,i #aagth ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #gjai ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #i1 #bjbb,ms4 ,craig 7for herself1 ,mr4 ,newhouse1 ,mrs4 ,axne1 ,mr4 ,smith of ,nebraska1 ,mr4 ,o',halleran1 and ,mr4 ,feenstra7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to establish the ,office of ,rural ,prosperity1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,rural ,prosperity ,act of #bjbb4 #b4 ,office of ,rural ,prosperity 7a7 ,in general ,there is established in the ,executive ,office of the ,president the ,office of ,rural ,prosperity 7referred to in this section as the ,office74 7b7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,office is to address the social1 economic1 and community well-being and resilience of rural areas in the ,united ,states by addressing unique structural challenges experienced by rural communities1 including housing1 education1 healthcare1 small business development1 and job creation4 7c7 ,chief ,rural ,advisor 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,office shall be headed by the ,chief ,rural ,advisor1 who shall be appointed by the ,president4 7#b7 ,compensation ,the ,chief ,rural ,advisor shall be compensated at the rate provided for level ,,ii of the ,executive ,schedule in section #ecac of title #e1 ,united ,states ,code4 7d7 ,duties ,the ,chief ,rural ,advisor shall-- 7#a7 not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 develop1 and not less frequently than every #c years thereafter1 update1 a comprehensive strategy for rural development across the ,executive ,branch1 which shall-- 7,a7 identify the most pressing priorities of the ,united ,states to promote rural prosperity in the #aj-year period following the date of submission of the report under subsection 7f77#b72 and 7,b7 describe the policy actions that will be taken by the ,federal ,government1 across ,federal agencies and programs1 to accelerate and support social and economic prosperity in rural areas2 7#b7 using the metrics developed under subsection 7e71 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 ,states2 7#c7 make recommendations to the ,president on coordinating1 streamlining1 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 ,states2 7#d7 coordinate1 and improve community-level outcomes and return on investment of1 ,federal engagement relating to the needs of rural areas in the ,united ,states with stakeholders based in rural communities1 including-- 7,a7 agricultural organizations2 7,b7 small businesses2 7,c7 education and training institutions2 7,d7 health care providers2 7,e7 telecommunications services providers2 7,f7 electric service providers2 7,g7 transportation providers2 7,h7 research and land-grant institutions2 7,i7 law enforcement agencies2 7,j7 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments 7including a ,native village and a ,native ,corporation1 as those terms are defined in section #c of the ,alaska ,native ,claims ,settlement ,act 7#dc ,u4,s4,c4 #afjb772 and 7,k7 nongovernmental organizations2 7#e7 coordinate ,federal efforts directed toward the growth and development of rural geographic regions that encompass metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas2 7#f7 identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy transitions1 outdoor recreation1 and other conservation-related activities2 7#g7 identify common economic and social challenges faced by rural communities that could be overcome through better coordination of existing ,federal and non-,federal resources2 and 7#h7 convene public hearings 7including with the power to call witnesses and request documents from ,federal agencies7 on the state of rural areas in the ,united ,states and the comprehensive strategy for rural development developed under paragraph 7#a74 7e7 ,metrics 7#a7 ,in general ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,chief ,rural ,advisor shall develop metrics to measure the effect of ,federal programs on rural areas in the ,united ,states4 7#b7 ,requirements ,in developing the metrics under paragraph 7#a71 the ,chief ,rural ,advisor shall-- 7,a7 develop a comprehensive list of federally administered programs that are available to individuals1 businesses1 nonprofit organizations1 units of local government1 or other entities located in rural areas in the ,united ,states2 and 7,b7 develop a comprehensive set of metrics1 including-- 7i7 employment in a rural area2 7ii7 inequality in a rural area2 7iii7 economic competitiveness of a rural area2 7iv7 inflation or deflation in a rural area2 7v7 housing availability and costs in a rural area2 7vi7 access to health care or telehealth in a rural area2 7vii7 the rate of small business startups in a rural area2 7viii7 educational attainment in a rural area2 7ix7 workforce participation in a rural area2 and 7x7 other metrics1 as determined