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HR7201119th CongressWALLET

Rural Service and Workforce Corps Act

Sponsored By: Representative Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5]

In Committee

Summary

This bill would create the Rural Service and Workforce Corps Program to tackle rural workforce shortages by linking education help and loan repayment to service in qualifying rural jobs. It aims to place trained people into priority sectors while improving hiring and retention for rural employers.

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  • Students and workers: Would get scholarships, tuition assistance, student loan repayment, stipends, and wage support in exchange for serving in qualifying rural positions. This makes education and early-career debt relief conditional on rural service.
  • Rural employers and communities: Employers that meet wage and training standards could host participants to fill critical gaps. The program includes relocation and retention incentives to help keep workers in place.
  • Program design and oversight: The Secretary of Agriculture would design the program with the Secretaries of Education, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Energy. Priority sectors like health care and energy would be updated periodically and USDA must report annually to Congress on cohorts and coordination. The program takes effect one year after enactment.

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Bill Overview

Analyzed Economic Effects

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

Education and pay support for rural workers

If enacted, this bill would create a Rural Service and Workforce Corps run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. You would be able to get scholarships, tuition help, and student loan repayment in exchange for three years of service in a rural area the Secretary designates. You would also get stipends or wage support during service and relocation and retention incentives. Eligible places would include persistent poverty counties, Health Professional Shortage Areas, and areas with Indian tribal, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian communities. Placements would prioritize health care, skilled trades, energy infrastructure, utilities, and public works, and the Secretary (with Labor) would be able to update priorities. Employers in public, nonprofit, cooperative, tribal, and private sectors would be eligible only if they meet wage and training standards set by the Secretary in consultation with the Department of Labor. The program would be designed with Education, Labor, HHS, Energy, and other agencies as needed, and would start one year after enactment.

Sponsors & CoSponsors

Sponsor

Bynum, Janelle S. [D-OR-5]

OR • D

Cosponsors

There are no cosponsors for this bill.

Roll Call Votes

No roll call votes available for this bill.

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