Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York visited the village of Hamilton on June 20 to reintroduce her Rebuild Rural America Act, a piece of legislation that would invest $50 billion into rural development, according to a press release from Gillibrand’s office.
“New York’s rural communities face a variety of unique challenges, but too often, the federal government has failed to adequately support them,” Gillibrand said. “My Rebuild Rural America Act will invest $50 billion into rural America to help communities build schools, expand child care access, catalyze private investment, train workers for in-demand jobs, and bolster critical infrastructure.”
According to the same press release, the bill focuses on funding long term economic development, creating a $50 billion dollar block grant which would guarantee recipients five years of funding. Other aspects of the bill include improving rural communities’ access to federal funding, through the creation of the Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration. The bill also emphasizes uplifting local leaders of rural communities and launching the Rural Future Corps program, which would place AmeriCorps Fellows in rural communities.
Sen. Gillibrand made her announcement from The Hub, an incubator which is focused on local small businesses and is the product of the Hamilton Partnership for Community Development (PCD) and Colgate University’s Thought Into Action (TIA) Entrepreneurship Program, according to Hamilton’s Partnership for Community Development website.
According to Utica Channel 2 News, PCD Director Melissa Davis had positive feelings about Sen. Gillibrand’s announcement.
“If this bill gets passed, it can do so many great things for everyday Americans. That’s what it really comes down to, is that the everyday Americans need to be supported,” Davis said.
According to The Rome Sentinel, local leaders like mayor of the Village of Hamilton RuthAnn Loveless shared similar sentiments.
“The Rebuild Rural America Act unites many of these very important issues under one umbrella that will indeed have a great impact on our rural communities,” Loveless said. “As a municipal leader, I am anxious to learn more about the federal and local partnerships that she has designed and find ways that we can all work together to ensure success.”
According to the same article, Hamilton Town Supervisor Eve Ann Schwartz highlighted how the Hamilton and Colgate University communities have worked together through the PCD.
“The healthy, thriving community that you see around today is a testament of those far-sighted efforts,” Schwartz said. “The Hub continues the daily work of training and supporting new and existing businesses and the PCD continues the critical work of writing successful grants to create new community parks, build affordable housing and invest in utilities and road infrastructure that are critical to the continued health of our communities.”
U.S. Representative Nikki Budzinski, who serves Illinois’ 13th congressional district, has introduced companion legislation in the House, according to a press release from Budzinski’s office.
The bill was introduced into the 117th Congress on June 25 and was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry according to a Congressional Research Service Bill Summary. Full text of the bill can be found here.