appropriate by the ,chief ,rural ,advisor4 7#c7 ,availability of data of other ,federal agencies 7,a7 ,in general ,for purposes of developing metrics under paragraph 7#a71 the head of any other ,federal agency shall provide to the ,chief ,rural ,advisor1 on request by the ,chief ,rural ,advisor and at no cost to the ,office1 any data relating to the work of the ,office collected by the ,federal agency4 7,b7 ,privacy and security ,the ,chief ,rural ,advisor shall take any necessary steps to maintain the privacy and security of data provided under subparagraph 7,a74 7f7 ,reports to ,congress ,the ,chief ,rural ,advisor shall-- 7#a7 not later than #a year after establishing the metrics under subsection 7e71 and not less frequently than annually thereafter-- 7,a7 prepare a report describing the effect that the programs on the list developed under subsection 7e77#b77;,a7 have on rural areas1 based on the metrics developed under subsection 7e77#b77;,b71 with demographic breakdowns by race1 age1 and geographic region2 and 7,b7 submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate and the ,committee on ,agriculture and the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives1 and make publicly available1 the report prepared under subparagraph 7,a72 and 7#b7 not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 and not less frequently than every #c years thereafter1 submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 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 7d77#a74 7g7 ,funding ,this section shall be carried out using existing amounts otherwise available to the ,executive ,office of the ,president4 7h7 ,savings provision ,nothing in this section authorizes the hiring of additional staff4 #c4 ,rural ,prosperity ,council 7a7 ,in general ,there is established a ,rural ,prosperity ,council 7referred to in this section as the ,council74 7b7 ,chair ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall serve as the ,chair of the ,council4 7c7 ,members ,the ,council shall be composed of the heads of the following executive branch departments1 agencies1 and offices3 7#a7 ,the ,office of ,rural ,prosperity4 7#b7 ,the ,department of ,agriculture4 7#c7 ,the ,department of the ,treasury4 7#d7 ,the ,department of ,defense4 7#e7 ,the ,department of ,justice4 7#f7 ,the ,bureau of ,indian ,affairs4 7#g7 ,the ,department of the ,interior4 7#h7 ,the ,department of ,commerce4 7#i7 ,the ,economic ,development ,administration4 7#aj7 ,the ,department of ,labor4 7#aa7 ,the ,department of ,health and ,human ,services4 7#ab7 ,the ,department of ,housing and ,urban ,development4 7#ac7 ,the ,department of ,transportation4 7#ad7 ,the ,department of ,energy4 7#ae7 ,the ,department of ,education4 7#af7 ,the ,department of ,veterans ,affairs4 7#ag7 ,the ,department of ,homeland ,security4 7#ah7 ,the ,environmental ,protection ,agency4 7#ai7 ,the ,federal ,communications ,commission4 7#bj7 ,the ,office of ,management and ,budget4 7#ba7 ,the ,office of ,science and ,technology ,policy4 7#bb7 ,the ,office of ,national ,drug ,control ,policy4 7#bc7 ,the ,council of ,economic ,advisers4 7#bd7 ,the ,domestic ,policy ,council4 7#be7 ,the ,national ,economic ,council4 7#bf7 ,the ,small ,business ,administration4 7#bg7 ,the ,council on ,environmental ,quality4 7d7 ,designees ,a member of the ,council may designate1 to perform the ,council functions of the member1 a senior-level official who is-- 7#a7 part of the department1 agency1 or office of the member2 and 7#b7 a full-time officer or employee of the ,federal ,government4 7e7 ,duties ,the ,council shall-- 7#a7 ensure coordination among ,federal agencies1 ,states1 units of local government1 nonprofit organizations1 and other stakeholders1 as appropriate1 in addressing the needs of rural areas in the ,united ,states2 7#b7 coordinate ,federal efforts directed toward the growth and development of rural geographic regions that encompass both metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas2 7#c7 identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy transitions1 outdoor recreation1 and other conservation-related activities2 7#d7 make recommendations to the ,president1 acting through the ,chief ,rural ,advisor1 on streamlining and leveraging ,federal investments in rural areas1 where appropriate1 to increase the impact of ,federal dollars and create economic opportunities to improve the quality of life in rural areas in the ,united ,states2 7#e7 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 ,states2 and 7#f7 develop plans and strategies to address the needs of rural areas in the ,united ,states4 7f7 ,public ,outreach ,not less frequently than twice annually1 the ,council shall hold public meetings in a rural community for the purpose of-- 7#a7 soliciting feedback from the public1 units of local government1 ,indian ,tribes1 