[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1632 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1632

 To ensure that the Federal government is able to receive the maximum 
 return on its investment in the rural essential community facilities 
  loan and grant programs and effective services to rural communities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 18, 2013

 Mr. Southerland (for himself, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Enyart, Mr. Young of 
Alaska, Mrs. Hartzler, Mr. Roe of Tennessee, Mr. Stockman, Mr. Ribble, 
and Mr. Duncan of South Carolina) introduced the following bill; which 
              was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To ensure that the Federal government is able to receive the maximum 
 return on its investment in the rural essential community facilities 
  loan and grant programs and effective services to rural communities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Building Rural Communities Act''.

SEC. 2. ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND 
              TRANING.

    Section 306(a)(19) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(19)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
                    ``(D) Essential community facilities technical 
                assistance and training.--
                            ``(i) In general.--The Secretary may make 
                        grants to public bodies and private nonprofit 
                        corporations, such as States, counties, cities, 
                        townships, and incorporated towns and villages, 
                        boroughs, authorities, districts and Indian 
                        tribes on Federal and State reservations which 
                        will serve rural areas for the purpose of 
                        enabling them to provide to associations 
                        described in paragraph (1) technical assistance 
                        and training to--
                                    ``(I) assist communities in 
                                identifying and planning for community 
                                facility needs;
                                    ``(II) identify public and private 
                                resources to finance community 
                                facilities needs;
                                    ``(III) prepare reports and surveys 
                                necessary to request financial 
                                assistance to develop community 
                                facilities;
                                    ``(IV) prepare applications for 
                                financial assistance;
                                    ``(V) improve the management, 
                                including financial management, related 
                                to the operation of community 
                                facilities; or
                                    ``(VI) assist with other areas of 
                                need identified by the Secretary.
                            ``(ii) Selection priority.--In selecting 
                        recipients of grants under this subparagraph, 
                        the Secretary shall give priority to private, 
                        nonprofit organizations that have experience in 
                        providing technical assistance and training to 
                        rural entities.
                            ``(iii) Funding.--Not less than 3 nor more 
                        than 5 percent of any funds appropriated to 
                        carry out each of the essential community 
                        facilities loan program authorized in paragraph 
                        (1) and the essential community facilities 
                        grant program authorized in subparagraph (A) 
                        for any fiscal year shall be reserved for 
                        grants under this subparagraph.''.
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