HR 1909

1	House Resolution
2	A resolution in support of the federal initiative to
3	establish a regional approach to economic development in
4	the Southeast.
5
6	WHEREAS, several academic studies, including the December
7	2001 Southeast Crescent Authority: A Proposal for Economic
8	Growth in the Southeastern United States conducted by East
9	Carolina University, and the January 2003 Study on Persistent
10	Poverty by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Rural
11	Development Council, among others, have shown that there is a
12	region in the Southeast that has been persistently poor for
13	decades, and
14	WHEREAS, this region is the poorest region of the country,
15	and
16	WHEREAS, past policies for breaking the cycle of poverty in
17	the region have failed, and different approaches are needed, and
18	WHEREAS, all of the people of the 7-state region, including
19	Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
20	Carolina, and Virginia bear a tremendous burden from the
21	continuous cycle of poverty, and
22	WHEREAS, the region is economically disadvantaged as
23	compared with other regions in industry sectors when measured by
24	the production of goods and services per person, and
25	WHEREAS, the most highly distressed areas of the region
26	have a lower output of goods and services than either the
27	Appalachian Regional Commission or the Delta Regional Authority
28	counties, and
29	WHEREAS, these areas have an average annual household
30	income that is $2,000 less per person than the counties in the
31	Appalachian Regional Commission or Delta Regional Authority, and
32	a per capita annual income that is $5,000 less than the national
33	average, and
34	WHEREAS, the economy of the rural areas and components of
35	the urbanized South are at risk because they lack an able
36	workforce and the tools with which to build wealth, and
37	WHEREAS, the economic situation in the region will continue
38	to worsen unless the region gains the innate ability to produce
39	and sustain wealth through the creation of goods and services in
40	manufacturing, service, and agriculture, and
41	WHEREAS, critical gaps exist in education, health, housing,
42	transportation, technology, and sewer and water infrastructure
43	in the region, and
44	WHEREAS, despite its poverty, this region is not presently
45	served by a federally supported initiative similar to the
46	Appalachian Regional Commission, which has shown much success in
47	reducing economic distress through support for local job-
48	creation strategies and projects, and
49	WHEREAS, there is clear evidence of the need for a new
50	partnership between the states and the Federal Government to
51	break the cycle of poverty through targeted, strategic support
52	for local job-creation activities, NOW, THEREFORE,
53
54	Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
55	Florida:
56
57	That the House of Representatives supports the creation of
58	the Southeast Crescent Authority, or a similar regional entity,
59	as reflected in pending Congressional legislation.
60	BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this body pledges to work to
61	strengthen efforts in sharing information and to ensure that the
62	full participation of all residents of this region in the
63	workforce remains a priority.

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.