Sec. 101301. Trade adjustment assistance for communities
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Chapter 4 of title II of the Trade Act of 1974 ( 19 U.S.C. 2371 et seq. ) is amended— by inserting after the chapter heading the following: ; and by redesignating sections 271 and 272 as sections 279 and 279A, respectively; and by inserting before subchapter B (as designated by paragraph (1)) the following: In this subchapter: The term agricultural commodity producer has the meaning given that term in section 291. The term community means— a city or other political subdivision of a State, including a special purpose unit of a State or local government engaged in economic or infrastructure development activities, or a consortium of political subdivisions; an Economic Development District designated by the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce; or an Indian Tribe.
The term eligible community means a community that is impacted by trade under section 273(a)(2) and is determined to be eligible for assistance under this subchapter. The term eligible entity means— an eligible community; an institution of higher education or a consortium of institutions of higher education; or a public or private nonprofit organization or association acting in cooperation with officials of a political subdivision of a State. The term Secretary means the Secretary of Commerce.
The term underserved community has the meaning given that term in section 247. The Secretary, acting through the Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, shall, not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this subchapter, establish a program to provide communities impacted by trade with assistance in accordance with the requirements of this subchapter. A community shall be eligible for assistance under this subchapter if the community is a community impacted by trade under paragraph (2).
A community is impacted by trade if it meets each of the following requirements: One or more of the following certifications are made with respect to the community: By the Secretary of Labor, that a group of workers located in the community is eligible to apply for assistance under section 223. By the Secretary of Commerce, that a firm located in the community is eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under section 251. By the Secretary of Agriculture, that a group of agricultural commodity producers located in the community is eligible to apply for adjustment assistance under section 293.
The community— applies for assistance not later than 180 days after the date on which the most recent certification described in subparagraph
(A)is made; or in the case of a community with respect to which one or more such certifications were made on or after January 1, 1994, and before the date of the enactment of this subchapter, applies for assistance not later than September 30, 2024. The community— has a per capita income of 80 percent or less of the national average; has an unemployment rate that is, for the most recent 24-month period for which data are available, at least 1 percent greater than the national average unemployment rate; or is significantly affected by a loss of, or threat to, the jobs associated with any certification described in subparagraph (A), or the community is undergoing transition of its economic base as a result of changing trade patterns, as determined by the Secretary. If one or more certifications described in subsection (a)(2)(A) are made with respect to a community, the applicable Secretary with respect to such certification shall concurrently, notify the Governor of the State in which the community is located of the ability of the community to apply for assistance under this section. The Secretary may— upon the application of an eligible community, award a grant under this section to the community to assist in developing or updating a strategic plan that meets the requirements of section 275; or upon the application of an eligible entity, award an implementation grant under this section to the entity to assist in implementing projects included in a strategic plan that meets the requirements of section 275. The Secretary shall maintain the proper operation and financial integrity of revolving loan funds established by eligible entities with assistance under this section. The Secretary may— at the request of an eligible entity, amend and consolidate grant agreements governing revolving loan funds to provide flexibility with respect to lending areas and borrower criteria; and assign or transfer assets of a revolving loan fund to third party for the purpose of liquidation, and the third party may retain assets of the fund to defray costs related to liquidation. An action taken by the Secretary under this subsection with respect to a revolving loan fund shall not constitute a new obligation if all grant funds associated with the original grant award have been disbursed to the recipient. In the case of a grant for a construction project under this section, if the Secretary determines, before closeout of the project, that the cost of the project, based on the designs and specifications that were the basis of the grant, has decreased because of decreases in costs, the Secretary may approve the use of the excess funds (or a portion of the excess funds) to improve the project. Any amount of excess funds remaining after application of subparagraph
(A)may be used by the Secretary for providing assistance under this section. If an eligible institution (as such term is defined in section 279) located in an eligible community is seeking a grant under section 279 at the same time the community is seeking an implementation grant under subsection (a)— the Secretary, upon receipt of such information from the Secretary of Labor as required under section 279(e), shall notify the community that the institution is seeking a grant under section 279; and the community shall provide to the Secretary, in coordination with the institution, a description of how the community will integrate projects included in the strategic plan with the specific project for which the institution submits the grant proposal under section 279. The total amount of grants awarded with respect to an eligible community under this section for fiscal years 2022 through 2026 may not exceed $25,000,000. The Secretary shall, in awarding grants under this section, provide higher levels of funding with respect to eligible communities that have a history of economic distress and long-term unemployment, as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary shall, in awarding grants under this section, ensure that grants are awarded with respect to eligible communities from geographically diverse areas. The Secretary shall, in meeting the requirement under paragraph (1), award a grant under this section for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026 to at least one eligible community located in each geographic region for which regional offices of the Economic Development Administration of the Department of Commerce are responsible, to the extent that the Secretary receives an application from at least one eligible community in each such geographic region. A strategic plan meets the requirements of this section if— the consultation requirements of subsection
(b)are met with respect to the development of the plan; the plan meets the requirements of subsection (c); and the plan is approved in accordance with the requirements of subsection (d). To the extent practicable, an eligible community shall consult with the entities described in paragraph
