[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9019 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 9019

   To establish a uniform definition of ``rural area'' for all rural 
  development programs administered by the Department of Agriculture.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 11, 2024

   Mr. Ruiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Financial 
Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in 
   each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a uniform definition of ``rural area'' for all rural 
  development programs administered by the Department of Agriculture.

    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 Area Population Act''.

SEC. 2. UNIFORM DEFINITION OF ``RURAL AREA'' FOR USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT 
              PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 343(a)(13) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ``urbanized'' and 
        insert ``urban'';
            (2) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C);
            (3) in subparagraph (D)--
                    (A) by striking ``(F)'' each place it appears and 
                inserting ``(D)''; and
                    (B) in clause (i), by striking ``urbanized'' each 
                place it appears and inserting ``urban'';
            (4) in subparagraph (E), by striking ``urbanized'' and 
        inserting ``urban'';
            (5) in subparagraph (F)--
                    (A) in clause (i)(II), by striking ``urbanized'' 
                and inserting ``urban''; and
                    (B) in clause (ii), by striking ``consider--'' and 
                all that follows and inserting ``consider an area 
                described in clause (i)(I) not to be a rural area for 
                purposes of subparagraph (A).''; and
            (6) by redesignating subparagraphs (D) through (I) as 
        subparagraphs (B) through (G), respectively.
    (b) Conforming Amendments to the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936.--
            (1) Section 13(3) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 
        (7 U.S.C. 913(3)) is amended--
                    (A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``(C)'' each 
                place it appears and inserting ``(A)''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``loan'' and 
                inserting ``loan, or has had a loan,'' before ``made 
                under''.
            (2) Section 203(b) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 924(b)) is amended 
        to read as follows:
    ``(b) In this title, the term `rural area' shall have the meaning 
given the term in 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).''.
            (3) Section 601(b)(3) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 950bb(b)(3)) is 
        amended to read as follows:
            ``(3) Rural area.--The term `rural area' shall have the 
        meaning given the term in 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated 
        Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).''.
            (4) Section 604(a)(4) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 950bb-3(a)(4)) 
        is amended to read as follows:
            ``(4) Rural area.--The term `rural area' shall have the 
        meaning given the term in 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated 
        Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).''.
    (c) Housing Provisions.--Section 520 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 
U.S.C. 1490) is amended--
            (1) by striking the first sentence and inserting the 
        following: ``(a) In General.--As used in this title, the term 
        `rural area' shall have the meaning given the term in 
        343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
        Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).'';
            (2) by striking ``For purposes of this title'' and 
        inserting the following:
    ``(b) Legacy Areas.--For purposes of this title'';
            (3) by striking ``, and the city'' and all that follows 
        through ``year 2000''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(c) Rural Defined.--As used in this title, the term `rural' shall 
have the meaning given the term `rural area' in subsection (a).''.
    (d) Effective Date.--The amendments made by this Act shall take 
effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.
    (e) Rulemaking.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe such 
rules as are necessary with respect to implementing the amendments made 
by this Act.
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