I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1519 
To assist entrepreneurs, support development of the creative economy, and 
encourage international cultural exchange, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 5, 2019 
Mrs. DINGELL (for herself, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. 
COHEN, and Ms. KUSTER of New Hampshire) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Small Business, and in addi-
tion to the Committees on the Judiciary, Education and Labor, Financial 
Services, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Agriculture, for a period 
to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consider-
ation of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee 
concerned 
A BILL 
To assist entrepreneurs, support development of the creative 
economy, and encourage international cultural exchange, 
and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Comprehensive Resources for Entrepreneurs in the Arts 
to Transform the Economy Act of 2019’’ or the ‘‘CRE-
ATE Act of 2019’’. 
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(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
TITLE I—SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS 
Sec. 101. Microloan program expansion. 
Sec. 102. SBA business loans for the creative economy. 
Sec. 103. SBA technical assistance programs. 
Sec. 104. Arts-focused economic development. 
Sec. 105. Arts-focused rural development. 
Sec. 106. International participation in the arts. 
Sec. 107. Disaster support for artists through FEMA. 
TITLE II—CREATIVE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 
Sec. 201. Artist corps. 
Sec. 202. Demonstration program on support of local programs that promote 
creative and performance arts in local economic planning. 
Sec. 203. Creative placemaking activities under the Housing and Community 
Development Act of 1974. 
TITLE I—SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS 
AND ENTREPRENEURS 
SEC. 101. MICROLOAN PROGRAM EXPANSION. 
Section 7(m)(6) of the Small Business Act (15 
U.S.C. 636(m)(6)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(F) LOAN
CRITERIA
FOR
ARTISTS
AND 
ARTS
ENTREPRENEURS.—The Administration, 
in consultation with eligible intermediaries, 
shall develop loan criteria to ensure that small 
business concerns owned and controlled by art-
ists and small business concerns that support 
the creative economy receive loan proceeds 
under this subsection.’’. 
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SEC. 102. SBA BUSINESS LOANS FOR THE CREATIVE ECON-
OMY. 
Section 7(a) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
636(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(36) CREATIVE ECONOMY.—In providing as-
sistance under this subsection, the Administration 
shall develop procedures to evaluate the business 
proposals and business plans of small business con-
cerns that focus on economic development, job cre-
ation, and community growth with respect to the 
creative economy.’’. 
SEC. 103. SBA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS. 
Section 21 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 648) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(o) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS FOR ART-
ISTS AND ARTS ENTREPRENEURS.—The Administration, 
in consultation with relevant stakeholders, shall develop 
technical assistance programs to be carried out by small 
business development centers under this subsection that 
target the specific needs of artists and arts entre-
preneurs.’’. 
SEC. 104. ARTS-FOCUSED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
Title II of the Public Works and Economic Develop-
ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3141 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
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through the local technical assistance, partnership plan-
ning, and comprehensive economic development strategies 
programs of the Economic Development Administration), 
the Secretary shall provide to artists and the creative 
economy support through traditional economic develop-
ment tools, including— 
‘‘(1) incubators; and 
‘‘(2) economic development planning and tech-
nical assistance.’’. 
SEC. 105. ARTS-FOCUSED RURAL DEVELOPMENT. 
The Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘Subtitle I—Arts-Focused 
Economic Development 
‘‘SEC. 385. ARTS-FOCUSED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) BUSINESS
INCUBATION
PROGRAM.—The 
term ‘business incubation program’ means a pro-
gram that— 
‘‘(A) accelerates the successful develop-
ment of entrepreneurial businesses through 
business support resources and services, devel-
oped or orchestrated by incubator management; 
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‘‘(B) is designed to produce successful 
businesses; and 
‘‘(C) provides management guidance, tech-
nical assistance, and consulting designed for 
young, growing businesses, including by pro-
viding— 
‘‘(i) rental space and flexible leases; 
‘‘(ii) shared basic business services 
and equipment; 
‘‘(iii) technology support services; and 
‘‘(iv) assistance in obtaining financing 
necessary for growth of the business. 
‘‘(2) INCUBATOR.—The term ‘incubator’ means 
a multitenant facility with on-site management that 
directs a business incubation program. 
‘‘(b) ARTS-FOCUSED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.—In 
providing grants and assistance under this Act (including 
through the local technical assistance, partnership plan-
ning, and comprehensive economic development strategies 
programs of the Office of Rural Development), the Sec-
retary, acting through the Assistant to the Secretary for 
Rural Development, shall provide to artists and the cre-
ative economy support through traditional economic devel-
opment tools, including— 
‘‘(1) incubators; and 
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‘‘(2) economic development planning and tech-
nical assistance.’’. 
SEC. 106. INTERNATIONAL PARTICIPATION IN THE ARTS. 
Section 214(c)(6)(D) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1184(c)(6)(D)) is amended— 
(1) in the first sentence, by inserting ‘‘(i)’’ be-
fore ‘‘Any person’’; 
(2) in the second sentence— 
(A) by striking ‘‘Once’’ and inserting ‘‘Ex-
cept as provided in clause (ii), once’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘Attorney General shall’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall’’; 
(3) in the third sentence, by striking ‘‘The At-
torney General’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary’’; and 
(4) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) The Secretary of Homeland Security shall adju-
dicate each petition for an alien with extraordinary ability 
in the arts (as described in section 101(a)(15)(O)(i)), an 
alien accompanying such an alien (as described in section 
101(a)(15)(O)(ii)), or an alien described in section 
101(a)(15)(P) (other than an alien described in section 
214(c)(4)(A) (relating to athletes)) not later than 14 days 
after— 
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‘‘(I) the date on which the petitioner submits 
the petition with a written advisory opinion, letter of 
no objection, or request for a waiver; or 
‘‘(II) the date on which the 15-day period de-
scribed in clause (i) has expired, if the petitioner has 
had an opportunity to supply rebuttal evidence. 