and dislocated workers on concerns relating to the social1 economic1 and community well-being and resilience of rural areas2 and 7#b7 soliciting recommendations on actions the departments1 agencies1 and offices represented on the ,council may consider to support the economic development of rural communities4 #d4 ,rural prosperity action plan 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary of ,agriculture 7referred to in this section as the ,secretary71 in coordination with the ,under ,secretary for ,rural ,development1 shall develop a rural prosperity action plan 7referred to in this section as the action plan71 which shall describe the actions to be carried out by the ,secretary for the purposes of addressing the social1 economic1 and community well-being and resilience of rural areas in the ,united ,states by addressing unique structural challenges experienced by rural communities4 7b7 ,coordination ,each activity carried out under this section shall be carried out in coordination with the ,office of ,rural ,prosperity4 7c7 ,administrative support and funding ,the ,secretary shall provide administrative support and funding in the development of the action plan1 to the extent permitted by law and using appropriations available to the ,secretary as of the date of enactment of this ,act4 7d7 ,activities ,in developing the action plan1 the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 examine each rural development activity carried out by the ,secretary as of the date of enactment of this ,act2 and 7#b7 identify regulatory and policy changes that could be made by the ,secretary that would accomplish the goals described in subsection 7a71 including changes that would-- 7,a7 remove barriers to economic prosperity and quality of life in rural areas of the ,united ,states2 7,b7 strengthen and expand educational opportunities for students in rural communities1 particularly in agricultural education1 science1 technology1 engineering1 and mathematics2 7,c7 empower the ,state1 local1 and ,tribal agencies that implement rural economic development1 agricultural1 and environmental programs to tailor those programs to relevant regional circumstances2 7,d7 respect the unique circumstances of small businesses that serve rural communities and the unique business structures and regional diversity of farms and ranches2 7,e7 ensure access to a reliable workforce and increase employment opportunities in rural-focused businesses1 including agriculture2 7,f7 promote the preservation of family farms as they are passed from generation to generation2 7,g7 ensure that private property rights of water users are not encumbered when the water users attempt to secure permits to operate on ,federal land2 7,h7 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 ranches2 7,i7 encourage the production1 export1 and use of domestically produced agricultural products2 7,j7 further the energy security of the ,united ,states in the rural landscape2 7,k7 address hurdles associated with access to resources on ,federal land for rural communities that rely on cattle grazing1 timber harvests1 mining1 recreation1 and other multiple uses2 7,l7 identify and facilitate rural economic opportunities associated with energy development1 outdoor recreation1 and other conservation-related activities2 and 7,m7 coordinate and improve the effectiveness of ,federal engagement with rural stakeholders1 including agricultural organizations1 small businesses1 education and training institutions1 health care providers1 telecommunications services providers1 research and land-grant institutions1 law enforcement1 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments1 and nongovernmental organizations1 regarding the needs of rural areas of the ,united ,states4 7e7 ,submission of action plan ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall submit the action plan1 including recommendations for regulatory and policy changes identified under subsection 7d77#b7 that the ,secretary considers appropriate1 to-- 7#a7 the ,chief ,rural ,advisor2 7#b7 the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate2 7#c7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7#d7 the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#e7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4 7f7 ,progress report ,not later than #a year after the action plan is submitted in accordance with subsection 7e71 the ,secretary shall submit a report describing the progress of the ,secretary in meeting benchmarks described in the action plan to-- 7#a7 the ,chief ,rural ,advisor2 7#b7 the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate2 7#c7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,senate2 7#d7 the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives2 and 7#e7 the ,committee on ,appropriations of the ,house of ,representatives4