’’. 

13 SEC. 203. TRANSFER OF FUNDS AMONG FEDERAL AGEN14 CIES. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 153 of subtitle V of title 

16 40, United States Code, is amended— 

17 (1) by redesignating section 15308 as section 

18 15309; and 

19 (2) by inserting after section 15307 the fol20 lowing: 

21 ‘‘§ 15308. Transfer of funds among Federal agencies 

22 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (c), for 

23 purposes of this subtitle, each Commission may transfer 

24 funds to and accept transfers of funds from other Federal 

25 agencies. 


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1 ‘‘(b) TRANSFER OF FUNDS TO OTHER FEDERAL

2 AGENCIES.—Funds made available to a Commission may 

3 be transferred to other Federal agencies if the funds are 

4 used consistently with the purposes for which the funds 

5 were specifically authorized and appropriated. 

6 ‘‘(c) TRANSFER OF FUNDS FROM OTHER FEDERAL

7 AGENCIES.—Funds may be transferred to any Commis8 sion under this section if— 

9 ‘‘(1) the statutory authority for the funds pro10 vided by the Federal agency does not expressly pro11 hibit use of funds for authorities being carried out 

12 by a Commission; and 

13 ‘‘(2) the Federal agency that provides the funds 

14 determines that the activities for which the funds 

15 are to be used are otherwise eligible for funding 

16 under such a statutory authority.’’. 

17 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap18 ter 153 of subtitle V of title 40, United States Code, is 

19 amended by striking the item relating to section 15308 

20 and inserting the following: 

‘‘15308. Transfer of funds among Federal agencies. 

‘‘15309. Annual reports.’’. 

21 SEC. 204. ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOP22 MENT GRANTS. 

23 Section 15501 of title 40, United States Code, is 

24 amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)— 

2 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (4) 

3 through (9) as paragraphs (6) through (11), re4 spectively; and 

5 (B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(4) in coordination with relevant Federal agen8 cies, to design, build, implement, or update infra9 structure to support resilience to extreme weather 

10 events; 

11 ‘‘(5) to promote the production of housing to 

12 meet economic development and workforce needs;’’; 

13 and 

14 (2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘(7)’’ and in15 serting ‘‘(9)’’. 

16 SEC. 205. FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. 

17 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 155 of subtitle V of title 

18 40, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end 

19 the following: 

20 ‘‘§ 15507. Payment of non-Federal share for certain 

21 Federal grant programs 

22 ‘‘Amounts made available to carry out this subtitle 

23 shall be available for the payment of the non-Federal 

24 share for any project carried out under another Federal 

25 grant program— 


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1 ‘‘(1) for which a Commission is not the sole or 

2 primary funding source; and 

3 ‘‘(2) that is consistent with the authorities of 

4 the applicable Commission.’’. 

5 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap6 ter 155 of subtitle V of title 40, United States Code, is 

7 amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘15507. Payment of non-Federal share for certain Federal grant programs.’’. 

8 SEC. 206. NORTHERN BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION 

9 AREA. 

10 Section 15733 of title 40, United States Code, is 

11 amended— 

12 (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘Lincoln,’’ 

13 after ‘‘Knox,’’; 

14 (2) in paragraph (2), by inserting 

15 ‘‘Merrimack,’’ after ‘‘Grafton,’’; and 

16 (3) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘Wyoming,’’ 

17 after ‘‘Wayne,’’. 

18 SEC. 207. SOUTHWEST BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION 

19 AREA. 

20 Section 15732 of title 40, United States Code, is 

21 amended— 

22 (1) in paragraph (3)— 

23 (A) by inserting ‘‘Bernalillo,’’ before 

24 ‘‘Catron,’’; 


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1 (B) by inserting ‘‘Cibola, Curry, De Baca,’’ 

2 after ‘‘Chaves,’’; 

3 (C) by inserting ‘‘Guadalupe,’’ after 

4 ‘‘Grant,’’; 

5 (D) by inserting ‘‘Roosevelt,’’ after 

6 ‘‘Otero,’’; and 

7 (E) by striking ‘‘and Socorro’’ and insert8 ing ‘‘Socorro, Torrance, and Valencia’’; and 

9 (2) in paragraph (4)— 

10 (A) by inserting ‘‘Guadalupe,’’ after 

11 ‘‘Glasscock,’’; and 

12 (B) by striking ‘‘Tom Green Upton,’’ and 

13 inserting ‘‘Tom Green, Upton,’’. 

