II

105TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 1522

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance to rural

cooperatives.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

NOVEMBER 12, 1997

Mr. HARKIN introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred

to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

A BILL

To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide

assistance to rural cooperatives.

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 ‘‘Rural Cooperative Act

5 of 1997’’.

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

7 In this Act:

8 (1) RURAL COOPERATIVE.—The term ‘‘rural co9 operative’’ means an association of rural residents

10 (as defined by the Secretary) that—
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1 (A) organize on a user-owned cooperative

2 basis for purposes of purchasing consumer

3 goods, business products and services, health

4 care, utilities, communications, child and day

5 care, housing, credit, insurance, or other goods

6 or services; or

7 (B) market handicrafts or other member8 or cooperative-produced goods.

9 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means

10 the Secretary of Agriculture.

11 SEC. 3. RURAL COOPERATIVE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may carry out com13 prehensive programs to provide service, technical assist14 ance, research, and education to members of rural co15 operatives and persons desiring to organize rural

16 coooperatives.

17 (b) TYPES OF PROGRAMS.—The programs under

18 subsection (a) shall include programs to—

19 (1) acquire, analyze, and disseminate economic,

20 statistical, and historical information regarding the

21 progress, organization, and business methods of

22 rural cooperatives in the United States and foreign

23 countries;

24 (2) conduct and publish studies of the eco25 nomic, legal, financial, social, and other phases of
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1 cooperation, which may include analyses of the orga2 nization, operation, business practices, management,

3 financial, and merchandising problems of rural co4 operatives;

5 (3) make surveys and analyses of the accounts

6 and business practices of representative rural co7 operatives, which—

8 (A) shall be reported to the cooperatives so

9 surveyed; and

10 (B) with the consent of a cooperative, shall

11 be summarized, together with similar facts, and

12 published for the guidance of rural cooperatives

13 and for the purpose of assisting rural coopera14 tives in developing methods of business and

15 market analysis;

16 (4) confer with and advise committees or

17 groups of rural residents that may desire to organize

18 a rural cooperative and make an economic survey

19 and analysis of the facts surrounding the activities

20 of the proposed rural cooperative;

21 (5)(A) promote the knowledge of rural coopera22 tive principles and practices; and

23 (B) cooperate, in promoting such knowledge,

24 with educational agencies, rural cooperatives, and

25 others; and
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1 (6)(A) conduct studies in the United States and

2 foreign countries; and

3 (B) acquire and disseminate the information ac4 quired and any useful conclusions that may be

5 drawn from the information relating to the develop6 ment and practice of rural cooperation.

7 SEC. 4. REGULATIONS.

8 The Secretary may promulgate such regulations as

9 the Secretary considers necessary to carry out this Act.

10 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

11 There are authorized to be appropriated such sums

12 as are necessary to carry out this Act.

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