[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 113 (Monday, July 16, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H7814-H7818]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        APPALACHIAN REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT ACT AMENDMENTS OF 2007

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend 
the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 799) to reauthorize and improve the 
program authorized by the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965, 
as amended.
  The Clerk read the title of the bill.
  The text of the bill is as follows:

                                H.R. 799

       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 ``Appalachian Regional 
     Development Act Amendments of 2007''.

     SEC. 2. LIMITATION ON AVAILABLE AMOUNTS; MAXIMUM COMMISSION 
                   CONTRIBUTION.

       (a) Grants and Other Assistance.--Section 14321(a) of title 
     40, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking paragraph (1)(A)(i) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(i) the amount of the grant shall not exceed--

       ``(I) 50 percent of administrative expenses;
       ``(II) at the discretion of the Commission, if the grant is 
     to a local development district that has a charter or 
     authority that includes the economic development of a county 
     or a part of a county for which a distressed county 
     designation is in effect under section 14526, 75 percent of 
     administrative expenses; or
       ``(III) at the discretion of the Commission, if the grant 
     is to a local development district that has a charter or 
     authority that includes the economic development of a county 
     or a part of a county for which an at-risk county designation 
     is in effect under section 14526, 70 percent of 
     administrative expenses;''; and

       (2) by striking paragraph (2)(A) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B), 
     of the cost of any activity eligible for financial assistance 
     under this section, not more than--
       ``(i) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated 
     to carry out this subtitle;
       ``(ii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this subtitle; or
       ``(iii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this subtitle.''.
       (b) Demonstration Health Projects.--Section 14502 of title 
     40, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (d)(2) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(2) Limitation on available amounts.--Grants under this 
     section for the operation (including initial operating 
     amounts and operating deficits, which include the cost of 
     attracting, training, and retaining qualified personnel) of a 
     demonstration health project, whether or not constructed with 
     amounts authorized by this section, may be made for up to--
       ``(A) 50 percent of the cost of that operation;
       ``(B) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent of the cost of that 
     operation; or
       ``(C) in the case of a project to be carried out for a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent of the cost of that 
     operation.''; and
       (2) in subsection (f)--
       (A) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
     inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
       (B) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) At-risk counties.--The maximum Commission 
     contribution for a project to be carried out in a county for 
     which an at-risk county designation is in effect under 
     section 14526 may be increased to the lesser of--
       ``(A) 70 percent; or
       ``(B) the maximum Federal contribution percentage 
     authorized by this section.''.
       (c) Assistance for Proposed Low- and Middle-Income Housing 
     Projects.--Section 14503 of title 40, United States Code, is 
     amended--
       (1) by striking subsection (d)(1) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(1) Limitation on available amounts.--A loan under 
     subsection (b) for the cost of planning and obtaining 
     financing (including the cost of preliminary surveys and 
     analyses of market needs, preliminary site engineering and 
     architectural fees, site options, application and mortgage 
     commitment fees, legal fees, and construction loan fees and 
     discounts) of a project described in that subsection may be 
     made for up to--
       ``(A) 50 percent of that cost;
       ``(B) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent of that cost; or
       ``(C) in the case of a project to be carried out for a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent of that cost.''; and
       (2) by striking subsection (e)(1) and inserting the 
     following:
       ``(1) In general.--A grant under this section for expenses 
     incidental to planning and obtaining financing for a project 
     under this section that the Secretary considers to be 
     unrecoverable from the proceeds of a permanent loan made to 
     finance the project shall--
       ``(A) not be made to an organization established for 
     profit; and
       ``(B) except as provided in paragraph (2), not exceed--
       ``(i) 50 percent of those expenses;
       ``(ii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent of those expenses; or
       ``(iii) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent of those expenses.''.
       (d) Telecommunications and Technology Initiative.--Section 
     14504 of title 40, United States Code, is amended by striking 
     subsection (b) and inserting the following:
       ``(b) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any 
     activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more 
     than--
       ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated 
     to carry out this section;
       ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section; or
       ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section.''.

