[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1617 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1617

   To establish a White House Rural Council, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 8, 2021

  Mr. Cartwright (for himself, Mr. Rogers of Kentucky, Mr. Bishop of 
 Georgia, Mrs. Bustos, Mr. Costa, Mr. Crawford, Mrs. Hayes, Mr. Kind, 
 Ms. Kuster, Mr. O'Halleran, Mr. Pappas, Ms. Pingree, Mr. Thompson of 
 Mississippi, and Mr. Young) introduced the following bill; which was 
                referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a White House Rural Council, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Transforming Hiring in Rural 
Industries and Vital Economies Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. WHITE HOUSE RURAL COUNCIL.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Executive Office of 
the President a White House Rural Council (in this section referred to 
as the ``Council'').
    (b) Membership.--
            (1) Chair.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall serve as the 
        Chair of the Council.
            (2) Members.--The Council shall be composed of the heads of 
        the following:
                    (A) The Department of the Treasury.
                    (B) The Department of Defense.
                    (C) The Department of Justice.
                    (D) The Department of the Interior.
                    (E) The Department of Commerce.
                    (F) The Department of Labor.
                    (G) The Department of Health and Human Services.
                    (H) The Department of Housing and Urban 
                Development.
                    (I) The Department of Transportation.
                    (J) The Department of Energy.
                    (K) The Department of Education.
                    (L) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
                    (M) The Department of Homeland Security.
                    (N) The Environmental Protection Agency.
                    (O) The Federal Communications Commission.
                    (P) The Office of Management and Budget.
                    (Q) The Office of Science and Technology Policy.
                    (R) The Office of National Drug Control Policy.
                    (S) The Council of Economic Advisers.
                    (T) The Domestic Policy Council.
                    (U) The National Economic Council.
                    (V) The Small Business Administration.
                    (W) The Council on Environmental Quality.
                    (X) The White House Office of Public Engagement and 
                Intergovernmental Affairs.
                    (Y) The White House Office of Cabinet Affairs.
                    (Z) Any other department, agency, or office of the 
                executive branch as the President or Secretary of 
                Agriculture may designate.
            (3) Designees.--Any member of the Council may designate a 
        senior-level official, who is employed full-time in the 
        department, agency, or office of such member, to carry out the 
        duties of the member under this section.
    (c) Meetings.--Not later than six months after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, and every six months thereafter, the Council 
shall convene a meeting of representatives of the executive 
departments, agencies, and offices represented on the Council to 
develop plans to coordinate the efforts of such executive departments, 
agencies, and offices and facilitate efficient services to 
stakeholders. At such meetings, each such representative shall--
            (1) share information regarding the rural economic 
        development efforts and activities of the representative's 
        executive department, agency, or office;
            (2) identify opportunities for collaboration and 
        coordination of research agendas, vulnerability assessments, 
        data collection and analysis, and planning and implementing 
        rural economic development projects;
            (3) identify rural economic development information needs, 
        research gaps, and decision support needs that are not met by 
        any executive department, agency, or office represented on the 
        Council and make available such identification for purposes of 
        information to be submitted to the Council;
            (4) identify common and complementary goals for rural 
        economic development within each region to be prioritized for 
        the coming year and beyond;
            (5) identify barriers to rural economic development 
        planning and implementation that can be overcome or minimized 
        through Federal action and specific suggestions for 
        improvement;
            (6) evaluate progress and jointly develop a strategy for 
        realizing rural economic development-related goals, including 
        clearly identified responsibilities by each collaborating 
        regional office, center, or program; and
            (7) share experiences and best practices in stakeholder 
        engagement and communication, decision support, and economic 
        development interactions that support the realization of 
        identified rural economic development goals.
    (d) Duties.--The Council shall carry out the following:
            (1) Coordinate with the Domestic Policy Council and the 
        National Economic Council to develop the policy of the Council.
            (2) Coordinate with departments, agencies, and offices of 
        the executive branch to develop policy recommendations that 
        promote economic prosperity and quality of life in rural areas 
        (as defined by the Secretary of Agriculture) throughout the 
        United States.
            (3) Make recommendations to the President, through the 
        Director of the Domestic Policy Council and the Director of the 
        National Economic Council, on how to best use Federal 
        investments in rural areas for the purpose of facilitating job 
        growth and economic development.
            (4) Coordinate and increase the effectiveness of Federal 
        engagement with rural stakeholders, including agricultural 
        organizations, small businesses, education and training 
        institutions, health care providers, telecommunications 
        services providers, research and land grant institutions, law 
        enforcement, State, local, and Tribal governments, and 
        nongovernmental organizations regarding the needs of rural 
        areas throughout the United States.
            (5) Coordinate Federal efforts directed toward the growth 
        and development of geographic regions that encompass both urban 
        and rural areas.
            (6) Identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities 
        associated with energy development, outdoor recreation, and 
        other conservation-related activities.
    (e) Administration.--The Secretary of Agriculture (or staff 
designated by the Secretary) shall provide to the Council 
administrative support services and additional resources, as 
appropriate, to the extent permitted by law and within existing 
appropriations. The Secretary shall determine the amount of funding and 
personnel necessary for the Council to carry out its duties and the 
amount of funding and personnel each department, agency, or office 
represented on the Council should contribute in order for the Council 
to carry out such duties. Such department, agency, or office shall, 
upon the request of the Secretary, make available to the Council 
personnel, administrative support services, and information.
    (f) No Additional Funds Authorized.--No additional funds are 
authorized to carry out the requirements of this section. Such 
requirements shall be carried out using amounts otherwise authorized.
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