‘‘(iii) If a petition described in clause (ii) is not adju-
dicated by the end of the 14-day period described in clause 
(ii) and the petitioner is an arts organization described 
in paragraph (3), (5), or (6) of section 501(c) of the Inter-
nal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from tax under 
section 501(a) of such Code for the taxable year preceding 
the calendar year in which the petition is submitted, or 
an individual or entity petitioning primarily on behalf of 
such an organization, the Secretary of Homeland Security 
shall provide the petitioner with the premium-processing 
services referred to in section 286(u), without a fee.’’. 
SEC. 107. DISASTER SUPPORT FOR ARTISTS THROUGH 
FEMA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The President, acting through the 
Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management 
Agency, shall promulgate rules to ensure that expenses in-
curred, as a result of a major disaster or emergency, by 
a self-employed or freelance worker to repair or replace 
tools, specialized or protective clothing, and equipment re-
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quired by the self-employed or freelance worker are consid-
ered eligible expenses for assistance under section 408 of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency As-
sistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5174). 
(b) LIMITATIONS.—The rules promulgated under 
subsection (a)— 
(1) may not require, as a condition of receiving 
such assistance under section 408 of the Robert T. 
Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
Act (42 U.S.C. 5174), an applicant— 
(A) to apply or be declined for assistance 
from the Small Business Administration; or 
(B) to demonstrate that assistance received 
from the Small Business Administration does 
not satisfy the total necessary expenses or seri-
ous needs arising out of a major disaster or 
emergency; and 
(2) shall provide that an applicant may not re-
ceive assistance from the Small Business Adminis-
tration and under section 408 of the Robert T. Staf-
ford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act 
(42 U.S.C. 5174) for the same item. 
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TITLE II—CREATIVE 
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT 
SEC. 201. ARTIST CORPS. 
(a) CORPS.—Section 122(a) of the National and 
Community Service Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12572(a)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) ARTIST CORPS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The recipient may 
carry out national service programs through an 
Artist Corps that identifies and meets unmet 
needs within communities through artistic ac-
tivities such as those described in subparagraph 
(B) and improves performance on the indicators 
described in subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(B) ACTIVITIES.—An Artist Corps de-
scribed in this paragraph may carry out activi-
ties such as— 
‘‘(i) providing skilled visual and per-
formance artists to address community 
needs through artistic activities in edu-
cation, health care, and therapeutic set-
tings, and in other settings in the commu-
nity; or 
‘‘(ii) providing other artistic activities, 
addressing unmet community needs, that 
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the Corporation may designate, such as 
providing technical assistance for grant 
writing, marketing, and financial planning 
for artistic initiatives. 
‘‘(C) ARTIST CORPS INDICATORS.—The in-
dicators for a corps program described in this 
paragraph are— 
‘‘(i) any indicator relating to meeting 
critical needs that the Corporation estab-
lishes; or 
‘‘(ii) any local indicator (applicable to 
a particular recipient or community and on 
which an improvement in performance is 
needed) relating to meeting critical needs, 
that is approved by the Corporation or a 
State Commission.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—Section 122 of 
such Act is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(3), by striking ‘‘or (5)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(5), or (6)’’; and 
(2) in subsection (c)(1), in the matter preceding 
subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘through (5)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘through (6)’’. 
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SEC. 202. DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM ON SUPPORT OF 
LOCAL PROGRAMS THAT PROMOTE CRE-
ATIVE AND PERFORMANCE ARTS IN LOCAL 
ECONOMIC PLANNING. 
(a) DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The 
Secretary of Commerce shall establish a demonstration 
program to assess the feasibility and advisability of pro-
viding support to covered programs to promote creative 
and performing arts in the economic planning of local gov-
ernments. 
(b) COVERED PROGRAMS.—For purposes of the dem-
onstration program required by subsection (a), a covered 
program is any program that— 
(1) was in effect on the day before the date of 
the enactment of this Act; and 
(2) the Secretary of Commerce considers part 
of an art community. 
SEC. 203. CREATIVE PLACEMAKING ACTIVITIES UNDER 
THE HOUSING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOP-
MENT ACT OF 1974. 
Title I of the Housing and Community Development 
Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5301 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 102(a) (42 U.S.C. 5302(a)), by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(25) The term ‘creative placemaking’ means 
an activity that integrates arts, culture, or design to 
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strengthen communities by advancing local eco-
nomic, physical, or social outcomes.’’; and 
(2) in section 105(a) (42 U.S.C. 5305(a))— 
(A) in paragraph (25)(D), by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(B) in paragraph (26), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(27) 
activities 
that 
support 
creative 
placemaking through— 
‘‘(A) partnerships between local govern-
ments and nonprofit cultural organizations for 
the purpose of community development; or 
‘‘(B) disseminating knowledge about how 
to leverage arts, culture, and design as mecha-
nisms for community development.’’. 
Æ 
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