italization of a new market credit 
to incentivize the production and 
sales of cover crops; and 
‘‘(dd) 
minority 
and 
dis-
advantaged farmers shall to re-
ceive priority consideration under 
this subsection where certain ag-
ricultural communities of color 
were purposefully positioned in 
places of significant disaster im-
pact. 
‘‘(II) ELIGIBILITY.—Only partici-
pating States may apply for this as-
sistance and must do so in direct co-
ordination with local governments that 
are included in the proposed service 
area of the grant. 
‘‘(III) 
DISTRIBUTION.—Grant 
awards under subsection (e)(4)(B)(iii) 
are direct allocations to States with a 
minimum set-aside allocation for local 
governments included in the service 
area of the grant of not less than 20 
percent. 
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‘‘(IV) COST
SHARE.—The Fed-
eral share of the cost of a project car-
ried out using funds made available 
under paragraph (i) shall not exceed 
80 percent of the total project cost. A 
State may use Federal funds other 
than Federal funds made available 
under this subsection to meet the non- 
Federal cost share requirement for a 
project under this subsection. 
‘‘(5) 
ALLOCATION, 
ADMINISTRATION
OF 
FUNDS.—Funds distributed under subsection (e) 
must be used by States, local governments, and their 
partners for the purposes designated in subsection 
(d)(4)(B) with the stipulations and limitations con-
tained in subsection (g) and subsection (h). 
‘‘(A) ALLOWANCES
FOR
SMALL
COMMU-
NITIES.—Those communities directly adjacent 
to the Mississippi River Main Stem with popu-
lations below 10,000 shall be given administra-
tive allowances in submitting their applica-
tion(s) for assistance under this Act such that 
the Program Office shall offer technical assist-
ance and guidance to communities implicated in 
this subsection in submitting a credible applica-
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tion. Minority and historically disadvantaged 
communities shall be given additional priority 
through this subsection especially those facing 
disproportionate impacts from environmental 
injustices committed by industrial processes. 
‘‘(B) SMALL COMMUNITY SET-ASIDE.—The 
Program Office shall set aside 5 percent of all 
available grant funds under subsection (e) for 
the sole purpose of awarding grants to small 
community applicants that fit the description 
stipulated in subsection (e)(5)(A). 
‘‘(f) IN GENERAL.—In order to support the Com-
prehensive Mississippi River Restoration Plan and for 
other purposes, there shall be established a series of ongo-
ing studies and investigations through this section to sus-
tain the Mississippi River Corridor and carryout the intent 
created under this Act. 
‘‘(1) MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR ECONOMIC 
PROFILE.—Once every 5 years after enactment of 
this Act, the Program Office shall complete an up-
dated economic profile (profile) of the Mississippi 
River Corridor. 
‘‘(A) PURPOSE.—This study is to develop 
a profile of the regional economic activity de-
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pendent upon the Mississippi Corridor from the 
headwaters region to the Gulf of Mexico. 
‘‘(B) FORM.—This report shall be an anal-
ysis of present economic activity including a 
treatment of recent economic trends. The ulti-
mate objective of this report is to enhance un-
derstanding among government agencies, legis-
lative bodies, private organizations, and indi-
vidual citizens of the relative significance of key 
economic sectors in the Mississippi River Cor-
ridor, providing an information source for fu-
ture river management decisions and an eco-
nomic guiding document for the Comprehensive 
Mississippi River Restoration Plan. 
‘‘(i) The profile described in this sub-
section shall use the Lower Mississippi 
River Economic Profile developed by the 
Lower 
Mississippi 
River 
Conservation 
Committee (LMRCC) as a template includ-
ing the economic sectors and degree of 
analysis mustered for the LMRCC docu-
ment. 
‘‘(ii) The Program Office shall have 
the latitude to alter the LMRCC template 
as it sees fit in updating the profile includ-
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ing the addition and subtraction of major 
economic categories as well as geographic 
scope. 
‘‘(iii) The Program Office shall in-
clude a new category to track the economic 
impacts of the Comprehensive Mississippi 
River Restoration Plan and the subsequent 
project grants implemented through sub-
section (e) as they are implemented 
throughout the corridor. The Program Of-
fice shall decide the most appropriate time 
to institute this category. 
