MORE USDA Grants Act
The MORE USDA Grants Act is a bill that aims to make it easier for certain small, rural counties where the federal government owns or manages a large share of the land to obtain USDA grant funding. Specifically, it creates special consideration for “High-Density Public Land Counties” (populations of 100,000 or fewer and more than half of their land controlled by the federal government) and the local governments and Tribal governments within those counties. The bill would reduce local matching requirements by 50%, require the Agriculture Secretary to provide extra technical assistance on request, and give priority in grant approvals to applicants in these counties that have not received funding in the prior 10 years. It also invites the Secretary to offer flexible solutions to barriers commonly faced in applying for and receiving grants, such as complex applications, partnership requirements, and certain scoring rules that may disadvantage small, isolated communities. The act lists specific USDA grant programs it covers, including rural development, broadband, telemedicine, and community facilities, among others. The bill is introduced in the Senate by Senator Cortez Masto (with several co-sponsors) and would apply to a variety of discretionary USDA grant programs that support rural development or energy projects in these counties, local governments, and Tribal governments.
Key Points
- 1Definition of a High-Density Public Land County: a county with population 100,000 or fewer and more than 50% of land owned or managed by the federal government.
- 2Qualifying grant programs: includes Rural Business Development, Community Facilities, Economic Impact Initiative, Telemedicine and Distance Learning, Community Connect, ReConnect broadband, and other discretionary USDA rural development or energy grant programs that award to counties, local governments, or Tribal governments.
- 3Local matching: for eligible counties and local/tribal governments within them, local matching funds for qualifying grants are reduced by 50%.
- 4Technical assistance: the Secretary must provide additional technical assistance to eligible counties and governments on request, before and during the annual grant application period.
- 5Priority in grant decisions: applications from eligible counties or their governments that have not received support under a qualifying grant program in the previous 10 years receive priority; the Secretary may also prioritize tribal governments within these counties for technical assistance and other support.
- 6Additional flexibility and support: the Secretary may offer adjustments to reduce barriers to applying or receiving grants, including changes to scoring criteria, required partnerships, financial/cash-on-hand requirements, and simplifying overly complex applications.