II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2363 

To establish the Creating American Investment, Redevelopment, and 

Opportunity Task Force. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 30, 2018 

Ms. DUCKWORTH (for herself and Mr. DURBIN) introduced the following bill; 

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

Public Works 

A BILL 

To establish the Creating American Investment, 

Redevelopment, and Opportunity Task Force. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Creating American In5 vestment, Redevelopment, and Opportunity Task Force 

6 Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

8 In this Act: 

9 (1) BROADBAND INTERNET ACCESS SERVICE.— 

10 The term ‘‘broadband Internet access service’’ has 


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1 the meaning given the term in section 8.2 of title 47, 

2 Code of Federal Regulations, or any successor regu3 lation. 

4 (2) CAIRO.—The term ‘‘Cairo’’ means the city 

5 of Cairo, Illinois. 

6 (3) COVERED STATE.—The term ‘‘covered 

7 State’’ means the State of Illinois. 

8 (4) EXECUTIVE AGENCY.—The term ‘‘Executive 

9 agency’’ has the meaning given the term in section 

10 105 of title 5, United States Code. 

11 (5) PUBLIC HOUSING.—The term ‘‘public hous12 ing’’ has the meaning given the term in section 3(b) 

13 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 (42 

14 U.S.C. 1437a(b)). 

15 (6) RELEVANT FEDERAL ENTITY.—The term 

16 ‘‘relevant Federal entity’’ means— 

17 (A) the Department of Housing and Urban 

18 Development; 

19 (B) the Department of Agriculture; 

20 (C) the Department of Justice; 

21 (D) the Department of Education; 

22 (E) the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

23 (F) the Department of Labor; 

24 (G) the Department of Commerce; 

25 (H) the Department of Transportation; 


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1 (I) the Department of Energy; 

2 (J) the Department of Health and Human 

3 Services; 

4 (K) the Department of the Interior; 

5 (L) the Environmental Protection Agency; 

6 (M) the Federal Emergency Management 

7 Agency; 

8 (N) the Small Business Administration; 

9 (O) the Federal Communications Commis10 sion; 

11 (P) the Delta Regional Authority; 

12 (Q) the Corporation for National and Com13 munity Service; 

14 (R) the Interagency Task Force on Agri15 culture and Rural Prosperity; 

16 (S) the Council of Economic Advisors; 

17 (T) the National Economic Council; 

18 (U) the Community Development Advisory 

19 Board; and 

20 (V) any other Executive agency that the 

21 President determines is appropriate. 

22 (7) SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN.—The term 

23 ‘‘small business concern’’ has the meaning given the 

24 term in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

25 U.S.C. 632). 


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1 (8) TASK FORCE.—The term ‘‘Task Force’’ 

2 means the task force established under section 3(a). 

3 SEC. 3. CREATING AMERICAN INVESTMENT, REDEVELOP4 MENT, AND OPPORTUNITY TASK FORCE. 

5 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a task 

6 force to be known as the Creating American Investment, 

7 Redevelopment, and Opportunity Task Force. 

8 (b) DUTIES.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall— 

10 (A) establish a plan to carry out the goals 

11 described in paragraph (2); and 

12 (B) coordinate Federal efforts to carry out 

13 the plan described in subparagraph (A). 

14 (2) GOALS.—The goals described in this para15 graph are— 

16 (A) identifying existing public housing in 

17 Alexander County, Illinois; 

18 (B) building new affordable housing in 

19 Alexander County, Illinois; 

20 (C) recruiting investment in affordable 

21 housing in Alexander County, Illinois; 

22 (D) expanding and repairing infrastructure 

23 in Cairo, while prioritizing safety and access to 

24 interstate commerce, through methods such 

25 as— 


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1 (i) installing and improving street 

2 lights; 

3 (ii) improving roads and sidewalks; 

4 (iii) removing lead piping and imple5 menting safe and sanitary piping; 

6 (iv) introducing— 

7 (I) municipal broadband Internet 

8 access service; and 

9 (II) other modern improvements 

10 to rural infrastructure; 

11 (v) ensuring affordable access to pub12 lic utilities, including power, water, and 

13 sewage; and 

14 (vi) assessing flood insurance rate 

15 maps in order to ensure safety in Cairo 

16 and allow for proper urban planning to en17 courage future economic investment; 

18 (E) spurring public and private investment 

19 targeted at economic growth and bringing in20 dustry employers to Cairo; 

