[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7019 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7019

  To establish the Office of Rural Prosperity, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 9, 2022

Ms. Craig (for herself, Mr. Newhouse, Mrs. Axne, Mr. Smith of Nebraska, 
Mr. O'Halleran, and Mr. Feenstra) introduced the following bill; which 
              was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish the Office of Rural Prosperity, 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 ``Rural Prosperity Act of 2022''.

SEC. 2. OFFICE OF RURAL PROSPERITY.

    (a) In General.--There is established in the Executive Office of 
the President the Office of Rural Prosperity (referred to in this 
section as the ``Office'').
    (b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Office is to address the social, 
economic, and community well-being and resilience of rural areas in the 
United States by addressing unique structural challenges experienced by 
rural communities, including housing, education, healthcare, small 
business development, and job creation.
    (c) Chief Rural Advisor.--
            (1) In general.--The Office shall be headed by the Chief 
        Rural Advisor, who shall be appointed by the President.
            (2) Compensation.--The Chief Rural Advisor shall be 
        compensated at the rate provided for level II of the Executive 
        Schedule in section 5313 of title 5, United States Code.
    (d) Duties.--The Chief Rural Advisor shall--
            (1) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, develop, and not less frequently than every 3 years 
        thereafter, update, a comprehensive strategy for rural 
        development across the Executive Branch, which shall--
                    (A) identify the most pressing priorities of the 
                United States to promote rural prosperity in the 10-
                year period following the date of submission of the 
                report under subsection (f)(2); and
                    (B) describe the policy actions that will be taken 
                by the Federal Government, across Federal agencies and 
                programs, to accelerate and support social and economic 
                prosperity in rural areas;
            (2) using the metrics developed under subsection (e), 
        develop whole-of-government recommendations to improve the 
        return on investment of Federal resources and engagement 
        relating to the needs of rural areas in the United States;
            (3) make recommendations to the President on coordinating, 
        streamlining, and leveraging Federal investments in rural areas 
        to increase the impact of Federal dollars to improve economic 
        opportunities and the quality of life in rural areas in the 
        United States;
            (4) coordinate, and improve community-level outcomes and 
        return on investment of, Federal engagement relating to the 
        needs of rural areas in the United States with stakeholders 
        based in rural communities, including--
                    (A) agricultural organizations;
                    (B) small businesses;
                    (C) education and training institutions;
                    (D) health care providers;
                    (E) telecommunications services providers;
                    (F) electric service providers;
                    (G) transportation providers;
                    (H) research and land-grant institutions;
                    (I) law enforcement agencies;
                    (J) State, local, and Tribal governments (including 
                a Native village and a Native Corporation, as those 
                terms are defined in section 3 of the Alaska Native 
                Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602)); and
                    (K) nongovernmental organizations;
            (5) coordinate Federal efforts directed toward the growth 
        and development of rural geographic regions that encompass 
        metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas;
            (6) identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities 
        associated with energy transitions, outdoor recreation, and 
        other conservation-related activities;
            (7) identify common economic and social challenges faced by 
        rural communities that could be overcome through better 
        coordination of existing Federal and non-Federal resources; and
            (8) convene public hearings (including with the power to 
        call witnesses and request documents from Federal agencies) on 
        the state of rural areas in the United States and the 
        comprehensive strategy for rural development developed under 
        paragraph (1).
    (e) Metrics.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Chief Rural Advisor shall develop 
        metrics to measure the effect of Federal programs on rural 
        areas in the United States.
            (2) Requirements.--In developing the metrics under 
        paragraph (1), the Chief Rural Advisor shall--
                    (A) develop a comprehensive list of federally 
                administered programs that are available to 
                individuals, businesses, nonprofit organizations, units 
                of local government, or other entities located in rural 
                areas in the United States; and
                    (B) develop a comprehensive set of metrics, 
                including--
                            (i) employment in a rural area;
                            (ii) inequality in a rural area;
                            (iii) economic competitiveness of a rural 
                        area;
                            (iv) inflation or deflation in a rural 
                        area;
                            (v) housing availability and costs in a 
                        rural area;
                            (vi) access to health care or telehealth in 
                        a rural area;
                            (vii) the rate of small business startups 
                        in a rural area;
                            (viii) educational attainment in a rural 
                        area;
                            (ix) workforce participation in a rural 
                        area; and
                            (x) other metrics, as determined 
                        appropriate by the Chief Rural Advisor.
            (3) Availability of data of other federal agencies.--
                    (A) In general.--For purposes of developing metrics 
                under paragraph (1), the head of any other Federal 
                agency shall provide to the Chief Rural Advisor, on 
                request by the Chief Rural Advisor and at no cost to 
                the Office, any data relating to the work of the Office 
                collected by the Federal agency.
                    (B) Privacy and security.--The Chief Rural Advisor 
                shall take any necessary steps to maintain the privacy 
                and security of data provided under subparagraph (A).
    (f) Reports to Congress.--The Chief Rural Advisor shall--
            (1) not later than 1 year after establishing the metrics 
        under subsection (e), and not less frequently than annually 
        thereafter--
                    (A) prepare a report describing the effect that the 
                programs on the list developed under subsection 
                (e)(2)(A) have on rural areas, based on the metrics 
                developed under subsection (e)(2)(B), with demographic 
                breakdowns by race, age, and geographic region; and
                    (B) submit to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on 
                Appropriations of the Senate and the Committee on 
                Agriculture and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
                House of Representatives, and make publicly available, 
                the report prepared under subparagraph (A); and
            (2) not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of 
        this Act, and not less frequently than every 3 years 
        thereafter, submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
        and Forestry and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate 
        and the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on 
        Appropriations of the House of Representatives the 
        comprehensive strategy for rural development developed under 
        subsection (d)(1).
    (g) Funding.--This section shall be carried out using existing 
amounts otherwise available to the Executive Office of the President.
    (h) Savings Provision.--Nothing in this section authorizes the 
hiring of additional staff.

