I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2068 
To establish the Southwest Regional Border Authority. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 26, 2007 
Mr. REYES (for himself, Mr. HINOJOSA, Mr. FILNER, Mr. ORTIZ, Mr. 
CUELLAR, Mr. RODRIGUEZ, Ms. GIFFORDS, Mr. GRIJALVA, and Mrs. 
DAVIS of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 
the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and in addition to 
the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently de-
termined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To establish the Southwest Regional Border Authority. 
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 
‘‘Southwest Regional Border Authority Act’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents of 
this Act is as follows: 
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
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TITLE I—SOUTHWEST REGIONAL BORDER AUTHORITY 
Sec. 101. Membership and voting. 
Sec. 102. Duties and powers. 
Sec. 103. Authority personnel matters. 
TITLE II—GRANTS AND DEVELOPMENT PLANNING 
Sec. 201. Infrastructure development and improvement. 
Sec. 202. Technology development. 
Sec. 203. Community development and entrepreneurship. 
Sec. 204. Education and workforce development. 
Sec. 205. Funding. 
Sec. 206. Supplements to Federal grant programs. 
Sec. 207. Demonstration projects. 
Sec. 208. Local development districts; certification and administrative expenses. 
Sec. 209. Distressed counties and areas and economically strong counties. 
Sec. 210. Development planning process. 
TITLE III—ADMINISTRATION 
Sec. 301. Program development criteria. 
Sec. 302. Approval of development plans and projects. 
Sec. 303. Consent of States. 
Sec. 304. Records. 
Sec. 305. Annual report. 
Sec. 306. Authorization of appropriations. 
Sec. 307. Termination of authority. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) a rapid increase in population in the South-
west border region is placing a significant strain on 
the infrastructure of the region, including transpor-
tation, water and wastewater, public health, and 
telecommunications; 
(2) 20 percent of the residents of the region 
have incomes below the poverty level; 
(3) unemployment rates in counties in the re-
gion are up to 5 times the national unemployment 
rate; 
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(4) per capita personal income in the region is 
significantly below the national average and much of 
the income in the region is distributed through wel-
fare programs, retirement programs, and unemploy-
ment payments; 
(5) a lack of adequate access to capital in the 
region— 
(A) has created economic disparities be-
tween communities in the region and commu-
nities outside the region; and 
(B) has made it difficult for businesses to 
start up in the region; 
(6) it has been difficult for displaced workers in 
the region to find employment because many work-
ers— 
(A) have limited English language pro-
ficiency; and 
(B) lack adequate English language and 
job training; 
(7) many residents of the region live in commu-
nities referred to as ‘‘colonias’’ that lack basic neces-
sities, including running water, sewers, storm drain-
age, and electricity; 
(8) many of the problems that exist in the re-
gion could be solved or ameliorated by technology 
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that would contribute to economic development in 
the region; 
(9) while numerous Federal, State, and local 
programs target financial resources to the region, 
those programs are often uncoordinated, duplicative, 
and, in some cases, unavailable to eligible border 
communities because those communities cannot af-
ford the required funding match; 
(10) Congress has established several regional 
economic development commissions, including the 
Appalachian Regional Commission, the Delta Re-
gional Authority, and the Denali Commission, to im-
prove the economies of those areas of the United 
States that experience the greatest economic dis-
tress; and 
(11) many of the counties in the region are 
among the most economically distressed in the 
United States and would benefit from a regional eco-
nomic development commission. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are— 
(1) to establish a regional economic develop-
ment authority for the Southwest Border region to 
address critical issues relating to the economic 
health and well-being of the residents of the region; 
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(2) to provide funding to communities in the re-
gion to stimulate and foster infrastructure develop-
ment, technology development, community develop-
ment and entrepreneurship, and education and 
workforce development in the region; 
(3) to increase the total amount of Federal 
funding available for border economic development 
projects by coordinating with and reducing duplica-
tion of other Federal, State, and local programs; and 
(4) to empower the people of the region through 
the use of local development districts and State and 
regional development plans that reflect State and 
local priorities. 
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act, the following definitions apply: 
(1) ATTAINMENT COUNTY.—The term ‘‘attain-
ment county’’ means an economically strong county 
that is not a distressed county or a competitive 
county. 
(2) AUTHORITY.—The term ‘‘Authority’’ means 
the Southwest Regional Border Authority estab-
lished by section 101(a)(1). 
(3) BINATIONAL
REGION.—The term ‘‘bina-
tional region’’ means the area in the United States 
and Mexico that is within 150 miles of the inter-
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