[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
[September 9, 1993]
[Pages 1460-1462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Memorandum Establishing the President's Community Enterprise Board
September 9, 1993

Memorandum for the Vice President, the Secretary of the Treasury, the 
Attorney General, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of 
Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the 
Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and 
Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of 
Education, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the 
Director of National Drug Control Policy, the Administrator of the Small 
Business Administration, the Assistant to the President for Domestic 
Policy, the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, the Chair of 
the Council of Economic Advisers, the Director of the Office of 
Management and Budget

    The Vice President and I strongly believe that the best way to serve 
distressed communities in urban and rural America is through a 
comprehensive, coordinated, and integrated approach that combines 
bottom-up initiatives and private sector innovations with responsive 
Federal-State support. Today, I direct the Federal agencies to work 
cooperatively to implement this approach in a way that reflects the 
principles of the Vice President's National Performance Review--i.e., 
meeting the needs of local communities through a performance-measured, 
customer-driven philosophy and a cross-agency approach. I also hereby 
establish the President's Community Enterprise Board (``Board'') to 
advise and assist me in coordinating across agencies the various Federal 
programs available (or potentially available) to distressed communities 
and in developing further policies related to the successful 
implementation of our community empowerment efforts.
    The Vice President has agreed to chair this Board, and the Assistant 
to the President for Domestic Policy and the Assistant to the President 
for Economic Policy have agreed to serve as Vice-Chairs of the Board. I 
request the fol-


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lowing Administration officials to serve on this Board: the Secretary of 
the Treasury, the Attorney General, the Secretary of the Interior, the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of 
Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of 
Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary of Transportation, the 
Secretary of Education, the Administrator of the Environmental 
Protection Agency, the Director of National Drug Control Policy, the 
Administrator of the Small Business Administration, the Director of the 
Office of Management and Budget, and the Chair of the Council of 
Economic Advisers.
    The first task of the Board is to assist in the successful 
implementation of the Administration's empowerment zone legislation, 
Subchapter C of Title XIII of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 
1993, Public Law 103-66, ``Empowerment Zones, Enterprise Communities, 
and Rural Development Investment Areas.'' This Act authorizes the 
Secretaries of HUD and Agriculture to designate certain localities as 
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, thus enabling them to 
receive certain Federal funds and other benefits from the Federal 
Government.
    Other programs, old and new, are similarly beneficial to local 
communities. These programs, however, form an overly complex, 
categorical, unworkable, and ineffective response to the needs of 
distressed communities. I hereby direct the Board to review these 
programs in order to ascertain how we can make the entire Federal effort 
more responsive to the needs of distressed communities. In addition, 
with respect to the empowerment zones and enterprise communities, I 
direct the Secretary of the Treasury, the Attorney General, the 
Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary 
of Commerce, the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary 
of Transportation, the Secretary of Education, the Administrator of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Director of National Drug Control 
Policy, and the Administrator of the Small Business Administration to 
(1) identify, within 15 days of this directive, existing programs that 
further the goals and objectives set forth in this memorandum and the 
Act and (2) make available, to the extent permitted by law, funds from 
those programs for use in implementing the strategic plans of the 
designated empowerment zones and community enterprises.
    In order to advise and assist me regarding issues that relate to 
community development and empowerment, I request that each Board 
member--
    (a) Provide me with recommendations, consistent with Section 13301 
of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 (``OBRA'' or ``the 
Act''), on the criteria to be used for selection and designation of 
empowerment zones and enterprise communities, as set forth in Section 
13301 of the Act;
    (b) Identify additional legislative mandates that further the goals 
and objectives set forth in this memorandum and the Act and, where 
appropriate, develop for my consideration recommendations for further 
action;
    (c) Identify legislative mandates that may be impeding State, local, 
and tribal governments from meeting the goals and objectives set forth 
in this memorandum and the Act, and, where appropriate, develop for my 
consideration recommendations for further action; and
    (d) Consult with the Board regarding exemptions from regulatory 
mandates for which the member agency has jurisdiction and inform his or 
her decisions regarding any such exemptions with the recommendations of 
the Board.
    In addition, I direct each of the agencies to cooperate fully with 
the Chair, the Vice-Chairs, and the Secretaries of HUD and Agriculture 
in assisting designated zones and enterprise communities in successfully 
implementing their strategic plans under Section 13301 of the Act. This 
interagency effort shall, among other things, coordinate Federal 
assistance and support within each empowerment zone and enterprise 
community.
    In order to meet the goals and objectives set forth above, I also 
request the Secretary of HUD and the Secretary of Agriculture to consult 
with the Board regarding (1) the designation, under Section 13301 of the 
Act, of empowerment zones and enterprise communities and (2) possible 
revocation of designations, as set forth in Section 13301 of the Act.
    Finally, I direct the Secretaries of HUD, Agriculture, and HHS (in 
consultation with the Board) to take, by November 1, 1993, the 
appropriate regulatory measures to ensure that the use of all Title XX 
grants awarded under the Act meets the criteria of Section 13761 of the 
Act, including, specifically, that portion of Sub-


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section C that requires, among other things, localities to use Title XX 
grants (1) in accordance with the strategic plans approved by the 
Secretaries of HUD and Agriculture, (2) for activities that directly 
benefit the residents within the designated empowerment zones and 
enterprise communities, and (3) to promote economic independence for 
low-income families and individuals.
    With the Board members' commitment to achieving community 
empowerment and to providing our local communities with a single Federal 
forum, we will be able to assist distressed communities and American 
families all across urban and rural America in obtaining economic self-
sufficiency.

                                                      William J. Clinton