WASHINGTON – Sens. Chuck Grassley
(R-Iowa) and Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), both members of the Senate Agriculture
Committee, are seeking to cut red tape and streamline the sprawling federal
resources available to rural communities. Their new bipartisan
legislation, which costs no new money, puts a rural-focused office inside the
White House — an Office of Rural Prosperity — tasked with coordinating the
federal government’s hundreds of programs supporting rural communities.
“I frequently hear from Iowans in rural
communities who are having trouble navigating federal bureaucracy, making it
more difficult to receive the assistance they need. While my office always
stands ready to assist however we can, the Rural
Prosperity Act will help Iowans identify and utilize relevant programs to
overcome any challenges they’re facing,” Grassley
said.
“As someone who lives and grew up in a
rural community in Southwest Iowa, I know firsthand the unique challenges and
opportunities of our small towns, families, and local businesses,” said Ernst. “Too often Washington
forgets the needs of our rural communities, which is why I’m pleased to put
forward this bipartisan plan to cut red tape for rural America and to make sure
we always have a voice and a seat at the decision-making table in our nation’s
capital.”
Currently, there are more than 400
federal programs dedicated to helping rural communities. 13 different federal
agencies have jurisdiction over these various programs, which includes over 50
offices and sub-agencies. The Rural
Prosperity Act would establish the Office of Rural Prosperity to coordinate
these rural economic development programs.
The bill also requires the office to
produce an annual comprehensive strategy for rural economic development — a
Rural Prosperity Action Plan — similar to what the Trump administration
produced in 2018. This would include several specific issues Grassley and Ernst
have called for, such as:
- Relying on the
best available science when reviewing or approving crop protection tools;
- Promoting the
preservation of family farms passing from one generation to the next, including
changes to the estate tax;
- Encouraging the
production, export and use of domestically produced agricultural products; and
- Furthering
America’s energy security by promoting renewable energy and biofuel.
The bill is also being led by Sens. Mark
Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).
Read the full text of the
Rural Prosperity Act by clicking
HERE.
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