II 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 486 

To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to 

establish the Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration and to 

amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to establish 

the Rural Future Partnership Fund to invest in the rural areas of 

the United States to achieve their preferred future while maximizing 

their contribution to the well-being of the United States, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 25, 2021 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Ms. SMITH, Mr. BOOKER, Mr. DURBIN, and 

Mr. CASEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the Department of Agriculture Reorganization 

Act of 1994 to establish the Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration and to amend the Consolidated 

Farm and Rural Development Act to establish the Rural 

Future Partnership Fund to invest in the rural areas 

of the United States to achieve their preferred future 

while maximizing their contribution to the well-being of 

the United States, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rebuild Rural America 

3 Act of 2021’’. 

4 SEC. 2. PURPOSES. 

5 The purposes of this Act are— 

6 (1) to create the scale and capacity that enables 

7 rural areas to achieve their preferred future while 

8 maximizing their contribution to the well-being of 

9 the United States; 

10 (2) to recognize the significant contributions of 

11 rural areas of the United States to the success of 

12 the United States, including the leading role that 

13 the rural areas play in addressing the critical threat 

14 of climate change and building a resilient United 

15 States; 

16 (3) to make a national commitment to the rural 

17 communities and regions of the United States to en18 sure that the rural United States benefits from and 

19 contributes to the prosperity of the United States; 

20 (4) to establish a partnership with rural areas 

21 of the United States that provides flexible, long22 term, and annual Federal investment for comprehen23 sive, collaborative, and locally driven community and 

24 economic development that improves quality of life 

25 and economic competitiveness; 


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1 (5) to strengthen rural population centers 

2 through collaboration with neighboring rural areas 

3 that ensures economic integration and regional de4 velopment; 

5 (6) to strengthen connections between rural and 

6 urban areas of the United States for mutual success 

7 and for the benefit of the economy of the United 

8 States and the quality of life of the people of the 

9 United States; 

10 (7) to support asset-based development, maxi11 mizing the cost-effectiveness of existing infrastruc12 ture; 

13 (8) to ensure economic opportunities that create 

14 pathways to high-quality, family-sustaining jobs for 

15 all individuals in rural areas of the United States, 

16 including efforts to address population loss, to pro17 mote the use of cooperatives and other forms of pub18 lic and employee ownership, and to expand and im19 prove access to training, infrastructure, and invest20 ment to adapt to technological change, such as auto21 mation, for success in the digital economy; 

22 (9) to provide for the evolution and expansion 

23 of the role of the Department of Agriculture in en24 suring that rural communities have a dedicated 

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1 ance for disaster recovery and proactive mitigation 

2 and resiliency efforts; 

3 (10) to rebuild and modernize infrastructure 

4 and expand investment to support local and regional 

5 food systems, sustainable agriculture production, 

6 and value added agricultural industries; 

7 (11) to support infill development, preserve un8 developed land, and remediate brownfields and other 

9 contaminated properties for re-use; and 

10 (12) to support public health and improve qual11 ity of life in rural communities by delivering— 

12 (A) universal access to clean air and water; 

13 (B) healthy foods available through local 

14 and regional food systems; 

15 (C) quality, affordable, and accessible 

16 health care services in the rural communities, 

17 including access to primary and emergency 

18 medical services, mental health care, and treat19 ment for substance abuse; 

20 (D) affordable and reliable clean energy 

21 systems; and 

22 (E) quality, affordable, and energy-effi23 cient housing choices in the rural communities. 


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1 SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF RURAL INNOVATION AND 

2 PARTNERSHIP ADMINISTRATION. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle C of the Department of 

4 Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6941 

5 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 237. RURAL INNOVATION AND PARTNERSHIP ADMIN7 ISTRATION. 

8 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall estab9 lish in the Department a Rural Innovation and Partner10 ship Administration (referred to in this section as the ‘Ad11 ministration’). 

12 ‘‘(b) ADMINISTRATOR.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Administration shall 

14 be headed by an Administrator of Rural Innovation 

15 and Partnerships (referred to in this section as the 

16 ‘Administrator’), who shall be appointed by the Sec17 retary. 

18 ‘‘(2) REPORTING TO UNDER SECRETARY.—The 

19 Administrator shall report to the Under Secretary 

20 for Rural Development. 

21 ‘‘(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Secretary shall carry out 

22 through the Administration the functions of the Rural Fu23 ture Partnership Fund established under subtitle I of the 

24 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act. 

25 ‘‘(d) REQUIREMENT FOR STATE OFFICES.—In car26 rying out the functions of the Administration, the SecVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S486.IS S486

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1 retary shall ensure that each State office of the rural de2 velopment mission area is staffed with not less than 3 new 

3 employees to implement the Rural Future Partnership 

4 Fund established under subtitle I of the Consolidated 

5 Farm and Rural Development Act, including providing— 

6 ‘‘(1) technical assistance; 

7 ‘‘(2) support for capacity building; 

8 ‘‘(3) financial controls; and 

9 ‘‘(4) performance oversight. 

10 ‘‘(e) COORDINATION WITH COUNCIL ON RURAL COM11 MUNITY INNOVATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.— 

12 In carrying out the functions of the Administration, the 

13 Administrator shall coordinate with the Council on Rural 

14 Community Innovation and Economic Development estab15 lished by section 6306 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

16 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3).’’. 

