The Rural Development Modernization Act raises population thresholds that determine which communities qualify as "rural" for federal agricultural and development programs. Currently, different USDA and related programs use varying population limits ranging from 2,500 to 20,000 residents to define rural eligibility. This bill harmonizes most of these thresholds to 50,000 inhabitants, with some specific programs adjusted to 30,000 or 10,000, and excludes certain populations like military base residents and incarcerated individuals from the count. The changes affect multiple programs including broadband and telecommunications loans, water and wastewater assistance, rural housing, and similar initiatives across USDA, the Department of Energy, and the Bureau of Reclamation. The bill also updates outdated references to Pacific Island trust territories and clarifies eligibility for U.S. territories and freely associated states. The legislation contains no specified funding amounts or implementation timelines, making these adjustments through statutory revision rather than new appropriations.
Take Action
Your position
Add a comment
to comment on this bill.
Annotate the text
Highlight any passage on the Summary or Full Text tab to attach a note. Annotations appear on the Annotations tab.