Rep. Wyvetter H. Younge
Filed: 03/31/04
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1 | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 4640
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2 | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 4640 by replacing | ||||||
3 | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
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4 | "Section 1. Short title.
This Act may be cited as the | ||||||
5 | Community
Self-Revitalization Act.
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6 | Section 5. Findings and purpose.
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7 | (a) The General Assembly finds that:
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8 | (1) There is a great need for economic revitalization | ||||||
9 | in many communities
throughout this State.
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10 | (2) Each community has valuable resources at its | ||||||
11 | fingertips that can be
tapped in the revitalization | ||||||
12 | process.
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13 | (3) With adequate support and assistance from the State | ||||||
14 | and other
resources, each community can participate in and | ||||||
15 | shepherd its
own economic renewal.
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16 | (4) Successful redevelopment plans are based on policy | ||||||
17 | that is responsive
to the existing composition and | ||||||
18 | character of the economically distressed
community and | ||||||
19 | that allows and compels the community to participate in the
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20 | redevelopment planning process.
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21 | (5) A successful redevelopment initiative creates and | ||||||
22 | maintains a capable
and adaptable workforce, has access to | ||||||
23 | capital, has a sound fiscal base, has
adequate | ||||||
24 | infrastructure, has well-managed natural resources, and |
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1 | has an
attractive
quality of life.
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2 | (b) It is the purpose of this legislation to provide a | ||||||
3 | mechanism for an
economically distressed community to use in | ||||||
4 | its efforts to revitalize the
community.
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5 | Section 10. Definitions. As used in this Section:
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6 | "Community" means a municipality or a county with
respect | ||||||
7 | to the unincorporated areas of a county.
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8 | "Department" means the Department of Commerce and Economic | ||||||
9 | Opportunity.
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10 | "Economically distressed community" means (i) in the case | ||||||
11 | of a municipality with a population of 25,000 or more, a | ||||||
12 | municipality that is certified by the Department as being in | ||||||
13 | the highest 10% of all municipalities of 25,000 or more in the | ||||||
14 | State in its average annual total unemployment rate for the | ||||||
15 | last completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to | ||||||
16 | the most recent U.S. Census data available and (ii) in the case | ||||||
17 | of a municipality with a population of less than 25,000 or an | ||||||
18 | unincorporated area, a municipality or unincorporated area | ||||||
19 | that is located at least partly in a county that is certified | ||||||
20 | by the Department as being in the highest 10% of all counties | ||||||
21 | in its average annual total unemployment rate for the last | ||||||
22 | completed calendar year and its poverty rate, pursuant to the | ||||||
23 | most recent U.S. Census data available.
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24 | Section 15. Certification; Board of Economic Advisors.
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25 | (a) In order to receive the assistance as provided in this | ||||||
26 | Act, a community
shall
first, by
ordinance passed by its | ||||||
27 | corporate authorities, request that the Department
certify | ||||||
28 | that it is
an economically distressed community. The community | ||||||
29 | must submit a certified
copy of
the ordinance to the | ||||||
30 | Department. After review of the ordinance, if the
Department
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31 | determines that the community meets the requirements for | ||||||
32 | certification, the
Department
shall certify the community as an |
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1 | economically distressed community.
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2 | (b) A community that is certified by the Department as
an
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3 | economically
distressed community may appoint a Board of | ||||||
4 | Economic Advisors
to create and implement a revitalization plan | ||||||
5 | for the community. The Board
shall
consist of 12 members of the | ||||||
6 | community, appointed by the
mayor or the presiding officer of | ||||||
7 | the county or jointly by the presiding
officers of each
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8 | municipality and county that have joined to form a community | ||||||
9 | for the purposes
of
this Act.
The Board members shall be | ||||||
10 | appointed from
the 12 sectors
vital to
community redevelopment | ||||||
11 | as follows:
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12 | (1) A member representing households and families.
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13 | (2) A member representing religious organizations.
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14 | (3) A member representing educational institutions.
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15 | (4) A member representing daycare centers, care | ||||||
16 | centers for the
handicapped, and care centers for the | ||||||
17 | disadvantaged.
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18 | (5) A member representing community based | ||||||
19 | organizations such as
neighborhood improvement | ||||||
20 | associations.
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21 | (6) A member representing federal and State employment | ||||||
22 | service
systems, skill training centers, and placement | ||||||
23 | referrals.
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24 | (7) A member representing Masonic organizations, | ||||||
25 | fraternities, sororities,
and social clubs.
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26 | (8) A member representing hospitals, nursing homes, | ||||||
27 | senior citizens,
public health agencies, and funeral | ||||||
28 | homes.
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29 | (9) A member representing organized sports, parks, | ||||||
30 | parties, and games of
chance.
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31 | (10) A member representing political parties, clubs, | ||||||
32 | and affiliations, and
election related matters concerning | ||||||
33 | voter education and participation.