[[Page H7815]]

       (e) Entrepreneurship Initiative.--Section 14505 of title 
     40, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (c) 
     and inserting the following:
       ``(c) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any 
     activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more 
     than--
       ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated 
     to carry out this section;
       ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section; or
       ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section.''.
       (f) Regional Skills Partnerships.--Section 14506 of title 
     40, United States Code, is amended by striking subsection (d) 
     and inserting the following:
       ``(d) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any 
     activity eligible for a grant under this section, not more 
     than--
       ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated 
     to carry out this section;
       ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section; or
       ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section.''.
       (g) Supplements to Federal Grant Programs.--Section 
     14507(g) of title 40, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in paragraph (1) by striking ``paragraph (2)'' and 
     inserting ``paragraphs (2) and (3)''; and
       (2) by adding at the end the following:
       ``(3) At-risk counties.--The maximum Commission 
     contribution for a project to be carried out in a county for 
     which an at-risk county designation is in effect under 
     section 14526 may be increased to 70 percent.''.

     SEC. 3. ECONOMIC AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE.

       (a) In General.--Subchapter I of chapter 145 of subtitle IV 
     of title 40, United States Code, is amended by adding at the 
     end the following:

     ``Sec. 14508. Economic and energy development initiative

       ``(a) Projects To Be Assisted.--The Appalachian Regional 
     Commission may provide technical assistance, make grants, 
     enter into contracts, or otherwise provide amounts to persons 
     or entities in the Appalachian region for projects--
       ``(1) to promote energy efficiency in the region to enhance 
     its economic competitiveness;
       ``(2) to increase the use of renewable energy resources in 
     the region to produce alternative transportation fuels, 
     electricity, and heat; and
       ``(3) to support the development of conventional energy 
     resources in the region to produce alternative transportation 
     fuels, electricity, and heat.
       ``(b) Limitation on Available Amounts.--Of the cost of any 
     project eligible for a grant under this section, not more 
     than--
       ``(1) 50 percent may be provided from amounts appropriated 
     to carry out this section;
       ``(2) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which a distressed county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 80 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section; or
       ``(3) in the case of a project to be carried out in a 
     county for which an at-risk county designation is in effect 
     under section 14526, 70 percent may be provided from amounts 
     appropriated to carry out this section.
       ``(c) Sources of Assistance.--Assistance under this section 
     may be provided from amounts made available to carry out this 
     section in combination with amounts made available under 
     other Federal programs or from any other source.
       ``(d) Federal Share.--Notwithstanding any provision of law 
     limiting the Federal share under any other Federal program, 
     amounts made available to carry out this section may be used 
     to increase that Federal share, as the Commission decides is 
     appropriate.''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 145 of 
     title 40, United States Code, is amended by inserting after 
     the item relating to section 14507 the following:

``14508. Economic and energy development initiative.''.

     SEC. 4. DISTRESSED, AT-RISK, AND ECONOMICALLY STRONG 
                   COUNTIES.

       (a) Designation of At-Risk Counties.--Section 14526 of 
     title 40, United States Code, is amended--
       (1) in the section heading by inserting ``, at-risk,'' 
     after ``Distressed''; and
       (2) in subsection (a)(1)--
       (A) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C);
       (B) in subparagraph (A) by striking ``and'' at the end; and
       (C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:
       ``(B) designate as `at-risk counties' those counties in the 
     Appalachian region that are most at risk of becoming 
     economically distressed; and''.
       (b) Conforming Amendment.--The analysis for chapter 145 of 
     such title is amended by striking the item relating to 
     section 14526 and inserting the following:

``14526. Distressed, at-risk, and economically strong counties.''.

     SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) In General.--Section 14703(a) of title 40, United 
     States Code, is amended to read as follows:
       ``(a) In General.--In addition to amounts made available 
     under section 14501, there is authorized to be appropriated 
     to the Appalachian Regional Commission to carry out this 
     subtitle (other than section 14508)--
       ``(1) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2007;
       ``(2) $80,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
       ``(3) $85,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
       ``(4) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
       ``(5) $95,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.''.
       (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Section 14703(b) of 
     such title is amended to read as follows:
       ``(b) Economic and Energy Development Initiative.--In 
     addition to amounts made available under section 14501, there 
     is authorized to be appropriated to the Commission to carry 
     out section 14508 $12,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 
     through 2011.''.
       (c) Availability.--Section 14703(c) of such title is 
     amended by striking ``subsection (a)'' and by inserting 
     ``subsections (a) and (b)''.
       (d) Allocation of Funds.--Section 14703 of such title is 
     amended by adding at the end the following:
       ``(d) Allocation of Funds.--Funds approved by the 
     Commission for a project in a State in the Appalachian region 
     pursuant to congressional direction shall be derived from 
     such State's portion of the Commission's allocation of 
     appropriated amounts among the States.''.

