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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 15 (Friday, January 24, 2025)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 8105-8107]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-01758]



                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 15 / Friday, January 24, 2025 / 
Presidential Documents

___________________________________________________________________

Title 3--
The President

[[Page 8105]]

                Executive Order 14145 of January 19, 2025

                
Helping Left-Behind Communities Make a Comeback

                By the authority vested in me as President by the 
                Constitution and the laws of the United States of 
                America, it is hereby ordered as follows:

                Section 1. Policy. Well-designed programs that support 
                local and Tribal leaders in left-behind communities can 
                lead to stronger economic outcomes, strengthen regional 
                assets, and reduce regional inequality. It is the 
                policy of my Administration to take a whole-of-
                government approach to defining, coordinating, and 
                increasing the accessibility of existing and future 
                programs that help left-behind communities.

                Sec. 2. Definitions. For purposes of this order:

                    (a) The term ``covered communities'' means:

(i) municipalities or other local areas within an economically distressed 
region;

(ii) communities in Community Disaster Resiliency Zones;

(iii) regions served by any of the following Federal programs: the Energy 
Communities Interagency Working Group Priority Energy Communities, the 
Economic Development Administration Regional Technology and Innovation 
Hubs, the National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines, the 
Department of Housing and Urban Development Distressed Cities and 
Persistent Poverty Technical Assistance Program, or the Economic 
Development Administration Recompete Pilot Program; or

(iv) rural communities identified by the Secretary of Agriculture and 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.

                    (b) ``Economically distressed region'' means a 
                region described by section 301 of the Public Works and 
                Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161), 
                section 29(j) of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 
                Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3722b(j)(1)), or 49 
                U.S.C. 6702(a)(1), or that meets the definition of 
                ``persistent poverty county'' in section 736 of 
                Division A of Public Law 117-328.
                    (c) ``Implementing agencies'' means the Department 
                of the Treasury, the Department of the Interior, the 
                Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce, 
                the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and 
                Human Services, the Department of Housing and Urban 
                Development, the Department of Transportation, the 
                Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland 
                Security, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the 
                Small Business Administration.
                    (d) ``Place-based economic development'' means 
                policies and programs administered by the Federal 
                Government that target defined regions, including 
                Tribal lands, and use a coordinated approach that 
                represents the interests of community members and 
                community-based organizations in covered communities 
                to:

(i) improve physical infrastructure;

(ii) support workforce development to fill locally and regionally demanded 
well-paying jobs;

(iii) connect regions to new economic opportunities;

(iv) increase the capacity of unions, labor organizations, community 
organizations, and the general public to negotiate legally binding 
agreements

[[Page 8106]]

with investors, project developers, and companies to deliver locally 
defined benefits to local communities;

(v) increase research and development capacity to accelerate local and 
regional innovation; or

(vi) strengthen rural, Tribal and community systems.

                Sec. 3. Strengthening Federal Collaboration on Economic 
                Development. (a) The Secretary of Commerce, acting 
                through the Assistant Secretary for Economic 
                Development and in consultation with the Assistant to 
                the President for Economic Policy, shall, where 
                appropriate and consistent with applicable law, 
                coordinate Federal investments with implementing 
                agencies and develop and implement policy 
                recommendations, including on meaningful community 
                engagement, related to place-based economic development 
                focused on covered communities.

                    (b) Within 1 year of the date of this order, 
                consistent with applicable law, including section 103 
                of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 
                1965 (42 U.S.C. 3133), the Secretary of Commerce, 
                through the Assistant Secretary for Economic 
                Development, shall work with implementing agencies to:

(i) improve the quality, frequency, and accessibility of engagement with 
State, Tribal, territorial, local, and non-profit organizations in covered 
communities;

(ii) support localized, community economic development that helps generate 
private investments that benefit left-behind communities, such as workforce 
training, resilient physical infrastructure, affordable energy, civic 
infrastructure, affordable housing, childcare, and transportation;

(iii) develop an interagency technical assistance network in local 
geographies to enable interested communities and organizations to access 
information and resources from across the Federal Government through a 
single point of entry; and

(v) identify geographies served by overlapping Federal place-based economic 
development programs to facilitate coordination of funding opportunities 
and post-award implementation, consistent with applicable law.

                    (c) Implementing agencies shall, to the extent 
                appropriate and consistent with applicable law, include 
                in forthcoming funding opportunities requirements, 
                application evaluation factors, or incentives that 
                provide a preference for applications from entities in 
                and serving covered communities.

                Sec. 4. Supporting Award Access in Economically 
                Distressed Regions. (a) Implementing agencies shall, to 
                the extent consistent with applicable law, assist 
                potential grant applicants, including in economically 
                distressed regions, in understanding and applying for 
                Federal grants. Implementing agencies' activities may 
                include:

(i) conducting proactive engagement with communities and organizations to 
promote opportunities for Federal assistance;

(ii) providing guidance and technical assistance to applicants; and

(iii) identifying resources across the agencies' technical assistance 
programs and offices for support.

                    (b) Within 1 year of the date of this order, 
                implementing agencies shall, to the extent consistent 
                with applicable law, consider signing a memorandum of 
                agreement to exchange information, tools, and leading 
                practices to ensure applicants to under-resourced 
                programs are made aware of, and may be considered for, 
                similar programs at other agencies.

                Sec. 5. Promoting Disaster Resilience and Long-Term 
                Economic Development Post-Disaster. In coordination 
                with the Secretary of Commerce, implementing agencies 
                that have field offices in economically distressed 
                regions or Community Disaster Resilience Zones that 
                have received a major disaster declaration within the 
                past 3 years shall, as appropriate and consistent with 
                applicable law:

[[Page 8107]]

                    (a) seek input from local organizations on needs 
                for and barriers to long-term economic resilience;
                    (b) identify funding opportunities to address long-
                term economic development and infrastructure needs; and
                    (c) provide targeted support for navigating the 
                application process for funding opportunities.

                Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order 
                shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:

(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or 
the head thereof; or

(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget 
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.

                    (b) This order shall be implemented consistent with 
                applicable law and subject to the availability of 
                appropriations.
                    (c) This order is not intended to, and does not, 
                create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, 
                enforceable at law or in equity by any party against 
                the United States, its departments, agencies, or 
                entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any 
                other person.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

                THE WHITE HOUSE,

                    January 19, 2025.

[FR Doc. 2025-01758
Filed 1-23-25; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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