WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Tuesday, U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee, welcomed West Virginia economic development district leaders to a committee business meeting as the panel voted to advance the Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024 by voice vote.

Shane Whitehair, the Executive Director of the Region VII Planning and Development Council based in Buckhannon, was among those in attendance.

Capito, alongside Chairman Tom Carper (D-Del.), Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.), and Mark Kelly (R-Ariz.), introduced the legislation that would reauthorize the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024 makes key reforms to modernize EDA’s core programs and authorizes activities such as workforce development and disaster assistance, and authorizes dedicated funding for the Assistance to Coal Communities program within the Economic Adjustment Assistance Program.

“Today, the EPW Committee took an important step for local communities across the country by passing the Economic Development Reauthorization Act of 2024,” ranking member Capito said. “This bipartisan legislation will help the EDA carry out its mission to drive investment, create jobs, and grow our local economies in West Virginia. I appreciate Chairman Carper, Senator Cramer, and Senator Kelly for joining in this effort to reauthorize the EDA, and look forward to working with them to advance the bill.”