United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1998-11-25 monographic deposited born digital 42 p. GA 1.13:RCED-99-29 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29 P0b002ee18039321d f:rc99029 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29 RCED-99-29 State-administered programs Community development programs Urban economic development Program evaluation Economically depressed areas Federal/state relations Block grants Rural economic development Business assistance HUD Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Program USDA Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Program Atlanta (GA) Baltimore (MD) New York (NY) Rio Grande Valley (TX) Social Services Block Grant Letter Report RCED In 1993, Congress authorized the 10-year Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Community Program to help distressed communities develop comprehensive approaches for dealing with their social and economic problems. In December 1994, more than 100 communities were designated as federal empowerment zones and enterprise communities. These communities will receive about $1 billion in federal grants, as well as tax benefits for businesses in the communities. Last year, Congress authorized the designation of 22 additional empowerment zones, two of which--Los Angeles and Cleveland--the administration has already designated. This report (1) examines the progress made by federal empowerment zones in implementing the program, (2) describes the steps taken by two responsible federal agencies--the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture--to monitor and evaluate the existing zones' progress, and (3) describes the status of steps to designate the second group of empowerment zones. GAO focuses on six zones--three urban (Atlanta, Baltimore, and New York City) and three rural (the Rio Grande Valley, the Kentucky Highlands, and the Mississippi Mid-Delta), all of which were designated in 1994. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29/html/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29/pdf/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29.pdf GAO/RCED-99-29 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-RCED-99-29 Letter Report GAO/RCED-99-29; Community Development: Progress on Economic Development Activities Varies Among the Empowerment Zones; State-administered programs Community development programs Urban economic development Program evaluation Economically depressed areas Federal/state relations Block grants Rural economic development Business assistance HUD Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Program USDA Rural Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Program Atlanta (GA) Baltimore (MD) New York (NY) Rio Grande Valley (TX) Social Services Block Grant Public Law 103-66 Public Law 105-34 Public Law 105-277