AS TLFORTED BY THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON FAMILY FARMS, RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND SPECIAL STUDIES, Wednesday, May 2, 1979. To provide for establishment and coordination of rural development policy and to IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES APRIL 10, 1979 Mr. NOLAN (for himself and Mr. GRASSLEY) introduced the following bill; which A BILL To provide for establishment and coordination of rural develop- 1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa 2 lives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 3 4 SHORT TITLE SECTION 1. (a) This Act may be cited as the "Rural 5 Development Policy Act of 1979". 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 56 2 (1) In section 901(a) of the Agricultural Act of 1970 (84 Stat. 1383) revitalization and development of rural areas was given the highest priority as a means of achieving a sound balance between rural and urban America which Congress termed essential to the peace, prosperity, and welfare of all our citizens,; (2) Congress passed the Rural Development Act of 1972 as a further manifestation of this commitment to rural development, (3) In section 603(b)(4) of the Rural Development Act, Congress assigned to the Secretary of Agriculture the mission of coordinating a nationwide rural development program authorizing and directing him to provide leadership and coordination within the executive branch of all Federal rural development efforts and 16 programs in coordination with rural development pro grams of State and local governments; (This (4)_The Congress-finds that this mandate has yet to be carried out and that the need for coordination of rural development programs is even more pressing today than in 1972; The (5)-The Congress further-finds that the programs (of many Federal departments and agencies impact on 24 rural areas; and 3 This PURPOSE It is therefore the purpose of this Act to facilitate effective implementation of the Congressional mandate contained in the Rural Development Act of 1972 by authorizing and directing other Federal departments and agencies with programs affecting rural development to assist the Secretary of Agriculture in carrying out his responsibilities under that Act. SEC. 2. The Rural Development Act of 1972 (Public Law 92-419; 86 Stat. 657) is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new sections: "SEC. 607. Working Group for Rural DevelopMENT. (a) There is hereby established a permanent body, to be known as the Working Group for Rural Development, to assist the Secretary of Agriculture in the design, implementation, and coordination of nationwide rural development strategies. The Working Group shall be chaired by the Secretary of Agriculture and shall meet not less than quarterly and at such other times as the Secretary may deem necessary. "(b)(1) Subject to paragraph (2), the Working Group shall develop and recommend comprehensive strategies, 4 1 based on the needs, goals, objectives, plans, and recommen 2 dations of local communities, substate areas, States, and mul 3 tistate regions, to 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "(A) maximize the effectiveness, increase the responsiveness, and improve the delivery of Federal pro grams to rural areas; "(B) increase coordination of such programs with the development needs, objectives, and resources of local communities, substate areas, states, and multistate regions; and "(C) achieve the most effective combinations of Federal, State, and local resources to meet the needs of rural areas for orderly growth and development. "(2) The Working Group shall assist the Chairman in 15 developing and implementing a process through which such 16 needs, goals, objectives, plans, resources, and recommenda17 tions can be identified and attained on a continuing basis. 18 The first strategy developed under paragraph (1) shall in19 clude the period beginning on October 1, 1981, and ending 20 on September 30, 1982. Beginning on October 1, 1982, each 21 strategy developed under paragraph (1) shall include the 22 four-year period beginning on the first day of October of 23 every other even-numbered year and ending on the last day 24 of September of every other even-numbered year. Each such specifically 25 strategy shall be designed to 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 "(A) improve the economic well-being of all rural residents and alleviate problems of low income, elderly, minority, and otherwise disadvantaged rural residents; "(B) improve business and employment opportunities, occupational training and employment services, health care services, educational opportunities, energy 7 utilization and availability, housing, transportation, 21 "(3) The Working Group shall conduct a systematic 22 review of Federal programs affecting rural areas, to deter23 mine whether such areas are benefiting from such programs 24 in a proportion that is equitable in comparison to the benefits 25 received in urban areas, and to identify any factors which |