     SEC. 6. TERMINATION.

       Section 14704 of title 40, United States Code, is amended 
     by striking ``2006'' and inserting ``2011''.

     SEC. 7. ADDITIONS TO APPALACHIAN REGION.

       (a) Kentucky.--Section 14102(a)(1)(C) of title 40, United 
     States Code, is amended--
       (1) by inserting ``Metcalfe,'' after ``Menifee,'';
       (2) by inserting ``Nicholas,'' after ``Morgan,''; and
       (3) by inserting ``Robertson,'' after ``Pulaski,''.
       (b) Ohio.--Section 14102(a)(1)(H) of such title is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting ``Ashtabula,'' after ``Adams,'';
       (2) by inserting ``Fayette,'' after ``Coshocton,'';
       (3) by inserting ``Mahoning,'' after ``Lawrence,''; and
       (4) by inserting ``Trumbull,'' after ``Scioto,''.
       (c) Tennessee.--Section 14102(a)(1)(K) of such title is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting ``Giles,'' after ``Franklin,''; and
       (2) by inserting ``Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln,'' after 
     ``Knox,''.
       (d) Virginia.--Section 14102(a)(1)(L) of such title is 
     amended--
       (1) by inserting ``Henry,'' after ``Grayson,''; and
       (2) by inserting ``Patrick,'' after ``Montgomery,''.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and the gentleman from Missouri (Mr. 
Graves) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from Texas.


                             General Leave

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous 
consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to 
revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous materials on 
H.R. 799.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 
such time as I may consume.
  I rise in strong support of H.R. 799, as amended, the Appalachian 
Regional Development Act Amendments of 2007, and thank Chairman 
Oberstar and Ranking Member Mica for their hard work and leadership in 
helping to bring this bill to the floor.
  The Appalachian Regional Commission, the ARC, strives to ensure the 
people and businesses of the Appalachian region have the knowledge, 
skills, abilities, and access to services necessary to compete in basic 
economic activities of the United States.
  Since its inception in 1965, the commission has been highly effective 
in meeting the goals of its mission. There is no doubt that it has 
compiled an impressive record of accomplishment in creating economic 
opportunity in Appalachia. Just as it has done since its inception, the 
ARC has proven it provides a fair return, both socially and 
economically, for the Federal Government's investment in the people of 
Appalachia.
  Consistent with the congressional leadership and interest in energy 
programs, H.R. 799 authorizes the ARC to

[[Page H7816]]

provide technical assistance, make grants, enter into contracts, or 
otherwise provide amounts in the Appalachian region for energy-
efficient projects or projects to increase the use of renewable energy 
resources.

