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The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a Federal-State partnership whose mission it is to improve the quality of life for the residents of the Mississippi River Delta Region. The Delta Regional Authority serves 252 counties and parishes in parts of eight states: Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Led by a Federal Co-Chairman appointed by the President and the governors of the eight states, the DRA fosters partnerships throughout the region as it works to improve the Delta economy. DRA funds can be used to leverage other federal and state programs. Under federal law, at least 75 percent of DRA funds must be invested in economically distressed counties and parishes. Half of DRA funds are awarded for transportation and basic infrastructure improvements. ==About DRA== The 1990 report of the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission spurred efforts to direct federal economic assistance toward the Lower Mississippi River Valley region. The region, as defined in the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Act of 1988, consisted of 219 counties in Arkansas, Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kentucky, Missouri, and Illinois and was the poorest in the United States, with a poverty rate of 22% compared to a national rate of 12%. In 1998, President Bill Clinton, an Arkansas native, proposed channeling $26 million in federal aid to the region through the Appalachian Regional Commission, but Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice opposed the plan, fearing it would divert aid from the Appalachian Region, including several counties in northern Mississippi.〔 Instead, Congress funneled the allocation through the Department of Agriculture, but the Department said it was unable to comply with Congress' intent without more specific direction.〔 In 1999, Arkansas Democrats Senator Blanche Lincoln and Representative Marion Berry introduced the Delta Regional Authority Act of 1999 to create the Delta Regional Authority to administer funds allocated to the region.〔 The legislation was co-sponsored by Arkansas Republican Senator Tim Hutchinson, Tennessee Republican Senator Bill Frist, and Tennessee Democratic Representative Harold Ford, Jr..〔 Clinton announced in December 1999 that he would include $30 million in funding for the Authority in his next budget proposal.〔 Mississippi Republican Senator Thad Cochran become the leading voice against the legislation, opining that the money should be channeled to the Delta Region through existing agencies such as colleges and universities. In 2000, Congress established the Delta Regional Authority to enhance economic development and improve the quality of life for the residents of the Lower Mississippi River Delta region. The Delta Regional Authority is a regional economic development agency serving 252 counties and parishes in the following eight states: *Alabama *Arkansas *Illinois *Kentucky *Louisiana *Mississippi *Missouri *Tennessee The DRA is led by two presidential appointees, Federal Co-Chairman (FCC) and Alternate Federal Co-Chairman (AFCC), along with a State Co-Chairman and the governor of each participating state, the Delta Regional Authority is designed to remedy severe and chronic economic distress by stimulating economic development and fostering partnerships that will have a positive impact on the region’s economy. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Delta Regional Authority」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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