PRIA, Government Policy, Made Personal

Summary

Each Commission must, within 90 days after this law is passed and every year after, sort counties in its region into four groups. Distressed counties are the worst off with long-term economic problems and high poverty, joblessness, or people leaving. Transitional counties have recent or continuing economic trouble or high poverty, joblessness, or outmigration. Attainment counties are the ones not labeled distressed or transitional. Isolated areas of distress are poor or high-unemployment pockets inside attainment counties. At least 50 percent of the money the Commission gets under this subtitle must go to projects for distressed counties and isolated areas of distress. Projects in attainment counties usually cannot get funds, except for grants for local development district administration (under section 15505), multicounty projects that include an attainment county, or other projects the Commission finds will help areas outside the attainment county. The exceptions do not apply to counties shown in paragraphs (2) or (3) of section 15735 or to the Southern New England Regional Commission. A designation of an isolated area of distress must use the latest Federal data or, if none, the latest State data.

Title 40, §15702

Public Buildings, Property, and Works, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Designations.—

Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, each Commission shall make the following designations:

(1)Distressed counties.—

The Commission shall designate as distressed counties those counties in its region that are the most severely and persistently economically distressed and underdeveloped and have high rates of poverty, unemployment, or outmigration.

(2)Transitional counties.—

The Commission shall designate as transitional counties those counties in its region that are economically distressed and underdeveloped or have recently suffered high rates of poverty, unemployment, or outmigration.

(3)Attainment counties.—

The Commission shall designate as attainment counties, those counties in its region that are not designated as distressed or transitional counties under this subsection.

(4)Isolated areas of distress.—

The Commission shall designate as isolated areas of distress, areas located in counties designated as attainment counties under paragraph (3) that have high rates of poverty, unemployment, or outmigration.

(b)Allocation.—

A Commission shall allocate at least 50 percent of the appropriations made available to the Commission to carry out this subtitle for programs and projects designed to serve the needs of distressed counties and isolated areas of distress in the region.

(c)Attainment Counties.—

(1)In general.—

Except as provided in paragraph (2), funds may not be provided under this subtitle for a project located in a county designated as an attainment county under subsection (a).

(2)Exceptions.—

(A)Administrative expenses of local development districts.—

The funding prohibition under paragraph (1) shall not apply to grants to fund the administrative expenses of local development districts under section 15505.

(B)Multicounty and other projects.—

A Commission may waive the application of the funding prohibition under paragraph (1) with respect to—

(i)a multicounty project that includes participation by an attainment county; and

(ii)any other type of project, if a Commission determines that the project could bring significant benefits to areas of the region outside an attainment county.

(3)Application.—

Paragraph (2) shall not apply to—

(A)a county described in paragraph (2) or (3) of section 15735; or

(B)the Southern New England Regional Commission.

(4)Isolated areas of distress.—

For a designation of an isolated area of distress to be effective, the designation shall be supported—

(A)by the most recent Federal data available; or

(B)if no recent Federal data are available, by the most recent data available through the government of the State in which the isolated area of distress is located.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The date of the enactment of this section, referred to in subsec. (a), is the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–246, which was approved June 18, 2008. Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 enacted identical sections. Pub. L. 110–234 was repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

Amendments

2025—Subsec. (c)(3). Pub. L. 118–272, § 2250(c), inserted dash after “to” in introductory provisions and subpar. (A) designation before “a county”, substituted “; or” for period at end, and added subpar. (B). Pub. L. 118–272, § 2249(c)(2), added par. (3). Former par. (3) redesignated (4). Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 118–272, § 2249(c)(1), redesignated par. (3) as (4).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

Section effective on the first day of the first fiscal year beginning after June 18, 2008, see section 14217(d) of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as a note under section 15101 of this title.

§15702 Distressed Counties and Areas