[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 172 (Wednesday, October 30, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H8608]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                SPOTLIGHTING THE NEEDS OF RURAL AMERICA

  (Mr. DELGADO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. DELGADO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to put a spotlight on rural 
America and urge Congress to pass my bill, the Rebuild Rural America 
Act.
  Rural America is being left behind. In my district, the eighth most 
rural in the country, we are still fighting for broadband access and 
consistent cell service.
  With so much of the private market focusing on population density in 
order to achieve high returns on capital investment, many of our less 
populated communities are left to their own devices.
  Here, at the Federal level, where the public good is contemplated, we 
must ensure that no community is boxed out of the future. That is why I 
introduced the Rebuild Rural America Act, which creates the rural 
future partnership fund and provides $50 billion for noncompetitive, 5-
year, renewable block grants to certified rural regions to implement 
locally developed revitalization plans.
  This bill helps communities that don't have the resources to navigate 
the complex Federal grants process to secure Federal funding for 
important projects, and it would move the Federal Government away from 
being complicated, siloed, and top-down into a more responsive and 
effective partner for our rural communities.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to pass the Rebuild Rural America 
Act.

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