§15702 Distressed Counties and Areas

Summary

Each Commission must, within 90 days after this law starts and then every year, sort the counties in its region into four groups. They must name the worst and long-term poor counties as distressed, those with recent or less severe problems as transitional, and the rest as attainment. They must also mark places inside attainment counties that still have high poverty, unemployment, or people leaving as isolated areas of distress. At least 50 percent of the money the Commission gets for this subtitle must go to programs for distressed counties and those isolated areas. Normally money cannot be used for projects in attainment counties. Two exceptions are allowed: grants to pay local development district administrative costs under section 15505, and when the Commission waives the rule for a multicounty project that includes an attainment county or for other projects that clearly help places outside the attainment county. The waiver cannot be used for counties named in paragraph (2) or (3) of section 15735 or for the Southern New England Regional Commission. An isolated-area designation must be backed by the latest Federal data or, if none exists, the latest State data.