‘‘(iv) The Program Office shall pursue 
to the maximum extent possible an eco-
nomic analysis of the environmental serv-
ices and ecosystem valuation of the Mis-
sissippi River Corridor creating a compare- 
and-contrast analysis of those areas insti-
tuting sustainable design and resilience 
projects and those that do not with par-
ticular emphasis on climate mitigation 
strategies and deployment, restoration, ex-
pansion of natural infrastructure. 
‘‘(C) PROCEDURE.—The Data Analysis 
and Subject Matter Investigations Directorate 
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(DASMID) within the Program Office shall 
lead and manage the development, review, and 
release of the Profile. The DASMID shall deter-
mine the appropriate timeline to carry-out this 
procedure and shall— 
‘‘(i) present the profile in draft form 
to the Federal Leadership Committee for 
advice and review leading up to the five- 
year increment of updated publication of 
the Profile; 
‘‘(ii) create a reasonable opportunity 
for States, local governments, organiza-
tions, and institutions of higher learning to 
officially submit review and comment on 
drafts or final publication of the Profile; 
‘‘(iii) determine the most effective 
manner in which to organize the Profile 
within the priority of providing break-out 
economic analysis for each State so the 
profile can be of maximum utility to Con-
gress in setting policy for the nation’s re-
sources and waterways. 
‘‘(2) WATERSHED
MONITORING
NETWORK.— 
Using the USGS-developed MRCTI Mississippi 
River disaster information portal as an example and 
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working directly with the U.S. Geological Survey 
Water Resources Program and the Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service, the Program Office 
shall establish a water quality and flow monitoring 
network for the Mississippi River Corridor for the 
purposes of quantifying and evaluating the sources, 
transport, and trends of sediment, nutrients, as well 
as to determine the effectiveness of nutrient reduc-
tion practices corridor-wide, and for other water 
quality parameters such as river color(s) obtained 
from NASA images. In developing the monitoring 
network described in this subsection shall— 
‘‘(A) be advised and consulted by inter-
state water quality monitoring strategies for 
nutrient, sediment, and other water quality pa-
rameters where they exist as well as Mississippi 
River States’ monitoring of the implementation 
and performance of best management practices 
for reducing nutrient and sediment loading 
from nonpoint sources where such best prac-
tices can be determined from the 31 States of 
the Mississippi River Basin; and 
‘‘(B) expand from the Mississippi River 
Corridor to the entire Mississippi River Basin 
over time as resources and capacity allows in 
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order to capture the major tributaries and their 
contribution of impacts to the Mississippi River 
Main Stem. 
‘‘(3) DISASTER
RESILIENCE
AND
ENVIRON-
MENTAL
SERVICES
VALUATION.—Working in close 
coordination and collaboration with the U.S. Army 
Corps of Engineers Mississippi Valley Division (Divi-
sion), the Program Office shall provide data, re-
search and investigation that offers valuation and 
economic impact of all the Division’s ecosystem res-
toration work in terms of disaster resilience and en-
hanced environmental services and such activity de-
scribed in this subsection shall be made part of the 
Corps’ official project cost-benefit-analysis for all 
ecosystem restoration projects. Particular attention 
of the valuation shall be allocated to track and 
measure impacts and solutions for minority and his-
torically disadvantaged communities throughout the 
study in such a manner as to determine how these 
vulnerable communities may garner more urgent and 
systemic benefits from ecosystem restoration and en-
hanced environmental services deployment. 
‘‘(4) TRUST
FUND
FEASIBILITY
STUDY.—In 
close cooperation with the White House Office of 
Management and Budget, the Program Office shall 
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conduct a study to determine the feasibility of estab-
lishing a multi-user-fee-supported trust fund for the 
Mississippi River’s ecological sustainability and built 
infrastructure integrity and repair. The study shall 
be reported to Congress three years after enactment 
of this Act. It is envisioned this Trust Fund would 
ensure the continued funding of Mississippi River 
Corridor environmental services that support the 
global commodity supply chain, navigation, manufac-
turing, drinking water supply, disaster resilience, 
and outdoor tourism and recreation. 
‘‘(A) PURPOSE.—The Feasibility Study 
shall determine if a multi-user-fee-structure 
could be established for an impactful majority 
of private and public sector entities using the 
Mississippi River including but not limited to: 
‘‘(i) 
Agricultural 
commodity 
pro-
ducers, distributors, and manufacturers. 
