I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2055 
To provide an increased allocation of funding under certain programs for 
assistance in persistent poverty counties, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 3, 2019 
Mr. CLYBURN (for himself, Ms. BASS, Mrs. BEATTY, Mr. BISHOP of Georgia, 
Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. BROWN of Maryland, Mr. BUTTERFIELD, 
Ms. CLARKE of New York, Mr. CLAY, Mr. CLEAVER, Mr. COX of Cali-
fornia, Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois, Mrs. DEMINGS, Mr. MICHAEL 
F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. EVANS, Ms. FUDGE, Mr. 
GOMEZ, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. HORSFORD, Ms. JACKSON LEE, Mr. 
JEFFRIES, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Ms. KELLY 
of Illinois, Mr. LANGEVIN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. LEWIS, Mrs. 
MCBATH, Mr. MCEACHIN, Mr. MEEKS, Ms. MOORE, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 
OMAR, Mr. PANETTA, Ms. PLASKETT, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mr. RASKIN, Mr. 
RICHMOND, Mr. RUSH, Mr. RYAN, Ms. SEWELL of Alabama, Mr. SOTO, 
Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi, Mr. VEASEY, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, 
Ms. WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, and Ms. WILSON of Florida) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, 
Energy and Commerce, Education and Labor, Science, Space, and Tech-
nology, Agriculture, Foreign Affairs, Financial Services, and Natural Re-
sources, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdic-
tion of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide an increased allocation of funding under certain 
programs for assistance in persistent poverty counties, 
and for other purposes. 
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as ‘‘An Act Targeting Re-
sources to Communities in Need’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘de-
velopment program’’ means any of the following pro-
grams, offices, or appropriations accounts: 
(A) Any program administered by the Of-
fice of Rural Development of the Department of 
Agriculture. 
(B) The Appalachian Regional Commis-
sion. 
(C) Department of Commerce, Economic 
Development Administration, Economic Devel-
opment Assistance Programs. 
(D) The Delta Regional Authority. 
(E) The Denali Commission. 
(F) Any training or employment services 
program administered by the Employment and 
Training Administration of the Department of 
Labor. 
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(G) Department of Health and Human 
Services, Health Resources and Services Admin-
istration. 
(H) Environmental Protection Agency, 
State and Tribal Assistance Grants. 
(I) Department of Commerce, National In-
stitute of Standards and Technology, Construc-
tion. 
(J) Any program under the Juvenile Jus-
tice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 
(34 U.S.C. 1111 et seq.). 
(K) The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice 
Assistance Grant Program under subpart 1 of 
part E of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control 
and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10151 
et seq.). 
(L) A victim services programs for victims 
of 
trafficking, 
as 
authorized 
by 
section 
107(b)(2) of Public Law 106–386. 
(M) Any program authorized under the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization 
Act of 2005. 
(N) Any program authorized under the Vi-
olence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 
2013. 
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(O) Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Im-
provement Grants under part BB of title I of 
the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets 
Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10561 et seq.). 
(P) DNA-related and forensic programs 
and activities grants under part X of the Omni-
bus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10511 et seq.). 
(Q) A grant program for community-based 
sexual assault response reform grants under 
part T of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe 
Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10441et seq.). 
(R) The court-appointed special advocate 
program, as authorized by section 217 of the 
Crime Control Act of 1990 (34 U.S.C. 20323). 
(S) A program under subtitle C of title II 
of the Second Chance Act of 2007 (34 U.S.C. 
60541 et seq.). 
(T) The COPS ON THE BEAT program 
under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime 
Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 
U.S.C. 10381 et seq.). 
(U) The Comprehensive Opioid Abuse 
Grant Program under part LL of title I of the 
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Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 
1968 (34 U.S.C. 10701 et seq.). 
(V) A grant under section 220531 of title 
36, United States Code. 
(W) The program authorized under Part 
AA of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and 
Safe Streets Act of 1968 (34 U.S.C. 10551 et 
seq.). 
(X) Department of Transportation, Office 
of the Secretary, Nationally Significant Freight 
and Highway Projects. 
(Y) Department of Transportation, Office 
of the Secretary, National Infrastructure In-
vestments. 
(Z) Department of Transportation, Fed-
eral Transit Administration, Bus and Bus Fa-
cilities Infrastructure Investment Program. 
(AA) Department of Transportation, Fed-
eral Transit Administration, Capital Investment 
Grants Program. 
(BB) Any program of the Department of 
the Treasury relating to Community Develop-
ment Financial Institutions (within the mean-
ing of section 103 of the Community Develop-
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ment Banking and Financial Institutions Act of 
1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702)). 
(CC) The Southeast Crescent Regional 
Commission. 
(DD) The Northern Border Regional Com-
mission. 
(EE) The Southwest Border Regional 
Commission. 
(FF) The Northern Great Plains Regional 
Authority. 
(GG) The Fair Housing Initiatives Pro-
gram under section 561 of the Housing and 
Community Development Act of 1987 (42 
U.S.C. 3616a). 
(HH) The grant program under section 
4611 of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7261). 
(2) PERSISTENT POVERTY COUNTY.—The term 
‘‘persistent poverty county’’ means any county with 
a poverty rate of at least 20 percent, as determined 
in each of the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, 
and in the Bureau of the Census’s Small Area In-
come and Poverty Estimates for the most recent 
year for which the estimates are available. 
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(3) HIGH-POVERTY
AREA.—The term ‘‘high- 
poverty area’’ means a census tract with a poverty 
rate of at least 20 percent during the 5 years most 
recently ending before the date of the enactment of 
this Act. 
SEC. 3. 10–20–30 FORMULA FOR PERSISTENT POVERTY 
COUNTIES. 
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the enti-
ty responsible for administering a development program 
shall use not less than 10 percent of the amounts made 
available in any appropriations Act for the program for 
any of fiscal years 2019 through 2028, in persistent pov-
erty counties, if the entity is otherwise authorized to do 
so. 
SEC. 4. TARGETING HIGH-POVERTY CENSUS TRACTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other provi-
sion of law, the entity responsible for administering a de-
velopment program shall use not less than the amount de-
scribed in subsection (b) of the amounts made available 
in any appropriations Act for the program for any of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2028, for projects in high-poverty 
areas, if the entity is otherwise authorized to do so. 
(b) AMOUNT DESCRIBED.—The amount described in 
this subsection with respect to a program is an amount 
equal to the sum of— 
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to the Congress a report that describes how the entity 
plans to do so in the next fiscal year. 
SEC. 6. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
Within 6 months after the end of fiscal year 2019 
and within 6 months after the end of each fiscal year 
thereafter, the entity responsible for administering each 
development program shall submit to the Congress a 
progress report on the implementation of this Act with re-
spect to the development program. 
Æ 
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