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Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments Of 2007

Floor Speech

Date: July 16, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Entitlements and the Safety Net


APPALACHIAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - July 16, 2007)

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Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, H.R. 799, as amended, reauthorizes and improves the Appalachian Regional Commission, the ARC. The ARC has been a successful program for the last 40 years. It has helped reduce the Appalachian region's poverty rate. It has cut the infant mortality rate. It has increased the percentage of adults with a high school diploma. It has provided water and sewer services to a significant number of households and businesses and created new jobs.

H.R. 799, as amended, reauthorizes the ARC for 5 years. The bill includes a couple of very important reforms. It helps focus funding on distressed and at-risk counties, and it includes language that will deter earmarking of the program.

Currently, the ARC has four statutory designations which are determined by the unemployment rate, per capita income and the poverty rate of each ARC county. This bill creates an additional designation to assist counties that are at risk and don't fully qualify as distressed.

At-risk counties are fragile economies making it difficult to meet the 50 percent match rate to participate in the program. In many cases, at-risk counties are recently distressed and eligible for an 80 percent Federal match. The addition of the ``at-risk'' designation will fund projects in these counties up to 70 percent of the project cost as they continue the transition from the ``distressed'' to the ``transitional'' designation.

The ARC is viewed by most as a successful model for economic development. The ability to leverage a large amount of public and private funding makes the ARC a very valuable tool for economic development in Appalachia. We must ensure continuation of this successful program and further express our support for the hardworking people in the Appalachian region.

I would encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 799, as amended.

Madam Speaker, I would reserve the balance of my time.

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