HB 24-20: Appalachian Region Development Act (Debating)

[Fmr. Representative Encke]

Objection.

The Senate bill has been amended as follows, so will introduce the same amendment here:

An Act

To increase investment in economic development, environmental reclamation, and other development in localities in the Appalachian Region of Atlasia, and for other purposes.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “Appalachian Region Development Act".

Section 2. Definitions

As used in Act, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context —
  (1) the term "eligible applicant" means —
      (a) an entity or individual that has received a loan or loan guarantee under this Act; or
      (b) a cooperative that is eligible to receive a loan or loan guarantee under this Act.
  (2) the term "qualified purpose" shall mean the following —
      (a) the purchase, repair, construction, restoration, or redevelopment, of property or infrastructure, including, but not limited to —
            (A) abandoned mine land, and other approved land;
            (B) abandoned, condemned, blighted property or buildings;
            (C) public roads and sidewalks; and
            (D) public utility poles and underground pipes;
      (b) the cleanup of any lands or water bodies; and
      (c) any other necessary costs for research and development.
  (3) the term "Appalachian region" shall mean —

(a) in Alabama, the counties of Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, De Kalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston; (b) in Georgia, the counties of Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield; (c) in Kentucky, the counties of Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe; (d) in Maryland, the counties of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington; (e) in Mississippi, the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha; (f) in New York, the counties of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins; (g) in North Carolina, the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey; (h) in Ohio, the counties of Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington; (i) in Pennsylvania, the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming; (j) in South Carolina, the counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union; (k) in Tennessee, the counties of Anderson, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White; (l) in Virginia, the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Patrick, Pulaski, Rockbridge, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise, and Wythe; and (m) all the counties of West Virginia. Section 3. Establishment (a) In general. — There shall be created a "Appalachian Region Development Program", hereafter referred to as the ARDP. (b) Applications. — The ARDP shall determine eligible applicants from businesses, other entities, and individuals who apply by determining which proposals for environmental and economic development plans meet —   (a) the requirements of a qualified purpose; and   (b) other such aspects as necessary, including, but not limited to —       (i) feasibility;       (ii) cost;       (iii) effectiveness; and       (iv) any past activities by the applicants. Section 4 3. Grants (a) In general. — Eligible applicants shall be eligible to receive grants for a reasonable amount as determined by the ARDP Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which shall not be required to be paid back by eligible applicants, except where described in this Act. (b) Terms. — The ARDP ARC shall establish such reasonable terms and conditions as necessary to ensure participation and proper use of received funds by eligible applicants. Section 5 4. Interest free loans (a) In general. — Eligible applicants shall be eligible to receive interest-free loans for a reasonable amount as determined by the ARDP ARC. (b) Terms. — The ARDP ARC shall establish such reasonable terms and conditions as necessary to ensure participation, proper use of received funds, and repayment by eligible applicants. Section 6 5. Compliance In the event of any —   (1) fraud;   (2) misconduct; or   (3) other misuse of any grant or loan money received as listed in the signed agreements to receive such grant or loan —       (a) any such grants or loan money received shall be payed back in full; and       (b) any failure to do so shall result in further civil and criminal penalties. Section 7 6. Appropriations There is hereby authorized to carry out this Act $[placeholder] for fiscal year 2020, and for each succeeding fiscal year. Section 8 7. Effective date This Act shall take effect immediately on the date of the enactment of this Act.

[Elcaspar]

No objections have been raised. Amendment has been adopted.

[Elcaspar]

We also need someone new to sponsor the bill since Thumb is no longer a representative.

[Joseph Cao]

I can sponsor.

[Mike Thick]

I would suggest a further amendment to reflect the boundaries specified in the Appalachia Reinvestment Act:

4. The boundaries of the Appalachia Regional Commission shall be adjusted to exclude the counties of Gwinnett and Cobb in the State of Georgia

5. The boundaries of the Appalachia Regional Commission shall be adjusted to include the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Rappahannock, Rockingham, and Augusta counties, and the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester in Virginia, Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson, Rutherford, Bedford, Moore, and Lincoln counties in Tennessee, Mason, Bracken, Pendleton, Harrison, Bourbon, and Nicholas counties in Kentucky.

[Elcaspar]

No objections to the sponsorship. Joseph Cao is now the sponsor of the bill.

