[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 111 (Monday, August 2, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Page S9997]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ROBB (for himself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Jeffords, Mr. Lugar, 
        Mr. Torricelli, Ms. Snowe, and Mr. Hollings):
  S. 1473. A bill to amend section 2007 of the Social Security Act to 
provide grant funding for additional Empowerment Zones, Enterprise 
Communities, and Strategic Planning Communities, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Finance.


            EMPOWERMENT ZONES AND ENTERPRISE COMMUNITIES ACT

 Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I am pleased to introduce today 
important legislation that will help low-income rural and urban areas 
nationwide reinvigorate their communities.
  The Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Act will fully fund 
the Round II Enterprise Zones authorized by Congress in 1997. The 
Enterprise Zones/Enterprise Community (EZ/ECs) concept combines tax 
credits and social service grants to promote long-term economic 
revitalization. The most important aspect of Enterprise Zones are their 
inclusive approach--by design--so local government, the private sector 
and non-profit and civic groups together create a vision and a plan to 
implement that vision, with the federal government playing a supportive 
role rather than the lead role.
  I'm sure many Senators can point with pride to the successes within 
their own states, but I'd like to take a moment to talk about the 
Norfolk-Portsmouth Enterprise Zone (EZ) in my state of Virginia. The 
Norfolk-Portsmouth EZ won its new designation in 1997. One of the many 
services Norfolk-Portsmouth provides through Norfolk Works, Inc. the 
entity implementing the many activities of the EZ, are GED classes and 
job training and apprenticeship programs. There's even a Multi-media 
Training Course, which includes an 15-week internship at a media 
company. Norfolk Works also recruits and screen applicants for jobs. 
And they don't do this alone: Norfolk Works coordinates with many 
agencies, organizations and businesses to help the residents within the 
Norfolk-Portsmouth Zone. Already, the Norfolk Works has produced 
impressive results--from May 1995 to June 1999, 60 percent of those 
completing training are employed with another 16% involved in 
additional training.
  The success of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Enterprise Zone is just one 
example of the promise and results of Enterprise Zones. But unlike 
Round I EZ/ECs, Round II EZ/ECs did not receive the Social Service 
Block Grant (SSBG) that provides resources for social services such as 
job training and child care which complements the tax incentives and 
bonding authority already approved.
  Communities competed for these designations with the understanding 
that Congress would give them the full funding to implement their 
vision. We have a responsibility to fulfill our obligations to these 
communities, that worked very hard to win the resources to make their 
vision a reality.
  I look forward to working with our colleagues to fulfill this 
promise.

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