14 SEC. 208. GREAT LAKES AUTHORITY AREA. 

15 Section 15734 of title 40, United States Code, is 

16 amended, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by in17 serting ‘‘the counties which contain, in part or in whole, 

18 the’’ after ‘‘consist of’’. 

19 SEC. 209. ADDITIONAL REGIONAL COMMISSION PROGRAMS. 

20 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle V of title 40, United 

21 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the fol22 lowing: 

23 ‘‘CHAPTER 159—ADDITIONAL REGIONAL 

24 COMMISSION PROGRAMS 

‘‘Sec. 

‘‘15901. State capacity building grant program. 

‘‘15902. Demonstration health projects. 


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1 ‘‘§ 15901. State capacity building grant program 

2 ‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

3 ‘‘(1) COMMISSION STATE.—The term ‘Commis4 sion State’ means a State that contains 1 or more 

5 eligible counties. 

6 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE COUNTY.—The term ‘eligible 

7 county’ means a county described in subchapter II 

8 of chapter 157. 

9 ‘‘(3) PROGRAM.—The term ‘program’ means a 

10 State capacity building grant program established by 

11 a Commission under subsection (b). 

12 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each Commission shall es13 tablish a State capacity building grant program to provide 

14 grants to Commission States in the area served by the 

15 Commission for the purposes described in subsection (c). 

16 ‘‘(c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of a program are to 

17 support the efforts of the Commission— 

18 ‘‘(1) to better support business retention and 

19 expansion in eligible counties; 

20 ‘‘(2) to create programs to encourage job cre21 ation and workforce development in eligible counties; 

22 ‘‘(3) to partner with universities in distressed 

23 counties (as designated under section 

24 15702(a)(1))— 


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1 ‘‘(A) to strengthen the capacity to train 

2 new professionals in fields for which there is a 

3 shortage of workers; 

4 ‘‘(B) to increase local capacity for project 

5 management, project execution, and financial 

6 management; and 

7 ‘‘(C) to leverage funding sources; 

8 ‘‘(4) to prepare economic and infrastructure 

9 plans for eligible counties; 

10 ‘‘(5) to expand access to high-speed broadband 

11 in eligible counties; 

12 ‘‘(6) to provide technical assistance that results 

13 in Commission investments in transportation, water, 

14 wastewater, and other critical infrastructure; 

15 ‘‘(7) to promote workforce development to sup16 port resilient infrastructure projects; 

17 ‘‘(8) to develop initiatives to increase the effec18 tiveness of local development districts in eligible 

19 counties; 

20 ‘‘(9) to implement new or innovative economic 

21 development practices that will better position eligi22 ble counties to compete in the global economy; and 

23 ‘‘(10) to identify and address important re24 gional impediments to prosperity and to leverage 


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1 unique regional advantages to create economic op2 portunities for the region served by the Commission. 

3 ‘‘(d) USE OF FUNDS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Funds from a grant under 

5 a program may be used to support a project, pro6 gram, or related expense of the Commission State in 

7 an eligible county. 

8 ‘‘(2) LIMITATION.—Funds from a grant under 

9 a program shall not be used for— 

10 ‘‘(A) the purchase of furniture, fixtures, or 

11 equipment; 

12 ‘‘(B) the compensation of— 

13 ‘‘(i) any State member of the Com14 mission (as described in section 

15 15301(b)(1)(B)); or 

16 ‘‘(ii) any State alternate member of 

17 the Commission (as described in section 

18 15301(b)(2)(B)); or 

19 ‘‘(C) the cost of supplanting existing State 

20 programs. 

21 ‘‘(e) ANNUAL WORK PLAN.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year, before 

23 providing a grant under a program, each Commis24 sion State shall provide to the Commission an anVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00078 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 nual work plan that includes the proposed use of the 

2 grant. 

3 ‘‘(2) APPROVAL.—No grant under a program 

4 shall be provided to a Commission State unless the 

5 Commission has approved the annual work plan of 

6 the State. 

