EDA Short Form Application Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 5241 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 5241

  To require the establishment and use of short form applications for 
rural communities applying for economic development grant programs, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 25, 2024

 Mr. Barrasso introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Environment and Public Works

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the establishment and use of short form applications for 
rural communities applying for economic development grant programs, 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 ``EDA Short Form Application Act''.

SEC. 2. SHORT FORM APPLICATIONS FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES IN ECONOMIC 
              DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Assistant secretary.--The term ``Assistant Secretary'' 
        means the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic 
        Development.
            (2) Rural community.--The term ``rural community'' means an 
        incorporated municipality, Tribal area, or territory--
                    (A) with a population of not more than 10,000 
                individuals, as determined by the Bureau of the Census 
                in the most recent decennial census; or
                    (B) that, as determined by the Assistant Secretary, 
                is not located in a metropolitan statistical area, as 
                designated by the Director of the Office of Management 
                and Budget.
    (b) Short Form Applications.--Notwithstanding any other provision 
of law, the Assistant Secretary shall establish a short form 
application for rural communities that may be used by applicants in 
rural communities for any grant program administered by the Economic 
Development Administration.
    (c) Rural Stakeholder Input.--In establishing a short form 
application under subsection (b), the Assistant Secretary shall solicit 
input from a representative group of stakeholders in rural communities 
on the challenges faced by rural communities in identifying 
opportunities, and applying, for grants from the Economic Development 
Administration, including--
            (1) the length of the applications;
            (2) the information and documentation required or requested 
        to be submitted as part of the applications;
            (3) the degree of applicability to rural communities of 
        questions in the applications and information and documentation 
        described in paragraph (2); and
            (4) any other considerations the Assistant Secretary 
        determines to be necessary for the establishment of the short 
        form application.
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