Created with the enactment of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA; P.L. 89-136), the Economic Development Administration has a 46-year history of supporting job creation and long-term economic recovery efforts in the nation's economically distressed areas. The 112 th Congress may consider legislation reauthorizing the EDA, the authorizations of which expired at the end of FY2008. At least one bill, S. 782 , which would reauthorize the agency and its programs through FY2015, has been reported out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and placed on the Senate calendar. Also, Congress is expected to consider funding for the agency and its programs as part of the Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations bill. As the 112 th Congress considers these and other legislative proposals that may reauthorize, amend, and fund the agency and its programs, a review of the evolution of the agency's statutory authority may inform Congress in its deliberations. In considering the reauthorization of the agency and its programs, Congress will do so within the larger policy context regarding other competing national issues, including efforts to reduce federal spending in order to address federal budget deficits and the national debt, concerns about duplication and fragmentation of federal economic development assistance, and efforts to support economic recovery and job creation following the worst economic recession since the Great Depression. Congress authorized the creation of EDA with the aim of addressing the problems confronting rural regions experiencing long-term economic depression. EDA and its programs were part of a larger effort to address the causes of job loss and economic decline, including physical and technological deficiencies, that hindered or detracted from an area's economic competitiveness and employment potential. When creating EDA, Congress drew on the lessons learned from three other federal economic development laws that preceded it: the Area Redevelopment Act of 1961 (ARA; P.L. 87-27); the Public Works Acceleration Act of 1963 (PWAA; P.L. 87-658); and the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 (ARDA; P.L. 89-4). Collectively, the three predecessor acts targeted assistance to projects in areas experiencing long-term economic stagnation as well as projects providing temporary public works employment as an anti-recessionary measure in response to rising unemployment. Dominant themes and lessons of each of these acts became integral parts of EDA's mission of job creation and poverty reduction in economically disadvantaged regions. Among the themes and issues that framed the debates authorizing EDA and its predecessor agencies and programs were the following: the centralization of federal aid in contrast to decentralization and devolution of responsibilities to state and local governments, the allocation of funds to infrastructure development versus direct aid to the unemployed and underemployed, the targeting of federal funds to the most economically depressed areas versus allocation of resources geographically throughout the country, the use of public works as an anti-recession job creation tool, the use of unemployment as the dominant factor to identify counties eligible for assistance in contrast to a matrix of elements, and the level of aid necessary to affect job growth and economic development. ARA, which was signed into law by President Kennedy on May 1, 1961, was the direct antecedent to the PWEDA. Passed by Congress in the midst of an economic recession, ARA was enacted after years of congressional debate surrounding the structure, focus, and need for targeted assistance to the nation's long-term economically depressed rural communities. Passage of the act marked one of the earlier federal efforts to support placed-based economic development strategies as a means of improving the economic well-being of persons in poverty. The act also was noteworthy for providing direct federal assistance to businesses as well as indirectly supporting job creation through infrastructure development. Similar measures had been sponsored in previous Congresses as a means of assisting rural communities, particularly those of the Midwest and Northeast, experiencing declining employment in the manufacturing and mining industries. Two of the principal criticisms of ARA were that it was ineffective in preventing the pirating of businesses from one region to another and that it interfered with the marketplace, resulting in inefficient resource allocation. Other alleged program deficiencies included inadequate funding, inflexible rules governing direct support for businesses, and the lack of program incentives that would encourage or mandate multi-county cooperation rather than competition among individual counties in the development and execution of economic development plans. PWAA was another initiative of the Kennedy Administration. Approved by Congress in September 1962, the PWAA was enacted in response to an economic recession that lasted from April 1960 to February 1961, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. The recession was accompanied by a rise in unemployment from a low of 5.2% in May 1960 to 7.1% in May 1961. The act had two objectives. It sought (1) to introduce an immediate economic stimulus in response to the 1960-1961 recession by providing temporary employment through accelerated construction of public works projects and (2) to encourage long-term