17 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

18 (1) Section 296(b) of the Department of Agri19 culture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

20 7014(b)) is amended by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(11) The authority of the Secretary to estab23 lish and maintain in the Department the Rural In24 novation and Partnership Administration under sec25 tion 237.’’. 


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1 (2) Section 6306(f) of the Agriculture Improve2 ment Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3(f)) is amend3 ed— 

4 (A) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 

5 the end; 

6 (B) in paragraph (5)(B), by striking the 

7 period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (C) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(6) give priority to coordinating with the Ad10 ministrator of Rural Innovation and Partnerships in 

11 carrying out the Rural Future Partnership Fund es12 tablished under subtitle I of the Consolidated Farm 

13 and Rural Development Act.’’. 

14 SEC. 4. RURAL FUTURE PARTNERSHIP FUND. 

15 The Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 

16 (7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

17 the following: 

18 ‘‘Subtitle I—Rural Future 

19 Partnership Fund 

20 ‘‘SEC. 385A. DEFINITIONS. 

21 ‘‘In this subtitle: 

22 ‘‘(1) COUNCIL.—The term ‘Council’ means a 

23 rural partnership council established under para24 graph (1)(A)(i), (2)(A)(i), or (3)(A)(i), as applicable, 

25 of section 385C(a). 


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1 ‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PRO2 VIDER.—The term ‘eligible technical assistance pro3 vider’ means an entity— 

4 ‘‘(A) with a demonstrated national or re5 gional structure or capacity to deliver and sup6 port multiple rural planning activities across 

7 the United States or within a region of the 

8 United States; and 

9 ‘‘(B) that is— 

10 ‘‘(i) a federally recognized Indian 

11 Tribe; 

12 ‘‘(ii) an institution of higher edu13 cation; 

14 ‘‘(iii) a nonprofit organization; or 

15 ‘‘(iv) a private organization. 

16 ‘‘(3) FUND.—The term ‘Fund’ means the Rural 

17 Future Partnership Fund established under section 

18 385B. 

19 ‘‘(4) INSTITUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION.— 

20 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘institution 

21 of higher education’ has the meaning given the 

22 term in section 101 of the Higher Education 

23 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). 

24 ‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘institution 

25 of higher education’ includes— 


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1 ‘‘(i) land-grant colleges and univer2 sities (as defined in section 1404 of the 

3 National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

4 and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 

5 3103)); and 

6 ‘‘(ii) associated cooperative extension 

7 services. 

8 ‘‘(5) PLAN.—The term ‘Plan’ means a rural 

9 partnership plan established under section 385E(a). 

10 ‘‘(6) RESERVATION.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘reservation’ 

12 has the meaning given the term ‘Indian coun13 try’ in section 1151 of title 18, United States 

14 Code. 

15 ‘‘(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘reservation’ 

16 includes land held by a Native group, a Re17 gional Corporation, or a Village Corporation (as 

18 those terms are defined in section 3 of the Alas19 ka Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 

20 1602)). 

21 ‘‘(7) RURAL PARTNERSHIP BLOCK GRANT.— 

22 The term ‘rural partnership block grant’ means a 

23 rural partnership block grant awarded under this 

24 subtitle. 


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1 ‘‘(8) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 

2 the Secretary, acting through the Administrator of 

3 Rural Innovation and Partnerships. 

4 ‘‘(9) WORKFORCE HOUSING.—The term ‘work5 force housing’ means, with respect to housing for a 

6 family, housing the cost of which does not exceed 30 

7 percent of— 

8 ‘‘(A) subject to subparagraph (B), 120 

9 percent of the median income in the area in 

10 which the family lives, as determined by the 

11 Secretary, with appropriate adjustments for the 

12 size of the family; or 

13 ‘‘(B) if the Secretary determines that there 

14 are unusually high or low family incomes in the 

15 area in which the family lives, such other per16 centage, as the Secretary determines to be ap17 propriate, of the median income in the area in 

18 which the family lives. 

19 ‘‘SEC. 385B. ESTABLISHMENT. 

20 ‘‘The Secretary shall establish a program, to be 

21 known as the ‘Rural Future Partnership Fund’, under 

22 which the Secretary shall award rural partnership block 

23 grants in accordance with this subtitle. 

24 ‘‘SEC. 385C. ELIGIBILITY. 

25 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) MICROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS.— 

2 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re3 ceive a rural partnership block grant— 

4 ‘‘(i) one or more units of local govern5 ment that govern a micropolitan statistical 

6 area, as defined by the Director of the Of7 fice of Management and Budget, shall es8 tablish a rural partnership council in ac9 cordance with subsection (b); and 

10 ‘‘(ii) that Council shall submit an ap11 plication to— 

12 ‘‘(I) not later than 180 days 

13 after the date of enactment of the Re14 build Rural America Act of 2021— 

15 ‘‘(aa)(AA) the applicable 

16 State; or 

17 ‘‘(BB) the applicable States, 

18 if the micropolitan statistical 

19 area spans more than 1 State; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(bb) the applicable State 

22 offices of the rural development 

23 mission area; or 

24 ‘‘(II) after the date described in 

25 subclause (I), the Secretary. 


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1 ‘‘(B) REGIONAL COLLABORATION.— 

2 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—On receipt of an 

3 application under subparagraph (A)(ii)(I), 

4 the one or more States, in coordination 

5 with the applicable State offices of the 

6 rural development mission area, shall ad7 vise the applicant on the inclusion in the 

8 Council, if practicable, of one or more con9 tiguous census tracts or counties that— 

10 ‘‘(I) fall outside of a micropolitan 

11 or metropolitan statistical area; and 

12 ‘‘(II) demonstrate evidence of 

13 economic, social, and cultural coopera14 tion that enhances the potential for 

15 comprehensive, asset-based regional 

16 development. 