7 ‘‘(f) AMOUNT OF GRANT.— 

8 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of a grant 

9 provided to a Commission State under a program 

10 for a fiscal year shall be based on the proportion 

11 that— 

12 ‘‘(A) the amount paid by the Commission 

13 State (including any amounts paid on behalf of 

14 the Commission State by a nonprofit organiza15 tion) for administrative expenses for the appli16 cable fiscal year (as determined under section 

17 15304(c)); bears to 

18 ‘‘(B) the amount paid by all Commission 

19 States served by the Commission (including any 

20 amounts paid on behalf of a Commission State 

21 by a nonprofit organization) for administrative 

22 expenses for that fiscal year (as determined 

23 under that section). 

24 ‘‘(2) REQUIREMENT.—To be eligible to receive 

25 a grant under a program for a fiscal year, a ComVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00079 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 mission State (or a nonprofit organization on behalf 

2 of the Commission State) shall pay the amount of 

3 administrative expenses of the Commission State for 

4 the applicable fiscal year (as determined under sec5 tion 15304(c)). 

6 ‘‘(3) APPROVAL.—For each fiscal year, a grant 

7 provided under a program shall be approved and 

8 made available as part of the approval of the annual 

9 budget of the Commission. 

10 ‘‘(g) GRANT AVAILABILITY.—Funds from a grant 

11 under a program shall be available only during the fiscal 

12 year for which the grant is provided. 

13 ‘‘(h) REPORT.—Each fiscal year, each Commission 

14 State shall submit to the relevant Commission and make 

15 publicly available a report that describes the use of the 

16 grant funds and the impact of the program in the Com17 mission State. 

18 ‘‘(i) CONTINUATION OF PROGRAM AUTHORITY FOR

19 NORTHERN BORDER REGIONAL COMMISSION.—With re20 spect to the Northern Border Regional Commission, the 

21 program shall be a continuation of the program under sec22 tion 6304(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 

23 (40 U.S.C. 15501 note; Public Law 115–334) (as in effect 

24 on the day before the date of enactment of this section). 


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1 ‘‘§ 15902. Demonstration health projects 

2 ‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—To demonstrate the value of ade3 quate health facilities and services to the economic devel4 opment of the region, a Commission may make grants for 

5 the planning, construction, equipment, and operation of 

6 demonstration health, nutrition, and child care projects 

7 (referred to in this section as a ‘demonstration health 

8 project’), including hospitals, regional health diagnostic 

9 and treatment centers, and other facilities and services 

10 necessary for the purposes of this section. 

11 ‘‘(b) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—An entity eligible to re12 ceive a grant under this section is— 

13 ‘‘(1) an entity described in section 15501(a); 

14 ‘‘(2) an institution of higher education (as de15 fined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 

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

17 ‘‘(3) a hospital (as defined in section 1861 of 

18 the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395x)); or 

19 ‘‘(4) a critical access hospital (as defined in 

20 that section). 

21 ‘‘(c) PLANNING GRANTS.— 

22 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A Commission may make 

23 grants for planning expenses necessary for the devel24 opment and operation of demonstration health 

25 projects for the region served by the Commission. 


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1 ‘‘(2) MAXIMUM COMMISSION CONTRIBUTION.— 

2 The maximum Commission contribution for a dem3 onstration health project that receives a grant under 

4 paragraph (1) shall be made in accordance with sec5 tion 15501(d). 

6 ‘‘(3) SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE.—A grant under 

7 paragraph (1) may be provided entirely from 

8 amounts made available to carry out this section or 

9 in combination with amounts provided under other 

10 Federal grant programs. 

11 ‘‘(4) FEDERAL SHARE FOR GRANTS UNDER

12 OTHER FEDERAL GRANT PROGRAMS.—Notwith13 standing any provision of law limiting the Federal 

14 share in other Federal grant programs, amounts 

15 made available to carry out this subsection may be 

16 used to increase the Federal share of another Fed17 eral grant up to the maximum contribution de18 scribed in paragraph (2). 

19 ‘‘(d) CONSTRUCTION AND EQUIPMENT GRANTS.— 

20 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

21 for construction or equipment of a demonstration 

22 health project may be used for— 

23 ‘‘(A) costs of construction; 

24 ‘‘(B) the acquisition of privately owned fa25 cilities— 


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1 ‘‘(i) not operated for profit; or 

2 ‘‘(ii) previously operated for profit if 

3 the Commission finds that health services 

4 would not otherwise be provided in the 

5 area served by the facility if the acquisition 

6 is not made; and 

7 ‘‘(C) the acquisition of initial equipment. 

