[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3803 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3803
To establish the Office of Rural Prosperity, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 10 (legislative day, March 7), 2022
Mr. Kelly (for himself, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Grassley, and Mrs. Gillibrand)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
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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