[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2442 Introduced in House (IH)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2442

   To reauthorize appropriations under the Public Works and Economic 
     Development Act of 1965, as amended, to revise administrative 
  provisions of the Act to improve the authority of the Secretary of 
     Commerce to administer grant programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 16, 1993

Mr. Wise (for himself, Mr. Mineta, Mr. Shuster, and Ms. Molinari) (all 
 by request) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
              Committee on Public Works and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To reauthorize appropriations under the Public Works and Economic 
     Development Act of 1965, as amended, to revise administrative 
  provisions of the Act to improve the authority of the Secretary of 
     Commerce to administer grant programs, 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 ``Economic Development Administration 
Reauthorization Act of 1993''.

SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION.

    The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended 
(42 U.S.C. 3121 et seq.), is revised to provide authorization of 
appropriations for programs under that Act as follows:
            (1) Grants for public works facilities under title i.--
        Section 105 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 3135) is amended to read as 
        follows:

``SEC. 105. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $135,385,000 
for purposes of this title for fiscal year 1994. The Secretary shall 
expend not less than 15 percent nor more than 35 percent of all 
appropriations made available for these purposes in redevelopment areas 
designated under section 401(a)(6) of this Act (42 U.S.C. 3161).''.
            (2) Technical assistance, research and information under 
        title iii.--Section 303 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 3152) is amended 
        to read as follows:

``SEC. 303. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $35,690,000 
for purposes of this title for fiscal year 1994.''.
            (3) Economic development district authorization.--Section 
        403(g) of the Act (42 U.S.C. 3171(g)) is amended to read as 
        follows:

``SEC. 403. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DISTRICTS.

    ``(g) Amounts otherwise authorized under this Act shall be 
available for purposes of carrying out subsections 403(a)(3) and (a)(4) 
of this section.''.
            (4) Special economic development and adjustment assistance 
        under title ix.--Section 905 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 3245) is 
        amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 905. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    ``There is authorized to be appropriated not to exceed $52,075,000 
for purposes of this title for fiscal year 1994. Of this amount, 
$33,000,000 shall be available for purposes of assisting eligible 
recipients in activities related to defense conversion.''.

SEC. 3. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GRANT COLLECTION PROCESS.

    (a) Use of the Economic Development Revolving Fund for the Care and 
Protection of Property Acquired in Connection with Grant Programs.--The 
first sentence of section 203 of the Public Works and Economic 
Development Act of 1965, as amended (42 U.S.C. 3143), is revised to 
read as follows:

``SEC. 203. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REVOLVING FUND.

    ``Funds obtained by the Secretary under section 201, loan funds 
obtained under section 403, and collections and repayments received 
under this Act, shall be deposited in an economic development revolving 
fund (hereunder referred to as the `fund'), which is hereby established 
in the Treasury of the United States, and which shall be available to 
the Secretary for the purpose of extending financial assistance under 
sections 201, 202, and 403, and for the payment of all obligations and 
expenditures arising in connection with assistance extended under this 
Act.''.
    (b) Powers of the Secretary to Deal with Grant Property.--Section 
701 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as 
amended (42 U.S.C. 3211) is revised by amending paragraphs (4) and (6) 
through (9) as follows:
            (1) Paragraph (4) is amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) under regulations prescribed by him, assign or sell 
        at public or private sale, or otherwise dispose of for cash or 
        credit, in his discretion and upon such terms and conditions 
        and for such consideration as he shall determine to be 
        reasonable, any evidence of debt, contract, claim, personal 
        property, or security assigned to or held by him in connection 
        with loans and grants made or evidences of indebtedness 
        purchased under this Act, and collect or compromise all 
        obligations assigned to or held by him in connection with such 
        loans and grants or evidences of indebtedness until such time 
        as such obligations may be referred to the Attorney General for 
        suit or collection;'';
            (2) Paragraphs (6) through (9) are amended to read:
            ``(6) deal with, complete, renovate, improve, modernize, 
        insure, rent, or sell for cash or credit, upon such terms and 
        conditions and for such consideration as he shall determine to 
        be reasonable, any real or personal property conveyed to, or 
        otherwise acquired by him in connection with loans and grants 
        made or evidences of indebtedness purchased under this Act;
            ``(7) pursue to final collection by way of compromise or 
        other administrative action prior to reference to the Attorney 
        General, all claims against third parties assigned to him in 
        connection with loans and grants made and evidences of 
        indebtedness purchased under this Act. This shall include 
        authority to obtain deficiency judgments or otherwise in the 
        case of mortgages assigned to the Secretary. Section 3709 of 
        the Revised Statutes, as amended (41 U.S.C. 5) shall not apply 
        to any contract of hazard insurance or to any purchase or 
        contract for services or supplies on account of property 
        obtained by the Secretary as a result of loans and grants made 
        or evidences of indebtedness purchased under this Act if the 
        premium therefor or the amount thereof does not exceed $1,000. 
        The power to convey and to execute, in the name of the 
        Secretary, deeds of conveyance, deeds of release, assignments 
        and satisfactions of mortgages and any other written instrument 
        relating to real or personal property or any interest therein 
        acquired by the Secretary pursuant to the provisions of this 
        Act may be exercised by the Secretary or by any officer or 
        agent appointed by him for that purpose without the execution 
        of any express delegation of power or power of attorney;
            ``(8) acquire, in any lawful manner, any property (real, 
        personal, or mixed, tangible or intangible), whenever deemed 
        necessary or appropriate to the conduct of activities 
        authorized in sections 101, 201, 202, 301, 302, 403, 503 and 
        903 of this Act;
            ``(9) in addition to any powers, functions, privileges, and 
        immunities otherwise vested in him, take any and all actions, 
        including the procurement of the services of attorneys by 
        contract, determined by him to be necessary or desirable in 
        making, purchasing, servicing, compromising, modifying, 
        liquidating, or otherwise administratively dealing with or 
        realizing on loans and grants made or evidences of indebtedness 
        purchased under this Act;''.

SEC. 4. TRANSFER OF OTHER FUNDS.

    Section 708 of the Act (42 U.S.C. 3218) is amended by adding a new 
subsection (d) at the end thereof to read as follows:
    ``(d) The Secretary of Commerce is authorized to accept the 
transfer of funds from other departments and agencies of the Federal 
Government as he or she may deem appropriate to carry out the 
objectives of this Act: Provided, That such funds are used for the 
purposes and under the terms for which they are specifically 
appropriated.''.

SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE.

    This Act shall be effective on the date of enactment.

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