§2204b–3 Council on Rural Community Innovation and Economic Development

Summary

Creates a Council on Rural Community Innovation and Economic Development to better coordinate federal programs for rural areas, boost economic opportunity and quality of life, and use new ideas to solve local problems. The Council replaces the earlier Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity. It is made up of the leaders of many federal departments and offices (for example, Agriculture, Treasury, Defense, Commerce, Health and Human Services, and others the President or Secretary adds). The Secretary leads the Council and can name a senior federal official to act for any member. The Secretary must give funding and administrative help as allowed by law and existing budgets. The Council works through the rural development mission area. The Council must make policy recommendations to increase the impact of federal dollars, create economic opportunities, and improve life in rural places. It must coordinate with many rural stakeholders (farm groups, small businesses, schools, health care, utilities, state, local, and tribal governments, and nonprofits) and identify chances tied to energy, outdoor recreation, and conservation. Agencies must help the Council and pay their own participation costs. The Council can form working groups. Two required groups are a Rural Smart Communities Working Group, which must report to Congress within 1 year on how rural places use smart technology and must publish a resource guide to help communities, and a Jobs Accelerator Working Group, which must support rural jobs accelerators to grow high-wage jobs and new businesses, provide information and technical help, set up a federal support team, and help accelerators share best practices. A “smart community” means a place that securely combines many technologies to manage services and improve residents’ quality of life.