[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 866 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 866
To provide for the establishment of a neighborhood reconstruction corps
program to award grants for the employment of disadvantaged workers for
infrastructure repair activities, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 30 (legislative day, April 19), 1993
Mr. Bradley (for himself, Mr. Biden, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Bryan, Mrs.
Feinstein, Mr. Hollings, Mr. Kerrey, Ms. Mikulski, Ms. Moseley-Braun,
Mr. Reid, Mr. Robb, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Hatch, Mr. Simon, and Mr.
Wellstone) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Labor and Human Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for the establishment of a neighborhood reconstruction corps
program to award grants for the employment of disadvantaged workers for
infrastructure repair activities, and for other purposes.
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 ``Neighborhood Reconstruction Corps
Act''.
SEC. 2. PURPOSE.
It is the purpose of this Act to--
(1) create incentives for private enterprise to invest in
light infrastructure projects in cities in which such
enterprises do business;
(2) assist community based organizations in assembling and
finding employment for residents of the community in
neighborhood reconstruction corps projects; and
(3) provide training, positive work habits, work skills,
and light construction skills for urban residents.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Labor (hereafter referred to in
this section as the ``Secretary''), shall establish a program, to be
known as the Neighborhood Reconstruction Corps Program, under which the
Secretary shall award competitive matching grants to eligible entities
to enable such entities to employ economically disadvantaged adults, as
described in section 202(d)(1)(A) of the Job Training Partnership Act,
or disadvantaged youth, as described in part B of title IV of such Act,
to perform infrastructure repair services in Economically Distressed
Central Cities.
(b) Eligibility and Application.--To be eligible to receive a
matching grant under the program established under subsection (a), an
entity shall--
(1) be a nonprofit community development corporation, or a
private business entity;
(2) serve in an area of high unemployment and poverty
within an Economically Distressed Central City;
(3) prepare and submit to the Secretary an application at
such time, in such manner and containing such information as
the Secretary may require, including--
(A) a description of the activities to be carried
out with amounts received and matched under the grant;
(B) a certification from the State or local
governmental entity with respect to such activities;
(C) assurances, satisfactory to the Secretary, that
non-Federal funds will be provided by the applicant to
carry out activities under the grant;
(D) a description of the organizations to be used
for the management of the project; and
(E) any other information determined appropriate by
the Secretary;
(4) meet any other requirements determined appropriate by
the Secretary.
(c) Use of Amounts.--
(1) In general.--An entity that receives a matching grant
under this section shall use amounts received under such grant
to employ economically disadvantaged adults in projects to
perform light, labor-intensive infrastructure repair.
(2) Requirements.--Projects funded under paragraph (1)
shall--
(A) be for the repair of--
(i) public facilities, including schools,
governmental buildings, and public housing
facilities; or
(ii) publicly owned property not otherwise
covered under clause (i), including roadways,
bridges and sewers;
(B) include--
(i) construction in compliance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;
(ii) the removal of graffiti;
(iii) the replacement of sidewalks, curbs,
or roadsides;
(iv) the refurbishing or refinishing of
publicly owned housing or building stock;
(v) the construction of fences bordering
publicly owned abandoned buildings;
(vi) demolition clean up;
(vii) asbestos removal; and
(viii) lead abatement projects;
(C) not cost in excess of a total of more than
$1,000,000;
(D) provide for the contribution of matching funds
in an amount that is equal to 50 percent of the amount
of the grant, but in no case in excess of $250,000;
(E) with respect to projects carried out by private
entities, not be utilized as a condition for any kind
of waiver or exemption for such entities from local
zoning or property tax laws;
(F) employ individuals residing in the community to
be served by the project;
(G) provide such individuals with the necessary
training in a construction trade to enable such
individuals to carry out their duties under the
project;
(H) provide the training required under
subparagraph (G) through a partnership with a local
contractor or a construction trade union; and
(I) meet such other requirements as the Secretary
determines appropriate.
(3) Preference.--In awarding grants under this section, the
Secretary shall give preference to projects that demonstrate
successful efforts to serve non-custodial parents of
nondependent children who are recipients of assistance under
title IV of the Social Security Act, except that such project
must require that such non-custodial parents agree in writing
to have an appropriate portion of their earnings under the
project withheld to meet any child support order.