[Joseph Cao]

I would suggest a further amendment to reflect the boundaries specified in the Appalachia Reinvestment Act:

4. The boundaries of the Appalachia Regional Commission shall be adjusted to exclude the counties of Gwinnett and Cobb in the State of Georgia

5. The boundaries of the Appalachia Regional Commission shall be adjusted to include the counties of Frederick, Clarke, Shenandoah, Page, Warren, Rappahannock, Rockingham, and Augusta counties, and the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester in Virginia, Sumner, Trousdale, Wilson, Rutherford, Bedford, Moore, and Lincoln counties in Tennessee, Mason, Bracken, Pendleton, Harrison, Bourbon, and Nicholas counties in Kentucky.

Nicholas County, KY is already within the defined Appalachian region.

But otherwise, feel free to amend Section 2 as proposed.

[Mike Thick]

Alright. Amendment to Section 2, Clause 3:

(a) in Alabama, the counties of Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, De Kalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston;
(b) in Georgia, the counties of Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Gwinnett, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield;
(c) in Kentucky, the counties of Adair, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Bracken, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Harrison, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe;
(d) in Maryland, the counties of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington;
(e) in Mississippi, the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha;
(f) in New York, the counties of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins;
(g) in North Carolina, the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey;
(h) in Ohio, the counties of Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington;
(i) in Pennsylvania, the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming;
(j) in South Carolina, the counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union;
(k) in Tennessee, the counties of Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Sumner, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, and White, and Wilson;
(l) in Virginia, the counties of Alleghany, AugustaBath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Page, Patrick, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and Wythe; as well as the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester; and
(m) all the counties of West Virginia.

[Joseph Cao]

The amendment is friendly.

[Elcaspar]

No objections to the amendment. Amendment has been adopted.

[Joseph Cao]

All right, does anyone have further concerns about anything here before we move on to filling in that funding placeholder?

(For what it’s worth, by the way, the IRL ARC’s budget in 2019 was $285.6 million. This is about 3% of what last year’s Appalachia bill allots to the ARC annually ($10 billion) so we probably don’t need to do much more than give the ARC a sense of how much of its present funding can be put into each of the categories in the bill.)

[Joseph Cao]

As no further concerns were raised, I will introduce an amendment to fill in the appropriations placeholder.

An Act

To increase investment in economic development, environmental reclamation, and other development in localities in the Appalachian Region of Atlasia, and for other purposes.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “Appalachian Region Development Act".

Section 2. Definitions

As used in Act, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context —
  (1) the term "eligible applicant" means —
      (a) an entity or individual that has received a loan or loan guarantee under this Act; or
      (b) a cooperative that is eligible to receive a loan or loan guarantee under this Act.
  (2) the term "qualified purpose" shall mean the following —
      (a) the purchase, repair, construction, restoration, or redevelopment, of property or infrastructure, including, but not limited to —
            (A) abandoned mine land, and other approved land;
            (B) abandoned, condemned, blighted property or buildings;
            (C) public roads and sidewalks; and
            (D) public utility poles and underground pipes;
      (b) the cleanup of any lands or water bodies; and
      (c) any other necessary costs for research and development.
  (3) the term "Appalachian region" shall mean —
      (a) in Alabama, the counties of Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, De Kalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston;
      (b) in Georgia, the counties of Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield;
      (c) in Kentucky, the counties of Adair, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Bracken, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harrison, Harlan, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe;
      (d) in Maryland, the counties of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington;
      (e) in Mississippi, the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha;
      (f) in New York, the counties of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins;
      (g) in North Carolina, the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey;
      (h) in Ohio, the counties of Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington;
      (i) in Pennsylvania, the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming;
      (j) in South Carolina, the counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union;
      (k) in Tennessee, the counties of Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Sumner, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, White, and Wilson;
      (l) in Virginia, the counties of Alleghany, Augusta, Bath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Page, Patrick, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and Wythe, as well as the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester; and
      (m) all the counties of West Virginia.

Section 3. Grants

(a) In general. —

Eligible applicants shall be eligible to receive grants for a reasonable amount as determined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which shall not be required to be paid back by eligible applicants, except where described in this Act.

(b) Terms. —

The ARC shall establish such reasonable terms and conditions as necessary to ensure participation and proper use of received funds by eligible applicants.

