Coordination of Rural Development Activities.—

Sec. 603. Coordination of Rural Development Activities.— (a) Section 520 of the Revised Statutes (7 U.S.C. 2201) is amended by— (1) inserting the words “and rural development.” after the words “with agriculture”, and; (2) striking “that word” and inserting in lieu thereof “those terms”. (b) Section 526 of the Revised Statutes (7 U.S.C. 2204) is amended by— (1) inserting “(a)” before the first sentence;. (2) inserting the words “and rural development” after the words “concerning agriculture”; (3) striking out the period at the end of the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following: “; and he shall advise the President, other members of his Cabinet, and the Congress on policies and programs designed to improve the quality of life for people living in the rural and nonmetropolitan regions of the Nation.”; and (4) adding at the end of the section a new subsection as follows: “(b) The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized and directed to provide leadership and coordination within the executive branch and shall assume responsibility for coordinating a nationwide rural development, program utilizing the services of executive branch departments and agencies and the agencies, bureaus, offices, and services of the Department of Agriculture in coordination with rural development programs of State and local governments. In carrying out this responsibility the Secretary of Agriculture shall establish employment, income, population, housing, and quality of community services and facilities goals for rural development and report annually prior to September 1 to Congress on progress in attaining such goals. The Secretary is authorized to initiate or expand research and development efforts related to solution of problems of rural water supply, rural sewage and solid waste management, rural housing, and rural industrialization.” (c) (1) The Secretary of Agriculture shall utilize to the maximum extent practicable State, regional, district, county, local, or other Department of Agriculture offices to enhance rural development, and shall to the maximum extent practicable provide directly, or, in the case of agencies outside of the Department, of Agriculture, through arrangements with the heads of such agencies, for— (A) the location of all field units of the Federal Government concerned with rural development in the appropriate Department of Agriculture offices covering the geographical areas most similar to those covered by such field units, and (B) the interchange of personnel and facilities in each such office to the extent necessary or desirable to achieve the most efficient utilization of such personnel and facilities and provide the most effective assistance in the development of rural areas in accordance with State, rural development plans. 86 Stat. 676 (2) The Secretary shall include in the report required by this section a report, on progress made in carrying out paragraph (1) of this subsection, together with such recommendations as may be appropriate.