I 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5899 

To reauthorize the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 6, 2023 

Mr. DAVIS of North Carolina (for himself, Ms. MACE, Ms. MCCLELLAN, Mr. 

FRY, Ms. ROSS, Mr. WILSON of South Carolina, and Mr. NICKEL) introduced the following bill 

OCTOBER 25, 2023 

Referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 

provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To reauthorize the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, 

and for other purposes. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southeastern Crescent 

5 Economic Empowerment Act’’ or the ‘‘SCEE Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. STATE CAPACITY BUILDING GRANT PROGRAM. 

2 Section 6304(c) of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

3 of 2018 (40 U.S.C. 15101(c)) is amended— 

4 (1) in paragraph (1)— 

5 (A) by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

6 and inserting the following: 

7 ‘‘(A) COMMISSION.—The term ‘Commis8 sion’ means the Southeast Crescent Regional 

9 Commission and the Northern Border Regional 

10 Commission established under paragraphs (1) 

11 and (3) of section 15301(a) of title 40, United 

12 States Code. 

13 ‘‘(B) COMMISSION STATE.—The term 

14 ‘Commission State’ means each of the States 

15 described in sections 15731 and 15733 of title 

16 40, United States Code.’’; and 

17 (B) in subparagraph (C) by inserting 

18 ‘‘15731 or’’ before ‘‘15733’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (3)— 

20 (A) in subparagraph (F) by striking ‘‘and’’ 

21 at the end; 

22 (B) in subparagraph (G) by striking the 

23 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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


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1 ‘‘(H) to promote economic development 

2 housing incentives to support job creation and 

3 workforce needs.’’; and 

4 (3) in paragraph (9)(A) by striking 

5 ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 

6 2023’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal 

7 years 2024 through 2028’’. 

8 SEC. 3. ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT 

9 GRANTS. 

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

11 amended 

12 (1) in subsection (a)— 

13 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (4) 

14 through (9) as paragraphs (6) through (11), re15 spectively; and 

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

17 following: 

18 ‘‘(4) to design, build, implement, or upgrade 

19 transportation or basic public infrastructure or 

20 workforce capacity to support the adaption to and 

21 mitigation of climate challenges; 

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

23 meet economic development and workforce needs;’’; 

24 and 


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1 (2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘paragraph 

2 (1), (2), (3), or (7)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1), 

3 (2), (3), (4), (5), (7), or (9)’’. 

4 SEC. 4. ANNUAL REPORT SUBMISSIONS. 

5 Section 15308(a) of title 40, United States Code, is 

6 amended by striking ‘‘90’’ and inserting ‘‘180’’. 

7 SEC. 5. RETENTION OF FEES. 

8 Section 15304(a) of title 40, United States Code, is 

9 amended— 

10 (1) in paragraph (8) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 

11 end; 

12 (2) in paragraph (9) by striking the period at 

13 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

15 ‘‘(10) collect, retain, and expend fees for the 

16 service for which such fees were collected.’’. 

17 SEC. 6. MODIFICATION OF MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRE18 MENT. 

19 Section 15501(d)(2) of title 40, United States Code, 

20 is amended by striking ‘‘80’’ and inserting ‘‘90’’. 

21 SEC. 7. REAUTHORIZATION OF COMMISSIONS. 

22 Section 15751(a) of title 40, United States Code, is 

23 amended by striking ‘‘this subtitle $33,000,000 for each 

24 of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’ and inserting the fol25 lowing: ‘‘this subtitle— 


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1 ‘‘(1) $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 

2 through 2027; and 

3 ‘‘(2) $60,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2028 

4 through 2032.’’. 

Æ 


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