§ 3148 — Investment Priorities

(a) Subject to subsection (b), for a project to be eligible for assistance under this subchapter, the project shall be consistent with 1 or more of the following investment priorities: (1) Economic development planning or implementation projects that support development of public facilities, including basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, or telecommunications infrastructure. (2) Economic development planning or implementation projects that— (A) support job skills training to meet the hiring needs of the area in which the project is to be carried out and that result in well-paying jobs; or (B) otherwise promote labor force participation. (3) Economic development planning or implementation projects that— (A) support the development of innovation and entrepreneurship-related infrastructure; (B) promote business development and lending; or (C) foster the commercialization of new technologies that are creating technology-driven businesses and high-skilled, well-paying jobs of the future. (4) Economic development planning or implementation projects that enhance the ability of an area to withstand and recover from adverse short-term or long-term changes in economic conditions, including effects from industry contractions or economic impacts from natural disasters. (5) Economic development planning or implementation projects that encourage job creation, business expansion, technology and capital upgrades, and productivity growth in manufacturing, including efforts that contribute to the competitiveness and growth of domestic suppliers or the domestic production of innovative, high-value products and production technologies. (b) If the Secretary plans to use an investment priority that is not described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Environment and Public Works of the Senate and the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives a written notification that explains the basis for using that investment priority. (c) Nothing in this section waives any other requirement of this chapter.