8 ‘‘(2) STANDARDS FOR MAKING GRANTS.—A 

9 grant under paragraph (1)— 

10 ‘‘(A) shall be approved in accordance with 

11 section 15503; and 

12 ‘‘(B) shall not be incompatible with the ap13 plicable provisions of title VI of the Public 

14 Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 291 et seq.), the 

15 Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill 

16 of Rights Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 15001 et 

17 seq.), and other laws authorizing grants for the 

18 construction of health-related facilities, without 

19 regard to any provisions in those laws relating 

20 to appropriation authorization ceilings or to al21 lotments among the States. 

22 ‘‘(3) MAXIMUM COMMISSION CONTRIBUTION.— 

23 The maximum Commission contribution for a dem24 onstration health project that receives a grant under 


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1 paragraph (1) shall be made in accordance with sec2 tion 15501(d). 

3 ‘‘(4) SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE.—A grant under 

4 paragraph (1) may be provided entirely from 

5 amounts made available to carry out this section or 

6 in combination with amounts provided under other 

7 Federal grant programs. 

8 ‘‘(5) CONTRIBUTION TO INCREASED FEDERAL

9 SHARE FOR OTHER FEDERAL GRANTS.—Notwith10 standing any provision of law limiting the Federal 

11 share in another Federal grant program for the con12 struction or equipment of a demonstration health 

13 project, amounts made available to carry out this 

14 subsection may be used to increase Federal grants 

15 for component facilities of a demonstration health 

16 project to a maximum of 90 percent of the cost of 

17 the facilities. 

18 ‘‘(e) OPERATION GRANTS.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

20 for the operation of a demonstration health project 

21 may be used for— 

22 ‘‘(A) the costs of operation of the facility; 

23 and 


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1 ‘‘(B) initial operating costs, including the 

2 costs of attracting, training, and retaining 

3 qualified personnel. 

4 ‘‘(2) STANDARDS FOR MAKING GRANTS.—A 

5 grant for the operation of a demonstration health 

6 project shall not be made unless the facility funded 

7 by the grant is— 

8 ‘‘(A) publicly owned; 

9 ‘‘(B) owned by a public or private non10 profit organization; 

11 ‘‘(C) a private hospital described in section 

12 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 

13 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) 

14 of that Code; or 

15 ‘‘(D) a private hospital that provides a cer16 tain amount of uncompensated care, as deter17 mined by the Commission, and applies for the 

18 grant in partnership with a State, local govern19 ment, or Indian Tribe. 

20 ‘‘(3) MAXIMUM COMMISSION CONTRIBUTION.— 

21 The maximum Commission contribution for a dem22 onstration health project that receives a grant under 

23 paragraph (1) shall be made in accordance with sec24 tion 15501(d). 


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1 ‘‘(4) SOURCES OF ASSISTANCE.—A grant under 

2 paragraph (1) may be provided entirely from 

3 amounts made available to carry out this section or 

4 in combination with amounts provided under other 

5 Federal grant programs for the operation of health6 related facilities or the provision of health and child 

7 development services, including parts A and B of 

8 title IV and title XX of the Social Security Act (42 

9 U.S.C. 601 et seq., 621 et seq., 1397 et seq.). 

10 ‘‘(5) FEDERAL SHARE.—Notwithstanding any 

11 provision of law limiting the Federal share in the 

12 other Federal programs described in paragraph (4), 

13 amounts made available to carry out this subsection 

14 may be used to increase the Federal share of a grant 

15 under those programs up to the maximum contribu16 tion described in paragraph (3). 

17 ‘‘(f) PRIORITY HEALTH PROGRAMS.—If a Commis18 sion elects to make grants under this section, the Commis19 sion shall establish specific regional health priorities for 

20 such grants that address— 

21 ‘‘(1) addiction treatment and access to re22 sources helping individuals in recovery; 

23 ‘‘(2) workforce shortages in the healthcare in24 dustry; or 


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1 ‘‘(3) access to services for screening and diag2 nosing chronic health issues.’’. 

3 (b) REPEAL.—Section 6304(c) of the Agriculture Im4 provement Act of 2018 (40 U.S.C. 15501 note; Public 

5 Law 115–334) is repealed. 

6 (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of chapters 

7 for subtitle V of title 40, United States Code, is amended 

8 by inserting after the item relating to chapter 157 the fol9 lowing: 

‘‘159. Additional Regional Commission Programs ................................. 15901’’. 

