FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

SEC. 202. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. Section 2 of the Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1965 (40 U.S.C. App.) is amended by adding at the end the following: “(c) 1998 Findings and Purposes.— “(1) Findings.—Congress further finds and declares that, while substantial progress has been made in fulfilling many of the objectives of this Act, rapidly changing national and global economies over the past decade have created new problems and challenges for rural areas throughout the United States and especially for the Appalachian region. “(2) Purposes.—In addition to the purposes stated in subsections (a) and (b), it is the purpose of this Act— “(A) to assist the Appalachian region in— “(i) providing the infrastructure necessary for economic and human resource development; “(ii) developing the region’s industry; “(iii) building entrepreneurial communities; “(iv) generating a diversified regional economy; and “(v) making the region’s industrial and commercial resources more competitive in national and world markets; “(B) to provide a framework for coordinating Federal, State, and local initiatives to respond to the economic competitiveness challenges in the Appalachian region through— “(i) improving the skills of the region’s workforce; “(ii) adapting and applying new technologies for the region’s businesses; and “(iii) improving the access of the region’s businesses to the technical and financial resources necessary to development of the businesses; and 112 STAT. 3619 “(C) to address the needs of severely and persistently distressed areas of the Appalachian region and focus special attention on the areas of greatest need so as to provide a fairer opportunity for the people of the region to share the quality of life generally enjoyed by citizens across the United States.”.