Bill Summary
This bill, known as the Emergency Rural Community Relief Act, aims to provide emergency grants for essential community facilities and temporary installations in rural areas in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It amends a section of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to allow the Secretary to make grants to purchase necessary vehicles, equipment, and services for safe operation of essential community facilities or temporary installations during an emergency. The Secretary will determine the types of vehicles, equipment, and supplies that can be purchased with the grants, as well as the types of facilities and temporary installations eligible for the grants. $100 million is appropriated to carry out these grants until December 31, 2021.
Possible Impacts
1. The Emergency Rural Community Relief Act could provide funding for essential community facilities and temporary installations needed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in rural areas. This could affect people living in rural areas by providing them with access to necessary resources and services during the pandemic.
2. The Act could also affect entities referred to in subparagraph (A) by allowing them to apply for emergency grants to purchase vehicles, equipment, or services needed for the immediate safe operation of essential community facilities or temporary installations. This could benefit businesses and organizations in rural areas that may be struggling during the pandemic.
3. The Act could impact the federal budget by appropriating $100,000,000 to the Secretary for carrying out the emergency grants. This could potentially affect taxpayers and government spending in the future.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7823 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7823
To provide for emergency grants for essential community facilities and
temporary installations needed in response to COVID-19 pandemic in
rural areas.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 29, 2020
Mr. Bost introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for emergency grants for essential community facilities and
temporary installations needed in response to COVID-19 pandemic in
rural areas.
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 ``Emergency Rural Community Relief
Act''.
SEC. 2. EMERGENCY GRANTS FOR ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY FACILITIES AND
TEMPORARY INSTALLATIONS NEEDED IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
Section 306(a)(19) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(19)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``this paragraph''
each place it appears and inserting ``subparagraph (A)''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Emergency grants.--
``(i) In general.--The Secretary may make
grants during an emergency, as determined by
the Secretary, to any entity referred to in
subparagraph (A) to purchase vehicles,
equipment, or services needed for the immediate
safe operation of an essential community
facility or a temporary installation necessary
to support the public response to the emergency
in a rural area.
``(ii) Use of grant.--The Secretary shall,
by regulation, determine--
``(I) the kinds of vehicles,
equipment, and supplies which may be
purchased using a grant made under this
subparagraph; and
``(II) the kinds of facilities and
temporary installations for which such
a purchase may be made.
``(iii) Appropriation.--
``(I) In general.--Out of any money
in the Treasury of the United States
not otherwise appropriated, there are
appropriated to the Secretary
$100,000,000 to carry out this
subparagraph.
``(II) Availability.--The amount
made available by clause (i) shall
remain available through December 31,
2021.''.
<all>