Economic Opportunity Act Amendments of 1981

(Reported to House from the Committee on Education and Labor with amendment, H. Rept. 97-69)

Economic Opportunity Act Amendments of 1981 - Amends the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 to include the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands within the definition of "State" for the purposes of such Act.

Title I: Research and Demonstrations - Permits the Director of the Community Services Administration to provide financial assistance through grants or contracts for research, demonstration, or pilot projects for urban and rural community development.

Requires the Director, as a part of the annual report to the Congress on the activities of such office, to submit a description for each fiscal year of the current plan of activities, together with a statement indicating the time and, to the extent feasible, the manner in which the benefits of such activities and findings are expected to be realized.

Requires the Director to develop and carry out pilot projects which are designed to: (1) aid low-income elderly persons to achieve greater self-sufficiency; (2) focus upon the problems of rural poverty; (3) develop new techniques and community-based efforts to prevent narcotics addiction or to rehabilitate narcotics addicts; (4) encourage the participation of private organizations other than nonprofit organizations, in programs under such Act; or (5) strengthen and maintain the family unit.

Requires the Director to conduct research and pilot projects designed to: (1) assure a more effective use of the human and natural resources of rural America and to slow the migration from rural areas due to lack of economic opportunity; and (2) suggest new programs and policies to achieve economic development of urban and rural low-income areas in such ways as to provide opportunities for employment, ownership, and a better quality of life for low-income community residents.

Authorizes appropriations to carry out such programs through fiscal year 1984.

Title II: Urban and Rural Community Action Programs - Makes the strengthening and support of the low-income family unit a purpose of such Act.

Establishes the National Center for Appropriate Technology, as a part of the Emergency Energy Conservation Services program, as a private, nonprofit organization to perform appropriate functions which are designed to further the adoption, extension, and use of appropriate energy technology for the primary purpose of meeting the needs of low-income individuals and community groups. Authorizes the Center to receive assistance from, and enter into contracts with, agencies and private organizations for the purposes of assisting the Center to carry out its functions.

Terminates the "Summer Youth Recreation" program under such Act. Establishes the "Youth and Family Development" program which shall be designed to strengthen and maintain low-income families and assist economically disadvantaged children and youth.

Makes the Northern Mariana Islands eligible for assistance under such Act for the development and implementation of community action programs. Requires the Director to reserve not more than five percent of the sums which are appropriated or allocated for assistance under such Act for allotment in accordance with such criteria and procedures as the Director may prescribe.

Directs the Director to utilize the criteria of poverty used by the Bureau of the Census in compiling the 1980 decennial census for the allotment of funds under such Act.

Terminates research for the development of new approaches to the problems of rural poverty.

Permits financial assistance under such Act to include funds to provide reimbursement of actual expenses for attendance at meetings of any community action governing board, neighborhood council, or committee meeting.

Increases, to $22,275, the amount of financial assistance that an employee engaged in carrying out community action program activities under such Act may receive per year.

Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1984 to carry out rural community action programs.

Title III: Special Programs to Combat Poverty in Rural Areas - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1984 to carry out special programs to combat poverty in rural areas.

Title IV: Assistance for Migrant and Other Seasonally Employed Farmworkers and Their Families - Requires the Director of the Community Services Administration to coordinate programs with the Office of Economic Development to assist or serve migrant and seasonal farmworkers.

Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1984 to provide assistance for migrant and other seasonally employed farmworkers and their families.

Title V: Head Start and Follow Through - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1986 to carry out the Head Start and Follow Through programs.

Requires that Indian and migrant Head Start program funding be increased or decreased to the same extent that overall appropriations for Head Start are increased or decreased except that in no instance may the increase exceed adjustments which reflect changes in the Consumer Price Index.

Extends such program through June 30, 1986.

Title VI: Administration and Coordination - Terminates the authorization of funds for the National Advisory Council on Economic Opportunity. Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1984 for administration and coordination of programs.

Eliminates the transfer of funds from one program or activity under such Act to any other program or activity.

Prohibits the release of any funds to any agency receiving financial assistance for work training, programs to combat poverty in rural areas, employment and investment incentives, administration and coordination, or community economic development until it has submitted to the Director a statement certifying that the assisted agency and its delegate agencies have established an accounting system with internal controls.

Requires the Director, within three months after the effective date of a grant to or contract of assistance with an organization, to provide for a preliminary audit survey to review and evaluate the adequacy of such accounting system and internal controls.

Requires the Director, not less than every two years, to provide for an audit of each organization receiving grants or contracts of assistance under such Act.

Title VII: Community Economic Development - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1984 to carry out community economic development programs.

Requires the National Advisory Community Investment Board to advise the Director of the Community Services Administration regarding the development of management capability standards for use in community development corporations. Permits each community development corporation to establish an advisory community investment board.

Prohibits the Director from providing financial assistance for any community economic development program unless the Director determines that: (1) the applicant has demonstrated management capabilities sufficient to create a probability that the program will operate in a manner which minimizes the prospect of financial failure; and (2) the applicant has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Director that adequate restraints on excessive administrative or expense accounts are in place.

Specifies that any community economic development program which fails to meet required development timetables because of deficiencies in management shall not receive any further funding. Prohibits funding for any community economic development program unless the Director determines that the applicant possesses adequate managerial expertise to utilize the loan funds effectively.

Requires community economic development programs to be designed to operate in communities with high concentrations of low income persons without utilizing funds received under this Act for establishing an unfair competitive advantage over private sector businesses operating in the same community. Prohibits any financial assistance from being extended for community economic development programs if the Director determines that the proposed activities of such a program are similar to or duplicative of, existing private sector businesses in the same area.

Terminates the requirement of a plan of action for the establishment of a Model Community Economic Development Finance Corporation.

Terminates the research and demonstration projects designed to suggest new programs to achieve the purposes of such Act in such ways as to provide opportunities for employment, ownership, and a better quality of life for low-income residents.

Title VIII: Native American Programs - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1984 to carry out Native American programs.

Title IX: Evaluation - Authorizes appropriations through fiscal year 1983 for program and project evaluation.

Title X: Miscellaneous Provisions - Makes technical and conforming amendments to the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.