10 SEC. 210. TRIBAL AND COLONIA PARTICIPATION IN SOUTH11 WEST BORDER REGION. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 155 of subtitle V of title 

13 40, United States Code (as amended by section 205(a)), 

14 is amended by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘§ 15508. Waiver of matching requirement for Indian 

16 tribes and colonias in Southwest Border 

17 Regional Commission programs 

18 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF COLONIA.— 

19 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In this section, the term 

20 ‘colonia’ means a community— 

21 ‘‘(A) that is located— 

22 ‘‘(i) in the State of Arizona, Cali23 fornia, New Mexico, or Texas; 


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1 ‘‘(ii) not more than 150 miles from 

2 the border between the United States and 

3 Mexico; and 

4 ‘‘(iii) outside a standard metropolitan 

5 statistical area that has a population ex6 ceeding 1,000,000; 

7 ‘‘(B) that— 

8 ‘‘(i) lacks a potable water supply; 

9 ‘‘(ii) lacks an adequate sewage sys10 tem; or 

11 ‘‘(iii) lacks decent, safe, and sanitary 

12 housing; and 

13 ‘‘(C) that has been treated or designated 

14 as a colonia by a Federal or State program. 

15 ‘‘(b) WAIVER.—Notwithstanding any other provision 

16 of law, in the case of assistance provided to a colonia or 

17 an Indian tribe under this subtitle by the Southwest Bor18 der Regional Commission, the Federal share of the cost 

19 of the project carried out with that assistance may be up 

20 to 100 percent, as determined by the selection official, the 

21 State Cochairperson (or an alternate), and the Federal 

22 Cochairperson (or an alternate).’’. 

23 (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for chap24 ter 155 of subtitle V of title 40, United States Code (as 


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1 amended by section 205(b)), is amended by inserting after 

2 the item relating to section 15507 the following: 

‘‘15508. Waiver of matching requirement for Indian tribes and colonias in 

Southwest Border Regional Commission programs.’’. 

3 SEC. 211. ESTABLISHMENT OF MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL 

4 COMMISSION. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 15301(a) of title 40, 

6 United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(5) The Mid-Atlantic Regional Commission.’’. 

9 (b) DESIGNATION OF REGION.— 

10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 

11 157 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by 

12 adding at the end the following: 

13 ‘‘§ 15735. Mid-Atlantic Regional Commission. 

14 ‘‘The region of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Commis15 sion shall include the following counties: 

16 ‘‘(1) DELAWARE.—Each county in the State of 

17 Delaware. 

18 ‘‘(2) MARYLAND.—Each county in the State of 

19 Maryland that is not already served by the Appa20 lachian Regional Commission. 

21 ‘‘(3) PENNSYLVANIA.—Each county in the 

22 State of Pennsylvania that is not already served by 

23 the Appalachian Regional Commission.’’. 


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1 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

2 subchapter II of chapter 157 of title 40, United 

3 States Code, is amended by adding at the end the 

4 following: 

‘‘15735. Mid-Atlantic Regional Commission.’’. 

5 (c) APPLICATION.—Section 15702(c) of title 40, 

6 United States Code, is amended— 

7 (1) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para8 graph (4); and 

9 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol10 lowing: 

11 ‘‘(3) APPLICATION.—Paragraph (2) shall not 

12 apply to a county described in paragraph (2) or (3) 

13 of section 15735.’’. 

14 SEC. 212. ESTABLISHMENT OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 

15 REGIONAL COMMISSION. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Section 15301(a) of title 40, 

17 United States Code (as amended by section 211(a)), is 

18 amended by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(6) The Southern New England Regional 

20 Commission.’’. 

21 (b) DESIGNATION OF REGION.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subchapter II of chapter 

23 157 of title 40, United States Code (as amended by 

24 section 211(b)(1)), is amended by adding at the end 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘§ 15736. Southern New England Regional Commis2 sion 

3 ‘‘The region of the Southern New England Regional 

4 Commission shall include the following counties: 

5 ‘‘(1) RHODE ISLAND.—Each county in the 

6 State of Rhode Island. 

7 ‘‘(2) CONNECTICUT.—The counties of Hartford, 

8 Middlesex, New Haven, New London, Tolland, and 

9 Windham in the State of Connecticut. 

10 ‘‘(3) MASSACHUSETTS.—The counties of 

11 Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Hampden, Plymouth, 

12 and Worcester in the State of Massachusetts.’’. 