21 (F) assisting small business concerns in 

22 Cairo by— 

23 (i) examining present barriers that 

24 small business concerns in Cairo face; 


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1 (ii) establishing short-term and long2 term goals to encourage growth of small 

3 business concerns and prosperity in Cairo; 

4 and 

5 (iii) assisting small business concerns 

6 in Cairo to leverage Federal, covered State, 

7 and private funding; 

8 (G) in partnership with covered State and 

9 local schools, universities, community colleges, 

10 and other relevant organizations, creating op11 portunities for residents of Cairo to obtain edu12 cation, technical training, and employment 

13 counseling; and 

14 (H) encouraging covered State and local 

15 participation in and gathering local input on 

16 the creation and implementation of programs 

17 related to the plan described in paragraph 

18 (1)(A). 

19 (3) CONSULTATION WITH COVERED STATE AND

20 LOCAL AGENCIES AND STAKEHOLDERS.—In carrying 

21 out the duties described in paragraph (1), the Task 

22 Force shall consult regularly with— 

23 (A) the Attorney General of the covered 

24 State; 

25 (B) covered State and local agencies; 


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1 (C) organizations that provide services for 

2 veterans; and 

3 (D) consumer advocates. 

4 (c) MEMBERSHIP.— 

5 (1) MEMBERS.— 

6 (A) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall 

7 consist of each of the heads, or the designee of 

8 the head, of each of the relevant Federal enti9 ties. 

10 (B) DESIGNEES.—A designee of a head of 

11 a relevant Federal entity under subparagraph 

12 (A) shall be an official of that relevant Federal 

13 entity who, in that capacity, exercises signifi14 cant decision-making authority for oversight or 

15 investigatory activities and responsibilities re16 lated to any of the goals described in subsection 

17 (b)(2). 

18 (2) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary of Housing 

19 and Urban Development, or the designee of the Sec20 retary of Housing and Urban Development, shall 

21 serve as the Chairperson of the Task Force. 

22 (d) MEETINGS.—The members of the Task Force 

23 shall meet regularly, but not less than once during each 

24 quarter of each fiscal year, to carry out the duties de25 scribed in subsection (b)(1). 


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1 (e) REPORTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 6 months 

3 after the date of enactment of this Act, and each 

4 year thereafter, the Task Force shall submit to Con5 gress a report that includes— 

6 (A) for the year for which the report is 

7 submitted, an accounting of— 

8 (i) any action by the Federal, covered 

9 State, or local government to carry out the 

10 plan described in subsection (b)(1)(A); and 

11 (ii) any award of Federal funding for 

12 a project in Cairo, including information 

13 relating to— 

14 (I) the amount of the award; 

15 (II) the purpose of the award; 

16 (III) the beneficiary of the 

17 award; and 

18 (IV) the manner in which the 

19 award was used; 

20 (B) a description of any partnerships cre21 ated as a result of the activities of the Task 

22 Force, including partnerships involving— 

23 (i) Federal agencies; 

24 (ii) covered State and local govern25 ments; 


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1 (iii) investors; and 

2 (iv) nonprofit and public service orga3 nizations; 

4 (C) information relating to, as a result of 

5 the Task Force— 

6 (i) the number of jobs created; 

7 (ii) the number of businesses started; 

8 (iii) the amount of public housing pro9 vided to individuals in Cairo; 

10 (iv) the industries recruited to assist 

11 in carrying out the plan described in sub12 section (b)(1)(A); 

13 (v) benefits that have arisen in the re14 gion in which Cairo is located; and 

15 (vi) housing vacancies in Cairo; and 

16 (D) for the year following the date of sub17 mission of the report— 

18 (i) a description of the goals, prior19 ities, and anticipated actions of the Task 

20 Force, local participants in programs re21 lated to the plan described in subsection 

22 (b)(1)(A), and partners of the Task Force; 

23 and 


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1 (ii) a detailed implementation plan for 

2 the goals, priorities, and anticipated ac3 tions described in clause (i). 

4 (2) PUBLIC ACCESS.—The report described in 

5 paragraph (1) shall be made available to the public 

6 in a manner that is easily accessible to stakeholders. 

7 (f) TASK FORCE SUPPORT.—The head of each rel8 evant Federal entity shall ensure appropriate staff and of9 ficials of that relevant Federal entity are available to sup10 port any Task Force-related work of that relevant Federal 

11 entity. 

Æ 


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