(d) Peer Review Panel.--The Secretary shall provide for the
establishment of a peer review panel to perform the initial review of
applications for assistance under this section and make recommendations
to the Secretary with respect to such applications. The panel shall
include at least one representative of--
(1) a contractor for public infrastructure construction;
(2) a member of a private industry council under section
102 of the Job Training Partnership Act;
(3) individuals who have been instrumental in developing a
model construction job training program;
(4) employees in community or urban planning at a local or
city government; and
(5) employees of a non-profit or for profit housing
authority.
(e) Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant awarded under this
section shall not exceed the amount contributed to the project by the
applicant entity. Such contributed amounts shall be non-Federal in
nature and be made available directly or through donations from public
or private entities.
(f) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There are authorized to be appropriated to
carry out this section, $500,000,000 for each of the fiscal
years 1993 through 1997.
(2) Use.--Of the amounts appropriated for each fiscal year
under paragraph (1)--
(A) not to exceed 5 percent of such amount shall be
used for administrative costs; and
(B) the remainder of such amounts shall be used to
award matching grants.
(g) Community Development Corporation.--As used in this section the
term ``community development corporation'' means a private, nonprofit
corporation whose board of directors is comprised of business, civic
and community leaders, and whose principal purpose includes the
provision of low-income housing or community economic development
projects that primarily benefit low-income individuals and communities.
SEC. 4. ECONOMICALLY DISTRESSED CENTRAL CITIES.
(a) Requirements.--To be an Economically Distressed Central City
under section 4, a city shall--
(1) be a metropolitan city (as defined in section 102(a)(4)
of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C.
5302(a)(4));
(2) be eligible to receive an allocation of funds under
section 106(a)(3) of the Housing and Community Development Act
of 1974 for the most recent fiscal year ending prior to the
date of enactment of this title;
(3) have a population of at least 30,000; and
(4) have a need adjusted per capita income less than 1.25
(as determined under subsection (b)) on the basis of the most
recent data available.
(b) Need Adjusted Per Capita Income.--The Secretary of Housing and
Urban Development shall determine the Need Adjusted Per Capita Income
for each city that meets the requirements of paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subsection (a) under the following formula:
(1) Determination of need index.--
(A) For purposes of this section, the term ``need
index'' means the number equal to the quotient of--
(i) the term ``N'', as determined under
subparagraph (B); divided by
(ii) the term ``P'', as determined under
subparagraph (C).
(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A)(i), the term
``N'' means the percentage constituted by the ratio
of--
(i) the amount of funds allotted to the
city in the fiscal year in which the calendar
year begins under section 106(a)(3) of the
Housing and Community Development Act of 1974;
to
(ii) the sum of the amount of funds
received by all eligible cities in such fiscal
year under section 106(a)(3) of the Housing and
Community Development Act of 1974.
(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A)(ii), the term
``P'' means the percentage constituted by the ratio
of--
(i) the amount equal to the total
population of the city, as determined by the
Secretary using the most recent data that is
available from the Secretary of Commerce
pursuant to the decennial census and pursuant
to reasonable estimates by such Secretary of
changes occurring in the data in the ensuing
period, to
(ii) the amount equal to the total
population of all eligible cities in the
current fiscal year.
(D) For purposes of this paragraph, the term
``eligible cities'' means those cities which meet the
requirements of paragraph (1) and (2) of subsection
(a).
(2) Determination of need adjusted per capita income
factor.--
(A) For purposes of this section (and subject to
subparagraph (D)), the term ``need adjusted per capita
income factor'' means the amount equal to the
percentage determined for the city in accordance with
the following formula:
I
1-.15 <3-ln (> ------- <3-ln )>
Q
(B) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term
``I'' means the per capita income of the city for the
most recent year for which data is available, as
determined by the Secretary of Commerce.
(C) For purposes of subparagraph (A), the term
``Q'' means the product of--
(i) the need index of such city, as
determined under paragraph (1); and
(ii) the amount equal to the per capita
income of the United States for the most recent
year for which data is available, as determined
by the Secretary of Commerce.
(D) In the case of a city for which the quotient of
the term ``I'' (as determined under subparagraph (B))
divided by the term ``Q'' (as determined under
subparagraph (C)) is less than 0.2, then such quotient
shall be deemed to be equal to 0.2 for such city for
purposes of the formula under subparagraph (A).
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