Rural Infrastructure Development and Partnerships Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Infrastructure Development and 
Partnerships Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL PARTNERSHIPS OFFICE.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department of 
Agriculture a Rural Partnerships Office (in this section referred to as 
the ``Office'').
    (b) Head of Office.--The Office shall be headed by a Director 
appointed by the President.
    (c) Direct Reporting to Secretary of Agriculture.--The Director 
shall report directly to the Secretary of Agriculture (in this section 
referred to as the ``Secretary'').
    (d) Duties.--The Secretary, through the Rural Partnerships Office, 
shall do the following:
            (1) Rural partners program.--Establish and run a program to 
        provide technical assistance to improve delivery, financing, 
        operations, and maintenance of rural infrastructure, as 
        follows:
                    (A) Through a competitive process, select not more 
                than 5 organizations to serve as ``on-call'' providers 
                of on-site technical assistance to rural communities.
                    (B) Solicit applications from rural communities for 
                technical assistance with infrastructure planning, 
                asset management, life-cycle accounting, project 
                delivery, financing, regional coordination, and project 
                oversight.
                    (C) Require an application for technical assistance 
                from the program to include only a statement of the 
                type of assistance requested, and of how the applicant 
                believes the assistance would improve rural 
                infrastructure, and any other information necessary to 
                demonstrate the ability of the rural community to 
                participate in the program.
                    (D) Involve the Rural Liaison in each relevant 
                Federal agency in the review of each application for 
                technical assistance from the program.
                    (E) Assign a technical assistance team to each 
                applicant for technical assistance from the program 
                whose application is approved by the Secretary, which 
                shall provide the assistance for a period of not more 
                than 2 years, with the goal that technical assistance 
                personnel will be on-site in the rural community for a 
                significant portion of that period, and require the 
                team to submit to the Secretary and the Rural Liaison 
                in each relevant Federal agency quarterly reports which 
                summarize the activities of, and progress made by, the 
                team during the quarter, including an accounting of for 
                how much time the team spent in the community.
                    (F) Coordinate the program with the Rural Water and 
                Wastewater Circuit Rider Program carried out under 
                section 306(a)(22) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
                Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)), technical 
                assistance provided out under section 1442 of the Safe 
                Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300j-1), the program for 
                assistance for capacity building for community 
                development and affordable housing under section 4 of 
                the HUD Demonstration Act of 1993 (42 U.S.C. 9816 
                note), and any other activities under which technical 
                assistance may be provided so as to affect rural 
                infrastructure, in order to avoid duplication of 
                effort.
            (2) Best practices clearinghouse.--Establish an online 
        clearinghouse of best practices specifically targeted to rural 
        infrastructure planning, asset management, life-cycle 
        accounting, project delivery, funding and financing, regional 
        coordination, and project oversight, including resources 
        prepared by Federal agencies and other sources.
            (3) Grants.--Make grants to assist rural communities in 
        developing cost-effective infrastructure projects, with 
        particular focus on regionally coordinated or bundled projects, 
        and require an application for such a grant to include only 
        such documentation as is necessary to demonstrate the potential 
        for a viable project, and to be submitted by the State, local, 
        or regional governmental entity with primary responsibility for 
        the project.
            (4) Coordination of rural liasions.--Facilitate 
        coordination of the Rural Liaisons to develop, to the extent 
        practical, common guidelines for rural funding or financing 
        programs at the various Federal agencies, as well as to 
        identify opportunities to work across agencies to support rural 
        infrastructure needs.
            (5) Annual reports.--Within 60 days after the end of each 
        fiscal year, publish an annual report on the activities of the 
        Office during the preceding fiscal year, including the status 
        of activities funded or assisted under the technical assistance 
        program, and submit a copy of the report to the Committee on 
        Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
        on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate.

SEC. 3. RURAL LIAISONS.

    (a) Designation in Each Federal Agency.--The head of each Federal 
agency that provides financial assistance to a rural community for an 
activity related to rural infrastructure, shall designate a Rural 
Liaison in the agency.
    (b) Duties.--The Rural Liaison in a Federal agency shall do the 
following:
            (1) Review regulations of, guidance provided by, and 
        procedures of the agency to identify any that present a 
        hardship for a rural community, and recommend ways to alleviate 
        the hardship.
            (2) Participate in the review of applications referred to 
        in section 2(d)(1)(C).
            (3) Serve as an ombudsperson for any rural community to 
        which the agency is providing financial assistance, to help 
        address issues and resolve problems.
            (4) Meet regularly with other Rural Liaisons to coordinate 
        efforts and identify ways to work together to support rural 
        infrastructure needs.

SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Relevant federal agency.--The term ``relevant Federal 
        agency'' means, with respect to an application for technical 
        assistance, each Federal agency that provides financial 
        assistance to a rural community for an activity related to 
        rural infrastructure with respect to which the technical 
        assistance is sought.
            (2) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' means any area 
        located outside an urbanized area (as defined by the Bureau of 
        the Census) with a population of 50,000 or more.
            (3) Rural community.--The term ``rural community'' means 
        any community located in a rural area.
            (4) Rural infrastructure.--The term ``rural 
        infrastructure'' means surface, maritime, air transportation, 
        water, wastewater, broadband, and energy facilities and 
        operations, and public buildings, including schools, in a rural 
        area.

Summary: Rural Infrastructure Development and Partnerships Act This bill establishes within the Department of Agriculture a Rural Partnerships Office to be headed by a director appointed by the President. The duties of the office include: establishing and running a program to provide technical assistance to improve delivery, financing, operations, and maintenance of rural infrastructure, establishing an online clearinghouse of best practices. Providing grants to assist rural communities in developing cost-effective infrastructure projects. And coordinating activities of rural liaisons to develop guidelines for rural funding or financing programs at federal agencies and identify opportunities to work across agencies. The bill also requires each federal agency that provides financial assistance to a rural community for an activity related to rural infrastructure to designate a rural liaison to: review and make recommendations regarding regulations, guidance, and procedures that present hardships to rural communities, participate in reviewing applications for technical assistance, serve as an ombudsperson for rural communities. And meet regularly with other rural liaisons to coordinate efforts and identify ways to work together to support rural infrastructure needs.