,i #aaeth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #didg ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,february #f1 #bjah,ms4 ,esty of ,connecticut 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,katko1 ,mr4 ,faso1 and ,mr4 ,welch7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to improve infrastructure in small towns and rural areas4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,rural ,infrastructure ,development and ,partnerships ,act4 #b4 ,rural partnerships office 7a7 ,establishment ,there is established in the ,department of ,agriculture a ,rural ,partnerships ,office 7in this section referred to as the ,office74 7b7 ,head of office ,the ,office shall be headed by a ,director appointed by the ,president4 7c7 ,direct reporting to ,secretary of ,agriculture ,the ,director shall report directly to the ,secretary of ,agriculture 7in this section referred to as the ,secretary74 7d7 ,duties ,the ,secretary1 through the ,rural ,partnerships ,office1 shall do the following3 7#a7 ,rural partners program ,establish and run a program to provide technical assistance to improve delivery1 financing1 operations1 and maintenance of rural infrastructure1 as follows3 7,a7 ,through a competitive process1 select not more than #e organizations to serve as on-call providers of on-site technical assistance to rural communities4 7,b7 ,solicit applications from rural communities for technical assistance with infrastructure planning1 asset management1 life-cycle accounting1 project delivery1 financing1 regional coordination1 and project oversight4 7,c7 ,require an application for technical assistance from the program to include only a statement of the type of assistance requested1 and of how the applicant believes the assistance would improve rural infrastructure1 and any other information necessary to demonstrate the ability of the rural community to participate in the program4 7,d7 ,involve the ,rural ,liaison in each relevant ,federal agency in the review of each application for technical assistance from the program4 7,e7 ,assign a technical assistance team to each applicant for technical assistance from the program whose application is approved by the ,secretary1 which shall provide the assistance for a period of not more than #b years1 with the goal that technical assistance personnel will be on-site in the rural community for a significant portion of that period1 and require the team to submit to the ,secretary and the ,rural ,liaison in each relevant ,federal agency quarterly reports which summarize the activities of1 and progress made by1 the team during the quarter1 including an accounting of for how much time the team spent in the community4 7,f7 ,coordinate the program with the ,rural ,water and ,wastewater ,circuit ,rider ,program carried out under section #cjf7;a77#bb7 of the ,consolidated ,farm and ,rural ,development ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aibf7;a77#bb771 technical assistance provided out under section #addb of the ,safe ,drinking ,water ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;j-#a71 the program for assistance for capacity building for community development and affordable housing under section #d of the ,,hud ,demonstration ,act of #aiic 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #ihaf note71 and any other activities under which technical assistance may be provided so as to affect rural infrastructure1 in order to avoid duplication of effort4 7#b7 ,best practices clearinghouse ,establish an online clearinghouse of best practices specifically targeted to rural infrastructure planning1 asset management1 life-cycle accounting1 project delivery1 funding and financing1 regional coordination1 and project oversight1 including resources prepared by ,federal agencies and other sources4 7#c7 ,grants ,make grants to assist rural communities in developing cost-effective infrastructure projects1 with particular focus on regionally coordinated or bundled projects1 and require an application for such a grant to include only such documentation as is necessary to demonstrate the potential for a viable project1 and to be submitted by the ,state1 local1 or regional governmental entity with primary responsibility for the project4 7#d7 ,coordination of ,rural ,liasions ,facilitate coordination of the ,rural ,liaisons to develop1 to the extent practical1 common guidelines for rural funding or financing programs at the various ,federal agencies1 as well as to identify opportunities to work across agencies to support rural infrastructure needs4 7#e7 ,annual reports ,within #fj days after the end of each fiscal year1 publish an annual report on the activities of the ,office during the preceding fiscal year1 including the status of activities funded or assisted under the technical assistance program1 and submit a copy of the report to the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate4 #c4 ,rural liaisons 7a7 ,designation in each ,federal agency ,the head of each ,federal agency that provides financial assistance to a rural community for an activity related to rural infrastructure1 shall designate a ,rural ,liaison in the agency4 7b7 ,duties ,the ,rural ,liaison in a ,federal agency shall do the following3 7#a7 ,review regulations of1 guidance provided by1 and procedures of the agency to identify any that present a hardship for a rural community1 and recommend ways to alleviate the hardship4 7#b7 ,participate in the review of applications referred to in section #b7;d77#a77;,c74 7#c7 ,serve as an ombudsperson for any rural community to which the agency is providing financial assistance1 to help address issues and resolve problems4 7#d7 ,meet regularly with other ,rural ,liaisons to coordinate efforts and identify ways to work together to support rural infrastructure needs4 #d4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,relevant ,federal agency ,the term relevant ,federal agency means1 with respect to an application for technical assistance1 each ,federal agency that provides financial assistance to a rural community for an activity related to rural infrastructure with respect to which the technical assistance is sought4 7#b7 ,rural area ,the term rural area means any area located outside an urbanized area 7as defined by the ,bureau of the ,census7 with a population of #ej1jjj or more4 7#c7 ,rural community ,the term rural community means any community located in a rural area4 7#d7 ,rural infrastructure ,the term rural infrastructure means surface1 maritime1 air transportation1 water1 wastewater1 broadband1 and energy facilities and operations1 and public buildings1 including schools1 in a rural area4