(1) In general.— The Commission is authorized
(A) to make grants 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 any such grant shall not exceed 50 percent of such expenses,
(ii) no grants for administrative expenses shall be made for a State agency certified as a local development district for a period in excess of three years beginning on the date the initial grant is made for such development district, and
(iii) the local development district contributions for administrative expenses may be in cash or in kind, fairly evaluated, including but not limited to space, equipment, and services;
(B) to make grants for assistance to States for a period not in excess of two years to strengthen the State development planning process for the region and the coordination of State planning under this Act, the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965, as amended, and other Federal and State programs; and
(C) to make grants 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 such activities, which will further the purposes of this Act. Grant funds may be provided entirely from appropriations to carry out this section or in combination with funds available under other Federal or Federal grant-in-aid programs or from any other source. Notwithstanding any provision of law limiting the Federal share in any such other program, funds appropriated to carry out this section may be used to increase such Federal share, as the Commission determines appropriate.
(2) Cost sharing after september 30, 1998.—
(A) In general.— Except as provided in subparagraph (B), after September 30, 1998, 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
226) of the costs of any activity eligible for financial assistance under this section may be provided from funds appropriated to carry out this Act.
(B) Discretionary grants.—
(i) In general.—
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 exceed 10 percent of the amounts appropriated under section
401 for the fiscal year.