                              {time}  1630

  This bill also authorizes the creation of at-risk counties, and 
further outlines the percentage of funds for which these counties are 
eligible. The authorized amounts build on the funds authorized in 
Public Law 107-149 and adjust the annual amounts for inflation. The 
bill authorizes appropriation for the commission's programs and 
expenses through the fiscal year 2011.
  H.R. 799, as amended, has strong bipartisan support, which 
acknowledges the ARC as a well-run and highly effective Federal/State 
partnership commission.
  I urge the passage of H.R. 799, as amended.
  Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  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.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield such time 
as he may consume to our chairman of the committee, Mr. Oberstar of 
Minnesota.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. I thank the gentlewoman, the Chair of our Water 
Resources Subcommittee, for standing in and carrying on while I was 
actually returning from Appalachia. And I thank the gentleman from 
Missouri, our ranking member on the subcommittee, for his strong 
support of all of the issues before our committee, and particularly 
these matters today.
  I was in Sunbury and Shamokin Dam in Pennsylvania with our colleague, 
Congressman Carney, in his portion of the Appalachian Regional 
Commission looking at the Economic Development Highway Program of ARC.
  Well, it's a long stretch from Minnesota to Appalachia, but the 
Appalachian region is an area that I have been associated with 
legislatively since I started here in the Congress 44 years ago as 
clerk of the Subcommittee on Rivers and Harbors, to the Committee on 
Public Works, predecessor to our Transportation and Infrastructure 
Committee.
  I was engaged then in the earliest stages of forming what we know 
today as the Economic Development Administration and the Appalachian 
Regional Commission. It was close on the heels of the designation by 
President John F. Kennedy of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Jr. to travel 
throughout the Appalachian region to assess the conditions of distress, 
to listen to the concerns of the communities throughout the 13-State 
region, and to provide him with a report and a road map on dealing with 
the needs of Appalachia.
  When John F. Kennedy went into the region, he found a region of 
poverty, a region of desolation. It struck him as worse than anything 
he had seen; a region he described as exploited by the coal barons, 
neglected by government and laid bare by ravages of the boom-and-bust 
cycles of coal mining.
  In President Kennedy's words: ``This is an area rich in potential. 
Its people are hardworking, intelligent, resourceful, capable of 
responding successfully to education and training. They are loyal to 
their homes, to their families, to their States and to their country.''
  ``The Appalachian region,'' he said, ``is well-endowed with potential 
water, mineral, forest and scenic resources. This region, properly 
developed and assisted by the Federal Government, can make a 
contribution to the Nation's well-being.''
  That was in 1960. Following the report of Franklin Roosevelt, Jr., 
President Kennedy shaped what we know today as the legislation that 
created the Appalachian Regional Commission, engineered into law by 
then-President Lyndon Johnson, authored in the Senate by Senator 
Jennings Randolph, and many cosponsors in the House, including my 
predecessor John Blotnick. At the time that John F. Kennedy made those 
observations, the way up for most people in Appalachia was a bus ticket 
north to Detroit or Chicago.
  The economy of Appalachia could well be described in those days as 80 
acres and a mule. When I traveled as a staff member into the region and 
saw that people were living in the hard pan areas, where there was no 
ground filtration for the sewage they were discharging into the creeks 
and streams, and in many places, generations of dysentery, where people 
were drinking their own sewage.
  The area needed highways, airports; it needed vocational training 
centers; it needed education systems; it needed health care centers; it 
needed the structure of what 150 years of neglect had denied that area. 
And through the establishment of the Appalachian Regional Commission 
and the Federal/State partnership that resulted from it, an area that 
in 1960, whose income amounted to 45 percent of the national average, 
today is up to 75 percent of the national average. Where homeownership 
was a luxury, it is now a reality. Where job creation was nonexistent, 
it has now returned to this area, fulfilling President Kennedy's 
promise that the region can make a contribution to the Nation's well-
being. And so it did exceedingly well.
  Over many years, there were efforts to kill Appalachia. I remember so 
vividly during a hearing that I conducted as Chair of the Economic 
Development Subcommittee many years ago that we held in eastern 
Kentucky and brought witnesses from throughout the region, including 
from Tennessee, and I remember Ms. Tilda Kemplan, director of a child 
resource center, testifying at our field hearing and saying, 
``Gentlemen, when you go back to Washington, try not to look at that 
dollar and see George Washington, but look over the top of the dollar 
and see a child and see our future.'' And that is what Appalachia has 
done. The Appalachian Regional Commission has caused us to look over 
the top of the dollar and to see a child and to see the future of the 
region.
  In another community we talked to members of the city council and the 
chamber of commerce. One of them said, very touchingly, ``Before the 
ARC, we were so far down we had to look up to see bottom, but now we 
see a future.'' And in another community in West Virginia, the mayor of 
the town took us to his small business. Congressman Nick Rahall was 
along, this was his district. And as the mayor and businessman 
explaining his operation and the need for road, for airport, for rail 
transportation, describing the needs and the good things that had been 
accomplished so far with the ARC, I looked at the wall behind the cash