(2)in developing the strategic plan. The entities described in this paragraph are public and private entities located in or serving the eligible community, including— local, county, or State government agencies; firms, including small- and medium-sized firms; local workforce investment boards; labor organizations, including State labor federations and labor-management initiatives, representing workers in the community; educational institutions, local educational agencies, and other training providers; and local civil rights organizations and community-based organizations, including organizations representing underserved communities. The strategic plan may contain, as applicable to the community, the following: A description and analysis of the capacity of the eligible community to achieve economic adjustment to the impact of trade. An analysis of the economic development challenges and opportunities facing the community, including the strengths and weaknesses of the economy of the community. An assessment of— the commitment of the community to carry out the strategic plan on a long-term basis; the participation and input of members of the community who are dislocated from employment due to the impact of trade; and the extent to which underserved communities have been impacted by trade. A description of how underserved communities will benefit from the strategic plan. A description of the role of the entities described in subsection (b)(2) in developing the strategic plan. A description of projects under the strategic plan to facilitate the community’s economic adjustment to the impact of trade, including projects to— develop public facilities, public services, jobs, and businesses (including establishing a revolving loan fund); provide for planning and technical assistance; provide for training; provide for the demolition of vacant or abandoned commercial, industrial, or residential property; redevelop brownfields; establish or support land banks; support energy conservation; and support historic preservation. A strategy for continuing the community’s economic adjustment to the impact of trade after the completion of such projects. A description of the educational and training programs and the potential employment opportunities available to workers in the community, including for workers under the age of 25, and the future employment needs of the community. An assessment of— the cost of implementing the strategic plan; and the timing of funding required by the community to implement the strategic plan. A description of the methods of financing to be used to implement the strategic plan, including— an implementation grant received under section 274 or under other authorities; a loan, including the establishment of a revolving loan fund; or other types of financing. An assessment of how the community will address unemployment among agricultural commodity producers, if applicable. The Secretary shall approve the strategic plan developed by an eligible community under this section if the Secretary determines that the strategic plan meets the requirements of this section. The Secretary may deem an eligible community’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy that substantially meets the requirements of this section to be an approved strategic plan for purposes of this subchapter. Of the funds appropriated to carry out this chapter for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026, the Secretary may make available not more than $50,000,000 to award grants under section 274(a)(1). The Secretary shall coordinate the Federal response with respect to an eligible community that is awarded an implementation grant under section 274(a)(2) to implement the community’s strategic plan that meets the requirements of section 275 by— identifying and consulting, as appropriate, with any other Federal, State, regional, or local government agency; assisting the community to access assistance from other available Federal sources as necessary to fulfill the community’s strategic plan developed under section 275; and ensuring that such assistance is provided in a targeted, integrated manner. Subject to paragraph (3), funds appropriated to carry out this chapter may be transferred between Federal agencies, if the funds are used for the purposes for which the funds are specifically appropriated. Subject to paragraph
(3)and subparagraph (B), for the purposes of this chapter, the Secretary may accept transfers of funds from other Federal agencies if the funds are used for the purposes for which (and in accordance with the terms under which) the funds are specifically appropriated. The transferred funds— shall remain available until expended; and may, to the extent necessary to carry out this chapter, be transferred to and merged by the Secretary with the appropriations for salaries and expenses. The transfer authorities provided by this subsection shall not apply with respect to amounts made available by an appropriations Act. In addition to the coordination and assistance described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall provide technical assistance for communities— to identify significant impediments to economic development that result from the impact of trade on the community, including in the course of developing a strategic plan under section 275; and to access assistance under other available sources, including State, local, territorial, or private sources, to implement projects that diversify and strengthen the economy in the community. The Secretary shall, subject to paragraph (3), promulgate such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this subchapter, including with respect to— administering the awarding of grants under section 274, including establishing guidelines for the submission and evaluation of grant applications under such section; and establishing guidelines for the evaluation of strategic plans developed to meet the requirements of section 275. The Secretary shall consult with the Committee on Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Finance of the Senate not later than 90 days prior to promulgating any final rule or regulation under this subsection. The Secretary, to the maximum extent practicable, shall— rely on and apply regulations promulgated to carry out other economic development programs of the Department of Commerce in carrying out this subchapter; and provide guidance regarding the manner and extent to which such other economic development programs relate to this subchapter. The Secretary shall allocate such resources as may be necessary to provide sufficiently individualized assistance to each eligible community that receives a grant under section 274(a) or seeks technical assistance under section 276(c) to develop and implement a strategic plan that meets the requirements of section 275. . The table of contents for the Trade Act of 1974 is amended by striking the items relating to chapter 4 of title II and inserting the following: Chapter 4—Trade adjustment assistance for communities Subchapter A—Trade adjustment assistance for communities Sec. 271. Definitions. Sec. 272. Establishment of trade adjustment assistance for communities program. Sec. 273. Eligibility; notification of eligibility. Sec. 274. Grants to eligible communities. Sec. 275. Strategic plans. Sec. 276. Coordination of Federal response and other additional technical assistance. Sec. 277. General provisions. Subchapter B—Community College and Career Training Grant Program Sec. 279. Community College and Career Training Grant Program. Sec. 279A. Authorization of appropriations. .
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Sec. 101301
Trade adjustment assistance for communities
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