17 ‘‘(ii) DECISION.—After receipt of ad18 vice under clause (i), the applicant shall— 

19 ‘‘(I) decide whether to include 

20 one or more of the applicable contig21 uous census tracts or counties in the 

22 Council; and 

23 ‘‘(II) modify the application, as 

24 appropriate. 

25 ‘‘(C) APPROVAL.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) STATES.—The one or more 

2 States that receive an application under 

3 subparagraph (A)(ii)(I)(aa), in coordina4 tion with the applicable State offices of the 

5 rural development mission area, shall ap6 prove the Council as eligible to receive a 

7 rural partnership block grant if the re8 quirements under subsection (b) for the 

9 composition of the membership of a Coun10 cil are satisfied. 

11 ‘‘(ii) SECRETARY.—Not less fre12 quently than once each year, the Secretary, 

13 in coordination with the applicable State 

14 offices of the rural development mission 

15 area, may approve applications received 

16 under subparagraph (A)(ii)(II) if the re17 quirements under subsection (b) for the 

18 composition of the membership of a Coun19 cil are satisfied. 

20 ‘‘(2) AREAS OUTSIDE OF MICROPOLITAN AND

21 METROPOLITAN STATISTICAL AREAS.— 

22 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re23 ceive a rural partnership block grant— 

24 ‘‘(i) one or more entities described in 

25 subsection (b)(1) that are located in, or 


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1 represent, two or more contiguous census 

2 tracts or counties in an area that is not 

3 within a micropolitan statistical area or a 

4 metropolitan statistical area, as defined by 

5 the Director of the Office of Management 

6 and Budget, and are not represented by a 

7 Council established under paragraph 

8 (1)(A)(i) or (3)(A)(i), shall establish a 

9 rural partnership council in accordance 

10 with subsection (b); and 

11 ‘‘(ii) that Council shall submit an ap12 plication to— 

13 ‘‘(I) not later than 180 days 

14 after the date of enactment of the Re15 build Rural America Act of 2021— 

16 ‘‘(aa) the one or more appli17 cable States; and 

18 ‘‘(bb) the applicable State 

19 offices of the rural development 

20 mission area; or 

21 ‘‘(II) after the date described in 

22 subclause (I), the Secretary. 

23 ‘‘(B) APPROVAL.— 

24 ‘‘(i) STATES.—The one or more 

25 States that receive an application under 


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1 subparagraph (A)(ii)(I)(aa), in coordina2 tion with the applicable State offices of the 

3 rural development mission area, shall ap4 prove the Council as eligible to receive a 

5 rural partnership block grant if— 

6 ‘‘(I) the requirements under sub7 section (b) for the composition of the 

8 membership of a Council are satisfied; 

9 and 

10 ‘‘(II) the area to be represented 

11 by the Council— 

12 ‘‘(aa) is of practicable geo13 graphic size; and 

14 ‘‘(bb) demonstrates evidence 

15 of economic, social, and cultural 

16 cooperation that enhances the po17 tential for comprehensive, asset18 based regional development. 

19 ‘‘(ii) SECRETARY.—Not less fre20 quently than once each year, the Secretary, 

21 in coordination with the applicable State 

22 offices of the rural development mission 

23 area, may approve applications received 

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1 quirements described in clause (i) are sat2 isfied. 

3 ‘‘(3) INDIAN RESERVATIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re5 ceive a rural partnership block grant— 

6 ‘‘(i) an Indian Tribe that has jurisdic7 tion over a reservation shall establish a 

8 rural partnership council in accordance 

9 with subsection (b); and 

10 ‘‘(ii) that Council shall submit an ap11 plication to the Secretary. 

12 ‘‘(B) APPROVAL.— 

13 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—On receipt of an 

14 application that was submitted under sub15 paragraph (A)(ii) not later than 180 days 

16 after the date of enactment of the Rebuild 

17 Rural America Act of 2021, the Secretary, 

18 in coordination with the applicable State 

19 offices of the rural development mission 

20 area, shall approve the Council as eligible 

21 to receive a rural partnership block grant 

22 if the requirements under subsection (b) 

23 for the composition of the membership of 

24 a Council are satisfied. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT APPLICATIONS.— 

2 Not less frequently than once each year, 

3 the Secretary, in coordination with the ap4 plicable State offices of the rural develop5 ment mission area, may approve applica6 tions submitted under subparagraph (A)(ii) 

7 later than 180 days after the date of en8 actment of the Rebuild Rural America Act 

9 of 2021 if the requirements under sub10 section (b) for the composition of the mem11 bership of a Council are satisfied. 