13 (2) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The analysis for 

14 subchapter II of chapter 157 of title 40, United 

15 States Code (as amended by section 211(b)(2)), is 

16 amended by adding at the end the following: 

‘‘15736. Southern New England Regional Commission.’’. 

17 (c) APPLICATION.—Section 15702(c)(3) of title 40, 

18 United States Code (as amended by section 211(c)), is 

19 amended— 

20 (1) by striking the period at the end and insert21 ing ‘‘; or’’; 

22 (2) by striking ‘‘to a county’’ and inserting the 

23 following: ‘‘to— 

24 ‘‘(A) a county’’; and 

25 (3) by adding at the end the following: 


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1 ‘‘(B) the Southern New England Regional 

2 Commission.’’. 

3 SEC. 213. DENALI COMMISSION REAUTHORIZATION. 

4 (a) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 312(a) of the 

5 Denali Commission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; 

6 Public Law 105–277) is amended by striking 

7 ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2021’’ 

8 and inserting ‘‘$35,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

9 through 2029’’. 

10 (b) ESTABLISHMENT OF COMMISSION.—Section 303 

11 of the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 

12 note; Public Law 105–277) is amended— 

13 (1) in subsection (b)— 

14 (A) in paragraph (1)— 

15 (i) in the matter preceding subpara16 graph (A), by striking ‘‘who shall be ap17 pointed by the Secretary of Commerce (re18 ferred to in this title as the ‘Secretary’),’’; 

19 and 

20 (ii) in subparagraph (G), by striking 

21 ‘‘who shall be selected in accordance with 

22 the requirements of paragraph (2)’’ and in23 serting ‘‘appointed by the President, by 

24 and with the advice and consent of the 

25 Senate’’; 


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1 (B) by striking paragraph (2); and 

2 (C) by redesignating paragraph (4) as 

3 paragraph (2); 

4 (2) by striking subsection (c); and 

5 (3) by redesignating subsections (d) through (g) 

6 as subsections (c) through (f), respectively. 

7 (c) DUTIES OF THE COMMISSION.—Section 304 of 

8 the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; 

9 Public Law 105–277) is amended— 

10 (1) in subsection (a)(3), by striking ‘‘to the 

11 Secretary, the Federal Cochairperson, and the Di12 rector of the Office of Management and Budget,’’ 

13 and inserting ‘‘to the Federal Cochairperson and the 

14 Director of the Office of Management and Budget’’; 

15 and 

16 (2) in subsection (b)— 

17 (A) by striking ‘‘the Secretary, acting 

18 through the Federal Cochairperson,’’ each place 

19 it appears and inserting ‘‘the Federal Cochair20 person’’; and 

21 (B) in paragraph (3), in the matter pre22 ceding subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘the Sec23 retary acting through the Federal Cochair24 person,’’ and inserting ‘‘the Federal Cochair25 person’’. 


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1 (d) POWERS OF THE COMMISSION.—Section 305 of 

2 the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; 

3 Public Law 105–277) is amended— 

4 (1) in subsection (d), in the first sentence, by 

5 inserting ‘‘enter into leases (including the lease of 

6 office space for any term),’’ after ‘‘award grants,’’; 

7 and 

8 (2) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(e) COST SHARE.—The Federal share of the cost 

10 of a construction project carried out with amounts pro11 vided by the Commission shall be 80 percent. 

12 ‘‘(f) USE OF FUNDS TOWARD NON-FEDERAL SHARE

13 OF CERTAIN PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding any other pro14 vision of law regarding payment of a non-Federal share 

15 in connection with a grant-in-aid program, the Commis16 sion may use amounts made available to the Commission 

17 for the payment of such a non-Federal share for programs 

18 undertaken to carry out the purposes of the Commis19 sion.’’. 

20 (e) SPECIAL FUNCTIONS OF THE COMMISSION.—Sec21 tion 307 of the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 

22 4321 note; Public Law 105–277) is amended— 

23 (1) by striking subsection (a); 

24 (2) by redesignating subsections (b) through (e) 

25 as subsections (a) through (d), respectively; and 


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1 (3) in subsection (c) (as so redesignated), by in2 serting ‘‘, including interagency transfers,’’ after 

3 ‘‘payments’’. 

