# 119-hr-7609: Rural Development Modernization Act

119-hr-7609, Rural Development Modernization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-23).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7609
- As of: 2026-07-23
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-7609
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rural Development Modernization Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-02-20
- Sponsor: Rep. Costa, Jim [D-CA-21] (D-CA)
- Cosponsors: 4
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-23

## Summary

**Raises the rural population cutoff to 25,000 for federal and USDA program eligibility.** This bill would harmonize eligibility rules across multiple statutes, extend coverage to U.S. territories and named Compact of Free Association states, and require the Secretary of Agriculture to reassess the threshold annually. - Rural residents and small towns: More communities could qualify for USDA funding and services for broadband, telemedicine, distance learning, rural housing, water and wastewater systems, and community facilities. This expands where grants and loans can be used. - Territories and Compact nations: The bill explicitly extends program eligibility to U.S. territories and to named freely associated states such as the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. - Program rules and counting rules: It standardizes language across several laws, removes some lower population cutoffs, updates authorities for water and utility projects, and excludes incarcerated and military-base populations when determining rural status.

## Cosponsors (4)

- Rep. Crawford, Eric A. "Rick" [R-AR-1] (R-AR), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Valadao, David G. [R-CA-22] (R-CA), 2026-02-20T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1] (D-NC), 2026-07-21T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Broadband allocation formulas scaled up: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would replace every numeric "2,500" with "25,000" in certain Rural Electrification Act broadband allocation formulas. That change would alter how funds are distributed under those broadband programs and could increase how much money some places get. The change would take effect…
- More places qualify as rural: benefit, medium. If enacted, this bill would treat an area as rural if its population is 25,000 or less. When counting population, the Secretary would have to subtract the institutional and military groups listed in subparagraphs (F) and (G) of section 343(a)(13). The Agriculture Secretary would also have to reasse…
- More rural water projects eligible: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would expand which rural water projects can get Reclamation support. New eligible projects would include those serving areas described in subparagraphs (F) or (G) of section 343(a)(13), projects authorized under section 1110 of division FF of the Consolidated Appropriations Act…
- Territories added to rural programs: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would explicitly add U.S. territories and certain Pacific islands to the list of places covered by multiple rural programs. Examples include adding territories to Rural Electrification Act programs, Community Connect Grants, and Rural Cooperative Development Grants, and naming…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act
- 119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act
- 119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-7609 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/7609)

## Related
- [119-hr-6900: American Affordability Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6900)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-6766: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6766)
- [119-hr-1262: Mikaela Naylon Give Kids a Chance Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1262)
- [119-hr-842: Nancy Gardner Sewell Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage A…](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-842)
- [119-hr-2853: Combating Organized Retail Crime Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2853)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7609 (as of 2026-07-23).