[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2569 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2569
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize
the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to benefit the Appalachia
region, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 19, 2018
Mr. Warner (for himself, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Manchin, and Mr. Wicker)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize
the Secretary of Agriculture to award grants to benefit the Appalachia
region, 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 ``Appalachia Opportunity Grants Act of
2018''.
SEC. 2. APPALACHIA INNOVATION GRANTS.
Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7
U.S.C. 1981 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``SEC. 379I. APPALACHIA INNOVATION GRANTS.
``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means a
unit of local government in the region.
``(2) Region.--The term `region' means the Appalachian
region (as defined in section 14102(a) of title 40, United
States Code).
``(b) Grants.--The Secretary may award grants to eligible entities
to convene groups of public and private entities to collaborate in
carrying out regional projects to accomplish positive economic and
community impacts in the region.
``(c) Collaborative Groups.--
``(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
subsection (b), an eligible entity--
``(A) shall convene as part of the collaborative
group representatives of each of--
``(i) a local economic development board or
office in the region;
``(ii) a private company or association;
and
``(iii) an institution of higher education
(as defined in section 101 of the Higher
Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)) in the
region; and
``(B) may convene as part of the collaborative
group representatives of other entities (such as
venture capital firms, nonprofit organizations, and
philanthropic organizations) that the eligible entity
determines are important to the goal of the regional
project described in subsection (d)(2).
``(2) Referral process.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary may assist in the
formation of a collaborative group under paragraph (1)
by establishing a referral process under which a
private company or association seeking to invest in a
particular area in the region is matched with an
eligible entity located in that area.
``(B) Database of potential investors.--In carrying
out subparagraph (A), the Secretary may--
``(i) establish and maintain a database of
private companies and associations seeking to
invest in the region; and
``(ii) coordinate with other Federal
agencies, including the Department of Commerce,
to register inquiries--
``(I) that are made to those
agencies by private companies and
associations seeking to invest in the
region; and
``(II) in the database described in
clause (i).
``(d) Project Requirements.--A regional project carried out by a
collaborative group under subsection (b) shall--
``(1) involve not fewer than 2 municipalities that share a
border; and
``(2) complete a specific activity that has as a goal--
``(A) job creation in the region;
``(B) expansion of the capacity of post-secondary
education in the region;
``(C) growth of tourism in the region;
``(D) improving public health in the region; or
``(E) upgrading regional infrastructure.
``(e) Applications.--
``(1) In general.--An eligible entity that has convened a
collaborative group described in subsection (c)(1) and
identified an activity for a regional project described in
subsection (d)(2) may submit to the Secretary an application
that includes--
``(A) a detailed description of--
``(i) a timeline for the completion of the
regional project; and
``(ii) the responsibilities of each member
of the collaborative group in carrying out the
regional project;
``(B) evidence that the collaborative group is a
public-private partnership;
``(C) evidence that the collaborative group will
maintain intermunicipality cooperation;
``(D) a description of the reasons that the
eligible entity requires Federal funds;
``(E) evidence that the eligible entity has
previously sought funding from State, local, or private
programs;
``(F) a description of the source of non-Federal
funds for the regional project;
``(G) a description of the positive economic or
community impact (including relating to education) of
the regional project;
``(H) an assessment of the assets and weaknesses of
the community in which the regional project will be
implemented;
``(I) a regional strategic plan that--
``(i) takes into account the assessment
described in subparagraph (H); and
``(ii) includes an analysis of the
alignment of the regional project with the
regional strategic plan; and
``(J) evidence, with full transparency and
credibility, of minimal obstruction to the completion
of the project design phase described in subsection
(f)(2)(A) by not later than 1 year after the date on
which the eligible entity receives the grant.
``(2) Priority.--The Secretary shall give priority to
applications submitted under paragraph (1) that describe a
positive, measurable economic impact.
``(f) Grant Funds.--
``(1) Limitation on grant amount.--A grant for a regional
project under subsection (b) shall be not more than $2,000,000.
``(2) Phases.--A grant under subsection (b) shall be
awarded in the following 2 phases:
``(A) Project design.--An eligible entity may use
50 percent of the grant during the period beginning on
the date on which the eligible entity receives the
grant and ending not later than 1 year after that date
to continue the planning and design of the regional
project, including activities such as--
``(i) workforce training;
``(ii) building design;
``(iii) permit approvals; and
``(iv) real estate arrangements.
``(B) Project development.--An eligible entity that
completes the planning and design of the regional
project under subparagraph (A) may use the remaining
grant funds for the completion of the construction and
implementation of the regional project.
``(3) Matching funds requirement.--An eligible entity that
receives a grant under subsection (b) shall provide non-Federal
funding equal to not less than 10 percent of the amount of the
grant.
``(4) Reservation of grant funds.--The Secretary shall
reserve 20 percent of the funds made available under subsection
(h) for each fiscal year to award grants to eligible entities
that convene collaborative groups that include a representative
of a private company or association that is located in the
region.
``(g) Review of Grant Program.--
``(1) Government accountability office review.--The
Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a review
of the implementation of this section for--
``(A) the 2-year period beginning on the date on
which the Secretary begins to accept applications for
grants under this section; and
``(B) each 4-year period thereafter.
``(2) Reports to congress.--The Secretary shall submit to
Congress an annual report describing--
``(A) funding decisions under this section;
``(B) a justification for each grant awarded under
this section; and
``(C) with respect to each regional project that
has received a grant under this section, the extent to
which--
``(i) benchmarks for the project have been
met in accordance with the timeline for the
project; and
``(ii) the project may be considered an
example to other municipalities desiring a
grant under this section.
``(h) Funding.--Of amounts made available for the Dislocated Worker
National Reserve fund under section 132(a)(2)(A) of the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3172(a)(2)(A)), $100,000,000
shall be used to carry out this section for each of fiscal years 2018
through 2027.''.
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