Rural Area Population Act
Sponsored By: Representative Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]
Introduced
Summary
Establishes a single, uniform federal definition of "rural area" for USDA rural development and housing programs. It would rewrite statutory language in the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act and align related laws like the Housing Act of 1949 and the Rural Electrification Act, while creating targeted authorities to label pockets of persistent poverty, farmworker settlements, and places with major infrastructure gaps.
Show full summary
- Rural families and households would face one consistent test for USDA program eligibility instead of program-by-program definitions, and existing rural designations would be preserved through the 2030 decennial census data.
- Farmworker households could qualify specific places as "farmworker settlements" when more than 50% of households rely on agricultural labor or the household head works in agriculture, using American Community Survey and local or tribal labor data for verification.
- Small high-need pockets and communities with infrastructure shortfalls could be designated using census-tract indicators like Rural-Urban Commuting Area codes and a poverty threshold of at least 20%. The Secretary of Agriculture would issue implementing rules and the changes would take effect 180 days after enactment.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 0 costs, 1 mixed.
Keep current rural designations
If enacted, this bill would keep any area already labeled "rural" under current law unchanged until 2030 census data are available. This protection would start 180 days after enactment. That means households, small businesses, and local programs would keep program access tied to that rural label while the 2030 census is pending.
New rural designations for high-need places
If enacted, USDA would be able to call small, high-need places "rural" even if they sit inside a city. This would apply to census tracts, CDPs, or unincorporated places under 35,000 people that show persistent poverty, very high farmworker concentration, or big water/wastewater/electric gaps. Persistent poverty means at least 20 percent in poverty on the 1990, 2000, and 2010 censuses. Farmworker settlements mean more than 50 percent of households earn primary income from farm work or are headed by someone who recently worked in agriculture, verified with ACS and local labor data. The Secretary must write rules to carry out these changes, and the new authorities would start 180 days after enactment.
Same "rural" rule for housing and power
If enacted, the bill would make the same definition of "rural area" apply to certain USDA housing and electrification rules. This would start 180 days after enactment. The change could make some people gain program eligibility and others lose it depending on local tests. The bill would also treat people and entities that previously had Rural Electrification Act loans the same as current borrowers for the named provision.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Ruiz, Raul [D-CA-25]
CA • D
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov