2000-12-14 Fact Sheet on Revitalizing Americas Underserved Communities

[The White House]

PRESIDENT CLINTON'S NEW MARKETS INITIATIVE:
REVITALIZING AMERICA'S UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES
December 14, 2000

Today, President Clinton is pleased to announce the passage of the
historic new bipartisan New Markets and Community Renewal initiative.
This announcement is the outcome of the commitment President Clinton and
Speaker Hastert made in Chicago last Nov. to develop a bipartisan
legislative initiative on New Markets and revitalizing impoverished
communities this year. This initiative will help encourage private
sector equity investment in underserved communities throughout the
country to ensure that all Americans share in our nation's economic
prosperity. The President's New Markets Initiative was originally
proposed in President Clinton and Vice-President Gore's FY 2000 budget.
President Clinton has highlighted the potential of the nation's New
Markets in three separate trips across America to underserved inner city
and rural communities like Newark, NJ, Hartford, CT, the Mississippi
Delta, Appalachia, and rural Arkansas, and the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation in S. Dakota.

THE KEY ELEMENTS OF THE LEGISLATION ARE:

NEW MARKETS INITIATIVES:
-- The New Markets Tax Credit. The credit will spur $15 billion in
equity investment for business growth in low- and moderate-income rural
and urban communities throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The
credit, worth over 30 percent of the amount invested (in present value
terms), will be available to taxpayers who invest in a wide range of
privately managed community development investment funds, such as
community development banks and other CDFIs, venture funds, and new
investment companies, that finance businesses in low- and
moderate-income communities.

-- New Markets Venture Capital (NMVC) Firms. NMVC firms will provide
incentives to increase the availability of venture capital in low and
moderate-income communities for small businesses. Expert guidance will
also be made available to small business entrepreneurs in inner city and
rural areas. Ten to twenty NMVC firms are planned. The agreement
authorizes the SBA to guarantee up to $150 million in loans that will
match $100 million in private equity for a total of $250 million and
provides $30 million in technical assistance for small businesses.

-- BusinessLINC (Learning, Investment, Networking and Collaboration).
The bill provides $7 million in funding for BusinessLINC -- an
innovative public-private partnership launched by Vice Pres. Gore -- and
designed to encourage large businesses to work with and mentor small
business owners and entrepreneurs in economically-distressed
communities.

EMPOWERMENT ZONES:
-- Strengthened & Expanded EZs. President Clinton and Vice President
Gore proposed and signed Empowerment Zone legislation in 1993
establishing 9 EZs across the country -- today there are 31 across
America. This agreement:
-- A third round of 9 new EZs, bringing the total number to 40, and
extends all EZs to 2009.
-- An additional $110 million, for a total of $200 million in
discretionary investment this year for existing EZs.
-- Expansion of 20% EZ wage credit (first $15,000 in annual wages for
each worker), increased small business expensing (up to $35,000 more
than in current law for equipment), and enhanced tax-exempt bonds to all
EZs.
-- Tax-free rollovers for EZ investments, and 60% capital gains
exclusion for investment in small EZ businesses.

RENEWAL COMMUNITIES:
-- The creation of 40 Renewal Communities designated by the U.S. Dept.
of Housing and Urban Development with targeted, pro-growth tax benefits.
Key incentives aimed at spurring investment in Renewal Communities
include:
-- Zero capital gains rate on the sales of certain assets held for more
than 5 years.
-- Increased small business expensing (up to $35,000 more than in
current law for equipment).
-- 15% employment wage credit (first $10,000 in annual income for each
worker).
-- Commercial revitalization deductions for taxpayers who revitalize
buildings in a Renewal Community.

In addition, the New Market/Renewal Communities legislation includes
these 2 provisions:

-- EXPANSION OF THE LOW INCOME HOUSING TAX CREDIT: To expand and
improve the supply of available low-income housing, This bill increases
the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit by more than 40% over two years and
then indexes the credit for inflation thereafter. The increase will
help to create an additional 180,000 units of affordable housing for
working families over the next five years. The credit will increase to
$1.50 per capita for each state in 2001 and $1.75 per capita in 2002.

-- INCREASE IN THE PRIVATE ACTIVITY BOND CAP: The legislation increases
the state private activity bond cap from $50 per resident to $75 per
resident, phased in from 2001 to 2002. Private activity bonds allow
states and municipalities to encourage economic growth in communities
through the issuing of lower cost tax exempt bonds.

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