	Appalachian Regional Commission

		Legislative History

The Appalachian Regional Commission, created in 1965, is the oldest of the four regional commissions and authorities chartered by Congress to address development and related issues affecting multi-state regions and substate areas experiencing long-term economic distress and isolation. See the section on current funding and legislative issues for a discussion of this designation. First, the act amended Section 4(2) of the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Act to include Alabama as a full member of the Delta Regional Authority and identified nine Alabama counties to be included in the definition of the Lower Mississippi Delta region. Northern Great Plains Regional Authority

		Legislative History

On August 26, 1994, President Clinton signed into law the Northern Great Plains Rural Development Act ( P.L. Yet another characteristic that distinguishes the NGPRA from ARC and DRA (and the Denali Commission) is the creation of a non-profit entity to assist it in carrying out its mission.
This report examines the legislative history and design structure of the nation's four federally chartered regional commissions: the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Denali Commission (DC), the Delta Regional Authority (DRA), and the Northern Great Plains Regional Authority (NGPRA). For each of the four entities, this report includes a summary of the legislative history leading to its creation, its funding history, and a listing by state of political subdivisions included in its designated service areas. The report also identifies criteria a jurisdiction must meet in order to be designated as a recipient of funding, the structure of the governing authority charged with administering funds, and current funding and legislative issues, if any.