12 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—Each Council— 

13 ‘‘(1) shall include one or more representatives 

14 of— 

15 ‘‘(A) a District Organization (as defined in 

16 section 300.3 of title 13, Code of Federal Regu17 lations (or successor regulations)) or a com18 parable regional planning organization if there 

19 is no applicable District Organization; 

20 ‘‘(B) one or more units of local govern21 ment, or one or more entities designated by a 

22 unit of local government, within the applicable 

23 area; and 

24 ‘‘(C) a public or nonprofit organization; 


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1 ‘‘(2) may include one or more representatives 

2 of— 

3 ‘‘(A) an economic development or other 

4 community or labor organization; 

5 ‘‘(B) a financial institution, including a 

6 community development financial institution (as 

7 defined in section 103 of the Community Devel8 opment Banking and Financial Institutions Act 

9 of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702)); 

10 ‘‘(C) a philanthropic organization; 

11 ‘‘(D) a rural cooperative; 

12 ‘‘(E) an entity with experience in the de13 velopment of cooperatives; 

14 ‘‘(F) an institution of higher education; 

15 ‘‘(G) elementary or secondary education; 

16 ‘‘(H) a private entity; 

17 ‘‘(I) a Tribal organization; 

18 ‘‘(J) a metropolitan planning organization 

19 (as defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United 

20 States Code); 

21 ‘‘(K) any other regional planning organiza22 tion; or 

23 ‘‘(L) any other entity, as determined to be 

24 appropriate by the Council; and 


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1 ‘‘(3) shall be composed of an odd number of 

2 members. 

3 ‘‘(c) REVISIONS.— 

4 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not more frequently than 

5 once every 5 years, a Council may submit to the one 

6 or more applicable States, or to the Secretary in the 

7 case of a Council established by an Indian Tribe, an 

8 application to revise the geographic boundary of the 

9 applicable area represented by the Council. 

10 ‘‘(2) FINAL APPROVAL BY SECRETARY.—An ap11 plication submitted to one or more States under 

12 paragraph (1) shall be subject to final approval by 

13 the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘SEC. 385D. RURAL PARTNERSHIP BLOCK GRANTS. 

15 ‘‘(a) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para17 graph (2), the Secretary shall allocate rural partner18 ship block grant funds to Councils proportionately 

19 based on the population of each area represented by 

20 a Council. 

21 ‘‘(2) HIGH POVERTY RATES.—The Secretary 

22 shall allocate to a Council an amount equal to 3 

23 times the applicable amount under paragraph (1) 

24 with respect to each individual residing in a census 

25 tract, or a group of contiguous census tracts, that— 


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1 ‘‘(A) has a poverty rate of 20 percent or 

2 greater; and 

3 ‘‘(B) is within or comprises the applicable 

4 area. 

5 ‘‘(b) DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary shall distribute 

6 rural partnership block grant funds annually to each 

7 Council during the term of the rural partnership block 

8 grant. 

9 ‘‘(c) TERM.—A rural partnership block grant— 

10 ‘‘(1) shall be for a term of 5 years; and 

11 ‘‘(2) may be renewed. 

12 ‘‘(d) GRANT AGREEMENTS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each Council shall enter 

14 into an agreement with the Secretary, under which 

15 the Council, in coordination with the Secretary, shall 

16 establish performance measures and reporting re17 quirements that shall be met by the end of each year 

18 for which the Council receives funds under the 

19 Fund. 

20 ‘‘(2) VIOLATIONS.—If the Secretary determines 

21 that a Council has failed to meet any requirements 

22 of the applicable agreement under paragraph (1), is 

23 not making reasonable progress towards meeting 

24 that requirement, or is otherwise in violation of that 

25 agreement, the Secretary may— 


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1 ‘‘(A) withhold funds under the Fund until 

2 the Council remedies the applicable violation; or 

3 ‘‘(B) terminate the agreement. 

4 ‘‘SEC. 385E. RURAL PARTNERSHIP PLANS. 

5 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Each Council shall estab6 lish, maintain, evaluate, and report to the Secretary 

7 progress on a rural partnership plan in accordance with 

8 this section. 

9 ‘‘(b) COORDINATION WITH OTHER PLANS.— 

10 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In developing a Plan under 

11 this section, a Council is encouraged to utilize exist12 ing Federal plans, and existing State, regional, or 

13 Tribal plans, so as to reduce duplicative efforts and 

14 align Federal investment. 

15 ‘‘(2) FEDERAL PLANS.—Existing Federal plans 

16 referred to in paragraph (1) include— 

17 ‘‘(A) the Comprehensive Economic Devel18 opment Strategy of the Economic Development 

19 Administration; 

20 ‘‘(B) a local plan, as defined in section 3 

21 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity 

22 Act (29 U.S.C. 3102); 

23 ‘‘(C) the Consolidated Plan of the Depart24 ment of Housing and Urban Development; 


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1 ‘‘(D) plans developed by metropolitan plan2 ning organizations under section 134 of title 

3 23, United States Code; 

4 ‘‘(E) plans developed by regional transpor5 tation planning organizations designated under 

6 section 135(m) of title 23, United States Code, 

7 or section 5304(l) of title 49, United States 

8 Code (commonly known as a ‘rural transpor9 tation planning organization’); 

10 ‘‘(F) emergency preparedness and hazard 

11 mitigation plans required by the Federal Emer12 gency Management Agency; 

13 ‘‘(G) the Drinking Water Action Plan of 

14 the Environmental Protection Agency; 

15 ‘‘(H) a good neighbor agreement (as de16 fined in section 8206(a) of the Agricultural Act 

17 of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a))); and 

18 ‘‘(I) strategic plans developed by Federal 

19 regional commissions, including— 

20 ‘‘(i) the Appalachian Regional Com21 mission established by section 14301(a) of 

22 title 40, United States Code; 

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1 dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 

