S292-118

Introduced

To amend title 40, United States Code, to modify certain requirements for Regional Commissions, to reauthorize the Northern Border Regional Commission, and for other purposes.

118th Congress Introduced Feb 7, 2023

Analysis under review: This bill has generated analysis that may be too generic or incomplete. Clause-level evidence remains available below.

Summary

What This Bill Does

This bill reauthorizes the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC), a federal-state partnership supporting economic development in rural counties along the U.S.-Canada border. It extends funding through 2032 at increased levels ($50-60 million annually), expands grant purposes to include climate adaptation and housing production, and creates new programs for state capacity building and demonstration health projects.

Who Benefits and How

Rural communities in northern Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont benefit from expanded economic development funding and new grant categories for housing, broadband, and infrastructure. Healthcare providers in the Northern Forest region gain access to grants for building and operating health facilities, with special emphasis on substance use disorder treatment. State governments gain capacity-building grants worth $5 million annually and greater flexibility in meeting non-Federal cost share requirements.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Federal taxpayers fund the $50-60 million annual appropriations plus additional program costs. The NBRC faces expanded administrative responsibilities for new programs and reporting requirements. States must submit annual work plans and reports to receive grants.

Key Provisions

  • Authorizes $50 million/year (2023-2027) and $60 million/year (2028-2032) for NBRC
  • Adds climate infrastructure and housing production to eligible grant purposes
  • Creates $5 million annual state capacity building grant program
  • Establishes demonstration health project grants with substance use disorder emphasis
  • Allows NBRC to accept fund transfers from other federal agencies

Evidence Chain:

This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers.

At a Glance

What This Bill Does

Reauthorizes and expands the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) to provide economic development, infrastructure, housing, and health services grants to rural counties in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont through 2032.

Key Policy Areas

Economic Development, Infrastructure, Healthcare, Housing, Regional Development

Primary Purpose

Reauthorizes and expands the Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC) to provide economic development, infrastructure, housing, and health services grants to rural counties in Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont through 2032.

Policy Domains

Economic Development Infrastructure Healthcare Housing Regional Development

Sections 4-6 - Grants and Funding

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Rural communities in northern border states
  • Construction and infrastructure industries
  • Housing developers
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: is

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Federal taxpayers
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: is

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Sections 2-3 - Commission Operations

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • State alternate members
  • Commission administrative staff
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: is

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • None significant
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: is

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Section 7 - Northern Forest Region Programs

Identified Gains
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • State economic development agencies
  • Healthcare providers in rural areas
  • Substance use treatment facilities
  • Local development districts
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: is

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Identified Costs
Contextual inference, no direct clause citation
  • Federal taxpayers
  • State administrative agencies
Model: N/A | Version: bill_summary_v2 | Source: is

Contextual inference, no direct clause citation

Legislative Progress

Introduced
Introduced Committee Passed
Feb 7, 2023

Mrs. Shaheen (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Schumer, Mr. King, …

Stakeholder Effects

cui bono?

How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.

State & Local Government
7 mentions across 7 clauses
+7 positive

Communities facing emergency economic distress, Distressed communities facing economic emergencies, Local governments with limited matching fund capacity

Government
4 mentions across 4 clauses
+3 positive ?1 uncertain

Northern Border Regional Commission, Regional commission administrative staff, Regional commissions

Construction
3 mentions across 2 clauses
+3 positive

Construction and infrastructure companies in northern border region, Healthcare construction contractors, Housing developers in rural northern communities

Nonprofits
2 mentions across 2 clauses
+2 positive

Grant recipients needing non-Federal match assistance, Nonprofit grant recipients

Economic Development Organizations
2 mentions across 2 clauses
+2 positive

Local development districts, Regional development organizations

Healthcare
2 mentions across 2 clauses
+2 positive

Rural healthcare providers in Northern Forest region, Rural hospitals and health centers in Northern Forest region

Substance Abuse Treatment Centers
2 mentions across 2 clauses
+2 positive

Substance use disorder treatment providers, Substance use treatment facilities

Telecommunications
2 mentions across 2 clauses
+2 positive

Broadband service providers in rural areas, Telemedicine and broadband infrastructure providers

12/13
sections analyzed
Full impact breakdown

Bill Structure & Actor Mappings

Who is "The Secretary" in each section?

Domains
Regional Development
Actor Mappings
"state_members"
→ State governors or their alternates from ME, NH, NY, VT
"the_commission"
→ Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)
"federal_cochairperson"
→ Federal Cochairperson of NBRC
Domains
Economic Development Infrastructure Housing
Actor Mappings
"the_commission"
→ Northern Border Regional Commission (NBRC)
Domains
Economic Development Healthcare
Actor Mappings
"NBRC"
→ Northern Border Regional Commission
"commission_state"
→ States of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont

Key Definitions

Terms defined in this bill

3 terms
"Northern Forest region" §15901

The counties included in the NBRC under section 15733 of title 40

"Commission State" §15902

Each of the States of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont

"eligible county" §15902_2

A county described in section 15733

We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.

Learn more about our methodology