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.
This bill establishes a uniform definition of "rural area" across all U.S. Department of Agriculture rural development programs to replace the current patchwork of different definitions. The legislation simplifies the existing definition by changing references from "urbanized" to "urban" areas and streamlines several complicated eligibility categories. The bill also expands the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to designate certain communities as rural areas despite their location within urban regions if they demonstrate persistent poverty (at least 20 percent of residents below the poverty line across three decennial censuses), high concentrations of farmworker households, or significant infrastructure gaps in water, wastewater, or electricity services. Additionally, small settlements surrounded by urban areas but lacking urban services and having poverty rates of at least 20 percent, including tribal lands and farmworker communities, can be designated as rural areas. The changes take effect 180 days after enactment, and any rural designations made before that date are protected from change until 2030 census data becomes available, ensuring communities don't lose eligibility for rural development programs.
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