2 U.S.C. 2009aa et seq.); 

3 ‘‘(iii) the Denali Commission estab4 lished under the Denali Commission Act of 

5 1998 (42 U.S.C. 3121 note; title III of di6 vision C of Public Law 105–277); 

7 ‘‘(iv) the Northern Border Regional 

8 Commission established by section 

9 15301(a)(3) of title 40, United States 

10 Code; 

11 ‘‘(v) the Northern Great Plains Re12 gional Authority established under subtitle 

13 G of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De14 velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2009bb et seq.); 

15 ‘‘(vi) the Southeast Crescent Regional 

16 Commission established by section 

17 15301(a)(1) of title 40, United States 

18 Code; and 

19 ‘‘(vii) the Southwest Border Regional 

20 Commission established by section 

21 15301(a)(2) of title 40, United States 

22 Code. 

23 ‘‘(c) CONTENTS.—To the maximum extent prac24 ticable, a Plan shall include— 


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1 ‘‘(1) a plan to coordinate and build capacity 

2 across jurisdictions in the applicable area to develop 

3 and implement the Plan, including by targeting as4 sistance to high-poverty and other struggling areas 

5 within that region; 

6 ‘‘(2) a plan that outlines feasible steps and 

7 achievable goals, timelines, and strategies for imple8 menting the Plan, including making interjurisdic9 tional agreements that provide for cooperative and 

10 coordinated approaches to achieving the goals of the 

11 Plan; 

12 ‘‘(3) a prioritization of projects for funding and 

13 implementation, when practicable, including by pro14 viding— 

15 ‘‘(A) a description of each prioritized 

16 project proposed to be carried out; and 

17 ‘‘(B) a budget for each project described in 

18 subparagraph (A) that includes— 

19 ‘‘(i) preliminary actions that have 

20 been or must be taken at the local or re21 gional level to implement the project; 

22 ‘‘(ii) the anticipated Federal share of 

23 the cost of the project; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) a description of the source of 

2 the non-Federal share of funds or in-kind 

3 contributions for the project; 

4 ‘‘(4) an assessment of current and future 

5 trends in the applicable area, which may include— 

6 ‘‘(A) population growth or loss, and demo7 graphic changes, in the region; 

8 ‘‘(B) accessibility of job centers within the 

9 region to public transportation facilities and 

10 housing; 

11 ‘‘(C) infrastructure needs in the region, in12 cluding— 

13 ‘‘(i) projected water needs and 

14 sources; 

15 ‘‘(ii) any need for sewer infrastruc16 ture; 

17 ‘‘(iii) the existence of flood plains; 

18 ‘‘(iv) the needs of local and regional 

19 food systems, agricultural producers, and 

20 value-added agricultural industries; and 

21 ‘‘(v) any need for affordable, high22 speed internet, including new technologies 

23 for mobile internet services and for afford24 able, reliable cellular phone coverage; 


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1 ‘‘(D) challenges in basic services within the 

2 region, including pressing health challenges; 

3 ‘‘(E) skills and education for in-demand, 

4 quality jobs and for regional economic develop5 ment, which may include retraining and edu6 cation of incumbent or displaced workers; and 

7 ‘‘(F) access to private debt and investment 

8 capital; 

9 ‘‘(5) a plan to develop opportunities for eco10 nomic diversification and innovation within the ap11 plicable area, with particular attention to— 

12 ‘‘(A) agricultural diversification and supply 

13 chain development; 

14 ‘‘(B) the conversion of existing businesses 

15 to employee or local ownership, such as a coop16 erative; 

17 ‘‘(C) entrepreneurial support; 

18 ‘‘(D) clean energy; 

19 ‘‘(E) manufacturing; and 

20 ‘‘(F) technological innovation; 

21 ‘‘(6) a plan for improving environmental resil22 iency, efficient land use, remediation of brownfields 

23 and other contaminated properties for re-use, mixed24 use development, and the preservation of agricul25 tural, green, and open space, including— 


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1 ‘‘(A) an assessment of projected loss of ag2 ricultural and rural land and other green space 

3 to development; and 

4 ‘‘(B) a description of methods to minimize 

5 loss described in subparagraph (A); 

6 ‘‘(7) a plan for ensuring that no community or 

7 county in the applicable area is excluded from re8 ceiving assistance through the rural partnership 

9 block grant, including timelines and goals for tar10 geting assistance to high-poverty census tracts in11 cluded in the area; 

12 ‘‘(8) a plan for building greater collaboration 

13 between— 

14 ‘‘(A) rural population centers and neigh15 boring rural areas of the applicable area; and 

16 ‘‘(B) the applicable area and neighboring 

17 urban areas; 

18 ‘‘(9) a plan for the creation and preservation of 

19 workforce housing and affordable, energy-efficient 

20 housing for all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities, 

21 including— 

22 ‘‘(A) cooperative housing; and 

23 ‘‘(B) limited equity cooperative housing; 

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1 ment and utilizing existing assets, such as natural 

2 assets and public infrastructure; and 

3 ‘‘(11) such other information or plans as a 

4 Council or the Secretary determines to be appro5 priate. 

6 ‘‘(d) APPROVAL.— 

7 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not less frequently than 

8 annually, each Council shall approve a Plan by a 

9 majority vote of the members of the Council for sub10 mission to the Secretary for final approval under 

11 paragraph (2). 

12 ‘‘(2) APPROVAL BY SECRETARY.—On receipt of 

13 a Plan under paragraph (1), the Secretary may ap14 prove or disapprove the Plan. 

