H.R. 1951 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Agriculture, Mar 6, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryStrengthening support for rural cooperatives
This bill extends funding through 2029 for a USDA program that gives grants to nonprofits helping people start or grow rural cooperatives—businesses owned and run by their members. The bill clarifies what counts as cooperative development, from training to technical help. It also asks USDA to give extra weight to grant applications that help communities facing economic hardship or have a hard time accessing these services, and to report annually to Congress on the program's activities and what it learns about how cooperatives affect the economy.
How it affects you
If you live in a rural area and are thinking about starting a cooperative or mutually-owned business with others, this bill means there's sustained federal support to help you get it off the ground. The focus on underserved and distressed communities means those areas may see more resources directed their way. For most other Americans, this bill has no direct day-to-day effect, though it does aim to strengthen rural economies over time.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 6, 2025)
Strengthening Rural Cooperatives and Communities Act
This bill reauthorizes through FY2029 and modifies the Rural Cooperative Development Grant (RCDG) Program. This Department of Agriculture (USDA) program provides grants to nonprofit institutions to help individuals and businesses start, expand, or improve rural cooperatives and other mutually-owned businesses through Rural Cooperative Development Centers.
USDA must give preference to grants that commit to providing technical assistance and other services to socially vulnerable, underserved, or distressed communities. Under current law, USDA must give preference to underserved and economically distressed areas in rural areas.
In addition, USDA may give an additional preference to applications that commit to providing a 25% matching contribution for the center with private funds and in-kind contributions. Specifically, USDA may award the maximum points in application scoring criteria to applicants that satisfy this requirement.
Under the bill, cooperative development includes activities (e.g., outreach, education, training, and technical assistance) to support the startup, expansion, or ongoing sustainability of new and existing cooperatives. Current law does not define cooperative development.
The bill directs the RCDG interagency working group to submit an annual report to Congress on its activities.
Finally, the program currently includes cooperative research program requirements to collect data on the effects of all types of cooperatives on the national economy. Under the bill, USDA must analyze the data resulting from the research and include the data and analysis in the annual report to Congress.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 1951
A BILL
Strengthening Rural Cooperatives and Communities Act
Sponsor: Rep. Josh Riley (D-NY-19) · Introduced Mar 6, 2025 · Agriculture and Food · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 28, 2025: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.”