,i #aacth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cief ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,january #bh1 #bjad,ms4 ,kelly of ,illinois introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,small ,business ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,small ,business ,investment ,act of #aieh to authorize the ,small ,business ,administrator to make grants for economic growth1 business retention and business recruitment to economically underserved communities4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,community ,investment and ,empowerment ,act4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to assist with the economic growth of economically disadvantaged communities that have potential for strong ,class #a commercial investment1 but continue to have a difficult time recruiting ,class #a commercial investment4 #c4 ,economic growth1 retention1 and recruitment of commercial investment in underserved communities ,the ,small ,business ,investment ,act of #aieh 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #ffa et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following new title3 ,,vi ,,economic ,,growth1 ,,retention1 ,,and ,,recruitment ,,of ,,commercial ,,investment ,,in ,,economically ,,disadvantaged ,,communities #eaa4 ,grant program 7a7 ,authorization ,from amounts appropriated under section #eac1 the ,administrator shall make grants on a competitive basis to communities for-- 7#a7 the creation of a grant and_/or revolving loan fund program that helps develop financing packages for ,class #a commercial investment2 7#b7 lowering real estate property tax rates2 7#c7 conducting community-wide market analysis to help recruit and_/or retain ,class #a commercial investment2 7#d7 creating employment training programs for ,class #a business customer service1 sales1 and managerial positions2 7#e7 retail marketing strategies to solicit new ,class #a commercial investment starts in the community2 7#f7 program allowances for activities such as the publication of marketing materials1 development of economic development web pages1 and educational outreach activities with retail trade associations2 and 7#g7 hiring business recruitment specialists4 7b7 ,eligibility ,the ,administrator may only make a grant under subsection 7a7 to communities that-- 7#a7 demographics include-- 7,a7 a median per capita income no higher than #ce1jjj2 and 7,b7 a lack of ,class #a commercial investment2 and 7#b7 submit an application at such time1 in such form1 and containing such information and assurances as the ,administrator may require1 including-- 7,a7 a description of how the community through the activities the community carries out with the grant funds will recruit1 retain and grow their economy through ,class #a commercial investment2 and 7,b7 a description of the difficulty the community has faced recruiting1 retaining and growing their economy through ,class #a commercial investment4 7c7 ,matching funds 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,administrator may not make a grant to a community under subsection 7a7 unless the community agrees that1 with respect to the costs to be incurred by the community in carrying out the activities for which the grant is awarded1 the community will make available non-,federal contributions in an amount equal to not less than #aj percent of the ,federal funds provided under the grant4 7#b7 ,satisfying matching requirements ,the non-,federal contributions required under paragraph 7#a7 may be-- 7,a7 in cash or in-kind1 including services1 fairly evaluated2 and 7,b7 from-- 7i7 any private source2 7ii7 a ,state or local governmental entity2 or 7iii7 a not-for-profit4 7#c7 ,waiver ,the ,administrator may waive or reduce the non-,federal contribution required by paragraph 7#a7 if the community involved demonstrates that the eligible entity cannot meet the contribution requirement due to financial hardship4 7d7 ,limitations ,funding appropriated under section #eac will be allocated by the following formula-- 7#a7 no more than up to #e percent of funds appropriated under section #eac shall go to administrative costs2 7#b7 up to #gj percent of funding appropriated under section #eac shall go toward activities described in sections 7a77#a7 through 7a77#d7 after taking into account administrative costs under section 7c77#a77;,a72 and 7#c7 #cj percent of funding appropriated under section #eac shall go toward activities described in sections 7a77#e7 through 7a77#g7 after taking into account administrative costs under section 7c77#a77;,a74 #eab4 ,definitions ,in this title1 the following definitions apply3 7#a7 ,community ,the term community means a governance structure that includes county1 parish1 city1 village1 township1 district or borough4 7#b7 ,class #a commercial investment ,the term ,class #a commercial investment means retail grocery chains1 food service retailers1 restaurants and franchises1 retail stores1 cafes1 shopping malls1 and other shops4 7#c7 economically underserved community ,the term economically underserved community means an area suffering from low income and resultant low purchasing power1 limiting its ability to generate sufficient goods and services to be used in exchange with other areas to meet current consumption needs4 #eac4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,administrator to carry out section #eaa7;a7 #dj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjad through #bjai4 4