S.Amdt. 1047

1. Adds SEC. 3708. FRONTIER COMMUNITIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT on page 731, between lines 6 and 7

   Adds a sectionPrinted page

   Inserted: SEC. 3708. FRONTIER COMMUNITIES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

   Inserted: (a) Definition of Frontier Community.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the Bureau of the Census and the Administrator of the Economic Research Service, shall promulgate regulations to define, for purposes of this section, the term 'frontier community'.

   Inserted: (2) Requirements.--The definition of 'frontier community' shall be based on a weighted matrix that uses population density, distance in miles and travel time in minutes from the nearest significant service center or market, and such other factors as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

   Inserted: (3) Identification.--The Secretary shall work with State executives, officials of nonmetropolitan local governments, and officials of federally recognized Indian tribes, as appropriate, to identify communities that qualify as 'frontier communities' based on the weighted matrix.

   Inserted: (4) Reconsideration process.--The Secretary shall establish a reconsideration process under which a community that has not been designated as a 'frontier community' may petition for designation.

   Inserted: (b) Reservation of Funds for Frontier Communities.--

   Inserted: (1) In general.--The Secretary shall reserve an amount of not less than 3 percent of all funds made available for a fiscal year for programs of the rural development mission area that provide grants, loans, or loan guarantees to communities, for the costs of making grants, loans, or loan guarantees to frontier communities in accordance with those programs and this section.

   Inserted: (2) Requirements.--

   Inserted: (A) In general.--Except as provided in subparagraph (B) and notwithstanding any other provision of this title, in making a grant, loan, or loan guarantee to a frontier community using funds reserved under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall apply the terms and conditions of the applicable rural development program.

   Inserted: (B) Exceptions.--The Secretary--

   Inserted: (i) in the case of grants and regardless of cost-sharing requirements in the underlying program, may make available a grant of up to 100 percent Federal cost share to frontier communities;

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   Inserted: (ii) for purposes of scoring grant applications, may not consider whether a frontier community belongs to a regional partnership; and

   Inserted: (iii) may not impose a minimum grant or loan amount requirement.

   Inserted: (3) Insufficient applications.--If funds reserved under paragraph (1) remain available due to insufficient applications after the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date on which the funds are reserved, the Secretary shall use the funds for the purposes for which the funds were originally made available.

   Inserted: (c) Capacity Building, Technical Assistance, and Project Planning.--

   Inserted: (1) Definition of eligible entity.--In this subsection, the term 'eligible entity' means--

   Inserted: (A) an association of counties;

   Inserted: (B) a council of State and local governments;

   Inserted: (C) a cooperative;

   Inserted: (D) an Indian tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b));

   Inserted: (E) a public agency;

   Inserted: (F) a community-based organization, intermediary organization, network, or coalition of community-based organizations that does not engage in activities prohibited under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; or

   Inserted: (G) a similar entity, as determined by the Secretary.

   Inserted: (2) Grants.--The Secretary shall make available to eligible entities grants to facilitate greater capacity for frontier communities to plan projects and acquire and manage loans and grants made available through rural development programs of the Department and other funding sources.

   Inserted: (3) Priority.--In considering grant applications under this subsection, the Secretary shall give higher priority to an eligible entity that, as determined by the Secretary--

   Inserted: (A) demonstrates an existing relationship with the frontier community intended to be served by the eligible entity; and

   Inserted: (B) is a local organization or government entity.

   Inserted: (4) Reservation of funds.--

   Inserted: (A) In general.--The Secretary shall reserve an amount of not more than 5 percent of all funds made available for programs of the rural development mission area for a fiscal year to make grants in accordance with this subsection.

   Inserted: (B) Insufficient applications.--If funds reserved under subparagraph (A) remain available due to insufficient applications after the end of the 180-day period beginning on the date on which the funds are reserved, the Secretary shall use the funds for the purposes for which the funds were originally made available.

   Original wording

   On page 731, between lines 6 and 7, insert the following:

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As printed