[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7579 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7579
To improve access to Department of Agriculture Rural Development
discretionary grant programs by establishing a technical assistance
set-aside to support low-capacity rural communities, and for other
purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 13, 2026
Ms. Letlow introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve access to Department of Agriculture Rural Development
discretionary grant programs by establishing a technical assistance
set-aside to support low-capacity rural communities, 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 ``Empowering Rural Communities Act''.
SEC. 2. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE SET-ASIDE FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DISCRETIONARY GRANT PROGRAMS.
(a) Set-Aside Established.--The Secretary shall reserve not less
than 2.5 percent of the total amount made available in appropriations
Acts for each Rural Development discretionary grant program, to support
technical assistance activities under this Act.
(b) Use of Funds.--The Secretary shall use funds reserved under
subsection (a) for--
(1) technical assistance, including training, project
scoping, application development support, pre-award planning,
post-award compliance assistance, and long-term administrative
capacity-building;
(2) pre-development support, including engineering,
environmental review preparation, and financial feasibility
analysis necessary to prepare complete applications;
(3) outreach activities, including workshops, webinars, and
direct community engagement; or
(4) the development of project-ready grant applications for
broadband, water and wastewater systems, community facilities,
housing, business development, and other rural development
priorities.
(c) Method of Delivery.--The Secretary may carry out this section
through--
(1) cooperative agreements;
(2) grants or subgrants; or
(3) contracts with eligible entities.
(d) Priority for Assistance.--In carrying out this section, the
Secretary shall give priority to an entity serving a community that--
(1) lacks full-time grant writing or administrative staff;
(2) has historically low participation rates in Rural
Development discretionary grant programs; or
(3) is located in a persistent poverty, underserved, or
high-need rural area.
(e) Coordination With State Offices.--Each State office of Rural
Development shall--
(1) identify high-need communities;
(2) collaborate with technical assistance providers; and
(3) ensure services are delivered in a geographically
balanced and equitable manner.
(f) Administrative Expense Limitation.--Funds reserved under
subsection (a) shall not be taken into account in applying a statutory
limitation on administrative expenses applicable to a Rural Development
program.
SEC. 3. ANNUAL REPORT.
(a) Report to Congress.--The Secretary shall submit to the
Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a
report describing--
(1) the amounts reserved and expended under this Act;
(2) the number, type, and geographic distribution of
communities assisted under this Act;
(3) measurable outcomes, including increased application
completion rates and award success, of measures taken under
this Act; and
(4) any recommendations for improving the framework for
delivery of technical assistance activities under this Act.
(b) Public Availability.--The Secretary shall make the report
publicly available on the Department of Agriculture website.
SEC. 4. NO ADDITIONAL FUNDS AUTHORIZED.
The Secretary may use amounts otherwise appropriated to carry out
this Act. This Act shall not be interpreted to authorize or require an
additional appropriation.
SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Discretionary grant program.--The term ``discretionary
grant program'' means any grant program for which funds are
made available in an appropriations Act.
(2) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a unit of local government, parish, or Tribal
government;
(B) a nonprofit organization;
(C) a rural electric or telephone cooperative;
(D) an institution of higher education (as defined
in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965);
(E) a private-sector firm with demonstrated
experience in planning, financing, developing,
administering, or implementing rural development or
infrastructure projects, including broadband, water and
wastewater systems, housing, energy, transportation, or
community facilities, as evidenced by prior project
delivery, grants, or contracts; or
(F) a State or territory cooperative extension
service authorized under the Smith-Lever Act, including
such a service operated by a land-grant institution.
(3) High-need area.--The term ``high-need area'' means an
area that demonstrates economic distress or limited local
capacity, including 1 or more of the following, as determined
by the Secretary:
(A) High poverty or unemployment rates.
(B) Population loss or long-term economic decline.
(C) Inadequate access to basic infrastructure or
essential services.
(D) Limited staffing or administrative capacity to
compete for Federal assistance.
(4) High-need community.--The term ``high-need community''
means a community experiencing economic distress, limited
administrative capacity, or significant infrastructure
deficiencies, as determined by the Secretary, consistent with
criteria used by Rural Development and the Economic Development
Administration.
(5) Land-grant institution.--The term ``land-grant
institution'' means land-grant colleges and universities (as
defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research,
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977).
(6) Low-capacity community.--The term ``low-capacity
community'' means a community in a rural area, that--
(A) has a population of not more than 20,000
individuals; or
(B) lacks full-time grant writing or administrative
staff, as determined by the Secretary.
(7) Persistent poverty area.--The term ``persistent poverty
area'' means a county or equivalent jurisdiction in which 20
percent or more of the population has lived in poverty for a
period of at least 30 years, as measured by the decennial
census and other data sources used by the Office of Management
and Budget, the Census Bureau, or the Department of
Agriculture.
(8) Rural area.--The term ``rural area'' has the meaning
set forth in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act, without regard to section 343(a)(13)(I)
of such Act.
(9) Rural development.--The term ``Rural Development''
means the mission area of the Department of Agriculture that
includes the Rural Utilities Service, the Rural Business-
Cooperative Service, and the Rural Housing Service.
(10) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(11) Underserved area.--The term ``underserved area'' means
a community that has historically experienced barriers to
accessing Federal programs, funding, or technical assistance,
including due to geographic isolation, limited administrative
capacity, insufficient local resources, or historic
underinvestment, as determined by the Secretary.
<all>