S. 5240: Rural Economic-development Assistance and Consultation to Help Our Tribes Act

This bill would require the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to set up a formal, recurring process for consulting with Tribal governments about USDA budget requests and about major USDA reauthorization bills, including future farm bills, when those bills have budget effects.

In practical terms, USDA would have to:

• Hold consultations with Tribal governments at least once a year.
• Give Tribal governments at least 30 days’ notice before a consultation.
• Create a way to report on those consultations, including what was discussed, what Tribal governments said, and what USDA did or plans to do in response.
• Apply this consultation process not only to programs aimed specifically at Tribes, but also to other USDA programs that may affect Tribes and Tribal entities.

The bill would also require USDA to report to Congress within 12 months on how it created the consultation process and what the process looks like.

Separately, the bill would direct USDA and its Office of Tribal Relations to create a plan for analyzing and publicly reporting on funding that USDA programs provide to Tribal entities. It would also require USDA to identify ways to improve access to those programs, including by doing more outreach and technical assistance for programs that Tribal entities may be underusing.

The bill defines several terms broadly, including:

• Tribal entity, which includes Tribal governments, Tribal organizations, 1994 Institutions, Urban Indian organizations, and certain tribally owned or controlled businesses and nonprofits.
• Tribal Government, which refers to the governing body of a federally recognized Tribe.

Beyond USDA, the bill would create two cross-agency efforts related to economic development:

• An interagency task force led by USDA, working with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Commerce Department’s economic development office, to review USDA economic development program rules and application requirements and to reduce paperwork, planning burdens, duplication, and other administrative hurdles for applicants and agencies.
• A public repository led by the Commerce Department, with help from several federal agencies, listing federal economic development programs available to Tribal entities. This database would be updated regularly and is meant to make it easier to find programs and improve coordination among agencies.

In short, the bill is aimed at increasing Tribal input into USDA budget and program decisions, improving information about federal funding available to Tribal entities, and making it easier for Tribal applicants to navigate federal economic development programs.

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