‘‘(ii) Navigation industry members. 
‘‘(iii) Outdoor recreation and tourism 
industry members. 
‘‘(iv) Food and beverage manufactur-
ers. 
‘‘(v) Private entities using one hun-
dred thousand or more gallons per day of 
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Mississippi River surface water including 
public and quasi-government utilities. 
‘‘(vi) State governments that border 
the main stem Mississippi River from 
headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. 
‘‘(B) FORM.—The study mandated in this 
subsection shall be structured to pursue the 
pervasive use of the Mississippi River and how 
the myriad of end-user interests may be accu-
mulated and organized into a system through 
which the Mississippi River as one of the Na-
tion’s most treasured and relied upon resources 
as well as all the activities of the Program Of-
fice are sustained into the future with less and 
less dependency on annual Federal appropria-
tions. 
‘‘(C) PROCEDURE.—The Program Office, 
upon completion of the study, shall co-present 
with the White House Office of Management 
and Budget, findings to the Federal Leadership 
Committee for advice and review before final 
publication and submission to Congress. 
‘‘(g) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(1) MISSISSIPPI RIVER CORRIDOR.—The term 
‘Mississippi River Corridor’ shall mean the 246- 
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county region along the Mississippi River Main Stem 
as delineated in the 2016 U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service Upper Mississippi River Economic Profile 
and the 2014 Lower Mississippi River Conservation 
Committee Lower Mississippi River Economic Pro-
file. 
‘‘(2) MISSISSIPPI
RIVER
STATE.—The term 
‘Mississippi River State’ shall mean any of the ten 
States that touch the main stem Mississippi River 
which includes from north to south Minnesota, Wis-
consin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, 
Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana. 
‘‘(3) MISSISSIPPI RIVER MAIN STEM.—The term 
‘Mississippi River Main Stem’ shall mean the pri-
mary water channel that comprises the geographic 
norm of the Mississippi River flowing north to south 
from Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico. 
‘‘(4) MISSISSIPPI
RIVER
BASIN.—The term 
‘Mississippi River Basin’ shall mean the vast region 
of North America encompassing 31 States and two 
Canadian Provinces that drain in whole or in part 
into the Mississippi River Main Stem and subse-
quently into the Gulf of Mexico. 
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‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE
STATE.—The term ‘eligible 
State’ shall mean the same as ‘Mississippi River 
State’ for purposes of this Act. 
‘‘(6) PARTICIPATING STATE.—The term ‘Par-
ticipating State’ shall mean any State within the 
Mississippi River Basin that has been licensed to 
enter into agreements under the provisions of this 
Act; 
‘‘(7) LOCAL GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Local 
Government’ shall mean a subdivision of government 
within the United States that is either a county or 
mayor-led municipality as recognized under the laws 
of the State such a locality resides. 
‘‘(8) CRITICAL NATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE.— 
The term ‘Critical National Infrastructure’ shall 
mean built assets that make possible or contribute 
to interstate commerce, energy production, drinking 
water supply, the global commodity supply chain, 
downtown city centers or cores of counties or mayor- 
led municipalities. 
‘‘(9) MAJOR
ECONOMIES.—The term ‘Major 
Economies’ shall mean the top ten economic sectors 
in terms of revenue generated and jobs supported as 
averaged over the five-year period under study for 
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an update to the Mississippi River Economic Profile 
as described in subsection (f)(1). 
‘‘(10) 
EXTRA-PROVISIONAL
PROJECTS.—The 
term ‘Extra-Provisional Projects’ shall mean those 
projects not called for within the Comprehensive 
Mississippi River Restoration Plan as described in 
subsection (e)(4)(B). 
‘‘(11) 
DISADVANTAGED
COMMUNITY.—The 
term ‘Disadvantaged Community’ shall mean those 
jurisdictions where not less than 15 percent of the 
population lives below the poverty line upon enact-
ment of this Act and/or has met this threshold for 
at least half of the jurisdiction’s existence. 