Section 4. Interest free loans

(a) In general. —

Eligible applicants shall be eligible to receive interest-free loans for a reasonable amount as determined by the ARC.

(b) Terms. —

The ARC shall establish such reasonable terms and conditions as necessary to ensure participation, proper use of received funds, and repayment by eligible applicants.

Section 5. Compliance

In the event of any —
  (1) fraud;
  (2) misconduct; or
  (3) other misuse of any grant or loan money received as listed in the signed agreements to receive such grant or loan —
      (a) any such grants or loan money received shall be payed back in full; and
      (b) any failure to do so shall result in further civil and criminal penalties.

Section 6. Appropriations

There is hereby authorized to carry out this Act $[placeholder]300,000,000, to be drawn from funding allotted to the ARC for fiscal year 2020, and for each succeeding fiscal year., of which —
  (1) a minimum of $30,000,000 shall be allotted to fund grants as per Section 3; and
  (2) a minimum of $30,000,000 shall be allotted to fund interest-free loans as per Section 4.

Section 7. Effective date

This Act shall take effect immediately on the date of the enactment of this Act.

This is just a stab at the approximate level of funding the ARC has indicated it needs. For FY 2020 and 2021, the IRL ARC requested a budget of $165 million, of which $32 million was to be allotted to regional initiatives directly addressing economic distress in the region. Considering that the ARC routinely dedicates more than this amount towards benefiting economically distressed Appalachian areas, this approximate amount is therefore set as a lower bound for regional investment through eligible individuals and projects in each of the categories proposed in the bill, and the money is directly appropriated from the ARC's existing funding of $10 billion per annum. A more targeted cost analysis by someone who understands the intricacies of this stuff better than I do would be most welcome.

[Joseph Cao]

Oh come on now, folks, this isn't a tumbleweed convention. Any concerns with this? Or an opposing amendment? Or, at the very least, I wouldn't mind if someone objected to the amendment so we could get everyone's feedback on the appropriation through a vote.

[Mike Thick]

I support the amendment. Think that if we’re going to do this, it’s best for us to do it on existing funding, since the ARC is already getting so much relative to IRL.

[Joseph Cao]

Any further thoughts, concerns, etc.?

[Joseph Cao]

As no further concerns were raised, I motion for a final vote on the bill.

[Elcaspar]

As no one has objected to the amendment has been adopted.

A final vote on the bill shall now be held.

You have 72 hours to vote.

[Boobs]

nay

[SevenEleven]

Nay

[Joseph Cao]

Aye.

[Mike Thick]

Abstain

[P. Clodius Pulcher did nothing wrong]

Aye

[Elcaspar]

Aye

[Elcaspar]

Voting period is now closed.

Ayes: 3 (Razze, Joseph Cao, Elcaspar)
Nays: 2 (HCP, Sev)
Abstentions: 1 (Ted Besell)
Not Voting: 3(Razze, Encke, ReaganClinton)

The bill has been passed.

[Elcaspar]

An Act

To increase investment in economic development, environmental reclamation, and other development in localities in the Appalachian Region of Atlasia, and for other purposes.

Section 1. Short title

This Act shall be cited as the “Appalachian Region Development Act".

Section 2. Definitions

As used in Act, unless otherwise provided or indicated by the context —
  (1) the term "eligible applicant" means —
      (a) an entity or individual that has received a loan or loan guarantee under this Act; or
      (b) a cooperative that is eligible to receive a loan or loan guarantee under this Act.
  (2) the term "qualified purpose" shall mean the following —
      (a) the purchase, repair, construction, restoration, or redevelopment, of property or infrastructure, including, but not limited to —
            (A) abandoned mine land, and other approved land;
            (B) abandoned, condemned, blighted property or buildings;
            (C) public roads and sidewalks; and
            (D) public utility poles and underground pipes;
      (b) the cleanup of any lands or water bodies; and
      (c) any other necessary costs for research and development.
  (3) the term "Appalachian region" shall mean —

