Susan Molinari: “Mr. Chairman, I would just briefly like to rise in support of this amendment. In fact, there is strong precedent for…”

“Mr. Chairman, I would just briefly like to rise in support of this amendment. In fact, there is strong precedent for this type of decisionmaking to proceed now on the Federal level. I have right here a book that has been issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Agriculture called ``Building Communities Together, Empowerment Zones and Enterprise Communities Application Guide.'' In fact, in one chapter it states under ``Overcoming Federal Barriers'' the following: A primary goal of this initiative is to review the commitment to cooperation among the Federal Government, States, and localities. To accomplish this goal we will work with all communities that have submitted a strategic plan for change, even if they do not receive Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Community designation. The strategic point of this paragraph, though, reads as follows: ``We will strive to overcome programmatic, regulatory, and statutory impediments to encourage more effective economic, human, physical, environmental, and community development activities.'' So I think the gentleman's amendment relative to the Economic Development Agency is very consistent with movements that are taking place throughout the Federal Government, and I thank the gentleman for offering this very valuable amendment to plug a hole and initiate a very important discussion on the reauthorization of the EDA.”