# 119-hr-8146: Rural Utilities Service Modernization Act

119-hr-8146, Rural Utilities Service Modernization Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] (D-MD); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-04-21).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8146
- As of: 2026-04-21
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-8146
- Congress: 119
- Title: Rural Utilities Service Modernization Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-03-27
- Sponsor: Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] (D-MD)
- Cosponsors: 3
- Policy area: Agriculture and Food
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-04-21

## Summary

**Creates a secure, web-based platform** so Rural Utilities Service recipients can track project status through permitting and reviews. It would also fund predevelopment planning grants and require electronic applications and uniform timelines to speed rural electricity, broadband, water, and waste projects. - Rural project applicants such as utilities, local governments, and tribes would be able to view status, upload documents, and receive automated notifications to improve predictability. The platform is authorized up to $30 million for development and operation. - Small or cash-strapped local entities would be eligible for predevelopment planning and education grants that can cover up to 75 percent of eligible costs. Those grants are authorized at $15 million per year from 2026 through 2035. - Grant applicants and RUS operations would face faster, more consistent procedures with electronic-only applications within two years, sector-specific notice timelines, interagency coordination including National Environmental Policy Act and National Historic Preservation Act reviews, annual reports to Congress, and a staff assessment to recommend further improvements. *The bill would authorize up to $30 million for the platform and $15 million annually for predevelopment grants from 2026–2035, increasing federal outlays to support RUS modernization.*

## Cosponsors (3)

- Rep. Bresnahan, Robert P. [R-PA-8] (R-PA), 2026-03-27T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19] (D-NY), 2026-04-02T00:00:00.000Z
- Rep. Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [R-PA-1] (R-PA), 2026-04-09T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Predevelopment grants for rural projects: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary would create predevelopment planning grants to help eligible RUS applicants pay for early project work. Grants could cover up to 75% of eligible costs like feasibility studies, permitting, design help, technical assistance, and training. Grants could not reimburse work don…
- Study and report on Rural Utilities staff: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Secretary and the RUS Administrator would submit a joint staff assessment to Congress within two years. The report would review staff workload, application review processes, technical assistance, monitoring, timeliness, and consistency. It would include recommendations to improve th…
- Better online tools for rural projects: benefit, low. If enacted, RUS would build a secure web platform so grant and loan recipients can track permitting and review steps. The platform would let users upload documents, get automated notices, and show status and estimated timelines. RUS would coordinate with other federal agencies and account for envir…

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025
- 119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act
- 119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025
- 119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025
- 119-hr-6182: Find It Early Act

## Sources
- [119-hr-8146 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8146)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-1229: United States-Israel Defense Partnership Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-1229)
- [119-hr-2086: Rights for the TSA Workforce Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-2086)
- [119-hr-4669: FEMA Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4669)
- [119-hr-4206: CONNECT for Health Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4206)
- [119-hr-6182: Find It Early Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-6182)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-8146 (as of 2026-04-21).