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1 1 (December 17, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govegfm0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Updated December 17,2021 Forming a Funded Federal Regional Commission The Infrastructure, Investment, and Jobs Act(IIJA, P.L. 117-58) included $5 million in funding for the Southeast Crescent Regional Commission (SCRC) and $1.25 million for the Southwest Border Regional Commis sion. Both commissions are authorized. However, the SBRC is not currently operational, and the SCRC was recently activated following the confirmation of the first SCRC federal co- chair in December 2021. Although appropriations are necessary for their full activation, they are also insufficient without additional steps. This In Focus describes potential additional steps that may be necessary for a federalregional commission to achieve full formation, and potential policy options for Congress as it continues to consider creating new federal regional commis sions and authorities. Background on the Federal Regional Commissions and Authorities Seven federalregional commissions and authorities have been authorized by Congress to address instances of major economic distressin geographically definedsocio- economic regions. Congress authorized the first federal regional commission, the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), in 1965. Additionalcommissions and authorities were founded in 1998 (the Denali Commission), 2000 (the Delta Regional Authority, or DRA), and 2002 (the Northern Great Plains Regional Authority, or NGPRA). The most recentcommissions-the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), the Southeast Crescent RegionalCommission (SCRC), and the Southwest Border Regional Commis s ion (SBRC)-were authorized in 2008. Four of the seven entities-the ARC, DRA, Denali, and NBRC-are active and receive annual appropriations. The NGPRA and SBRC are currently inactive. The NGPRA's authorization of appropriations lapsed in FY2018; it received one appropriation for $1.5 million in FY2004. The SCRC and SBRC have received annual appropriations, but are not yet fully active. The authorizing legislation for the SCRC and SBRC in the 2008 farm bill requires a presidentially-appointed federalco-chair, which has yetto occur for the SBRC. The U.S. Senate recently confirmed the SCRC's first federal co -chair, allowing the commission to convene and begin other activities. The sixregional commissions and authorities established after the ARC are all broadly modeled after its structure, which includes a federal co-chair, appointed by the President with Senate confirmation, and the member state governors, of which one is elected by the governors as state co-chair. Commission Funding, FY2021-FY2022 Prior to the enactment of the IIJA in FY2022, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (P.L. 116-260) included $250,000 for the SBRC-the first time it has received an appropriation since it was authorized in the 2008 farm bill (P.L. 110-234). As noted, the IIJA included $5 million for the SCRC, and in December2021, the U.S. Senate confirmed the first SCRC federal co -chair, The SCRC received an annual appropriation of $250,000 each year fromFY2010 through FY2020, and $1 million in FY2021. Table 1 summarizes funding amounts for the sixfederalregionalcommissions that have received appropriations in FY2021 and FY2022, along with the year authorized. Table 1. Funded Federal Regional Commissions at a Glance in reverse order of year enacted Year FY2021 FY2022 Enacted Appropriations Appropriations SBRC FY2008 $250,000 $1.25 million SCRC FY2008 $1 million $5 million NBRC FY2008 $30 million $150 million DRA FY2000 $30 million $150 million Denali FYI 998 $15 million $75 million ARC FYI 965 $180 million $200 million Source: Appropriations figures tabulated from P.L I I 6-260 and P.L 1I 7-58. Notes: Thefederal commissions listed in bold are considered to be currently active. FY2022appropriated fu ndingamou nts are from P.L I 17-58. FY2022amounts do not include funding providedthrough the annualappropriations process, as annual appropriations had not been enacted as of the date of publication. Steps for Commission Formation Appropriations to the SBRC and SCRC represents a first step towards their full formation and operation. However, several additionalsteps mustbe completed before a commission can be fully convened and active in a manner comparable to the other active federalregional commissions and authorities. These steps include, broadly: 1. The presidential appointment and Senate confirmation of a federal co-chair, and potentially an alternate federalco -chair; ~gressictiaI Research Set vice

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