I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2403 
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide 
for comprehensive community and economic development in the distressed 
Southern Black Belt and Mississippi Delta region while leveraging exist-
ing efforts, entities, and resources. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 21, 2007 
Mr. DAVIS of Alabama introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Trans-
portation and Infrastructure and 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 con-
cerned 
A BILL 
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act to provide for comprehensive community and eco-
nomic development in the distressed Southern Black Belt 
and Mississippi Delta region while leveraging existing 
efforts, entities, and resources. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Southern Empower-
ment and Economic Development Act to authorize the 
Delta Black Belt Regional Authority’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) A University of Georgia study, entitled 
‘‘Dismantling Persistent Poverty in the Southeastern 
United States’’, finds that counties in the Delta 
Black Belt region sustained persistent poverty over 
3 census periods and comprise the poorest of all re-
gions in the country. 
(2) A study conducted by the Southern Food 
Systems Education Consortium and led by Tuskegee 
University, entitled ‘‘Persistent Poverty in the 
South’’, finds that these counties lack a coordinating 
body, supporting organization, or any central capac-
ity building agency to link and enhance the work of 
service providers to address the issue of persistent 
poverty. 
(3) These studies find that the economic peril 
facing the region results from, and in turn contrib-
utes to, the widespread and persistent nature of the 
region’s poverty. 
(4) These studies find that this region would 
benefit from a sustained, coordinated strategy tar-
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geted at the most distressed communities by a re-
gional initiative. 
(5) There is a Federal-State partnership that is 
targeted at poverty in the Delta region but overlays 
with the historic Southern Black Belt’s region of 
persistent poverty. 
(6) The Delta Regional Authority has shown 
early promise in addressing causes of persistent pov-
erty as a regional initiative. 
(7) There is value in establishing a collaborative 
partnership with community-based and faith-based 
organizations in the distressed region as well as in-
stitutions of higher learning in the region as a com-
ponent of any regional initiative. 
SEC. 3. DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY EXPANSION. 
(a) AUTHORITY.—Section 382A(1) of the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
2009aa(1)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) The term ‘Authority’ means the Delta/ 
Black Belt Regional Authority.’’. 
(b) SCOPE OF AUTHORITY.—Section 382B(a)(1) of 
such Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–1(a)(1)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—There is established the 
Delta/Black Belt Regional Authority.’’. 
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(c) CONSTITUENCY REPRESENTATION BOARD.—Sec-
tion 382B of such Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–1) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) CONSTITUENCY REPRESENTATION BOARD.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Authority shall estab-
lish a Constituency Representation Board (in this 
subsection referred to as the ‘Board’). 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.— 
‘‘(A) APPOINTED MEMBERS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—With respect to 
each congressional district that includes 
part or all of a county or parish that is in 
the region, the Governor of the State in 
which the district lies may appoint to the 
Board 1 individual who has (or, if more 
than half of the population of the district 
resides in 1 or more counties or parishes 
in the region, 2 individuals who have) the 
following qualifications: 
‘‘(I) The individual is a legal 
resident of the district. 
‘‘(II) The individual resides in a 
county or parish in the region. 
‘‘(III) The individual is a com-
munity leader or economic develop-
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ment and community development 
practitioner who— 
‘‘(aa) represents a commu-
nity-based or faith-based organi-
zation or institution of higher 
learning in the region; and 
‘‘(bb) has direct contact with 
the persistently poverty stricken 
population of the region. 
‘‘(ii) MANNER OF APPOINTMENT.—A 
Governor shall make an appointment to 
the Board by submitting the appointment 
in writing to the Authority, which shall 
maintain records of the membership and 
activities of the Board. 
‘‘(B) 
FEDERAL
COCHAIRPERSON.—The 
Federal cochairperson shall be a member of the 
Board. 
‘‘(3) TERM OF OFFICE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each Board member 
shall be appointed for a 2-year term that ex-
pires on January 31 of the next odd-numbered 
calendar year. 
‘‘(B) CONTINUATION OF SERVICE.— 
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‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—A Board member 
may continue to serve as such after the ex-
piration of the term for which appointed, 
until the earlier of such time as a suc-
cessor for the member is appointed or the 
date that is 120 days after the end of the 
term. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—If a congressional 
district is eliminated as a result of re-
apportionment then the preceding sentence 
shall not apply with respect to the Board 
member representing the district. 
‘‘(C) TERM LIMITS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Except as pro-
vided in subparagraph (B) and clause (ii) 
of this subparagraph, an individual may 
not serve more than a single 2-year term 
on the Board. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—An original Board 
member may be reappointed to the Board 
once. 
‘‘(4) CHAIR AND VICE CHAIR.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Board members 
shall elect a Chair and Vice Chair from among 
the members. 
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‘‘(B) TREATMENT AS GOVERNOR AND AL-
TERNATE.—The Chair and Vice Chair shall be 
treated as if they were a Governor and Alter-
nate, respectively, of a State participating in 
the Authority for governance, voting, and all 
other purposes under section 382B. 
‘‘(C) TERM OF OFFICE.—The Chair and 
Vice Chair shall be elected for a 2-year term 
that expires on January 31 of the next odd- 
numbered year. 
