119-s2618

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2618 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 2618

 To improve the process for awarding grants under certain programs of 
the Department of Agriculture to certain counties in which the majority 
 of land is owned or managed by the Federal Government and to other 
units of local government and Tribal governments in those counties, and 
 for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 July 31, 2025

 Ms. Cortez Masto (for herself, Mr. Daines, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Crapo, and 
 Mr. Risch) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
 referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To improve the process for awarding grants under certain programs of 
the Department of Agriculture to certain counties in which the majority 
 of land is owned or managed by the Federal Government and to other 
units of local government and Tribal governments in those counties, and 
 for other purposes.

 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 ``More Opportunities for Rural 
Economies from USDA Grants Act'' or the ``MORE USDA Grants Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) High-density public land county.--The term ``High-
 Density Public Land County'' means a county (or equivalent 
 jurisdiction) of a State or territory of the United States--
        (A) that has a population of not more than 100,000 
 people, according to the most recent annual estimates 
 of population by the Bureau of the Census; and
        (B) in which more than 50 percent of the land is 
 owned or managed by the Federal Government.

    (2) Qualifying grant program.--The term ``qualifying grant 
 program'' means--
        (A) the Rural Business Development grant program 
 established under 

section 310B
            (c) of the Consolidated 
 Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932
            (c) );
        (B) the community facilities grant program 
 established under 

section 306

    (a)

    (19) of the 
 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
 1926

    (a)

    (19) );
            (C) the Economic Impact Initiative grant program 
 established under 

section 306

    (a)

    (20)
        (B) of the 
 Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
 1926

    (a)

    (20)
        (B) );
            (D) the Telemedicine and Distance Learning Services 
 grant program established under chapter 1 of subtitle D 
 of title XXIII of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, 
 and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa et seq.);
        (E) the Community Connect Grant Program established 
 under 

section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 
 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb-3);
        (F) the broadband loan and grant pilot program 
 known as the ``Rural eConnectivity Pilot Program'' or 
 the ``ReConnect Program'', authorized under 

section 779 
 of division A of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
 2018 (Public Law 115-141; 132 Stat. 399);
        (G) any discretionary grant program of the Rural 
 Business-Cooperative Service, the Rural Housing 
 Service, the Rural Utilities Service, or any other 
 rural development agency of the Department of 
 Agriculture under which grants are awarded to--
            (i) counties;
            (ii) other units of local government; or
            (iii) Tribal governments; and
        (H) any other discretionary grant program of the 
 Department of Agriculture under which grants for rural 
 development or energy are awarded to--
            (i) counties;
            (ii) other units of local government; or
            (iii) Tribal governments.

    (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Agriculture.

    (4) Tribal government.--The term ``Tribal government'' 
 means the recognized governing body of any Indian or Alaska 
 Native tribe, band, nation, pueblo, village, community, 
 component band, or component reservation, individually 
 identified (including parenthetically) in the list published 
 most recently as of the date of enactment of this Act pursuant 
 to 

section 104 of the Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List 
 Act of 1994 (25 U.S.C. 5131).

SEC. 3. GRANTS.

    (a) Reduction in Local Matching Requirements.--Notwithstanding any 
other provision of law, with respect to a High-Density Public Land 
County and any unit of local government or Tribal government within a 
High-Density Public Land County, any requirement for local matching 
funds under a qualifying grant program shall be reduced by 50 percent.

    (b) Technical Assistance.--On request of a High-Density Public Land 
County or any unit of local government or Tribal government within a 
High-Density Public Land County, the Secretary shall provide additional 
technical assistance to the High-Density Public Land County, unit of 
local government, or Tribal government before and during the annual 
application period for each qualifying grant program.
            (c) Priority.--

    (1) Application approval.--In approving applications for a 
 qualifying grant program, the Secretary shall give priority to 
 an application from a High-Density Public Land County, unit of 
 local government within a High-Density Public Land County, or 
 Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County that 
 has not received support under the qualifying grant program 
 during the 10-year period preceding the date of the 
 application.

    (2) Technical assistance and other support.--In carrying 
 out subsections

    (b) and
            (d) , the Secretary may give priority to 
 a Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County.
            (d) Other Support.--The Secretary may provide additional support, 
as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, for a High-Density 
Public Land County or a unit of local government or Tribal government 
within a High-Density Public Land County, including by considering and, 
if appropriate, offering flexibility with respect to any requirement 
of, or barrier to applying for or receiving assistance under, a 
qualifying grant program if the requirement or barrier relates to--

    (1) scoring criteria relating to numerical size and impact, 
 such as the number of jobs created or the number of people 
 served, which disadvantage small and isolated communities;

    (2) any requirement that an applicant for a qualifying 
 grant program partner with other institutions, such as 
 community colleges or foundations, which may not operate in the 
 jurisdiction of the High-Density Public Land County, unit of 
 local government, or Tribal government seeking assistance under 
 the qualifying grant program;

    (3) any financial or cash-on-hand requirement that a High-
 Density Public Land County or a unit of local government or 
 Tribal government within a High-Density Public Land County 
 cannot meet for reasons other than any financial constraints to 
 which the High-Density Public Land County, unit of local 
 government, or Tribal government is subject; or

    (4) an overly complicated or overly technical application 
 for a qualifying grant program that deters High-Density Public 
 Land Counties or units of local government or Tribal 
 governments within High-Density Public Land Counties from 
 applying for the qualifying grant program.
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