4 (f) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 309(c)(1) 

5 of the Denali Commission Act of 1998 (42 U.S.C. 4321 

6 note; Public Law 105–277) is amended by inserting ‘‘of 

7 Transportation’’ after ‘‘Secretary’’. 

8 SEC. 214. DENALI HOUSING FUND. 

9 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

10 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti11 ty’’ means— 

12 (A) a nonprofit organization; 

13 (B) a limited dividend organization; 

14 (C) a cooperative organization; 

15 (D) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 

16 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Edu17 cation Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304)); and 

18 (E) a public entity, such as a municipality, 

19 county, district, authority, or other political 

20 subdivision of a State. 

21 (2) FEDERAL COCHAIR.—The term ‘‘Federal 

22 Cochair’’ means the Federal Cochairperson of the 

23 Denali Commission. 


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1 (3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the 

2 Denali Housing Fund established under subsection 

3 (b)(1). 

4 (4) LOW-INCOME.—The term ‘‘low-income’’, 

5 with respect to a household means that the house6 hold income is less than 150 percent of the Federal 

7 poverty level for the State of Alaska. 

8 (5) MODERATE-INCOME.—The term ‘‘moderate9 income’’, with respect to a household, means that 

10 the household income is less than 250 percent of the 

11 Federal poverty level for the State of Alaska. 

12 (6) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

13 the Secretary of Agriculture. 

14 (b) DENALI HOUSING FUND.— 

15 (1) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be estab16 lished in the Treasury of the United States the 

17 Denali Housing Fund, to be administered by the 

18 Federal Cochair. 

19 (2) SOURCE AND USE OF AMOUNTS IN FUND.— 

20 (A) IN GENERAL.—Amounts allocated to 

21 the Federal Cochair for the purpose of carrying 

22 out this section shall be deposited in the Fund. 

23 (B) USES.—The Federal Cochair shall use 

24 the Fund as a revolving fund to carry out the 

25 purposes of this section. 


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1 (C) INVESTMENT.—The Federal Cochair 

2 may invest amounts in the Fund that are not 

3 necessary for operational expenses in bonds or 

4 other obligations, the principal and interest of 

5 which are guaranteed by the Federal Govern6 ment. 

7 (D) GENERAL EXPENSES.—The Federal 

8 Cochair may charge the general expenses of 

9 carrying out this section to the Fund. 

10 (3) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

11 There is authorized to be appropriated to the Fund 

12 $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 

13 2029. 

14 (c) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this section are— 

15 (1) to encourage and facilitate the construction 

16 or rehabilitation of housing to meet the needs of low17 income households and moderate-income households; 

18 and 

19 (2) to provide housing for public employees. 

20 (d) LOANS AND GRANTS.— 

21 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Cochair may 

22 provide grants and loans from the Fund to eligible 

23 entities under such terms and conditions the Federal 

24 Cochair may prescribe. 


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1 (2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of a grant or loan 

2 under paragraph (1) shall be for planning and ob3 taining federally insured mortgage financing or 

4 other financial assistance for housing construction or 

5 rehabilitation projects for low-income and moderate6 income households in rural Alaska villages. 

7 (e) PROVIDING AMOUNTS TO STATES FOR GRANTS

8 AND LOANS.—The Federal Cochair may provide amounts 

9 to the State of Alaska, or political subdivisions thereof, 

10 for making the grants and loans described in subsection 

11 (d). 

12 (f) LOANS.— 

13 (1) LIMITATION ON AVAILABLE AMOUNTS.—A 

14 loan under subsection (d) for the cost of planning 

15 and obtaining financing (including the cost of pre16 liminary surveys and analyses of market needs, pre17 liminary site engineering and architectural fees, site 

18 options, application and mortgage commitment fees, 

19 legal fees, and construction loan fees and discounts) 

20 of a project described in that subsection may be for 

21 not more than 90 percent of that cost. 

22 (2) INTEREST.—A loan under subsection (d) 

23 shall be made without interest, except that a loan 

24 made to an eligible entity established for profit shall 

25 bear interest at the prevailing market rate authorVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:30 Mar 08, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00098 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S3891.IS S3891

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1 ized for an insured or guaranteed loan for that type 

2 of project. 

