Sec. 206. Assistance for adversely affected communities
806 words·~4 min read·
/bill/118/hr/9230/ih/section-206·A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
The Director shall establish a program to provide assistance to eligible local government entities, including making payments to temporarily replace eligible local revenues of such entities, using amounts made available to the Director in the Worker and Community Assistance Fund. In implementing the program in subsection (a), the Director shall— identify problems of counties, regions, metropolitan areas, Tribal Governments, and communities that result from the cessation of operations by impacted employers; use and maintain a uniform socioeconomic impact analysis; apply consistent policies, practices, and procedures in the administration of Federal programs that are used to assist counties, Tribal Governments, regions, metropolitan areas, communities, and businesses; encourage effective Federal, State, Tribal, county, regional, metropolitan, and community cooperation and involvement of public interest groups, labor organizations, and private sector organizations in community adjustment activities; serve as a clearinghouse to exchange information among Federal, State, Tribal, county, regional, metropolitan, and community officials involved in community adjustment activities.
Such information may include reports, studies, best practices, technical information, and sources of public and private financing; and support planning activities of counties, Tribal Governments, regions, metropolitan areas, and communities to promote diversification of local economies. The Director shall make annual payments under this section to eligible local government entities to replace eligible local revenues due to the cessation of operations by impacted employers located within the jurisdiction of such local government entities.
The date of submission of an eligible local government entity’s application for assistance shall establish the order in which assistance is paid to program applicants, except that in no event shall assistance be paid to a local government entity until such time that an impacted employer has been closed. Any local government entity seeking assistance under this section shall submit an affidavit to the Director that an impacted employer has ceased operating and an estimation of eligible local revenues.
After receipt of such an affidavit under this subsection, the Director shall confirm such information. An eligible local government entity shall— be eligible for not more than one payment each fiscal year under this section; and not receive payments under this section for more than 8 fiscal years. The amount of a payment under this section shall be determined by the Director based on the eligible local revenues from one or more impacted employers to an eligible local government entity equal to— 90 percent of eligible local revenues in the first and second years; 75 percent of eligible local revenues in the third and fourth years; 50 percent of eligible local revenues in the fifth and sixth years; and 25 percent of eligible local revenues in the seventh and eighth years.
Notwithstanding subsection (f), if the Director determines that the total amount of payments to eligible local government entities in any year would exceed the amount of funding made available to carry out this section for that year, the Director may reduce each eligible local government entity’s payment on a pro rata basis. An eligible local government entity receiving payment under this section shall be required to submit an annual report to the Director explaining the use of payments, including a description of funding used for— infrastructure; telecommunications; education; health care; public safety, including police, fire, emergency response, or other community support services; drinking water and wastewater services; economic development and diversification; employment training, counseling, and placement services for dislocated workers; and counseling and other social services for dislocated workers.
The Director may make grants and supplement other Federal funds in order to assist a county, municipality, school district, special district, or Tribal Government in planning for community adjustments, economic development, and economic diversification even if such entity is not currently eligible for assistance under this section if the Director determines that there exists a reasonable likelihood that such entity may become eligible in the future. There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary for carrying out this section.
In this section: The term eligible local government entity means a county, municipality, school district, special district, or Tribal Government that has one or more impacted employers located within the jurisdiction of such entity that have ceased operations within the 2 years prior to submitting an application to the Director, resulting in at least a 25 percent reduction in total revenues from the real property tax collections, royalties, lease payments, transaction privilege taxes and sales taxes, or payments in lieu of taxes owed to such entity.
The term eligible local revenues means the amount of real property taxes, royalty or lease payments, transaction privilege taxes and sales taxes, and payments in lieu of taxes owed by one or more impacted employers to a county, municipality, school district, special district, or Tribal Government, based on the average annual amount owed by such an impacted employer for the 3 years prior to the cessation of operations by such impacted employer.