Committee Serial No. 90-4. Considers H.R. 4446 and related bills, to examine proposals and accomplishments of Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1967.

In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson traveled to Kentucky's Martin County to declare war on poverty. The following year he signed the Appalachian Regional Development Act,creating a state-federal partnership to improve the region's economic prospects through better job opportunities, improved human capital, and enhanced transportation. As the focal point of domestic antipoverty efforts, Appalachia took on special symbolic as well as economic importance. Nearly half a century later, what are the results? Appalachian Legacy provides the answers. Led by James P. Ziliak, prominent economists and demographers map out the region's current status. They explore important questions, including how has Appalachia fared since the signing of ARDA in 1965? How does it now compare to the nation as a whole in key categories such as education, employment, and health? Was ARDA an effective place-based policy for ameliorating hardship in a troubled region, or is Appalachia stillmired in a poverty trap? And what lessons can we draw from the Appalachian experience? In addition to providing the reports of important research to help analysts, policymakers, scholars, and regional experts discern what works in fighting poverty, Appalachian Legacy is an important contribution to the economic history of the eastern United States.

During its 46-year history, the EDA has evolved from a cluster of programs targeted primarily to rural communities experiencing long-term economic depression to an agency that also assists urban areas and addresses issues confronting communities experience sudden economic dislocation. Contents of this report: (1) Precursors to the EDA; (2) Public Works and Econ. Develop. Act (PWEDA) of 1965: PWEDA Amend. of the 1970s; Title VII, EDA and Disaster Recovery; Title IX, Special Econ. Develop. and Adjust. Assist.; Title X and Other EDA Anti-recession Legislation; PWEDA Amend. of 1976; Redrafting EDA¿s Authority: PWEDA Amend. of 1998; Refining the 1998 Amend.; EDA Reauth. Act of 2004. This is a print on demand report.