CDFA Virtual Summer School is offering three different training courses, all held online during August 1-4. Learn from expert practitioners and experience CDFA's most interactive educational event of the year! These courses also qualify for the CDFA Training Institute's Development Finance Certified Professional (DFCP) Program and scholarships are available.

Miami-Dade County commissioners are urging the Biden administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to act to lower interest rates on loans for the purchase of land for agricultural use. A resolution directs the county's federal lobbyists to advocate for the proposal and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs to amend the county's 2022 Federal Legislative Package to include this item.

U.S. Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith joined Senators Mark Warner and Chris Van Hollen, in introducing the Community Development Investment Tax Credit Act (S.4418). The legislation would promote economic development in rural, minority, and low-income communities through a tax credit structure to attract greater private-sector investments in CDFIs.

Members of the House of Representatives last week voted to pass the Water Resources Development Act of 2022 (WRDA). Area Congressman Josh Harder successfully fought to include four critical Central Valley water programs in this bipartisan legislation, including $200 million for water infrastructure in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties and new requirements for the Army Corps of Engineers to protect the Delta from harmful algal blooms.

U.S. Sen. Mark R. Warner (D-VA) was joined by Sens. Roger Wicker (R-MS), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) in introducing bipartisan legislation to promote lasting economic prosperity in Black, brown and low-income communities. This bill would help unlock more equity and long-term financial capital for community development financial institutions (CDFIs).

The House Appropriations Committee released the draft fiscal year 2023 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies funding bill, which will be considered in subcommittee. The legislation funds agencies and programs within the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Farm Credit Administration.

Widening geographic inequality in the United States has shifted federal policymakers' attention to investing in "places" as well as "people." Given the large proportion of rural places in the Appalachian Regional Commission, Delta Regional Authority, and Northern Border Regional Commission coverage areas, the use of "distress" by the commissions offers insights and lessons for reaching vulnerable rural communities.

A senator is asking colleagues on the powerful Appropriations Committee to include provisions in an upcoming spending bill to give small marijuana businesses fair access to federal Small Business Administration (SBA) loan programs and entrepreneurial development resources that are available to companies in any other industry.

Vermont legislators made record investments in rural communities, agriculture, and the environment. The Governor's Future of Agriculture Commission offered new policy and program recommendations, including a $40 million dollar Community Recovery and Revitalization program to invest in new infrastructure, such as storage, distribution, waste management and meat processing for Vermont companies.

In an effort to expand diversity in agriculture ranks, strengthen the farm sectors of the state's economy, and foster greater inclusion and equity for underserved populations, the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee advanced legislation that would direct the Department of Agriculture to establish a New Jersey Minority, Women, and Underserved Farmer Registry.

New Jersey is getting a new tranche of federal money to clean up Brownfield sites, land that was previously used mostly for industrial purposes and may have been contaminated. The bipartisan infrastructure law signed by President Biden last year provides New Jersey with $6.5 million of the $1.5 billion in funding.

America's global economic standing is under threat as digital disruption, the race for talent, and widening inequality both within and across regions challenge the nation's competitiveness. Meanwhile, the U.S. economy regularly confronts recessions, extreme weather events, supply chain breakdowns, and other shocks that disproportionately impact some local economies and further test the nation's collective ability to adapt and maintain economic resilience.

Economic Development Districts (EDD) play a vital role in the EDA grant application process. Comprised of multiple jurisdictions that often cross state lines, EDDs leverage the involvement of the public, private, and non-profit sectors to establish a strategic blueprint for economic development.

USDA announced the next steps in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) efforts to ensure that as part of President Biden's Justice40 Initiative. The programs that USDA identified as covered by the Justice40 Initiative are housed in four of USDA's eight mission areas: Farm Production and Conservation; Research, Education and Economics; Rural Development; and Natural Resources and Environment.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce announced that the EDA is awarding a $2.6 million grant to the National Association of Counties (NACo) to lead a coal-focused Community of Practice called the Building Resilient Economies in Coal Communities Initiative. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan.

In St. Louis, The Land Clearance for Redevelopment Authority of St. Louis County was selected for a $1.9 million grant for cleanups in disadvantaged areas, and the St. Louis Development Corporation was selected for $1 million for cleanup projects in Fountain Park, The Ville, Midtown, and North Riverfront.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture in coordination with the other federal agencies will develop a pilot program utilizing up to $65 million in American Rescue Plan funding to provide support for agricultural employers in implementing health and safety standards to promote a safe, healthy work environment for both U.S. workers and workers hired under the seasonal H-2A visa program.

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department's Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.6 million grant to the Maryland Department of Commerce, Baltimore, Maryland, to capitalize and administer a revolving loan fund that will serve small businesses throughout Maryland. This grant is funded by the American Rescue Plan.

State officials are awaiting approval of $81.7 million in federal aid that would be funneled to small businesses in underserved rural areas of Arkansas, including $10 billion for the national State Small Business Credit Initiative. About 60% of the funds are slated for venture-capital efforts that support technology-based companies, and the remaining 40% will be distributed to small businesses, including socially and economically disadvantaged companies.