economic development and industrial expansion in affected communities by financing improvements to public works and facilities. The PWAA authorized an appropriation of $900 million to be allocated by the President from among federal, state, and local projects authorized by Congress and required that at least $300 million be allocated to redevelopment areas (these were longer-term economically depressed areas) as defined by ARA. One of the principal complaints lodged against the PWAA was that it dispensed funds to too many areas for projects with too little economic value or impact. The net result was that many projects did not produce the desired results. Another criticism was that the legislation was slow to implement and that the recovery was well underway before projects produced results . The third act, ARDA, created a multi-state regional commission charged with developing and coordinating federal assistance to economically depressed counties within the 13 member states. Signed into law by President Johnson on March 9, 1965, only months before the passage of the PWEDA, ARDA created the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), a regional development entity chartered by Congress. ARDA remains current law and the ARC continues to operate. ARDA is noteworthy for several reasons, including its federal charter and the appointment of a representative of the federal government as co-chair of the ARC. More importantly, ARDA authorized the creation of several new programs, with most being administered by other federal agencies. In so doing, it linked place-based physical and economic development policies and programs with people-oriented social, workforce training, education, and health initiatives as part of a comprehensive effort to improve an area's competitive advantages. Another innovation of ARDA was the establishment of Local Development Districts (LDDs). These multi-county planning and development organizations help local governments identify the development needs of their communities. Among the 13 member states that make up the ARC, there are 420 counties that are divided into 72 LDDs. Much of the criticism of the ARC is that success has occurred at the margins. That is, the ARC has not been successful at moving the most distressed communities toward prosperity, as measured by significant declines in poverty and unemployment rates and increased per capita income. Other observers argue that the ARC has been successful in improving the region's overall competitiveness, wages, and general quality of life. Supporters of the ARC and its regional development approach contend that Congress recognized that issues of poverty are multi-faceted, involving not only jobs but also concerns about education, health, and other quality of life factors. Building upon the experience gained under the previously enacted statutes, Congress approved the PWEDA to address the economic development needs of distressed areas. President Johnson, when submitting his legislative proposal calling for the creation of EDA, outlined several basic principles that would guide the federal effort concerning these needs. The legislation would provide the financial support needed to improve the physical deficiencies of distressed areas; it would encourage private sector job creation in underdeveloped rural areas; and it would encourage state and local government economic development planning, including supporting multi-county regional planning entities. As passed by Congress, the PWEDA reflected the lessons learned from previous legislation, including many of the elements of the three previously cited statutes. The act affirmed Congress's commitment to placed-based economic development policies by tying eligibility to an area's unemployment rate and funding public works projects linked to commercial and industrial development as a means of creating jobs and combating poverty. The act also established Economic Development Districts (EDDs) comprising two or more redevelopment areas (RAs) as a means of promoting regional coordination and cooperation in the formulation and execution of Overall Economic Development Plans (OEDPs). The creation of EDDs was a significant departure from the single-county approach under ARA and mirrored the role of Local Development Districts created under ARDA. The legislation limited the federal share of a project's cost, thus requiring local participating entities to share the risk. In addition, the act relied heavily on the use of unemployment data to define eligible RAs, but included alternative criteria such as median income that had the net effect of expanding the number of EDA-eligible counties. One of the criticisms of EDA that has endured since its inception is the high percentage of communities that continue to qualify as economically distressed. Over the life of the program, according to estimates included in a Rutgers University study, 60%-90% of counties met the qualifications for designation as economically distressed. As passed by Congress, the PWEDA included grants to public agencies and nonprofit entities for public works projects, loans to businesses, and technical assistance and grants to redevelopment areas to be used to develop OEDPs. Title V of the act authorized the creation of five regional commissions modeled after the ARC. The 1970s were an active legislative period for EDA as Congress passed not less than six acts reauthorizing and amending the PWEDA. Three of them added new titles to the PWEDA.