[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 9]
[Senate]
[Page 12976]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                     THE RURAL RECOVERY ACT OF 2000

  Mr. DASCHLE. Mr. President, yesterday I introduced the Rural Recovery 
Act of 2000 to help address the economic malaise that has gripped 
certain rural areas of our country. The legislation will authorize the 
Department of Agriculture to provide grants to rural communities 
suffering from out-migration and low per-capita income.
  Rural areas of our nation continue to experience an erosion in their 
economic well-being. Statistics bear out the decline in rural economic 
activity, but they fail to fully capture the human suffering that lies 
just beyond the numbers. Economic downturns lead to the migration away 
from farm-dependent, rural communities, further stifling economic 
opportunities for those left behind. The 1990 Census highlighted these 
migratory trends, and I anticipate that similar trends will be captured 
by the 2000 Census, as well.
  In short, the prosperity from which many Americans have benefited 
from during the past decade has left many rural areas standing by the 
wayside. If this trend continues, more and more young people will be 
forced to leave the towns they grew up in for opportunities in urban 
areas. In towns like Webster, Eureka, and Martin, South Dakota, we are 
seeing farm families broken up, populations decline, and main street 
businesses close their doors. While there is no doubt that economic 
growth in our urban areas has benefited our nation, the disparity of 
economic development between our rural and urban areas cannot be 
ignored. If nothing is done to address the economic challenges facing 
these areas, we will jeopardize the future of rural America.
  That is why I have introduced legislation to provide the nation's 
rural areas with the resources necessary to make critical investments 
in their future and, by doing so, to create economic opportunities that 
will help them sustain a valuable and important way of life. It also 
will help rural areas provide basic services at times when they are 
losing a significant part of their tax base. While federal agencies, 
such as the United States Department of Agriculture's Office of Rural 
Development and the Economic Development Administration, provide 
assistance for rural development purposes, there are no federal 
programs that provide a steady source of funding for rural areas most 
affected by severe out-migration and low per-capita income. For these 
areas, the process of economic development is often most arduous. This 
legislation will provide the basic, long-term assistance necessary to 
aid the coordination efforts of local community leaders as they begin 
economic recovery efforts and struggle to provide basic public 
services.
  County and tribal governments will be able to use this federal 
funding to improve their industrial parks, purchase land for 
development, build affordable housing and create economic recovery 
strategies according to their needs. All of these important steps will 
help rural communities address their economic problems and plan for 
long-term growth and development.
  Mr. President, I believe this legislation holds great potential for 
revitalizing many of our nation's most neglected and vulnerable areas. 
I urge my colleagues to support its enactment.

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