[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 13]
[House]
[Page 17745]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         NEW MARKETS TAX CREDIT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Neal) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. NEAL. Mr. Speaker, let me also thank Reverend Cleaver. At his 
request, I campaigned with him and for him and did a series of Social 
Security events in his constituency. I spent the better part of 2 days 
with him, and I got an opportunity to see the regard and respect that 
he was held in by the citizens of Kansas City.
  Mr. Speaker, let me address the issue of extending the New Markets 
Tax Credit. I have fought for this program since its enactment in 2000 
because it's a cost-effective way to create jobs and drive investments 
in communities with high rates of poverty and unemployment. I've seen 
the amazing results of this initiative firsthand. Let me highlight just 
some of those Massachusetts projects.
  Let me first tell you a little bit about the New Markets Tax Credit. 
It was designed to stimulate investment and economic growth in low-
income communities that are traditionally overlooked by conventional 
capital markets. Since its enactment, the credit has generated $45 
billion in capital for projects in low-income communities that range 
from the first supermarket in a generation in southeast Washington, DC, 
to the restoration of one of the greatest acoustical houses in the 
world, the Colonial Theater in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Furthermore, 
New Markets' investments between 2003 and 2010 have been responsible 
for creating over 500,000 jobs in economically distressed communities 
across the country. These are remarkable results.
  Let me share with you another success story from back home that 
further explains why I'm a big supporter of New Markets: the Holyoke 
Public Library. Holyoke is a city in western Massachusetts with a 
population of about 40,000 people. From the late 19th century until the 
mid-20th century Holyoke was the world's biggest paper manufacturer. In 
fact, at one point there were 25 paper mills in operation in Holyoke, 
and that's how Holyoke got its nickname, ``The Paper City.''

                              {time}  1030

  However, this industrial city's fortunes ebbed when the paper mills 
closed, and Holyoke now has one-third of its population living below 
the poverty line.
  The Holyoke Public Library project is currently underway and involves 
renovating and expanding the 110-year-old library and transforming it 
into a 21st century education and training center.
  For many years, there had been very little funding available to 
maintain the facility itself. And, therefore, over time, the library 
has substantially aged and deteriorated. Today, nearly 40 percent of 
the library's interior is seriously compromised and inaccessible to the 
public. But thanks in large part to New Market's tax credit financing, 
the Holyoke Public Library is currently being renovated and modernized, 
and the new and improved library will provide critical public access to 
computers and the latest technology.
  New Market's tax credits are a good example of how public and private 
investment can be used to spur community and economic revitalization. 
New Market's tax credits expired at the end of last year. It's critical 
that the Congress not leave town until we, once again, extend this 
program and the opportunities that come with it.

                          ____________________