I

103D CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2449

To establish an interagency task force to conduct a study regarding the

problems affecting smaller cities in the United States and recommend

actions to alleviate such problems.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

JUNE 17, 1993

Mr. COSTELLO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Government Operations

A BILL

To establish an interagency task force to conduct a study

regarding the problems affecting smaller cities in the

United States and recommend actions to alleviate such

problems.

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 ‘‘Depressed Smaller

5 Cities Improvement Act of 1993’’.
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1 SEC. 2. INTERAGENCY TASK FORCE ON DEPRESSED SMALL2 ER CITIES.

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established

4 an interagency task force to be known as the Interagency

5 Task Force on Depressed Smaller Cities (in this Act re6 ferred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’).

7 (b) MEMBERSHIP.—

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Task Force shall be

9 composed of 9 members as follows:

10 (A) The Secretary of Housing and Urban

11 Development, or the Secretary’s delegate.

12 (B) The Secretary of Health and Human

13 Services, or the Secretary’s delegate.

14 (C) The Attorney General of the United

15 States, or the Attorney General’s delegate.

16 (D) The Secretary of Commerce, or the

17 Secretary’s delegate.

18 (E) 5 members appointed by the Speaker

19 of the House of Representatives, not later than

20 the expiration of the 6-month period beginning

21 on the date of the enactment of this Act, who

22 shall be public officials of depressed smaller

23 cities.

24 (2) GEOGRAPHICAL DIVERSITY.—No 2 mem25 bers appointed under paragraph (1)(E) may be resi26 dents of the same State.
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1 (c) TERMS.—Members of the Task Force shall be ap2 pointed for the life of the Task Force. Any vacancy in

3 the Task Force shall be filled in the manner in which the

4 original appointment was made.

5 (d) CHAIRPERSON.—The Secretary of Housing and

6 Urban Development shall be the chairperson of the Task

7 Force.

8 (e) PROHIBITION OF COMPENSATION.—Members of

9 the Task Force shall not receive pay or other compensa10 tion on account of their service on the Task Force.

11 (f) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member of the Task

12 Force shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in

13 lieu of subsistence, in accordance with sections 5702 and

14 5703 of title 5, United States Code.

15 SEC. 3. DUTIES OF TASK FORCE.

16 (a) STUDY.—The Task Force shall carry out a study

17 of the problems affecting depressed smaller cities, includ18 ing problems involving crime, the environment, housing,

19 labor and unemployment, education, health, and poverty.

20 The study shall examine and analyze Federal, State, and

21 local programs to alleviate such problems, the coordination

22 or lack of coordination among such programs, and the ef23 fectiveness and efficiency of such programs, and shall de24 termine the proper scope and extent of Federal assistance

25 and programs to reduce the problems affecting such cities.
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1 In conducting the study, the Task Force shall consult with

2 officials of local governments to obtain and provide advice

3 regarding measures that may be implemented before the

4 completion of the study to alleviate such problems and to

5 coordinate the ongoing efforts of the local governments

6 with the various Federal agencies.

7 (b) REPORTS.—

8 (1) ANNUAL REPORTS.—

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

10 submit a report to the Committee on Banking,

11 Finance and Urban Affairs of the House of

12 Representatives and the Committee on Bank13 ing, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate,

14 not less than annually until the termination of

15 the Task Force under section 5.

16 (B) CONTENTS.—Each report shall de17 scribe the activities of the Task Force during

18 the previous year in conducting the study under

19 subsection (a) and the findings and determina20 tions of the Task Force resulting from the

21 study. Each report shall also—

22 (i) identify the most pervasive prob23 lems affecting depressed smaller cities and

24 the extent of such problems;
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1 (ii) describe any efforts to alleviate

2 such problems that the Task Force consid3 ers to have been effective and efficient;

4 (iii) identify the immediate and long5 term needs of such cities in alleviating

6 such problems;

7 (iv) identify any existing Federal pro8 grams that may be useful to such cities in

9 alleviating such problems;

10 (v) include an agenda of actions to be

11 taken to alleviate such problems, which de12 scribes the priorities of such actions; and

13 (vi) include recommendations of the

14 Task Force for actions and legislation by

15 the Federal Government to assist State

16 and local governments to alleviate the

17 problems affecting depressed smaller cities.

18 (2) FINAL REPORT.—Not later than the termi19 nation of the Task Force under section 5, the Task

20 Force shall submit to the Committees referred to in

21 paragraph (1)(A) a final report describing the study

22 conducted by the Task Force, the activities of the

23 Task Force, and the findings, conclusions, and rec24 ommendations of the Task Force upon the comple25 tion of the study.
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1 (c) MEETINGS.—To carry out the study under sub2 section (a) and prepare the reports under subsection (b),

3 the Task Force shall meet not less than quarterly in each

4 year.

5 SEC. 4. IDENTIFICATION OF DEPRESSED SMALLER CITIES.

6 For purposes of this Act, the term ‘‘depressed smaller

7 city’’ means any unit of general local government that, as

8 determined by the Task Force for the most recent 12-

9 month period for which statistics are available, is classified

10 as a municipality by the United States Bureau of the Cen11 sus, has a population of less than 50,000 and more than

12 5,000, and meets any 3 of the following 5 criteria:

13 (1) UNEMPLOYMENT.—The total rate of unem14 ployment for the unit of general local government

15 (as determined by appropriate available data) is 12

16 percent or more.

17 (2) CRIME RATE.—For the unit of general local

18 government, the ratio of the aggregate number of

19 violent crimes in the unit (according to statistics

20 compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation) to

21 the population of the unit, is 5 percent or greater.

22 (3) LACK OF MUNICIPAL HEALTH FACILI23 TIES.—The unit of general local government does

24 not own or operate any municipal health facilities.
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1 (4) INCOME LEVEL.—The median annual

2 household income for households residing in the unit

3 of general local government (as determined by the

4 Bureau of the Census of the Department of Com5 merce) does not exceed $15,000.

6 (5) ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS.—The unit of

7 general local government has substantial environ8 mental problems resulting from industrial activities,

9 as determined by the Task Force.

10 SEC. 5. TERMINATION.

11 The Commission shall terminate upon the expiration

12 of the 3-year period beginning on the date of the appoint13 ment of the entire membership of the Task Force under

14 section 2(b).

15 SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

16 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out

17 this Act $750,000, which shall be available during fiscal

18 years 1995, 1996, and 1997.

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