(1) In general.— The Appalachian Regional Commission may make grants
(A) for administrative expenses, including the development of areawide plans or action programs and technical assistance activities, of local development districts, but
(i) the amount of a grant shall not exceed 50 percent of administrative expenses or, at the discretion of the Commission, 75 percent of administrative expenses if the grant is to a local development district that has a charter or authority that includes the economic development of a county or part of a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section
14526 of this title;
(ii) grants for administrative expenses shall not be made for a state agency certified as a local development district for a period of more than three years beginning on the date the initial grant is made for the development district; and
(iii) the local development district contributions for administrative expenses may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including space, equipment, and services;
(B) for assistance to States for a period of not more than two years to strengthen the state development planning process for the Appalachian region and the coordination of state planning under this subtitle, the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (
42 U.S.C.
3121 et seq.), and other federal and state programs; and
(C) for investigation, research, studies, evaluations, and assessments of needs, potentials, or attainments of the people of the region, technical assistance, training programs, demonstrations, and the construction of necessary facilities incident to those activities, which will further the purposes of this subtitle.
(2) Limitation on available amounts.—
(A) In general.— Except as provided in subparagraph (B), not more than 50 percent (or 80 percent in the case of a project to be carried out in a county for which a distressed county designation is in effect under section
14526 of this title) of the cost of any activity eligible for financial assistance under this section may be provided from amounts appropriated to carry out this subtitle.
(B) Discretionary grants.—
(i) Grants to which percentage limitation doesn’t apply.—
Discretionary grants made by the Commission to implement significant regional initiatives, to take advantage of special development opportunities, or to respond to emergency economic distress in the region may be made without regard to the percentage limitations specified in subparagraph (A).
(ii) Limitation on aggregate amount.— For each fiscal year, the aggregate amount of discretionary grants referred to in clause (i) shall not be more than 10 percent of the amount appropriated under section
14703 of this title for the fiscal year.
