[Congressional Bills 110th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 799 Introduced in House (IH)] 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 799 To reauthorize and improve the program authorized by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 5, 2007 Mr. Oberstar (for himself, Mr. Mica, Ms. Norton, Mr. Graves, Mr. Rahall, Mr. LaTourette, Mr. Holden, Mr. Shuster, Mr. Michaud, Mr. Kuhl of New York, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Space, Mr. Altmire, Mr. Walz of Minnesota, Mr. Shuler, Mr. Arcuri, Mr. Carney, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Boucher, Mr. Mollohan, Mr. Wilson of Ohio, Mr. Kanjorski, Mr. Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Mr. Marshall, and Mr. Scott of Georgia) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To reauthorize and improve the program authorized by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2007''. SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON AVAILABLE AMOUNTS; MAXIMUM COMMISSION CONTRIBUTION. (a) Grants and Other Assistance.--Section 14321(a) of title 40, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by striking paragraph (1)(A)(i) and inserting the following: ``(i) the amount of the grant shall not exceed-- ``(I) 50 percent of administrative expenses; ``(II) at the discretion of the Commission, if the grant is to a local development district that has a charter or authority that includes the economic development of a county or a part of a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 75 percent of administrative expenses; or ``(III) at the discretion of the Commission, if the grant is to a local development district that has a charter or authority that includes the economic development of a county or a part of a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent of administrative expenses;''; and (2) by striking paragraph (2)(A) and inserting the following: ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), of the cost of any activity eligible for financial assistance under this section, not more than-- ``(i) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this subtitle; ``(ii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this subtitle; or ``(iii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this subtitle.''. (b) Demonstration Health Projects.--Section 14502 of title 40, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by striking subsection (d)(2) and inserting the following: ``(2) Limitation on available amounts.--Grants under this section for the operation (including initial operating amounts and operating deficits, which include the cost of attracting, training, and retaining qualified personnel) of a demonstration health project, whether or not constructed with amounts authorized by this section, may be made for up to-- ``(A) 50 percent of the cost of that operation; ``(B) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent of the cost of that operation; or ``(C) in the case of a project to be carried out for a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent of the cost of that operation.''; and (2) in subsection (f)-- (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and (B) by adding at the end the following: ``(3) At-risk counties.--The maximum Commission contribution for a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526 may be increased to the lesser of-- ``(A) 70 percent; or ``(B) the maximum Federal contribution percentage authorized by this section.''. (c) Assistance for Proposed Low- and Middle-Income Housing Projects.--Section 14503 of title 40, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by striking subsection (d)(1) and inserting the following: ``(1) Limitation on available amounts.--A loan under subsection (b) for the cost of planning and obtaining financing (including the cost of preliminary surveys and analyses of market needs, preliminary site engineering and architectural fees, site options, application and mortgage commitment fees, legal fees, and construction loan fees and discounts) of a project described in that subsection may be made for up to-- ``(A) 50 percent of that cost; ``(B) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent of that cost; or ``(C) in the case of a project to be carried out for a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent of that cost.''; and (2) by striking subsection (e)(1) and inserting the following: ``(1) In general.--A grant under this section for expenses incidental to planning and obtaining financing for a project under this section that the Secretary considers to be unrecoverable from the proceeds of a permanent loan made to finance the project shall-- ``(A) not be made to an organization established for profit; and ``(B) except as provided in paragraph (2), not exceed-- ``(i) 50 percent of those expenses; ``(ii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent of those expenses; or ``(iii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent of those expenses.''. (d) Telecommunications and Technology Initiative.--Section 14504 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following: ``(b) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more than-- ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; or ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section.''. (e) Entrepreneurship Initiative.--Section 14505 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following: ``(c) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more than-- ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; or ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section.''. (f) Regional Skills Partnerships.--Section 14506 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following: ``(d) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more than-- ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section; or ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this section.''. (g) Supplements to Federal Grant Programs.--Section 14507(g) of title 40, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and (2) by adding at the end the following: ``(3) At-risk counties.--The maximum Commission contribution for a project to be carried out in a county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect under section 14526 may be increased to 70 percent.''. SEC. 3. DISTRESSED, AT-RISK, AND ECONOMICALLY STRONG COUNTIES. (a) Designation of At-Risk Counties.--Section 14526 of title 40, United States Code, is amended-- (1) in the section heading by inserting ``, at-risk,'' after ``Distressed''; and (2) in subsection (a)(1)-- (A) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C); (B) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``and'' at the end; and (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following: ``(B) designate as `at-risk counties' those counties in the Appalachian region that are most at risk of becoming economically distressed; and''. (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 145 of such title is amended by striking the item relating to section 14526 and inserting the following: ``14526. Distressed, at-risk, and economically strong counties.''. SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. (a) In General.--Section 14703(a) of title 40, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: ``(a) In General.--In addition to amounts made available under section 14501, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Appalachian Regional Commission to carry out this subtitle-- ``(1) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2007; ``(2) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2008; ``(3) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2009; ``(4) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and ``(5) $95,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.''. (b) Allocation of Funds.--Section 14703 of title 40, United States Code, is amended-- (1) by striking subsection (b); (2) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection (b); and (3) by adding at the end the following: ``(c) Allocation of Funds.--Funds approved by the Commission for a project in a State in the Appalachian region pursuant to congressional direction shall be derived from such State's portion of the Commission's allocation of appropriated amounts among the States.''. SEC. 5. TERMINATION. Section 14704 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking ``2006'' and inserting ``2011''. <all>