15 ‘‘SEC. 385F. USE OF GRANT FUNDS. 

16 ‘‘(a) PLANNING.—During the first 2 years of the 

17 term of a rural partnership block grant, a Council may 

18 use the funds for comprehensive planning and capacity 

19 building to implement a Plan. 

20 ‘‘(b) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A Council shall use funds 

22 under a rural partnership block grant to implement 

23 a Plan. 


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1 ‘‘(2) PERMISSIBLE USES.—In using funds to 

2 implement a Plan under paragraph (1), a Council 

3 may use the funds— 

4 ‘‘(A) to support the development of critical 

5 infrastructure necessary to facilitate economic 

6 development in the applicable area, including 

7 high-speed internet, including new technologies 

8 for mobile internet services and for affordable, 

9 reliable cellular phone coverage; 

10 ‘‘(B) to support activities to achieve great11 er economic and environmental resiliency, in12 cluding for emergency preparedness, disaster 

13 recovery, and hazard mitigation; 

14 ‘‘(C) to provide assistance to entities with15 in the applicable area that provide basic public 

16 services, such as— 

17 ‘‘(i) child care centers; 

18 ‘‘(ii) nonprofit health care, including 

19 community health centers, primary and 

20 emergency medical care, mental health, 

21 and substance abuse treatment providers; 

22 ‘‘(iii) public libraries; 

23 ‘‘(iv) community centers; 

24 ‘‘(v) public schools; and 


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1 ‘‘(vi) nonprofit technology centers, in2 cluding business incubators and business 

3 accelerators; 

4 ‘‘(D) to provide assistance with education, 

5 job training, workforce development, or other 

6 needs relating to the development and mainte7 nance of a strong workforce and support of 

8 youth, unemployed, underemployed, dislocated, 

9 disabled, adult, and incumbent workers and in10 dividuals with a barrier to employment; 

11 ‘‘(E) to provide assistance in the develop12 ment of innovative collaborations that link pub13 lic, private, and philanthropic resources to 

14 achieve collaboratively designed regional ad15 vancement; 

16 ‘‘(F) to promote and use employee owner17 ship, cooperatives, and local ownership in the 

18 development of infrastructure, businesses, and 

19 community services; 

20 ‘‘(G) to acquire, or demolish improvements 

21 on, real property; 

22 ‘‘(H) to construct or rehabilitate residen23 tial or nonresidential structures; 


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1 ‘‘(I) to develop new affordable low-income 

2 and workforce housing options that ensure 

3 mixed-income development; 

4 ‘‘(J) to construct public facilities and im5 provements, such as water and sewer facilities, 

6 streets, community centers, and the conversion 

7 of school buildings for other purposes that are 

8 eligible for funding under this subsection; 

9 ‘‘(K) to establish new connections between 

10 rural population centers and neighboring rural 

11 areas within the applicable area, and between 

12 the applicable area and urban areas, relating to 

13 systems such as the supply of clean energy, 

14 workforce sheds, food systems, supply chains, 

15 commuting patterns, and outdoor recreation; 

16 ‘‘(L) to carry out activities relating to— 

17 ‘‘(i) energy conservation; 

18 ‘‘(ii) the development, storage, and 

19 use of clean energy resources; and 

20 ‘‘(iii) bio-based manufacturing; 

21 ‘‘(M) to rebuild and modernize infrastruc22 ture and expand investment to support agricul23 tural diversification and supply chain develop24 ment; 


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1 ‘‘(N) to promote integrated transportation, 

2 housing, energy, and economic development ac3 tivities carried out across policy areas and gov4 ernmental jurisdictions; 

5 ‘‘(O) to coordinate business development, 

6 land use, housing, transportation, and infra7 structure planning processes across jurisdictions 

8 and agencies; 

9 ‘‘(P) to address public health needs, in10 cluding— 

11 ‘‘(i) access to mental health and sub12 stance abuse services; and 

13 ‘‘(ii) access to healthy, locally, and re14 gionally grown foods; 

15 ‘‘(Q) to encourage entrepreneurship and 

16 the scale-up of existing business operations 

17 by— 

18 ‘‘(i) improving access to capital, in19 cluding market-based financing, such as 

20 angel, venture, equity, and equity-like cap21 ital; 

22 ‘‘(ii) facilitating collaboration between 

23 entrepreneurs and institutions of higher 

24 education and applied research institutions 

25 for the purposes of commercialization of 


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1 research or adoption of technology or proc2 esses; 

3 ‘‘(iii) assisting with integration into a 

4 supply chain; and 

5 ‘‘(iv) providing mentor, networking, 

6 and support services for entrepreneurs, in7 cluding establishing business incubators or 

8 accelerators; 

9 ‘‘(R) to develop innovative public and pri10 vate collaborations for investments in the appli11 cable area; 

12 ‘‘(S) to use arts and culture for improve13 ments in economic development, education, 

14 training, and quality of life; 

15 ‘‘(T) to revitalize downtown corridors and 

16 other community centers to create vibrant, 

17 mixed-use neighborhoods; 

18 ‘‘(U) to expand access to domestic and 

19 international markets for businesses and agri20 cultural producers; 

21 ‘‘(V) to lead development programming for 

22 organizations or cohorts of organizations in23 cluded in the Plan; 

24 ‘‘(W) to provide matching funds for other 

25 Federal funding if that other Federal funding is 


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1 for a project that is in accordance with the 

2 goals of the Plan; 

3 ‘‘(X) to promote the use of energy effi4 ciency in applicable projects; and 

5 ‘‘(Y) to provide technical assistance for co6 operative conversions, startups, and expansions, 

7 including education on cooperative governance. 

