119-hr3585

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3585 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 3585

 To amend the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 to 
 establish the Capacity Building for Business Districts Pilot Program, 
 and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 May 23, 2025

 Mr. Ezell (for himself and Mr. Carter of Louisiana) introduced the 
 following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Transportation 
 and Infrastructure, and in addition to the Committee on Financial 
Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 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 1965 to 
 establish the Capacity Building for Business Districts Pilot Program, 
 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 ``Capacity Building for Business 
Districts Pilot Program Act of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

 Congress finds the following:

    (1) Vibrant and prosperous business districts are vital 
 components of thriving communities, providing critical 
 commercial goods and services to community residents.

    (2) Business districts contribute to the vitality, 
 character, and identity of urban neighborhoods, small towns, 
 and rural and Native communities.

    (3) Business districts drive entrepreneurship, local 
 business ownership, economic growth, and job creation.

    (4) Business districts are an essential part of the 
 economic development ecosystem for towns, cities and rural 
 communities, helping to attract consumers, visitors, new 
 residents and new businesses to those communities and 
 neighborhoods.

    (5) Locally based business district organizations are well 
 positioned to provide technical assistance and support to small 
 and underserved businesses, while also helping to attract 
 customers for those businesses by shaping and nurturing the 
 physical environment of the business districts.

    (6) Locally based business district organizations need 
 technical assistance and flexible capital to support their 
 ongoing operations, 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 operations.

    (7) 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 grants, technical 
 assistance, training, and dissemination of best practices.

SEC. 3. CAPACITY BUILDING FOR BUSINESS DISTRICTS PILOT PROGRAM.

 

Section 207 of the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3147) is amended--

    (1) in subsection

    (a)

    (2) --
        (A) by redesignating subparagraph
            (I) as 
 subparagraph
        (J) ; and
        (B) in subparagraph
        (H) by striking the ``and'' at 
 the end and inserting the following:
 ``
            (I) carrying out the pilot program established 
 under subsection
            (c) ; and''; and

    (2) by adding at the end the following:
 ``
            (c) Capacity Building for Business Districts Pilot Program.--
 ``

    (1) In general.--Within the program authorized under 
 subsection

    (a) , the Secretary shall establish a pilot program, 
 to be known as the `Capacity Building for Business Districts 
 Pilot Program'.
 ``

    (2) Grants.--The Secretary may award to specified 
 recipients Capacity Building for Business Districts Pilot 
 Program grants, on a competitive basis, to carry out place-
 based initiatives that provide specialized technical 
 assistance, capacity building, and related services to eligible 
 subrecipients that support business district revitalization in 
 low-income, rural, minority and Native communities.
 ``

    (3) Multiple awards.--In providing assistance under this 
 subsection, the Secretary shall make multiple awards to 
 multiple organizations.
 ``

    (4) Administration.--The Secretary may not carry out this 
 subsection through a regional office.
 ``

    (5) Prioritization.--The Secretary shall ensure a broad 
 geographic distribution of award activities, and give priority 
 to an applicant--
 ``
        (A) that would serve a distressed community in an 
 area described under 

section 301

    (a) , including rural 
 communities and Indian Tribes; and
 ``
        (B) that has the demonstrated capacity to serve 
 multiple States or multiple geographies within a State.
 ``

    (6) Reporting.--Specified recipients shall submit to the 
 Secretary (at such time and in such manner as the Secretary may 
 prescribe, but no more frequently than annually) a report 
 specifying--
 ``
        (A) the names and addresses of eligible 
 subrecipients receiving services and support from the 
 specified recipient;
 ``
        (B) the use of funds by the specified recipient, 
 including direct technical assistance and pass-through 
 grant funds;
 ``
            (C) the use of funds by the eligible 
 subrecipients, including internal operations, direct 
 services to businesses, and district revitalization 
 activities;
 ``
            (D) the specific geographic areas served by the 
 eligible subrecipients;
 ``
        (E) the name, address, and industry as determined 
 by the North American Industry Classification System, 
 of each entity receiving assistance from eligible 
 subrecipients;
 ``
        (F) the total number of jobs created and retained 
 during the reporting period; and
 ``
        (G) any other information as the Secretary 
 considers appropriate consistent with the findings 
 under 

section 2 of the Capacity Building for Business 
 Districts Pilot Program Act of 2025.
 ``

    (7) 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 2 years.
 ``

    (8) === Definitions. ===
-In this subsection:
 ``
        (A) Business district.--The term `business 
 district' means a geographic area, which may have been 
 designated as a business district by a State, county, 
 regional or local unit of government, that is 
 characterized by dense development, efficient land use, 
 and a concentration of small businesses, economic 
 activity, and employment opportunities or an area that 
 could contain such concentration, including a rural 
 main street or neighborhood commercial corridor.
 ``
        (B) 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 district, attract private 
 investment and create jobs, and enhance the physical 
 environment through property development and planning 
 activities.
 ``
            (C) Capacity building.--The term `capacity 
 building' means training, education, support, advice, 
 and the provision of operating grants to enhance the 
 technical and administrative capabilities of business 
 district organizations.
 ``
            (D) Eligible subrecipient.--The term `eligible 
 subrecipient' means a business district organization 
 that--
 ``
            (i) is an organization that--
 ``
            (I) is described in paragraph

    (3) ,

    (4) ,

    (5) , or

    (6) of 

section 501
            (c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 
 and is exempt from taxation under 
 

section 501

    (a) of such Code; or
 ``
            (II) is a public entity; and
 ``
            (ii) provides services to a business 
 district located in an area described under 
 

section 301

    (a) to support economic development, 
 including providing business support services 
 and physical space enhancements to such 
 district.
 ``
        (E) Specified recipient.--The term `specified 
 recipient' means an organization that--
 ``
            (i) is described in paragraph

    (3) ,

    (4) ,

    (5) , or

    (6) of 

section 501
            (c) of the Internal 
 Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from 
 taxation under 

section 501

    (a) of such Code;
 ``
            (ii) operates, including through 
 affiliates, membership networks or partnerships 
 with third party entities, in multiple 
 geographic areas served by multiple regional 
 offices of the Economic Development 
 Administration; and
 ``
            (iii) 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 
 corridors, including through support of 
 underserved small businesses.''.
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