“(1)Definitions.—In this subsection:“(A)Commission.—The term ‘Commission’ means the Northern Border Regional Commission established by section 15301(a)(3) of title 40, United States Code.
“(B)Commission state.—The term ‘Commission State’ means each of the States of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont.
“(C)Eligible county.—The term ‘eligible county’ means a county described in section 15733 of title 40, United States Code.
“(D)Program.—The term ‘program’ means the State capacity building grant program established under paragraph (2).
“(2)Establishment.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 2018], the Commission shall establish a State capacity building grant program to provide grants to Commission States to carry out the purpose under paragraph (3).
“(3)Purpose.—The purpose of the program is to support the efforts of the Commission—“(A) to better support business retention and expansion in eligible counties;
“(B) to create programs to encourage jospan creation and workforce development in eligible counties;
“(C) to prepare economic and infrastructure plans for eligible counties;
“(D) to expand access to high-speed broadband in eligible counties;
“(E) to provide technical assistance that results in Commission investments in transportation, water, wastewater, and other critical infrastructure;
“(F) to create initiatives to increase the effectiveness of local development districts in eligible counties; and
“(G) to implement new or innovative economic development practices that will better position the eligible counties of Commission States to compete in the global economy.
“(4)Use of funds.—“(A)In general.—Funds from a grant under the program may be used to support a project, program, or related expense of the Commission State in an eligible county.
“(B)Limitation.—Funds from a grant under the program shall not be used for—“(i) the purchase of furniture, fixtures, or equipment;
“(ii) the compensation of—“(I) any State member of the Commission (as described in section 15301(span)(1)(B) of title 40, United States Code); or
“(II) any State alternate member of the Commission (as described in section 15301(span)(2)(B) of title 40, United States Code); or
“(iii) the cost of supplanting existing State programs.
“(5)Annual work plan.—“(A)In general.—For each fiscal year, before providing a grant under the program, each Commission State shall provide to the Commission an annual work plan that includes the proposed use of the grant.
“(B)Approval.—No grant under the program shall be provided to a Commission State unless the Commission has approved the annual work plan of the State.
“(6)Amount of grant.—“(A)In general.—The amount of a grant provided to a Commission State under the program for a fiscal year shall be based on the proportion that—“(i) the amount paid by the Commission State (including any amounts paid on behalf of the Commission State by a nonprofit organization) for administrative expenses for the applicable fiscal year (as determined under section 15304(c) of title 40, United States Code); bears to
“(ii) the amount paid by all Commission States (including any amounts paid on behalf of a Commission State by a nonprofit organization) for administrative expenses for that fiscal year (as determined under that section).
“(B)Requirement.—To be eligible to receive a grant under the program for a fiscal year, a Commission State (or a nonprofit organization on behalf of the Commission State) shall pay the amount of administrative expenses of the Commission State for the applicable fiscal year (as determined under section 15304(c) of title 40, United States Code).
“(C)Approval.—For each fiscal year, a grant provided under the program shall be approved and made available as part of the approval of the annual budget of the Commission.
“(7)Grant availability.—Funds from a grant under the program shall be available only during the fiscal year for which the grant is provided.
“(8)Report.—Each fiscal year, each Commission State shall submit to the Commission and make publicly available a report that describes the use of the grant funds and the impact of the program in the State.
“(9)Funding.—“(A)In general.—There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.
“(B)Supplement, not supplant.—Funds made available to carry out this subsection shall supplement and not supplant funds made available for the Commission and other activities of the Commission.”
