,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #cehe ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #bc1 #bjbe,mr4 ,ezell 7for himself and ,mr4 ,carter of ,louisiana7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,transportation and ,infrastructure1 and in addition to the ,committee on ,financial ,services1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,public ,works and ,economic ,development ,act of #aife to establish the ,capacity ,building for ,business ,districts ,pilot ,program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,capacity ,building for ,business ,districts ,pilot ,program ,act of #bjbe4 #b4 ,findings ,congress finds the following3 7#a7 ,vibrant and prosperous business districts are vital components of thriving communities1 providing critical commercial goods and services to community residents4 7#b7 ,business districts contribute to the vitality1 character1 and identity of urban neighborhoods1 small towns1 and rural and ,native communities4 7#c7 ,business districts drive entrepreneurship1 local business ownership1 economic growth1 and job creation4 7#d7 ,business districts are an essential part of the economic development ecosystem for towns1 cities and rural communities1 helping to attract consumers1 visitors1 new residents and new businesses to those communities and neighborhoods4 7#e7 ,locally based business district organizations are well positioned to provide technical assistance and support to small and underserved businesses1 while also helping to attract customers for those businesses by shaping and nurturing the physical environment of the business districts4 7#f7 ,locally based business district organizations need technical assistance and flexible capital to support their ongoing operations1 and cannot readily access these funds from existing programs at the ,economic ,development ,administration due to the relatively small scale and highly local scope of their operations4 7#g7 ,there exists a substantial number of intermediary organizations that are well positioned to receive and responsibly deploy funding from the ,economic ,development ,administration to currently unserved or underserved business district organizations for capacity building grants1 technical assistance1 training1 and dissemination of best practices4 #c4 ,capacity building for business districts pilot program ,section #bjg of the ,public ,works and ,economic ,development ,act of #aife 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cadg7 is amended-- 7#a7 in subsection 7a77#b7-- 7,a7 by redesignating subparagraph 7,i7 as subparagraph 7,j72 and 7,b7 in subparagraph 7,h7 by striking the and at the end and inserting the following3 7,i7 carrying out the pilot program established under subsection 7c72 and 2 and 7#b7 by adding at the end the following3 7c7 ,capacity building for business districts pilot program 7#a7 ,in general ,within the program authorized under subsection 7a71 the ,secretary shall establish a pilot program1 to be known as the ,capacity ,building for ,business ,districts ,pilot ,program4 7#b7 ,grants ,the ,secretary may award to specified recipients ,capacity ,building for ,business ,districts ,pilot ,program grants1 on a competitive basis1 to carry out place-based initiatives that provide specialized technical assistance1 capacity building1 and related services to eligible subrecipients that support business district revitalization in low-income1 rural1 minority and ,native communities4 7#c7 ,multiple awards ,in providing assistance under this subsection1 the ,secretary shall make multiple awards to multiple organizations4 7#d7 ,administration ,the ,secretary may not carry out this subsection through a regional office4 7#e7 ,prioritization ,the ,secretary shall ensure a broad geographic distribution of award activities1 and give priority to an applicant-- 7,a7 that would serve a distressed community in an area described under section #cja7;a71 including rural communities and ,indian ,tribes2 and 7,b7 that has the demonstrated capacity to serve multiple ,states or multiple geographies within a ,state4 7#f7 ,reporting ,specified recipients shall submit to the ,secretary 7at such time and in such manner as the ,secretary may prescribe1 but no more frequently than annually7 a report specifying-- 7,a7 the names and addresses of eligible subrecipients receiving services and support from the specified recipient2 7,b7 the use of funds by the specified recipient1 including direct technical assistance and pass-through grant funds2 7,c7 the use of funds by the eligible subrecipients1 including internal operations1 direct services to businesses1 and district revitalization activities2 7,d7 the specific geographic areas served by the eligible subrecipients2 7,e7 the name1 address1 and industry as determined by the ,north ,american ,industry ,classification ,system1 of each entity receiving assistance from eligible subrecipients2 7,f7 the total number of jobs created and retained during the reporting period2 and 7,g7 any other information as the ,secretary considers appropriate consistent with the findings under section #b of the ,capacity ,building for ,business ,districts ,pilot ,program ,act of #bjbe4 7#g7 ,term ,the term of an initial grant shall be for a period that the ,secretary determines appropriate for the proposed activities but not less than #b years4 7#h7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3 7,a7 ,business district ,the term business district means a geographic area1 which may have been designated as a business district by a ,state1 county1 regional or local unit of government1 that is characterized by dense development1 efficient land use1 and a concentration of small businesses1 economic activity1 and employment opportunities or an area that could contain such concentration1 including a rural main street or neighborhood commercial corridor4 7,b7 ,business district organization ,the term business district organization means a public or nonprofit entity located in a business district and established to provide services to the business district to promote the district1 attract private investment and create jobs1 and enhance the physical environment through property development and planning activities4 7,c7 ,capacity building ,the term capacity building means training1 education1 support1 advice1 and the provision of operating grants to enhance the technical and administrative capabilities of business district organizations4 7,d7 ,eligible subrecipient ,the term eligible subrecipient means a business district organization that-- 7i7 is an organization that-- 7,i7 is described in paragraph 7#c71 7#d71 7#e71 or 7#f7 of section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and is exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code2 or 7,,ii7 is a public entity2 and 7ii7 provides services to a business district located in an area described under section #cja7;a7 to support economic development1 including providing business support services and physical space enhancements to such district4 7,e7 ,specified recipient ,the term specified recipient means an organization that-- 7i7 is described in paragraph 7#c71 7#d71 7#e71 or 7#f7 of section #eja7;c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf and is exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of such ,code2 7ii7 operates1 including through affiliates1 membership networks or partnerships with third party entities1 in multiple geographic areas served by multiple regional offices of the ,economic ,development ,administration2 and 7iii7 has experience and expertise in providing technical assistance and executing capacity building programs in support of business district organizations and similar community-based organizations that focus on revitalizing business districts and commercial corridors1 including through support of underserved small businesses4 4