[[Page H7817]]

register, and there was a sign that read: ``God never put nobody in a 
place too small to grow.''
  Appalachia has been growing, the counties throughout this region, 
growing and overcoming 150 years of neglect and decline; making 
investments, creating opportunities, building for the future. One of 
the reports about a decade ago by the commission, their annual report 
on progress, said: ``Halfway home and a long way to go.'' Well, there's 
still a long way to go, but the march forward has been much improved, 
vastly improved by the investments we have made in partnership with the 
States throughout this region.
  Continuing the investments, as we have done in the SAFETEA-LU 
Appalachia Backbone Highway Program at $470 million a year, continuing 
with the more than $400 million over the 4 years of the authorization 
in this bill, we will continue that partnership with the States, the 
communities, the neighborhood, the people of the Appalachian region. It 
is an investment of which all America can be proud, and of which all 
America has benefited.
  I thank the gentleman from Missouri, and, heck, my colleagues on the 
Republican side of the committee. Throughout this whole initiative from 
the 1960s, this has been a totally bipartisan effort. And I recall, 
especially during the Reagan years when the Reagan administration was 
proposing to abolish the ARC and Congressman Hal Rogers, the former 
chairman of the Commerce Subcommittee of appropriations, said, ``We're 
not going to let them wear us down. We're going to proceed. We're going 
to prevail. We have prevailed. Appalachia prevails. And America 
prevails with it.''
  Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 799, a bipartisan 
bill to improve the programs authorized by the Appalachian Regional 
Development Act of 1965 (P.L. 89-4) and reauthorize the Appalachian 
Regional Commission (``ARC'') for 5 years through FY 2011.
  The Appalachian Regional Commission was created to address economic 
issues and social problems of the Appalachian region as a part of 
President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society program. Historically, the 
Appalachian region has faced high levels of poverty and economic 
distress resulting from geographic isolation and inadequate 
infrastructure.
  As a regional economic development agency, ARC supports the 
development of Appalachia's economy and critical infrastructure to 
provide a climate for industry growth and job creation. ARC programs 
affect 406 counties located in 13 states, including all of West 
Virginia, and parts of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, 
Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South 
Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The Appalachian region covers nearly 
200,000 square miles and contains approximately 22 million people. 
Currently, of the 406 counties included in the ARC, 114 are considered 
to be distressed counties.
  Since its creation in 1965, ARC has administered a variety of 
programs to aid in the advancement of the region, including the 
creation of a highway system, enhancements in education and job 
training, and the development of water and sewer systems. ARC's funding 
and projects have contributed significantly to employment, health, and 
general economic development improvements in the region.
  Because of its efficiencies in decision-making and service delivery, 
ARC served as a model for the Delta Regional Authority. ARC is 
successful because it responds to identified and agreed upon needs, and 
is extremely flexible in its approach. According to research conducted 
by Brandow Co. and the Economic Development Research Group, three 
fourths of ARC infrastructure projects with specific business or job-
related goals met or exceeded formal projections. This is a very robust 
figure.
  H.R. 799 builds on more than four decades of economic development 
successes by providing additional, much-needed Federal investment in 
the region. The bill allows ARC to continue its economic development 
activities using such tools as the telecommunication and technology 