8 ‘‘SEC. 385G. ACCESS TO FEDERAL PROGRAMS. 

9 ‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT PRO10 GRAM.—In this section, the term ‘rural development pro11 gram’ means— 

12 ‘‘(1) community facility direct and guaranteed 

13 loans under section 306(a); 

14 ‘‘(2) water or waste disposal grants or direct or 

15 guaranteed loans under paragraph (1) or (2) of sec16 tion 306(a); 

17 ‘‘(3) community facility grants under paragraph 

18 (19), (20), or (21) of section 306(a); 

19 ‘‘(4) the rural cooperative development grant 

20 program established under section 310B(e); 

21 ‘‘(5) business and industry guaranteed loans 

22 under section 310B(g); 

23 ‘‘(6) the rural microentrepreneur assistance 

24 program established under section 379E; 


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1 ‘‘(7) the rural broadband access program estab2 lished under title VI of the Rural Electrification Act 

3 of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.); 

4 ‘‘(8) value-added producer grants under section 

5 210A(d)(5) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 

6 1946 (7 U.S.C. 1627c(d)(5)); 

7 ‘‘(9) the Healthy Food Financing Initiative es8 tablished under section 243 of the Department of 

9 Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 

10 6953); 

11 ‘‘(10) the Rural Energy for America Program 

12 established under section 9007 of the Farm Security 

13 and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107); 

14 ‘‘(11) the rural energy savings program under 

15 section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest16 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a); 

17 ‘‘(12) rural rental housing direct loans under 

18 section 515 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 

19 1485); 

20 ‘‘(13) the housing preservation grant program 

21 under section 533 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 

22 U.S.C. 1490m); 

23 ‘‘(14) loan guarantees for multifamily rental 

24 housing in rural areas under section 538 of the 

25 Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490p–2); 


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1 ‘‘(15) housing preservation and revitalization 

2 demonstration loans and grants provided by the 

3 Rural Housing Service; and 

4 ‘‘(16) multifamily housing transfer and prepay5 ment technical assistance grants provided by the 

6 Rural Housing Service. 

7 ‘‘(b) WAIVER OF MATCHING FUNDS REQUIRE8 MENTS.—The Secretary shall waive any matching funds 

9 requirement under a rural development program for a 

10 project that is carried out in an applicable area that is 

11 within or comprises a census tract, or a group of contig12 uous census tracts, that has a poverty rate of 20 percent 

13 or greater. 

14 ‘‘(c) PRIORITY CONSIDERATION FOR OTHER RURAL

15 DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.—The Secretary shall give pri16 ority under a rural development program for an applica17 tion for a project that— 

18 ‘‘(1) is included in and supports a Plan; 

19 ‘‘(2) is eligible for the applicable program from 

20 which the funds were set aside; and 

21 ‘‘(3) is carried out in the applicable area cov22 ered by the Plan. 

23 ‘‘(d) OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The Secretary of 

24 Agriculture, acting as the Chair of the Council on Rural 

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1 lished by section 6306 of the Agriculture Improvement Act 

2 of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b–3), may invite a member of that 

3 Council to give priority under the programs carried out 

4 by the member for a project that satisfies the criteria de5 scribed in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (c). 

6 ‘‘SEC. 385H. CAPACITY BUILDING AND TECHNICAL ASSIST7 ANCE PARTNERS. 

8 ‘‘(a) CAPACITY BUILDING.— 

9 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 

10 to a Council training, education, support, and advice 

11 to enhance the technical assistance, research, organi12 zational, and other capacities of the Council in car13 rying out activities under the Fund. 

14 ‘‘(2) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out paragraph 

15 (1), the Secretary, in coordination with the Rural 

16 Development Innovation Center established by the 

17 Secretary of Agriculture or through a contract for 

18 services entered into with an eligible technical assist19 ance provider, may provide training, education, sup20 port, and advice that addresses— 

21 ‘‘(A) emergent innovative opportunities 

22 that are not covered by an existing Plan; 

23 ‘‘(B) entrepreneurial opportunities to ad24 vance the goals of the Fund; 


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1 ‘‘(C) opportunities to advance a more inte2 grative rural policy framework for the United 

3 States, including building regional connections 

4 between urban areas and rural areas; 

5 ‘‘(D) with support from the Chief Informa6 tion Officer of the Department of Agriculture, 

7 the tracking, collection, and analysis of data 

8 and measurements for assessing the progress of 

9 Plans; and 

10 ‘‘(E) best practices based on— 

11 ‘‘(i) the experiences of Councils; and 

12 ‘‘(ii) domestic and international rural 

13 development practices. 

14 ‘‘(b) RURAL FUTURE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE.— 

15 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall estab16 lish a Rural Future Leadership Institute (referred to 

17 in this subsection as the ‘Institute’). 

18 ‘‘(2) SELECTION OF ENTITIES.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Under the Institute, 

20 each year the Secretary shall select individuals 

21 to participate in the Institute. 

22 ‘‘(B) PREFERENCE.—In selecting individ23 uals to participate in the Institute under sub24 paragraph (A), the Secretary shall give prefVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:57 Mar 19, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00038 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S486.IS S486

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1 erence to an individual residing in, or directly 

2 assisting, an area represented by a Council. 

