Norton's Regional Economic Bill for U.S. Passes House (10/4/07)

Norton's Regional Economic Bill for U.S. Passes House
October 4, 2007

Washington, DC-Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management, today got House passage by a vote of 264 to 154 of the Regional Economic and Infrastructure Development Act of 2007 (H.R. 3246), her bill to provide a comprehensive regional approach to economic and infrastructure development in the most severely economically distressed regions in the nation. "I was especially pleased to develop this bill because it assists the most systemically poor regions in the United States," Norton said. Authorizing two existing commissions and three new regional economic development commissions for $1.2 billion over five years, the bill creates a common framework to address problems of systemic poverty and underdevelopment in specifically named counties in five regions that meet criteria set by Norton's subcommittee. The five commissions are: the Delta Regional Commission, the Northern Great Plains Regional Commission, the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission, the Southwest Border Regional Commission, and the Northern Border Regional Commission.

Norton said the strongly bipartisan bill is especially important today when even prosperous areas are feeling the effects of the global economy and international trade. "The additional burden of long existing systemic and persistent poverty in these underdeveloped counties in regions of our own country has been particularly debilitating," Norton said on the floor.

Modeled after the very successful Appalachian Regional Commission, the bill provides a consistent method for distributing economic development funds in parts of regions most in need of assistance, and ensures a comprehensive regional approach where federal assistance has been insufficient to meet needs, Norton said. Most important, has been the ability of this legislation to leverage a small amount of federal funds to attract more in private investments. Planning is done entirely with stakeholders at the state and local levels.

Even before chairing the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee's Economic Development Subcommittee, Norton consistently got revenue streams for the District's economy through this subcommittee. However, in her capacity as chair, she also guides projects and programs that affect the entire country. Although today's bill addresses regions rather than cities, Norton said that she is working with the Environmental Protection Agency, which supervises H.R. 3246 on a District priority, and that D.C. is close to receiving a large grant through the Economic Development Administration for Eastern Market as a result of the fire in May.