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119-hr-7579119th CongressWALLET

Empowering Rural Communities Act

Sponsored By: Representative Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5]

In Committee

Summary

A mandatory 2.5% technical assistance set-aside for Rural Development discretionary grants directs USDA to reserve at least 2.5% of each program's appropriations to help low-capacity and high-need rural communities prepare stronger applications and complete projects. The funding supports training, pre-development work, outreach, and development of project-ready applications for broadband, water and wastewater, housing, community facilities, business development, and other priorities.

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  • Families and rural households: Could see faster progress on local projects like broadband, water, and housing because communities get help preparing stronger grant applications.
  • Low-capacity and persistent-poverty communities: Priority goes to places with populations under 20,000 or persistent poverty, defined as 20% or more in poverty for 30 years.
  • Eligible technical assistance providers: Local governments, Tribal governments, nonprofits, cooperatives, land-grant institutions, and qualified private firms can receive cooperative agreements, grants, subgrants, or contracts to deliver support.
  • State Rural Development offices: Must identify high-need communities, coordinate with providers, and ensure assistance is distributed geographically and equitably.
  • Transparency and oversight: The Secretary must publish an annual public report showing amounts reserved and spent, communities assisted, measurable outcomes like application completion and award success, and recommendations.

*Does not authorize new funds and requires the Secretary to use amounts otherwise appropriated, limiting federal costs to existing appropriations.*

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

1 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.

More grant help for rural communities

If enacted, the bill would require USDA to reserve at least 2.5% of each Rural Development discretionary grant program's yearly appropriations for technical assistance. The reserved funds would pay for training, engineering and environmental studies, outreach, application development, and post-award compliance help for projects like broadband, water, housing, community facilities, and business development. USDA would give priority and direct help to low-capacity places, persistent poverty, underserved, and historically underparticipating rural communities. Each State Rural Development office would have to find high-need communities and coordinate providers. The bill would also say the set-aside funds do not count toward program administrative caps and that the Secretary may only use amounts already appropriated, not new appropriations.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Letlow, Julia [R-LA-5]

LA • R

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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