Cicilline said he’s particularly interested in supporting renewable energy projects, the maritime economy, and boat and ship building, but he said final decisions would be made by the governors of the three states.

Cicilline, Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, and several other Democratic lawmakers are seeking to create the Southern New England Regional Commission, a federal-state partnership that could obtain significant federal aid in order to enhance infrastructure and transportation projects in the region.

PROVIDENCE — US Representative David Cicilline said Friday his proposal to create a regional economic development commission for Rhode Island, Southeastern Massachusetts, and parts of Connecticut could bring an infusion of federal funds to the area with few restrictions on how the money could be spent.


“We don’t have earmarks specifically anymore,” Cicilline said. “I think, in a lot of ways, these regional commissions have been a creative way to brings funds to states that comes with flexibility” in the ways the money can be used.

Under federal law, regional commissions must include a cochairperson appointed by the president and members include the governors of every state involved in the program. The commissions typically have an executive director and other administrative staff, with costs split between the states.

In 2008, during the Great Recession, the Northern Border Regional Commission was established to support economically distressed communities in northern Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York. The commission issued more than $11 million in grants in 2018, according to its annual report.

Some of the projects funded by the Northern Border Regional Commission last year were a food processing and testing facility for the production of mouse food formulas in one Maine community; improved workforce training at a community college in New Hampshire; a sewer line expansion in New York; and a new career academy at a high school in Vermont.


If Congress agrees to create the commission, Cicilline said he doesn’t expect funds to be set aside for improved train service between Providence and Boston, in part because Boston would not be included within the communities the commission would serve.

Instead, Cicilline said he’d like fund to benefit communities such as New Bedford and Fall River, and all of Rhode Island. He said improving bridges or transportation between Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island might be considered.

In a statement, Kennedy, who represents Southeastern Massachusetts, said “invisible borders” have too often forced “competition between friends that ultimately denies partners the opportunity to unify in pursuit of shared interests, federal investments and economic growth.”

“By creating this regional commission, we can unite the strengths of our region and build a better future that cannot be restrained by state borders,” he said.

While there is no guarantee the commission will win congressional approval, Cicilline and Kennedy found an influential cosponsor before the bill was introduced.

Representative Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat who signed on to support the commission, has said she plans to run to be chair of the powerful House Appropriations Committee after New York Representative Nita Lowey retires next year. Democrats would also need to maintain control of the House for DeLauro to have a chance to oversee the committee.

“The biggest economic challenge of our time is that people are in jobs that do not pay them enough to keep up with rising costs,” DeLauro said in a statement. “To address this problem, our federal government must work hand-in-hand with state and local authorities, and that is exactly what this bill would set in motion.”


Dan McGowan can be reached at dan.mcgowan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @danmcgowan.