SEC. 3. RURAL PROSPERITY COUNCIL.

    (a) In General.--There is established a Rural Prosperity Council 
(referred to in this section as the ``Council'').
    (b) Chair.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall serve as the Chair 
of the Council.
    (c) Members.--The Council shall be composed of the heads of the 
following executive branch departments, agencies, and offices:
            (1) The Office of Rural Prosperity.
            (2) The Department of Agriculture.
            (3) The Department of the Treasury.
            (4) The Department of Defense.
            (5) The Department of Justice.
            (6) The Bureau of Indian Affairs.
            (7) The Department of the Interior.
            (8) The Department of Commerce.
            (9) The Economic Development Administration.
            (10) The Department of Labor.
            (11) The Department of Health and Human Services.
            (12) The Department of Housing and Urban Development.
            (13) The Department of Transportation.
            (14) The Department of Energy.
            (15) The Department of Education.
            (16) The Department of Veterans Affairs.
            (17) The Department of Homeland Security.
            (18) The Environmental Protection Agency.
            (19) The Federal Communications Commission.
            (20) The Office of Management and Budget.
            (21) The Office of Science and Technology Policy.
            (22) The Office of National Drug Control Policy.
            (23) The Council of Economic Advisers.
            (24) The Domestic Policy Council.
            (25) The National Economic Council.
            (26) The Small Business Administration.
            (27) The Council on Environmental Quality.
    (d) Designees.--A member of the Council may designate, to perform 
the Council functions of the member, a senior-level official who is--
            (1) part of the department, agency, or office of the 
        member; and
            (2) a full-time officer or employee of the Federal 
        Government.
    (e) Duties.--The Council shall--
            (1) ensure coordination among Federal agencies, States, 
        units of local government, nonprofit organizations, and other 
        stakeholders, as appropriate, in addressing the needs of rural 
        areas in the United States;
            (2) coordinate Federal efforts directed toward the growth 
        and development of rural geographic regions that encompass both 
        metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas;
            (3) identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities 
        associated with energy transitions, outdoor recreation, and 
        other conservation-related activities;
            (4) make recommendations to the President, acting through 
        the Chief Rural Advisor, on streamlining and leveraging Federal 
        investments in rural areas, where appropriate, to increase the 
        impact of Federal dollars and create economic opportunities to 
        improve the quality of life in rural areas in the United 
        States;
            (5) provide a means for discussion and resolution of 
        disputes between Federal agencies with regard to programs that 
        address the needs of rural areas in the United States; and
            (6) develop plans and strategies to address the needs of 
        rural areas in the United States.
    (f) Public Outreach.--Not less frequently than twice annually, the 
Council shall hold public meetings in a rural community for the purpose 
of--
            (1) soliciting feedback from the public, units of local 
        government, Indian Tribes, and dislocated workers on concerns 
        relating to the social, economic, and community well-being and 
        resilience of rural areas; and
            (2) soliciting recommendations on actions the departments, 
        agencies, and offices represented on the Council may consider 
        to support the economic development of rural communities.

