A Message From Bill Clinton
President of the United States
or too long, the plight of America's inner cities and distressed rural communities was ignored. Private enterprise had abandoned these areas -- taking the deposit, but then moving the capital elsewhere. And the Federal government's top-down, prescriptive approach to helping poor communities didn't work.
The Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) initiative signals a new partnership between Washington and America's communities -- a partnership that recognizes the importance of a bottom-up revitalization process where people can seize opportunities for themselves. It targets $2.5 billion in federal tax incentives and $1.3 billion in flexible grant assistance to distressed urban and rural areas. Rather than imposing restrictive federal mandates on America's communities, this effort recognizes that local residents know best how to solve their neighborhood's problems. And it rewards communities that bring together many local partners -- residents, business people, state and local government, nonprofit institutions -- to make these solutions a reality.
In December 1994, Vice President Gore and I announced EZ/EC designations for 105 communities in 42 states. I have also asked the Vice President to chair the Community Empowerment Board, an interagency task force that is helping EZ/EC communities empower their residents and implement their visions for a better future. Since the EZ/EC designation, our Administration has been working diligently to reinvent the relationship between the federal government and America's communities. This home page is an important part of our efforts.
Bill Clinton
President of the United States
president@whitehouse.gov
Message from President Clinton
Video: Windows AVI (2.6Mb) | QuickTime | MPeg
Audio: RealAudio (13k) | Wav file (285k) | UNIX format (285k)
Message length: 13.2 seconds
Welcome to the EZ/EC . . . Feedback . . . EZ/EC Home Page