initiative, and the entrepreneurship initiation to improve the quality 
of life for the citizens of Appalachia. Further, the bill provides 
authority for the Commission to make technical assistance grants for 
energy efficient projects or projects to increase the use of renewable 
energy resources. This bill also authorizes the designation of ``at 
risk'' counties, which are counties in the Appalachian region that are 
most at risk of becoming economically distressed, and identifies the 
percentage of funds for which these counties are eligible.
  ARC's authorization expired at the end of FY 2006. During the 109th 
Congress, the Committee's bipartisan leadership introduced H.R. 5812, a 
bill reauthorizing ARC through FY 2011. Although the Senate passed S. 
2832 to reauthorize the ARC, the Senate-passed bill did not include the 
anti-earmarking provision of H.R. 5812. The House did not pass S. 2832 
and no further action was taken on H.R. 5812. This bill includes the 
anti-earmarking provision.
  I urge my colleagues to join us in supporting this bipartisan bill to 
reauthorize the Appalachian Regional Commission.
  Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I want to thank the chairman of the 
committee, Mr. Oberstar, for his remarks. They are very well put.
  I would now like to yield 5 minutes to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. 
LaTourette).
  Mr. LaTOURETTE. To the distinguished chairman of our full committee, 
I just want you to know how well your staff is taking care of you 
today. As we were calling up the bill, knowing you were traveling back, 
I didn't know you were coming from Appalachia, but Mr. McCarragher came 
over and said, ``Could you talk as long as possible so we can get the 
chairman back here?'' And now I don't have to do that, so I don't think 
I will need the full 5 minutes.
  I do want to remark on the ARC, Madam Speaker. No one can stand up 
and say that the vision of John F. Kennedy implemented by legislation 
in 1965 by Lyndon Johnson has not been a wonderful success in dealing 
with the abject poverty of the Appalachian region.
  The chairman rightly talked about the infrastructure part of our 
committee's assignments. But one of my favorite hearings, when I had 
the pleasure of being the chairman of the subcommittee, is when the ARC 
stakeholders would come in and talk to the Republicans and Democrats on 
the subcommittee. And aside from industrial parks, aside from roads, 
aside from bridges, aside from safe drinking water, they beamed with 
pride about how their graduation rates had improved and how the young 
people in their region were now taking pride in the education they were 
receiving, and they were graduating from high school at record numbers, 
something that would not have happened had it not been for the ARC.
  I came to the floor this afternoon to specifically thank the chairman 
of the full committee, Mr. Oberstar, and also the chairman of the 
subcommittee, Ms. Holmes Norton, together with Mr. Graves and Mr. Mica. 
One of John F. Kennedy's most oft quoted quotes is: ``A rising tide 
lifts all boats.'' And so Congressman Tim Ryan and I looked around and 
we saw, boy, everybody around us, to the east, to the south, to the 
west, seems to have participated wonderfully well in the Appalachian 
Regional Commission. And if you put a map of the Midwestern United 
States up, there's only a few little white squares, and they are 
regions that Congressman Ryan and I represent, Ashtabula, Trumbull and 
Mahoning County. We had a discussion with Chairman Oberstar during the 
course of the markup of this legislation, and it seems that Congressman 
Ryan and I weren't the only ones interested in this. And as a result of 
those discussions, Chairman Oberstar has added 13 additional counties 
to the purview of the Appalachian Regional Commission.
  So I came down today, Madam Speaker, to thank the chairman for 
working with us. And I firmly believe that the addition of these three 
counties in Ohio, together with the 10 counties located throughout the 
region, are going to permit our people in transitional counties to 
benefit the same way as other counties have benefited since 1965.