‘‘(h) PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION.—The Mississippi 
River Program shall be administered under the following 
provisions: 
‘‘(1) AUDIT AND REPORT.— 
‘‘(A) AUDIT REQUIREMENT.—Not less fre-
quently than every two years, each participating 
State shall conduct an audit of the grant funds 
and/or resources distributed to that State 
through provisions and relief offered under this 
Act. 
‘‘(B) REPORT.—Each participating State 
shall submit to the Program Office a biennial 
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report regarding the activities of the State 
under this section during the period covered by 
the report, including— 
‘‘(i) the result of any audit conducted 
by the State under subparagraph (A); and 
‘‘(ii) a review of the effectiveness of 
the grant funds allocated to the State with 
respect to— 
‘‘(I) the intended use of grant(s) 
allocated within the State; and 
‘‘(II) meeting the objectives de-
scribed in subsection (e)(4). 
‘‘(2) REGULATIONS.—The Program Office shall 
promulgate such guidance or regulations as may be 
necessary to carry out this section, including guid-
ance or regulations that— 
‘‘(A) ensure that each participating State 
to which funds are allocated under subsections 
(b), (d), and (f) uses the funds as efficiently as 
possible; 
‘‘(B) reduce, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, waste, fraud, and abuse with respect to 
the implementation of this Act; 
‘‘(C) ensure that subsection (e) is adhered 
in terms of projects awarded; and 
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‘‘(D) require any party that receives funds 
directly or indirectly under this Act, including a 
participating State and a recipient of amounts 
from a grant, to use procedures with respect to 
the management of the funds that conform to 
generally accepted accounting standards. 
‘‘(3) NONCOMPLIANCE.—Except as otherwise 
provided, if a participating State local government, 
or partner does not comply with subsection (e)(5), 
with respect to a grant, the Administrator shall re-
allocate the grant in accordance with this subsection. 
Reallocation of grant funds shall begin with a return 
of unspent grant funds due to noncompliance to the 
Program Office accompanied by an audit and report 
as directed in subsection (h)(1). 
‘‘(4) EXCEPTION.—The Program Office may 
not reallocate any funds under subparagraph (A) to 
a participating State that triggered subsection (3) 
with respect to a grant made during the same fiscal 
year in which the funds to be reallocated were origi-
nally made available. 
‘‘(5) ALLOCATION
OF
REMAINING
FUNDS.— 
After allocating amounts made available to carry out 
this section for a fiscal year in accordance with 
paragraph (3), the Administrator shall allocate any 
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remaining amounts in the form of grants to the 
mayor-led municipality directly adjacent to the Mis-
sissippi River Main Stem with the smallest popu-
lation in each of the ten eligible States. 
‘‘(6) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—The Program 
Office shall reserve not more than 1.5 percent of the 
amount made available to carry out subsection (e) in 
a fiscal year— 
‘‘(A) for administrative costs incurred in 
carrying out this section; 
‘‘(B) to provide technical assistance to re-
cipients of grants under this subsection (e); and 
‘‘(C) to enter into grant agreements with 
States, with the grant funds to be distributed— 
‘‘(i) according to criteria established 
by the Program Office; and 
‘‘(ii) for a purpose described in sub-
section (f). 
‘‘(7) USE OF FUNDS.—Amounts deposited in a 
State through this Act, shall be used— 
‘‘(A) consistent with subsections (e) and 
(f), to provide financial assistance for an eligi-
ble State, local government, and non-profit or-
ganization partner; 
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‘‘(B) as a source of revenue and security 
for activities designated under this Act, the pro-
ceeds of which shall be placed toward perform-
ance as stated in an applicable grant agree-
ment; or 
‘‘(C) for the sale of bonds as security for 
payment of the principal and interest on rev-
enue or general obligation bonds issued by the 
participating State to provide matching funds 
under subsection (e), if the proceeds from the 
sale of the bonds are deposited with the partici-
pating State. 
‘‘(8) PUBLICATION.—Each participating State 
shall publish and periodically update a list of all 
projects receiving funding under this Act, which 
shall include— 
‘‘(A) the location of each project; 
‘‘(B) the type and amount of assistance 
provided for each project; and 
‘‘(C) the expected funding schedule and 
date of completion of each project. 
‘‘(i) ADMINISTRATIVE AND TECHNICAL COSTS.—For 
each fiscal year, a participating State may use the amount 
described in subparagraph (6) to— 
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