I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1701 

To promote exports of goods and services from and facilitation of business 

investment in rural areas of the United States. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 9, 2021 

Mrs. MILLER of West Virginia (for herself and Mr. TRONE) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To promote exports of goods and services from and facilitation of business investment in rural areas of the United 

States. 

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Building Rural Invest5 ments, Development, and Growth for the Economy Act’’ 

6 or the ‘‘BRIDGE Act’’. 

7 SEC. 2. FINDINGS RELATING TO ATTRACTING BUSINESS IN8 VESTMENT AND EXPORT PROMOTION. 

9 Congress finds the following: 


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1 (1) Business investment in the United States 

2 by both domestic and foreign firms, whether in the 

3 form of new equipment or facilities or the expansion 

4 of existing facilities, is a major engine of economic 

5 growth and job creation. Increasing exports from 

6 and investment in rural areas will expand the United 

7 States economy and create United States jobs. 

8 (2) Rural areas often have greater challenges in 

9 attracting business investment, especially because 

10 rural areas do not always have economic develop11 ment organizations to advance their local economic 

12 interests. When a rural area does have a local eco13 nomic development organization, it may not have the 

14 capacity or funding to compete effectively with larg15 er rivals worldwide. 

16 (3) Due to their geographic location, rural 

17 United States businesses often have limited access to 

18 information and services that facilitate export suc19 cess. 


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1 SEC. 3. PROMOTION OF EXPORTS OF GOODS AND SERVICES 

2 FROM AND FACILITATION OF BUSINESS IN3 VESTMENT IN RURAL AREAS OF THE UNITED 

4 STATES. 

5 The Export Enhancement Act of 1988 (15 U.S.C. 

6 4701 note) is amended by inserting after section 2306 the 

7 following new section: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 2306A. PROMOTION OF EXPORTS OF GOODS AND 

9 SERVICES FROM AND FACILITATION OF BUSI10 NESS INVESTMENT IN RURAL AREAS OF THE 

11 UNITED STATES. 

12 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Commerce and 

13 the Secretary of State shall promote the export of goods 

14 and services from rural areas of the United States, par15 ticularly by small businesses and medium-sized businesses, 

16 and shall facilitate business investment in the United 

17 States, particularly in rural areas. 

18 ‘‘(b) RELATIONSHIP TO CHAMPIONING AMERICAN

19 BUSINESS THROUGH DIPLOMACY ACT.—The Secretary of 

20 Commerce and the Secretary of State shall carry out sub21 section (a) in a manner consistent with the purposes of 

22 the Championing American Business Through Diplomacy 

23 Act (22 U.S.C. 9901 et seq.). 

24 ‘‘(c) RURAL AREA DEFINED.—In this section the 

25 term ‘rural area’ means an area with a population of less 


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1 than 50,000 inhabitants that is outside an urbanized area, 

2 as determined by the most recent decennial census.’’. 

Æ 


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