‘‘(D) OTHER
DUTIES.—The Chair and 
Vice Chair shall invite the Executive Director of 
the Authority to each Board meeting and keep 
the Executive Director apprised of the activities 
of the Board. 
‘‘(5) REGIONAL SUBCOMMITTEES.— 
‘‘(A) MEMBERSHIP.—The Board shall have 
4 regional subcommittees, as follows: 
‘‘(i) A regional subcommittee com-
posed of the Board members from Vir-
ginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. 
‘‘(ii) A regional subcommittee com-
posed of the Board members from Georgia, 
Florida, and Alabama. 
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‘‘(iii) A regional subcommittee com-
posed of the Board members from Texas, 
Arkansas, and Louisiana. 
‘‘(iv) A regional subcommittee com-
posed of the Board members from Ken-
tucky, Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, 
and Illinois. 
‘‘(B) 
DUTIES.—Each 
regional 
sub-
committee shall review projects proposed to be 
carried out in the region covered by the sub-
committee, and determine which projects should 
be submitted to the Executive Committee for 
final approval. 
‘‘(6) EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.— 
‘‘(A) MEMBERSHIP.—The Board shall have 
an Executive Committee consisting of the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) The Chair and Vice Chair of the 
Board. 
‘‘(ii) 2 members of each regional sub-
committee, each of whom shall be elected 
by a majority of the members of the re-
gional subcommittee involved. 
‘‘(iii) The Federal cochairperson. 
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‘‘(B) FUNCTIONS.—The Executive Com-
mittee shall perform the administrative func-
tions of the Board, including review and ap-
proval of projects submitted by the regional 
subcommittees and disbursement of funds. 
‘‘(7) COMMUNITY STRATEGIC PLANNING.—The 
members of the Board shall ascertain and commu-
nicate to the Authority the strategic planning prior-
ities of communities in their respective States and 
congressional districts. The members of the Board 
shall consult with other community leaders and eco-
nomic development and community development 
practitioners that represent community-based and 
faith-based organizations from their respective 
States and congressional districts in performing 
their duties under this paragraph. The members of 
the Board shall collaborate with their respective 
Governors, Alternates, and Members of the United 
States House of Representatives in the performance 
of their duties under this paragraph. 
‘‘(8) REGIONAL
AND
STATE
PLANNING.—The 
Board shall participate in the development and ap-
proval of regional plans and priorities developed by 
the Authority under section 382B(d)(1). Members of 
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the Board may participate in the development of 
their respective State development plans. 
‘‘(9) 
PROGRAMS
AND
DEMONSTRATION 
PROJECTS.— 
‘‘(A) CONSIDERATION
AND
FUNDING.— 
The Board shall receive applications for, iden-
tify, evaluate, develop, and fund programs and 
demonstration projects to be organized and op-
erated by community-based or faith-based orga-
nizations in the region or the institutions of 
higher learning in the region, consistent with 
the purposes of the Authority. 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBILITY FOR FUNDING.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—A program or 
demonstration project shall not be funded 
under subparagraph (A) unless the Board 
determines that the program or project will 
benefit a county or identifiable community 
that experiences significant economic dis-
tress. 
‘‘(ii) DEFINITION
OF
COUNTY
OR 
IDENTIFIABLE COMMUNITY THAT EXPERI-
ENCES
SIGNIFICANT
ECONOMIC
DIS-
TRESS.—For purposes of clause (i), a 
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county or identifiable community is experi-
encing significant economic distress if— 
‘‘(I)(aa) the 3-year average un-
employment rate for the county or 
identifiable community is at least 150 
percent of the national average unem-
ployment rate; 
‘‘(bb) the per capita income of 
the county or identifiable community 
is not more than 67 percent of the na-
tional average per capita income; and 
‘‘(cc) the poverty rate of the 
county or identifiable community is at 
least 150 percent of the national aver-
age poverty rate; or 
‘‘(II)(aa) the county or identifi-
able community meets the condition 
described in item (aa) or (bb) of sub-
clause (I); and 
‘‘(bb) the poverty rate of the 
county or identifiable community is at 
least 200 percent of the national aver-
age poverty rate. 
‘‘(iii) DETERMINATIONS.—In deter-
mining whether a county or identifiable 
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community is experiencing significant eco-
nomic distress in accordance with clause 
(ii), the Board may use such information 
as the Board deems reliable. 
‘‘(10) SOURCE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not less than 20 per-
cent of the amount appropriated under section 
382M(a) for a fiscal year shall be available for 
programs and demonstration projects approved 
for funding under paragraph (9) of this sub-
section. 
‘‘(B) SPECIAL RULE REGARDING ADMINIS-
TRATIVE EXPENSES.—Administrative costs and 
expenses associated with the activities of the 
Board shall not be considered administrative 
expenses for purposes of section 382M(b). 
‘‘(11) OTHER FUNCTIONS.— 
‘‘(A) HEARINGS.—The Board shall hold no 
less than 4 public hearings annually, no less 
than 1 in each region covered by each regional 
subcommittee, on how the Board and the Au-
thority are serving the community-based and 
faith-based organizations in the region that 
interface directly with the persistently poverty 
stricken population of the region. The Board 
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