[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2390 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2390

   To establish the Financial Advisory Board, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 10, 1993

Mr. Walsh introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to 
   the Committees on Energy and Commerce, Banking, Finance and Urban 
   Affairs, Merchant Marine and Fisheries, Education and Labor, and 
                         Government Operations

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish the Financial Advisory Board, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Environmental Finance Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. PURPOSE.

    (a) Purpose.--It is the purpose of this Act to require the 
establishment of an Environmental Financial Advisory Board (hereinafter 
referred to as ``the Board'') to provide expert advice and 
recommendations to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
Agency (hereinafter referred to as ``the Administrator'') and to the 
Congress on issues, trends, options, innovations, and tax matters 
affecting the cost and financing of environmental protection by State 
and local governments. The Committee shall study methods to lower costs 
of environmental infrastructure and services, increase investment in 
public and private purpose environmental infrastructure, and build 
State and local capacity to plan and pay for environmental 
infrastructure and services.
    (b) Further Purpose.--It is the further purpose of the Act to 
require the Administrator to establish and support Environmental 
Finance Centers in institutions of higher learning. These centers shall 
serve to improve the capability of State and local governments to 
manage environmental programs. The Environmental Finance Centers shall 
receive Federal funding at first with the goal that they eventually 
become financially self sufficient.

SEC. 3. ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCIAL ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) In General.--(1) The Administrator shall establish an 
Environmental Financial Advisory Board to provide expert advice on 
issues affecting the costs and financing of environmental activities at 
the Federal, State, and local level. The Board shall report to the 
Administrator, and shall make its services and expertise available to 
the appropriate Committees of Congress.
    (2) The Board shall consist of thirty-five members selected by the 
Administrator. The members of the Board shall each serve for a term of 
two years, except that twenty of the members initially appointed to the 
Board shall serve for a term of one year. The members of the Board 
shall be persons with expertise in financial matters and shall be 
chosen from among elected officials, national trade and environmental 
organizations, the finance, banking, and legal communities, business 
and industry, and academia. The members of the Board shall elect a 
Chair and Vice-Chair, who shall each serve a term of two years.
    (3) After establishing appropriate rules and procedures for its 
operations, the Board shall--
            (A) work with the Environmental Protection Agency's Science 
        Advisory Board to identify and develop methods to integrate 
        risk and finance considerations into environmental 
        decisionmaking;
            (B) identify and examine strategies to enhance 
        environmental protection in urban areas, reduce 
        disproportionate risk facing urban communities, and promote 
        economic revitalization and environmentally sustainable 
        development;
            (C) develop and recommend initiatives to expand 
        opportunities for the export of United States financial 
        services and environmental technologies;
            (D) develop alternative financing mechanisms to assist 
        State and local governments in paying for environmental 
        programs;
            (E) develop alternative financing mechanisms and strategies 
        to meet the unique needs of small and economically 
        disadvantaged communities; and
            (F) undertake such other activities as the Board determines 
        will further the purposes of this Act.
    (4) The Board may recommend to the Administrator and to the 
Congress legislative and policy initiatives to make financing for 
environmental protection more available and less costly.
    (5) The Board shall hold open meetings and seek input from the 
public and other interested parties in accordance with provisions of 
the Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. Supp., App.), and shall 
otherwise be subject to the provisions of such Act.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated the sum of $1,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 1994, 
1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 to carry out this section.

SEC. 4. ENVIRONMENTAL FINANCE CENTERS.

    (a) In General.--The Administrator shall establish and support 
Environmental Finance Centers in each of the ten Federal regions. These 
centers shall coordinate their activities with the Board, and are 
authorized to--
            (1) provide on- and off-site training of State and local 
        officials;
            (2) publish newsletters, course materials, proceedings, and 
        other publications relating to financing of environmental 
        infrastructure;
            (3) initiate and conduct conferences, seminars, and 
        advisory panels on specific finance issues relating to 
        environmental programs and projects;
            (4) establish electronic database and contact services to 
        disseminate information to public entities on financing 
        alternatives for State and local environmental programs;
            (5) generate case studies and special reports;
            (6) develop inventories and surveys of financial issues and 
        needs of State and local governments;
            (7) identify financial programs, initiatives, and 
        alternative financing mechanisms for training purposes;
            (8) hold public meetings on finance issues; and
            (9) collaborate with one another on projects and exchange 
        information.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated the sum of $2,500,000 for each of the fiscal years 1994, 
1995, 1996, 1997, and 1998 for the Environmental Finance Center program 
established pursuant to this section. The Administrator is authorized 
to grant such funds to institutions of higher learning to carry out the 
provisions of this section.

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