About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (April 10, 2017)

handle is hein.crs/govcfuz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: FF.~ April 10, 2017 Farm Bill Primer: Rural Development Title Provisions Omnibus farm bills are the major modem legislative vehicle for addressing many rural development issues. While other legislation has significant implications for rural areas and rural residents (e.g., transportation initiatives, environmental regulation, finance and taxation, Medicare, Social Security), Congress has used periodic farm bills to address emerging rural issues as well as to reauthorize a wide range of rural programs administered by the USDA's rural development mission agencies: Rural Utilities Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Housing Service. While the extent of overlap between federal agencies and programs targeting rural areas has been of concern to some rural policy observers, USDA Rural Development has primary federal responsibility for rural development and has the largest number of programs providing assistance to rural areas. Since 1973, omnibus farm bills have included a rural development title. How to create and support new competitive advantage in rural areas so these areas can better compete in a global economic environment is a key issue framing current debates about the future of rural America. While the search for new sources of rural economic development is part of the policy equation, also increasingly appreciated is the need to develop new approaches for federal assistance to rural areas that go beyond the largely piecemeal programming that has long characterized rural economic development policy. The rural development title of farm bills generally provides assistance for rural business creation and expansion and rural infrastructure along with traditional assistance for housing, electrical generation and transmission, broadband, water and wastewater, and economic and institutional capacity in local communities. In the past several farm bills, policymakers have also supported innovative and alternative business development (e.g., bioenergy, value- added production, local food production) and innovative mechanisms to finance it (e.g., the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program). Support for such alternative approaches is expected to continue as policymakers recognize the great diversity among rural communities, with some rural areas growing and prospering and others falling further behind as their primary industries (including agriculture) decline and population outmigration continues, particularly among younger, better educated residents. The 2002 farm bill (P.L. 107-171, Section 6020) amended the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act of 1972(the ConAct; 7 U.S.C. 1926 et seq.) to define rural and rural area as any area other than a city or town with a population of more than 50,000 and the urbanized area contiguous and adjacent to such a city or town. Eligibility for some programs have statutory population limits much less than 50,000 (e.g., Water and Waste Water loans and grants-10,000; Community Facilities-20,000). In awarding loans and grants, regulations may also prioritize rural areas with even smaller populations and/or household income limits. The rural development title of the 2014 farm bill generally reauthorized or amended long-standing programs under the ConAct and the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.). New programs are also authorized under these statutes. A listing of selected programs is provided in the text box. Concerns about how effectively USDA targets its rural development loan and grant assistance have been a recurring consideration for policymakers and rural development practitioners. The general concern is that rural development funding may not be targeted as well or as effectively as it could be. The 2014 farm bill directed USDA to begin collecting data regarding economic activities created through its rural development grants and loans and to measure the short- and long-term viability of award recipients. It also directed USDA to report to Congress every two years on rural employment generation, new business start-ups, and any increased local revenue. Selected Rural Development (Title VI) Provisions in the 2014 Farm Bill (P.L. 1 13- 79) Rural Business Development Grants. Combines two former progams the Rural Business Enterprise Grant progam and the Rural Business Opportunity Grant program (§6015). Business and Industry Loan Guarantees. Provides loans and loan guarantees. Includes a provision for locally or regionally produced agricultural food products that travel less than 400 miles between production and marketing (§6014). Rural Energy Savings. Provides loans to utility districts and Rural Utility Service borrowers to assist rural households and small businesses in implementing durable, cost-effective energy efficiency measures (§6205). Rural Gigabit Network Pilot. Supports bringing ultra-high- speed broadband to rural areas. (§6 105). Essential Community Facilities Technical Assistance and Training. Provides public entities and nonprofit corporations the technical assistance and training necessary to prepare reports and surveys needed to request financial assistance under the Community Facilities loan and gant program (§6006) The 2014 farm bill authorized a new Strategic Economic and Community Development initiative to support 0 0- gognpo goo , q g 'S a X

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most