[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2572 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2572

   To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 
authorize the Secretary of Commerce to make predevelopment grants, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 27, 2023

  Mr. Padilla (for himself and Mr. Cassidy) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Environment 
                            and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 
authorize the Secretary of Commerce to make predevelopment grants, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Economic Empowerment Through 
Predevelopment Act of 2023''.

SEC. 2. PREDEVELOPMENT GRANTS.

    (a) Predevelopment Grants.--
            (1) In general.--Title II of the Public Works and Economic 
        Development Act of 1965 is amended by inserting after section 
        207 (42 U.S.C. 3147) the following:

``SEC. 208. PREDEVELOPMENT GRANTS.

    ``(a) Predevelopment Grants.--On the application of an eligible 
recipient, the Secretary may make grants or cooperative agreements 
for--
            ``(1) community asset mapping;
            ``(2) training;
            ``(3) technical assistance and organizational development;
            ``(4) feasibility, environmental, and market studies;
            ``(5) demonstration projects;
            ``(6) organizational capacity building;
            ``(7) organizing and facilitating convenings;
            ``(8) permitting, including professional services; and
            ``(9) other predevelopment activities determined by the 
        Secretary to be appropriate.
    ``(b) Application Assistance.--In the case of a project under this 
section that provides assistance to 1 or more eligible recipients with 
low organizational capacity, as determined by the Secretary, the 
Secretary may waive the prohibition under section 213.''.
            (2) Cost sharing.--Section 204(c)(3) of the Public Works 
        and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3144(c)(3)) is 
        amended--
                    (A) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ``and 
                predevelopment grants'' after ``and technical 
                assistance''; and
                    (B) by striking ``section 207'' and inserting 
                ``section 207 or 208''.
            (3) Clerical amendment.--The table of contents contained in 
        section 1(b) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act 
        of 1965 (79 Stat. 552; 112 Stat. 3597; 118 Stat. 1761) is 
        amended by inserting after the item relating to section 207 the 
        following:

``Sec. 208. Predevelopment grants.''.
    (b) Conforming Amendments.--
            (1) Direct expenditure or redistribution by recipient.--
        Section 217(a) of the Public Works and Economic Development Act 
        of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3154c(a)) is amended by striking ``or 207'' 
        and inserting ``207, or 208''.
            (2) Powers of secretary.--Section 601(a)(12) of the Public 
        Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 
        3211(a)(12)) is amended by striking ``section 207'' and 
        inserting ``sections 207 and 208''.
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