3 ‘‘(3) ACTIVITIES.—The Secretary shall provide 

4 to each individual that is selected to participate in 

5 the Institute under paragraph (2) year-long pro6 gramming such as— 

7 ‘‘(A) skill-building seminars; 

8 ‘‘(B) best practice reviews; 

9 ‘‘(C) site visits; 

10 ‘‘(D) performance measurement and data 

11 analytics; and 

12 ‘‘(E) other training and capacity building 

13 activities. 

14 ‘‘(4) PEER EXCHANGE PROGRAM.—In carrying 

15 out the Institute, the Secretary shall establish a peer 

16 exchange program within and across areas rep17 resented by Councils to promote industry-leading 

18 practices, innovations relating to the organizational 

19 development, program delivery, and regional initia20 tives of the Councils, and opportunities to build col21 laborative relationships between urban leaders and 

22 rural leaders. 

23 ‘‘(c) RURAL FUTURE CORPS.— 

24 ‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF AMERICORPS PARTICI25 PANT.—In this subsection, the term ‘AmeriCorps 


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1 participant’ means a participant under subtitle C of 

2 title I of the National and Community Service Act 

3 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571 et seq.) who received an 

4 approved national service position provided under 

5 section 121(b) of that Act (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)). 

6 ‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall 

7 enter into an agreement with the Corporation for 

8 National and Community Service under section 

9 121(b) of the National and Community Service Act 

10 of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 12571(b)) to establish a Rural 

11 Future Corps in which AmeriCorps participants 

12 shall serve in areas represented by Councils, to im13 plement the Plans of the Councils, including serving 

14 through— 

15 ‘‘(A) expansion of critical services such as 

16 child care, health, nutrition assistance, edu17 cation, and job training; and 

18 ‘‘(B) strengthening the capacity of units of 

19 local government and economic, community, 

20 and cooperative development organizations to 

21 implement community and economic develop22 ment activities. 

23 ‘‘(3) RETENTION.—On completion of service of 

24 an AmeriCorps participant in the Rural Future 

25 Corps, the Secretary shall encourage the retention of 


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1 the participant in the applicable area in which the 

2 participant served. 

3 ‘‘(4) RELATIONSHIP TO NATIONAL SERVICE

4 PROGRAMS.—Notwithstanding section 122(a) of the 

5 National and Community Service Act of 1990 (42 

6 U.S.C. 12752(a)), for purposes of that Act, the ap7 proved national service positions provided under the 

8 agreement for the Rural Future Corps program will 

9 be considered to be used to support a national serv10 ice program under section 122(b) of that Act (42 

11 U.S.C. 12572(b)). 

12 ‘‘(d) MAP.—The Secretary, in coordination with the 

13 Chief Information Officer of the Department of Agri14 culture, shall make publicly available on a website a map 

15 of areas represented by Councils, including, with respect 

16 to each area, the members of the Council. 

17 ‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS.—The Sec18 retary may enter into a cooperative agreement under sec19 tion 607(b)(4) of the Rural Development Act of 1972 (7 

20 U.S.C. 2204b(b)(4)) with an eligible technical assistance 

21 provider to provide technical assistance to the Secretary 

22 and Councils in carrying out the Fund. 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 385I. EVALUATION AND REPORTING. 

2 ‘‘(a) EVALUATIONS.—Not later than the last day of 

3 the fourth year of the first rural partnership block grant 

4 awarded to a Council, and annually thereafter— 

5 ‘‘(1) the Secretary shall evaluate the perform6 ance of the Council in carrying out the Plan of the 

7 Council in relation to the benchmarks established 

8 under subsection (b); and 

9 ‘‘(2) the Council shall use the evaluation under 

10 paragraph (1) in updating the Plan under section 

11 385E(d)(1). 

12 ‘‘(b) REPORTING BENCHMARKS.— 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordina14 tion with Councils and national providers of tech15 nical assistance under section 385H(e), shall estab16 lish annual reporting benchmarks relating to the 

17 purposes of the Fund. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXISTING MEASURES.—In establishing re19 porting benchmarks under paragraph (1), the Sec20 retary shall consider relevant existing performance 

21 measures used in programs of the rural development 

22 mission area— 

23 ‘‘(A) to achieve alignment with those pro24 grams; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) to allow for opportunities for a part2 nership block grant to leverage other funding 

3 provided under those programs. 

4 ‘‘(c) REPORTS.—The Secretary shall— 

5 ‘‘(1) not less frequently than annually, prepare 

6 and submit to Congress a report describing— 

7 ‘‘(A) the implementation of the Fund; and 

8 ‘‘(B) an assessment of future goals for the 

9 Fund; and 

10 ‘‘(2) include the assessment described in para11 graph (1)(B) in the comprehensive rural develop12 ment strategy under section 607(c) of the Rural De13 velopment Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2204b(c)). 

14 ‘‘SEC. 385J. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

15 ‘‘There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 

16 the Fund $10,000,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 

17 through 2026, of which— 

18 ‘‘(1) $100,000,000 for each fiscal year shall be 

19 used for administrative functions, including staff 

20 and information technology infrastructure, of the 

21 Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration; 

22 and 

23 ‘‘(2) $40,000,000 for each fiscal year shall be 

24 used to carry out section 385H.’’. 

Æ 


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