S 3861

0likes☆Favorite🔕SubscribeShare

Introduced ↻ Update bill dataRe-checks Congress.gov for new actions and updates the bill's status, and fills in any sponsors, committees, or related bills that are missing. It does not re-pull sponsors/cosponsors/committees/related — those rarely change — and it skips all work if nothing has changed upstream, so it's cheap to click. Contact your reps Urge the sponsor

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 12, 2026

Mr. Welch (for himself and Mrs. Gillibrand) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

A BILL

To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to reauthorize and expand the Rural Innovation Stronger Economy grant program.

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 “Rural Innovation Stronger Economy (RISE) Reauthorization Act of 2026”.

SEC. 2. RURAL INNOVATION STRONGER ECONOMY GRANT PROGRAM REAUTHORIZATION AND EXPANSION.

(a) In General.—Section 379I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)(i)—

(I) by striking “the industry clusters that are objectively identified as”; and

(II) by inserting “industries in the area served by the partnership” after “declining”; and

(ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii)—

(I) by striking subclause (I); and

(II) by redesignating subclauses

(II) through (IV) as subclauses (I) through (III), respectively;

(B) by striking paragraph (2); and

(C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through (5) as paragraphs (2) through (4), respectively;

(2) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and

(B) as clauses (i) and (ii), respectively, and indenting the clauses appropriately;

(ii) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated), by striking “opportunities, networks, and industry clusters” and inserting “opportunities and networks”;

(iii) by striking the paragraph designation and heading and all that follows through “The Secretary” in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated) and inserting the following:

“(1) Grant program.—

“(A) In general.—The Secretary”; and

(iv) by adding at the end the following:

“(B) Targeted community types.—In carrying out the grant program under this paragraph, the Secretary shall—

“(i) target a broad base of rural community types that will benefit from the program, with an emphasis on communities with a population of fewer than 20,000 inhabitants; and

“(ii) of the total amount of grants awarded for each fiscal year, award not less than 10 percent to carry out activities that will benefit rural communities with a population of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants.”; and

(B) in paragraph (3)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)—

(I) by redesignating clauses (i) and (ii) as subclauses (I) and (II), respectively, and indenting the subclauses appropriately; and

(II) in subclause (II) (as so redesignated), by striking “industry cluster”;

(ii) by striking subparagraph (C);

(iii) in subparagraph (D), by striking “industry clusters,”;

(iv) by redesignating subparagraphs (A),

(B), (D), (E), and (F) as clauses (i), (ii),

(iii), (iv), and (v), respectively, and indenting the clauses appropriately; and

(v) in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated), by striking “shall consider—” and inserting the following: “shall—

“(A) ensure that a diverse set of industry bases is represented;

“(B) only select an eligible entity to receive a grant with the concurrence of the applicable State office of the rural development mission area; and

“(C) take into consideration—”;

(3) in subsection (d)(1)—

(A) in subparagraph (A), by adding “and” after the semicolon at the end; and

(B) in subparagraph (B)—

(i) in clause (i), by striking “industry clusters,”;

(ii) in clause (vii), by striking “small businesses in regional industry clusters, including”;

(iii) in clause (ix), by striking “in the identified industry clusters”; and

(iv) in clause (x), by striking “industry cluster”;

(4) in subsection (e)(2)(B)—

(A) in clause (viii)—

(i) in subclause (I), by striking “industry cluster” and inserting “activities funded with the grant”; and

(ii) in subclause (II), by striking “held by the industry cluster” and inserting “relating to those activities convened by relevant organizations”;

(B) in clauses (xi) and (xii), by striking “industry cluster” each place it appears and inserting “participating regional”; and

(C) in clause (xiii), by striking “the project activities” and inserting “activities funded with the grant”; and

(5) by striking subsection (f) and inserting the following:

“(f) Authorization of Appropriations.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.”.

(b) Conforming Amendment.—Section 6306(h)(3)(B)(ii) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (7 U.S.C. 2204b-3(h)(3)(B)(ii)) is amended, in the matter preceding subclause (I), by striking “section 379I(a)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act” and inserting “section 379I(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w(a))”. <all>