Federal Legislation

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Center for Rural Affairs
You'll find here both current legislative developments at the Federal and State (primarily Nebraska ) level. We also present testimony and action alerts. The site includes Farm Bill Implementation, activity in the Nebraska Legislature, testimony, action alerts, and a news room.

National Rural Health Association
The National Rural Health Association is a member-driven national organization whose mission is to improve the health and well-being of rural Americans and populations through appropriate and equitable health care services as well as to assist its members in providing leadership on rural issues through advocacy, communications, education and research.

THOMAS—Legislative Information on the Internet from the U.S. Library of Congress
Acting under the directive of the leadership of the 104th Congress to make Federal legislative information freely available to the Internet public, a Library of Congress team brought the THOMAS World Wide Web system online in January 1995, at the inception of the 104th Congress. Searching capabilities in THOMAS were built on the InQuery information retrieval system, developed by the Center for Intelligent Information Retrieval based at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst .

The first database made available was Bill Text, followed shortly by Congressional Record Text, Bill Summary and Status, Hot Bills (no longer maintained), the Congressional Record Index , and the Constitution (now found, along with other historical Congressional documents, under the "Historical Documents" category on the THOMAS home page). Enhancements in the types of legislative data available, as well as in search and display capabilities, have been continuously added.

National Rural Development Partnership
The National Rural Development Partnership acts as a nonpartisan forum for identifying, discussing, and acting on issues affecting rural America. The NRDP does not supplant, duplicate, or compete with any program, but rather facilitates coordination and collaboration among its partners to improve implementation of rural programs.

The Enterprise Foundation
Here, you will find a discussion concerning the impacts of federal policy and legislation on such things as proposed federal housing budgets, examinations of federal programs' effectiveness in rural areas and periodic reviews of the state of the nation's rural housing. Studies of fair housing issues in rural areas are also provided.

National Rural Network
The mission of the National Rural Network (NRN) is to create awareness and understanding of those public policies which enhance the viability of Rural America.

The NRN represents the breadth of nongovernmental organizations whose constituencies comprise an emergent new rural reality. This coalition will be recognized as the preeminent national stakeholder community in addressing these broad based concerns, challenges and opportunities.

Farmland Information Center
The Farmland Information Center (FIC) is a clearinghouse for information about farmland protection and stewardship. The FIC is a public/private partnership between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and American Farmland Trust (AFT,) which was authorized by the federal Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA). Search by topic and/or by state.

RUPRI
The research of the RUPRI Center focuses on rural health care financing/system reform, rural systems building, and meeting the health care needs of special rural populations. Specific objectives include: conducting original research and independent policy analysis that provides policy makers and others with a more complete understanding of the implications of health policy initiatives, and disseminating policy analysis that assures policy makers will consider the needs of rural health care delivery systems in the design and implementation of health policy.

RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
The RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis is one of six Rural Health Research Centers funded by the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP). The mission of the Center is to provide timely analysis to federal and state health policy makers, based on the best available research.

Rural School and Community Trust
The Rural Trust's Policy Program aims to help rural people be effective and responsible participants in important policy issues affecting schools and communities. Review policy and research in the areas of accountability, busing, consolidation, facilities, finance, governance and boards, small schools, and state policy analysis.

Rural Assistance Center (RAC)
A product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Rural Initiative, the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) was established in December 2002 as a rural health and human services "information portal." RAC helps rural communities and other rural stakeholders access the full range of available programs, funding, and research that can enable them to provide quality health and human services to rural residents.

National Council of Urban Indian Health

The Office of Rural Health Policy
The Office of Rural Health Policy (ORHP) promotes better health care service in rural America. Established in August 1987 by the Administration, the Office was subsequently authorized by Congress in December 1987 and located in the Health Resources and Services Administration. Congress charged the Office with informing and advising the Department of Health and Human Services on matters affecting rural hospitals, and health care, coordinating activities within the department that relate to rural health care, and maintaining a national information clearinghouse.

The Office of the White House
You can find the latest information about the news and policies, appointments, take tours of the White House, and listen to past speeches.

The Council of State Governments
State Rural Development Legislation and Initiatives
Search by state and/or topics that include agriculture, economic development, small businesses, and water.

"Agriculture and Rural Policy Weekly Update" is a FREE weekly e-mail service for all state officials and CSG associates. It serves as a roundup of the latest information on agricultural and rural issues. Each Agriculture and Rural Policy Weekly Update contains links to agricultural and rural policy news articles from around the world.

The Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE)
The Council on Food, Agricultural, and Resource Economics (C-FARE) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the national presence of the agricultural economics profession. C-FARE's governing board includes prominent agricultural economists representing a wide range of public and private sector interests. The Council Caller, Legislative Issue is a monthly e-newsletter provided by C-FARE with informational updates for agricultural and applied economists. Past issues of The Council Caller can also be found here.

Strengthening America's Communities Initiative
The President's initiative, to be proposed in his Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 budget, will consolidate 18 existing programs, simplify access to the Federal system, set new eligibility criteria, and establish strong accountability standards all in exchange for the flexible use of the funds so that communities most in need will be assisted. The new $3.71 billion unified grant-making program will better target assistance and achieve greater results for low-income persons and economically distressed areas.

Rural Coalition
The Rural Coalition/Coalición Rural is an alliance of regionally and culturally diverse organizations working to build a more just and sustainable food system which:

• brings fair returns to minority and other small farmers and rural communities.
• ensures just and fair working conditions for farmworkers.
• protects the environment.
• delivers safe and healthy food to consumers.