                              {time}  1645

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield such time 
as he may consume to the gentleman from Minnesota (Mr. Oberstar) for 
closing remarks.
  Mr. OBERSTAR. Madam Speaker, I greatly appreciate the remarks of the 
gentleman from Ohio. He did great service, Madam Speaker, during his 
chairmanship of the Economic Development Subcommittee in service to the 
needs of the Appalachian Regional Commission, the ARC, and the Federal 
Economic Development Administration programs throughout the country. 
Adding these counties is an appropriate and necessary step to help lift 
the region further toward the future of continued economic growth. I 
was very touched by the gentleman's remarks

[[Page H7818]]

about education and the increase in education rights. He spoke well and 
rightly.
  I do want to emphasize for the record, though, that included among 
all the many beneficial provisions of this bill is an important 
limitation on earmarking of funds within the ARC. In the past, and it 
has usually happened in conference, but also occasionally in the House 
appropriations bill, funds have been earmarked for one or another 
project which has undercut the effectiveness of the Federal-State 
partnership and the authenticity of the grass-roots up process of 
project designation, development and implementation. Using the 
appropriations process to direct funds has disadvantaged the other 
regions, of the other States within the region, and has devalued the 
funding that Congress has appropriated. More importantly, it devalues 
the Federal, State, and local partnership, the very effective grass-
roots up process of project selection within Appalachia. It says your 
judgment doesn't count. We know better. The authenticity and 
effectiveness of the ARC program derives exactly from its grass-roots 
initiative.
  So I was very insistent in the last Congress on finding a means by 
which we could thwart the earmarking. We have it in this bill. Our 
Senate counterparts have concurred that they want to follow this 
procedure. It will inure to the benefit of the Appalachian Regional 
Commission.
  Mr. RAHALL. Madam Speaker, I am today in support of H.R. 799, the 
Appalachian Regional Development Act Amendments of 2007. This long 
overdue legislation continues to promote every one of the southern West 
Virginia counties I represent, and indeed the entire State of West 
Virginia, as it is the only State which lies entirely within ARC 
jurisdiction.
  ``A rising tide,'' President Kennedy told us, ``lifts all boats.'' 
And so one of President Kennedy's legacies was created in 1965 with a 
unique mission to serve a unique part of the Nation, the Appalachian 
region.
  Historically, the counties of Appalachia have ``faced high levels of 
poverty and economic distress resulting from geographic isolation and 
inadequate infrastructure.''
  It was with these concerns in mind that ARC was created and it is 
these concerns ARC has been addressing vigorously for the past 40 
years.
  Take for example the area of transportation, a major focus for ARC. 
ARC was developed, in part, because of the severe isolation experienced 
in Appalachia and that in order to develop Appalachia and give its 
people an opportunity to compete, a system of highways was needed. 
Enter the Appalachian Development Highway System, which was created to 
serve the transportation needs of Appalachian residents by assisting in 
the construction of highways so critically needed by Appalachian 
communities for economic growth and development.
  The ADHS now encompasses over 3,000 miles of Appalachian highways and 
nearly 85 percent of those roads are complete or under construction. 
The ADHS is truly a success story for ARC and all of Appalachia. 
Despite the President's recent budget, which requests eliminating 
funding for the Appalachian Development Highway System, it is my strong 
conviction that this program be continued at the agreed upon level set 
forth in SAFETEA-LU.
  Before I leave this subject of transportation and the critical value 
of rural America's transportation network to our urban brothers and 
sisters, it is my sincere hope that rural America's voice will be loud 
and clear when it comes to funding schemes that would punish rural 
commuters and citizens who are forced by geography to drive long 
distances each day to and from their employment. It is an issue 
critical to the completion and maintenance of ARC development highways 
network.

  And while a major focus of ARC remains on highways and Appalachian 
transportation infrastructure, as the times have changed so has ARC.
  As much of the United States has been able to take advantage of the 
technological boom of the late 20th and early 21st centuries, 
Appalachia once again is in danger of being left behind and unable to 
compete in the global marketplace.
  In the most recent FCC data on high-speed connections for Internet 
access, released on January 31, 2007, you can track the Appalachian 
mountain range by just how spotty the provider coverage is on the FCC's 
provider map. In fact, in West Virginia it is significantly below the 
average in broadband use nationwide.
  Again, ARC is there to offer significant support, bringing broadband 
access to our communities, which is essential to leveling the playing 
field and giving our communities an opportunity to compete. Schools, 
businesses, local governments and individual homes all have benefited 
from ARC involvement in the expansion of broadband access in 
Appalachia, and continue to do so.
  I have been working with ARC, private telecommunications companies 
and local economic development leaders to bring broadband technology 
into southern West Virginia. For example, through the E-commerce 
training initiatives being offered by ARC and others we are working to 
connect local small businesses to broadband, opening doors to Internet 
sales and services that just weren't there a couple of years ago.
  It is ARC's ability to serve its mission by adapting its actions to 
fit the times that makes ARC such an invaluable resource to Appalachia 
and the Nation. From the Appalachian Development Highway System to the 
E-commerce and broadband initiatives, ARC continues to serve its 
mission by advocating for and partnering with the people of Appalachia 
to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and 
improved quality of life.
  I am also glad to see the integrity of ARC programs kept in tact by 
disallowing the use of earmarks in this legislation. I believe adoption 
of this provision is critical and will benefit all ARC member-states 
and the long-term viability of ARC itself. Additionally, I am pleased 
to see the bi-partisan support for this program which was displayed by 
the rejection of attempts to cut funding for it in the recent House 
passed FY08 Energy and Water Appropriations legislation.
  I applaud the efforts of Federal Co-Chair Anne Pope who, as a native 
daughter of Appalachia, executes so well the mission of ARC in each of 
Appalachia's communities. I have said this before and am happy to do so 
again on the record, Anne is one of the finest Federal Co-Chairs to 
ever serve the people of Appalachia and I look forward to our continued 
strong relationship serving the needs of southern West Virginians, 
together.
  I strongly support ARC, its mission and the incredibly successful 
initiatives it has undertaken to better the lives of the people of 
Appalachia and West Virginia.
  Mr. GRAVES. Madam Speaker, I have no other speakers, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Madam Speaker, I yield back the 
balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 799, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. PEARCE. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

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