PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jun 16, 2017
Community Economic Assistance Act of 2017
This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the establishment of community economic assistance zones that are eligible for certain tax deductions and credits.
A zone must be nominated by the governor of the state where it is located and designated by the Department of the Treasury. A nominated area must:
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
have received a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice after December 31, 2014, and met other criteria related to loss of employment;
have been (or will be) seriously impacted by changes in trade through loss of employment; or
satisfy at least two specified conditions, including status as an energy-transitioning or low-income community and other factors related to employment and economic activity.
For businesses or individuals located in or investing in a zone, the bill allows:
an employment tax credit,
increased expensing,
nonrecognition of gain from certain investments,
a 3-year carryback of net operating losses,
a tax credit for bonds issued for a community economic development plan,
a 15-year depreciation period for certain rebuilt and retrofitted property,
an increased deduction for start-up expenditures, and
an increased new markets tax credit.
Treasury must approve community economic development plans using specified criteria and may award grants for assessments to develop the plans.
The Department of Commerce must deploy teams to provide support and assistance to a region if: (1) it is requested by the governor, and (2) the region is experiencing or threatened with an abrupt rise of unemployment or other specified economic hardships.
People & committees
Rep. Cartwright, Matt [D-PA-17] · D–PA
Legislative record
A procedural vote is different from passage. Passage in one chamber does not establish enactment. Explore the glossary.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Financial Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We currently store references to these documents.
Source last updated: Dec 4, 2025. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
AI Conversation Starters
Choose a perspective, copy a prompt, and paste it into your preferred AI. Each prompt includes the bill version and available official source links, and asks for counterarguments as well as supporting evidence.
Analyze H.R.2931 as objectively as possible. Explain its main provisions, who would be affected, possible benefits and harms, implementation, exceptions, and uncertainties. Present the strongest arguments for and against it, and identify evidence needed to assess its public impact.
Examine H.R.2931 through a progressive lens, focusing on fairness, access, economic inequality, and effects on vulnerable communities. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and distinguish stated goals from demonstrated outcomes.
Examine H.R.2931 through a conservative lens, focusing on fiscal responsibility, institutional stability, federalism, and the scope of government. Explain potential benefits, costs, and unintended consequences. Consider the strongest counterarguments and any provisions that challenge this perspective.
Examine H.R.2931 through a civil-liberties and limited-government lens. Consider individual rights, privacy, voluntary choice, accountability, and government power. Explain tradeoffs, possible safeguards, and the strongest counterarguments without assuming the proposal is beneficial or harmful.