American Planning Association
Growing Smart: Legislative Guidebook. States and their local governments now have new practical tools available to help combat urban sprawl, protect farmland, promote affordable housing, and encourage redevelopment. They appear in the American Planning Association's Growing Smart Legislative Guidebook: Model Statutes for Planning and the Management of Change, 2002 Edition (Stuart Meck, FAICP, Gen. Editor). The Guidebook and its accompanying User Manual are the culmination of APA's seven-year Growing Smart project, an effort to draft the next generation of model planning and zoning legislation for the U.S.

Click here to read a summary of the Guidebook.

National Rural Education Association
The National Rural Education Association (NREA) is the oldest established national organization of its kind in the United States. Formerly known as the REA, the Association traces its origins back to 1907 when it was originally founded as the Department of Rural Education. For more information about the NREA, see Background. Check out the Events page to learn about the exciting awards and other programs offered by the NREA.

National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is the national service organization dedicated to representing the national interests of cooperative electric utilities and the consumers they serve. The NRECA Board of Directors oversees the association's activities and consists of 47 members, one from each state in which there is an electric distribution cooperative.

National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative
NRTC provides public policy support to our members with legislative and regulatory filings, as well as presentations and testimony encouraging the government's support of rural America on issues such as spectrum allocation policies, local-into-local programming, and broadband access in rural America.

National Telephone Cooperative Association
The National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA), "the voice of rural telecommunications," is the premiere nonprofit association representing more than 560 small and rural telephone cooperatives and commercial companies.

Organizations Concerned About Rural Education
The OCRE coalition of more than two dozen organizations is dedicated to improvement of public education and economic development in rural America. You will find valuable information about what you can do to improve public schools in your community, what your neighbors are already doing, and what is being done throughout America.

Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative
The Rural Telephone Finance Cooperative (RTFC) strives to act with the highest ethics and professionalism and, through a supportive teamwork approach, to focus on creating and enhancing value among our rural membership community by providing services that facilitate the success of their business strategies.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation: Rural LISC
Local Initiatives Support Corporation helps resident-led, community-based development organizations transform distressed communities and neighborhoods into healthy ones—good places to live, do business, work and raise families. By providing capital, technical expertise, training and information, LISC supports the development of local leadership and the creation of affordable housing, commercial, industrial and community facilities, businesses and jobs. We help neighbors build communities.

80-55 Coalition for Rural America
The coalition is a growing nonpartisan group of advocacy, policy and research organizations dedicated to strengthening rural America. Together, we work toward educating policy makers and key decision makers on rural issues to ensure economic prosperity, increased cultural and social contributions, and the preservation of open spaces that intrinsically define rural.

The National Congress for Community Economic Development
Founded in 1970, The National Congress for Community Economic Development is the trade association for community development corporations (CDCs) and the community economic development (CED) industry. NCCED has grown from the original 40 members to well over 700 members across the United States, including not only CDCs, but also other community-based economic organizations, community action agencies, banks, foundations, corporations, individual practitioners, students and small businesses. View the Legislative Action Center here.

National Community Reinvestment Coalition
NCRC was formed in 1990 by national, regional, and local organizations to develop and harness the collective energies of community reinvestment organizations from across the country so as to increase the flow of private capital into traditionally underserved communities. NCRC is at the vanguard of a growing community reinvestment movement in which community leaders from across the nation, in urban and rural areas, are becoming educated about, and active in, efforts on how to affect the flow of credit and the provision of banking services in their neighborhoods. NCRC has worked to make community reinvestment activism a common local occurrence and to promote increased community-lender partnerships. NCRC members represent and protect traditionally underserved and vulnerable populations. Members include community development corporations, civil rights groups, community reinvestment advocates, local and state government agencies, and churches. For policy information, please click here.

National Telecommunications and Information Administration
The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, is the Executive Branch's principal voice on domestic and international telecommunications and information technology issues. NTIA works to spur innovation, encourage competition, help create jobs and provide consumers with more choices and better quality telecommunications products and services at lower prices. Telecommunications and information issues are dynamic, multi disciplinary and complex. NTIA's expertise and advocacy enable the U.S. to continue its lead in this area that is an integral part of America 's competitiveness. In fulfilling this responsibility, NTIA is providing greater access for all Americans, championing greater foreign market access, and creating new opportunities with technology. Information from the Office of Policy Analysis and Development available here.

State Science and Technology Institute (SSTI)
SSTI is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to improving government-industry programs that encourage economic growth through the application of science and technology. Delivered weekly by e-mail, the SSTI Weekly Digest reports the week's biggest stories for the tech-based economic development community. The Digest is FREE — subscribe now!

The United States Chamber of Commerce
Our staff of experts—policy specialists, lobbyists, and lawyers—make up the world's largest not-for-profit business federation, representing 3,000,000 businesses, 2800 state and local chambers, 830 business associations, and 96 American Chambers of Commerce abroad. Members include businesses of all sizes and sectors—from large Fortune 500 companies to home-based, one-person operations. In fact, 96% of our membership encompasses businesses with fewer than 100 employees. 2007 U.S. Chamber Policy Priorities.

The Farm Bureau
Farm Bureau is an independent, nongovernmental, voluntary organization governed by and representing farm and ranch families united for the purpose of analyzing their problems and formulating action to achieve educational improvement, economic opportunity and social advancement and, thereby, to promote the national well-being. Farm Bureau is local, county, state, national and international in its scope and influence and is non-partisan, nonsectarian and nonsecret in character. Farm Bureau is the voice of agricultural producers at all levels. Current Farm Bureau issues.

U.S. Department of Commerce
Our mission is to create the conditions for economic growth and opportunity by promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, competitiveness, and stewardship.

U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Clerk