(a) in Alabama, the counties of Bibb, Blount, Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Chilton, Clay, Cleburne, Colbert, Coosa, Cullman, De Kalb, Elmore, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Hale, Jackson, Jefferson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Macon, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Randolph, St. Clair, Shelby, Talladega, Tallapoosa, Tuscaloosa, Walker, and Winston; (b) in Georgia, the counties of Banks, Barrow, Bartow, Carroll, Catoosa, Chattooga, Cherokee, Dade, Dawson, Douglas, Elbert, Fannin, Floyd, Forsyth, Franklin, Gilmer, Gordon, Habersham, Hall, Haralson, Hart, Heard, Jackson, Lumpkin, Madison, Murray, Paulding, Pickens, Polk, Rabun, Stephens, Towns, Union, Walker, White, and Whitfield; (c) in Kentucky, the counties of Adair, Bath, Bell, Bourbon, Boyd, Bracken, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Edmonson, Elliott, Estill, Fleming, Floyd, Garrard, Green, Greenup, Harlan, Harrison, Hart, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, McCreary, Madison, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, Menifee, Metcalfe, Monroe, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe; (d) in Maryland, the counties of Allegany, Garrett, and Washington; (e) in Mississippi, the counties of Alcorn, Benton, Calhoun, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Clay, Itawamba, Kemper, Lee, Lowndes, Marshall, Monroe, Montgomery, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Panola, Pontotoc, Prentiss, Tippah, Tishomingo, Union, Webster, Winston, and Yalobusha; (f) in New York, the counties of Allegany, Broome, Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Delaware, Otsego, Schoharie, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga, and Tompkins; (g) in North Carolina, the counties of Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Clay, Davie, Forsyth, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, McDowell, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin, and Yancey; (h) in Ohio, the counties of Adams, Ashtabula, Athens, Belmont, Brown, Carroll, Clermont, Columbiana, Coshocton, Gallia, Guernsey, Harrison, Highland, Hocking, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lawrence, Mahoning, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Muskingum, Noble, Perry, Pike, Ross, Scioto, Trumbull, Tuscarawas, Vinton, and Washington; (i) in Pennsylvania, the counties of Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Venango, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming; (j) in South Carolina, the counties of Anderson, Cherokee, Greenville, Oconee, Pickens, Spartanburg, and Union; (k) in Tennessee, the counties of Anderson, Bedford, Bledsoe, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Cannon, Carter, Claiborne, Clay, Cocke, Coffee, Cumberland, De Kalb, Fentress, Franklin, Grainger, Greene, Grundy, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Loudon, McMinn, Macon, Marion, Meigs, Monroe, Moore, Morgan, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Putnam, Rhea, Roane, Rutherford, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Sullivan, Sumner, Trousdale, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Warren, Washington, White, and Wilson; (l) in Virginia, the counties of Alleghany, AugustaBath, Bland, Botetourt, Buchanan, Carroll, Clarke, Craig, Dickenson, Floyd, Frederick, Giles, Grayson, Henry, Highland, Lee, Montgomery, Page, Patrick, Pulaski, Rappahannock, Rockbridge, Rockingham, Russell, Scott, Shenandoah, Smyth, Tazewell, Warren, Washington, Wise, and Wythe; as well as the independent cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester; and (m) all the counties of West Virginia. Section 3. Grants (a) In general. — Eligible applicants shall be eligible to receive grants for a reasonable amount as determined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), which shall not be required to be paid back by eligible applicants, except where described in this Act. (b) Terms. — The ARC shall establish such reasonable terms and conditions as necessary to ensure participation and proper use of received funds by eligible applicants. Section 4. Interest free loans (a) In general. — Eligible applicants shall be eligible to receive interest-free loans for a reasonable amount as determined by the ARDP ARC. (b) Terms. — The ARC shall establish such reasonable terms and conditions as necessary to ensure participation, proper use of received funds, and repayment by eligible applicants. Section 5. Compliance In the event of any —   (1) fraud;   (2) misconduct; or   (3) other misuse of any grant or loan money received as listed in the signed agreements to receive such grant or loan —       (a) any such grants or loan money received shall be payed back in full; and       (b) any failure to do so shall result in further civil and criminal penalties. Section 6. Appropriations There is hereby authorized to carry out this Act $300,000,000, to be drawn from funding allotted to the ARC for fiscal year 2020 and for each succeeding fiscal year, of which —   (1) a minimum of $30,000,000 shall be allotted to fund grants as per Section 3; and   (2) a minimum of $30,000,000 shall be allotted to fund interest-free loans as per Section 4. Section 7. Effective date This Act shall take effect immediately on the date of the enactment of this Act.

House of Representatives:
Passed the House of Representatives 3-2-1-3