SEC. 4. RURAL PROSPERITY ACTION PLAN.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this 
section as the ``Secretary''), in coordination with the Under Secretary 
for Rural Development, shall develop a rural prosperity action plan 
(referred to in this section as the ``action plan''), which shall 
describe the actions to be carried out by the Secretary for the 
purposes of addressing the social, economic, and community well-being 
and resilience of rural areas in the United States by addressing unique 
structural challenges experienced by rural communities.
    (b) Coordination.--Each activity carried out under this section 
shall be carried out in coordination with the Office of Rural 
Prosperity.
    (c) Administrative Support and Funding.--The Secretary shall 
provide administrative support and funding in the development of the 
action plan, to the extent permitted by law and using appropriations 
available to the Secretary as of the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Activities.--In developing the action plan, the Secretary 
shall--
            (1) examine each rural development activity carried out by 
        the Secretary as of the date of enactment of this Act; and
            (2) identify regulatory and policy changes that could be 
        made by the Secretary that would accomplish the goals described 
        in subsection (a), including changes that would--
                    (A) remove barriers to economic prosperity and 
                quality of life in rural areas of the United States;
                    (B) strengthen and expand educational opportunities 
                for students in rural communities, particularly in 
                agricultural education, science, technology, 
                engineering, and mathematics;
                    (C) empower the State, local, and Tribal agencies 
                that implement rural economic development, 
                agricultural, and environmental programs to tailor 
                those programs to relevant regional circumstances;
                    (D) respect the unique circumstances of small 
                businesses that serve rural communities and the unique 
                business structures and regional diversity of farms and 
                ranches;
                    (E) ensure access to a reliable workforce and 
                increase employment opportunities in rural-focused 
                businesses, including agriculture;
                    (F) promote the preservation of family farms as 
                they are passed from generation to generation;
                    (G) ensure that private property rights of water 
                users are not encumbered when the water users attempt 
                to secure permits to operate on Federal land;
                    (H) improve food safety and ensure that regulations 
                and policies implementing Federal food safety laws are 
                based on science and account for the unique 
                circumstances of farms and ranches;
                    (I) encourage the production, export, and use of 
                domestically produced agricultural products;
                    (J) further the energy security of the United 
                States in the rural landscape;
                    (K) address hurdles associated with access to 
                resources on Federal land for rural communities that 
                rely on cattle grazing, timber harvests, mining, 
                recreation, and other multiple uses;
                    (L) identify and facilitate rural economic 
                opportunities associated with energy development, 
                outdoor recreation, and other conservation-related 
                activities; and
                    (M) coordinate and improve 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 of 
                the United States.
    (e) Submission of Action Plan.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit the action 
plan, including recommendations for regulatory and policy changes 
identified under subsection (d)(2) that the Secretary considers 
appropriate, to--
            (1) the Chief Rural Advisor;
            (2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
        of the Senate;
            (3) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
            (4) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (5) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives.
    (f) Progress Report.--Not later than 1 year after the action plan 
is submitted in accordance with subsection (e), the Secretary shall 
submit a report describing the progress of the Secretary in meeting 
benchmarks described in the action plan to--
            (1) the Chief Rural Advisor;
            (2) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
        of the Senate;
            (3) the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate;
            (4) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
        Representatives; and
            (5) the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
        Representatives.
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