3 (3) PAYMENT.— 

4 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Cochair 

5 shall require payment of a loan made under this 

6 section under terms and conditions the Sec7 retary may require by not later than the date 

8 of completion of the project. 

9 (B) CANCELLATION.—For a loan other 

10 than a loan to an eligible entity established for 

11 profit, the Secretary may cancel any part of the 

12 debt with respect to a loan made under sub13 section (d) if the Secretary determines that a 

14 permanent loan to finance the project cannot be 

15 obtained in an amount adequate for repayment 

16 of a loan made under subsection (d). 

17 (g) GRANTS.— 

18 (1) IN GENERAL.—A grant under this section 

19 for expenses incidental to planning and obtaining fi20 nancing for a project described in this section that 

21 the Federal Cochair considers unrecoverable from 

22 the proceeds of a permanent loan made to finance 

23 the project— 

24 (A) may not be made to an eligible entity 

25 established for profit; and 


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1 (B) may not exceed 90 percent of those ex2 penses. 

3 (2) SITE DEVELOPMENT COSTS AND OFFSITE

4 IMPROVEMENTS.— 

5 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Federal Cochair 

6 may make grants and commitments for grants 

7 under terms and conditions the Federal Cochair 

8 may require to eligible entities for reasonable 

9 site development costs and necessary offsite im10 provements, such as sewer and water line exten11 sions, if the grant or commitment— 

12 (i) is essential to ensuring that hous13 ing is constructed on the site in the future; 

14 and 

15 (ii) otherwise meets the requirements 

16 for assistance under this section. 

17 (B) MAXIMUM AMOUNTS.—The amount of 

18 a grant under this paragraph may not— 

19 (i) with respect to the construction of 

20 housing, exceed 40 percent of the cost of 

21 the construction; and 

22 (ii) with respect to the rehabilitation 

23 of housing, exceed 10 percent of the rea24 sonable value of the rehabilitation, as de25 termined by the Federal Cochair. 


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1 (h) INFORMATION, ADVICE, AND TECHNICAL ASSIST2 ANCE.—The Federal Cochair may provide, or contract 

3 with public or private organizations to provide, informa4 tion, advice, and technical assistance with respect to the 

5 construction, rehabilitation, and operation by nonprofit or6 ganizations of housing for low-income or moderate-income 

7 households, or for public employees, in rural Alaska vil8 lages under this section. 

9 SEC. 215. DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY REAUTHORIZA10 TION. 

11 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

12 382M(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop13 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–12(a)) is amended by striking 

14 ‘‘$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ 

15 and inserting ‘‘$40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

16 through 2029’’. 

17 (b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 382N of 

18 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

19 U.S.C. 2009aa–13) is repealed. 

20 (c) FEES.—Section 382B(e) of the Consolidated 

21 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–1(e)) 

22 is amended— 

23 (1) in paragraph (9)(C), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

24 the end; 


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1 (2) in paragraph (10), by striking the period at 

2 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

3 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

4 ‘‘(11) collect fees for the Delta Doctors pro5 gram of the Authority and retain and expend those 

6 fees.’’. 

7 (d) SUCCESSION.—Section 382B(h)(5)(B) of the 

8 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

9 2009aa–1(h)(5)(B)) is amended— 

10 (1) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; 

11 (2) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); 

12 and 

13 (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following: 

14 ‘‘(iii) assuming the duties of the Fed15 eral cochairperson and the alternate Fed16 eral cochairperson for purposes of continu17 ation of normal operations in the event 

18 that both positions are vacant; and’’. 

19 (e) INDIAN TRIBES.—Section 382C(a) of the Consoli20 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 

21 2009aa–2(a)) is amended— 

22 (1) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by 

23 inserting ‘‘, Indian Tribes,’’ after ‘‘States’’; and 

24 (2) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, Tribal,’’ 

25 after ‘‘State’’. 


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1 SEC. 216. NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS REGIONAL AUTHOR2 ITY REAUTHORIZATION. 

3 (a) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 

4 383N(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop5 ment Act (7 U.S.C. 2009bb–12(a)) is amended by striking 

6 ‘‘$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2018’’ 

7 and inserting ‘‘$40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 

8 through 2029’’. 

9 (b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 383O of 

10 the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

11 U.S.C. 2009bb–13) is repealed. 

Æ 


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