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34 | (11) A member representing the cultural aspects of the |
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1 | community,
including cultural events, lifestyles, | ||||||
2 | languages, music, visual and performing
arts,
and | ||||||
3 | literature.
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4 | (12) A member representing police and fire protection | ||||||
5 | agencies, prisons,
weapons systems, and the military | ||||||
6 | industrial complex.
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7 | The Board shall meet initially
within 30 days of its | ||||||
8 | appointment, shall select one member as chairperson at
its | ||||||
9 | initial meeting, and
shall
thereafter meet at the call of the | ||||||
10 | chairperson. Members of the Board shall
serve without
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11 | compensation but shall be reimbursed for their reasonable and | ||||||
12 | necessary
expenses from
funds available for that purpose.
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13 | (b) The Board shall create a 3-year to 5-year | ||||||
14 | revitalization plan for the
community.
The plan shall contain | ||||||
15 | distinct, measurable objectives for revitalization. The
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16 | objectives
shall be used to guide ongoing implementation of the | ||||||
17 | plan and to measure
progress
during the 3-year to 5-year | ||||||
18 | period. The Board shall work in a dynamic manner
defining goals
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19 | for the community based on the strengths and weaknesses of the | ||||||
20 | individual
sectors of the
community as presented by each member | ||||||
21 | of the Board. The Board shall meet
periodically and revise the | ||||||
22 | plan in light of the input from each member of
the
Board
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23 | concerning his or her respective sector of expertise. The | ||||||
24 | process shall be a
community
driven revitalization process, | ||||||
25 | with community-specific data determining the
direction and
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26 | scope of the revitalization.
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27 | Section 20. Action by the Board.
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28 | (a) Organize. The Board shall first assess the needs and | ||||||
29 | the resources of
the
community operating from the basic premise | ||||||
30 | that the family unit is the primary
unit of
community and that | ||||||
31 | the demand for goods and services from this residential
sector | ||||||
32 | is the
main source of recovery and growth for the redevelopment | ||||||
33 | of a community. The
Board
shall inventory community assets, |
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1 | including the condition of the family with
respect to
the role | ||||||
2 | of the family as workers, consumers, and investors. The Board | ||||||
3 | shall
inventory
the type and viability of businesses and | ||||||
4 | industries currently in the community.
In
compiling the | ||||||
5 | inventory, the Board shall rely on the input of each Board | ||||||
6 | member
with
respect to his or her expertise in a given sector | ||||||
7 | of the revitalization plan.
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8 | (b) Revitalize. In implementing the revitalization plan, | ||||||
9 | the Board shall
focus on
and build from existing resources in | ||||||
10 | the community, growing existing businesses
rather
than luring | ||||||
11 | business into the community from the outside. The Board shall | ||||||
12 | also
focus on
the residents themselves rather than jobs. The | ||||||
13 | Board shall promote investment
in training
residents in areas | ||||||
14 | that will lead to employment and in turn will bring revenue
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15 | into the
community.
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16 | (c) Mobilize. The Board shall engage in the dynamic process | ||||||
17 | of community
self-revitalization through a continuous | ||||||
18 | reassessment of the needs of the
community
in the
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19 | revitalization process. As each goal of the 3-year to 5-year | ||||||
20 | plan is achieved,
the
Board shall
draw from the resources of | ||||||
21 | its members to establish new goals and implement new
strategies | ||||||
22 | employing the lessons learned in the earlier stages of
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23 | revitalization.
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24 | (d) Advise. The Board shall Act as the liaison between the | ||||||
25 | community and the
local, county, and State Government. The | ||||||
26 | Board shall make use of the resources
of these
governmental | ||||||
27 | entities and shall provide counsel to each of these bodies with
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28 | respect to
economic development.
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29 | The Board shall also act as a liaison between private | ||||||
30 | business entities
located in
the community and the community | ||||||
31 | itself. The Board shall offer advice and
assistance to
these | ||||||
32 | entities when requested and provide incentives and support, | ||||||
33 | both economic
and
otherwise, to facilitate expansion and | ||||||
34 | further investment in the community by
the
businesses.
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1 | The Board shall annually submit a report to the General
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2 | Assembly and the Governor summarizing the accomplishments of | ||||||
3 | the community
concerning revitalization and the goals of the | ||||||
4 | community for future
revitalization.
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5 | Section 25. Funding sources.
Subject to appropriation, the | ||||||
6 | Department may make grants to
communities
that are certified as | ||||||
7 | economically distressed communities under this Act and
that | ||||||
8 | create a Board of Economic
Advisors
under this Act for the | ||||||
9 | operational expenses of the Board. The procedures for
grant
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10 | application shall be established by the Department
by rule.
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11 |
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12 | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | ||||||
13 | becoming law.".
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