[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 142 (Tuesday, October 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2022-E2023]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFORMATION ACT OF 1997 INTRODUCED

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. JAMES A. TRAFICANT, JR.

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, October 21, 1997

  Mr. TRAFICANT. Mr. Speaker, today, I introduce the Economic 
Development Information Act of 1997. This bill establishes and expands 
an online resource of Government-wide Economic Development Information 
in the Economic Development Administration of the U.S. Department of 
Commerce.


     Background: The Success of the Office of Economic Conversion 
                              Information

  Over the last decade, hundreds of defense bases have been realigned 
and closed and more than 100,000 defense civilians have lost their 
jobs. Pursuant to the 1995 round of base realignment and closure, 
additional bases are slated for closure in the next 4 years. To help 
communities and displaced workers adjust to this defense downsizing, 
Congress established the Office of Economic Conversion Information 
[OECI] in the Economic Development Administration [EDA] in November 
1993.
  The Office of Economic Conversion Information is an important part of 
the Federal Government's efforts to share information on defense 
adjustment and economic development. The OECI serves as a ``one-stop 
shop'' central clearinghouse for a wide range of users, ranging from 
individual displaced workers and economic developers to communities 
facing major base closures and businesses affected by defense 
downsizing. It helps these groups pick their way through the maze of 
Federal defense conversion and economic development programs in an 
easily usable format--a toll free 1-800 phone call, fax, or use of 
OECI's Internet site--and provides information on how others have 
responded to defense downsizing. With a database of more than 1,000 
files, the OECI is not limited to sources of Federal funding and 
support. It also includes State and local program descriptions, case 
studies, guidance manuals, raw economic data, and various publications 
related to base reuse, worker placement programs, and the 
commercialization of defense technology. In addition, the OECI has 
created a new system, the PARCELS Military Base Property Marketing 
System, to further assist communities impacted by military base 
closures. This system helps communities create their own Internet home 
pages to describe and market base closure properties for private 
investment.
  In its almost 4 years of operation, the OECI has responded to more 
than 143,000 queries. It currently serves approximately 5,000 customers 
each month. Moreover, the average OECI Internet user is not merely 
visiting the site, they are using it--the average user downloads 3 to 5 
documents. Because of this success, EDA's OECI was awarded the American 
Economic Development Council's Arthur D. Little Technological 
Excellence Award in April 1996.


            The Economic Development Information Act of 1997

  The success of the OECI in assisting workers, communities, and 
businesses in adjusting to downsizing should not be limited to base 
reuse and defense conversion. The Economic Development Information Act 
of 1997 creates the Office of Economic Development Information in EDA--
expanding the OECI to help all economically distressed communities.
  Pursuant to this bill, the OEDI will serve as a central information 
clearinghouse on economic development, economic adjustment, disaster 
recovery, industrial retention, and defense conversion. In addition, 
the OEDI could link users to an expanded PARCELS system that would list 
all Government-owned properties that need economic redevelopment. The 
bill authorizes such sums as may be necessary to establish the OEDI.
  I am hopeful that when the Committee on Transportation and 
Infrastructure considers its bill to reauthorize the programs of the 
Economic Development Administration and Appalachian Regional Commission 
later this Congress, this bill will be a part of the chairman's mark.
  When a community's top employer shuts down, it doesn't matter to the 
community or its workers whether that employer is a defense 
installation or a steel plant. It shouldn't matter to EDA and its 
information network either. The Office of Economic Development 
Information provides the resources to ensure that all of our Nation's 
economically distressed communities have the information necessary to 
help

[[Page E2023]]

them create jobs and compete in the global economy.

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