“Building out Indian Country: Tools for Community Development.”
Chairman Hoeven, Vice Chairman Udall and Members of the Committee, I appreciate this opportunity to represent
RD manages a loan portfolio of more than
In 2017, Secretary Perdue created the Innovation Center (IC) within RD, which I oversee as Chief Innovation Officer. A major part of what the IC does is analyze RD's program performance, policies and strategies, and find ways to improve program delivery to all our constituencies, including throughout rural tribal reservations. Our mission is to equip rural communities with economic development tools to drive rural prosperity. We achieve this by identifying best practices in economic development, promoting multi-sector partnerships and capacity at the local level, and driving synergies by promoting collaboration across agencies.
The more than 40 programs that RD administers offer tribal leaders and members access to financial and technical assistance. We recognize the tremendous need for these types of resources in tribal communities and are fully committed to building on past investments and improving our ongoing support of tribal nations and
RD agencies have a long history of investing in tribal economies. Since 2001,
For example, RD provided a
In 2018, RD also provided a
Also in FY 18, through our Community Facilities loan program, we made numerous investments to tribes to help finance essential community facilities. For example, we provided a
Many RD programs are expressly designed to help alleviate the challenges faced in the most remote corners and persistently poor communities across
Historically, RD has had funds provided by
* The Community Facilities program through the
* The Rural Business Development Grant program;
* The Intermediary Relending program;
* The Water and Environmental Grant program;
* The Rural Alaska Village Grant program; and,
* The Business and Industry Loan Guarantee program.
These special tools ensure that tribal nations have access to funds for critical investments that benefit tribes and tribal members. In a typical year, approximately
RD often partners with other government and private financing entities on projects, including those serving tribes. For example, when the
RD's suite of programs enable us to serve our customers at almost any stage of development, from initial concept, to project and community planning, application development and construction. The variety of loan, grant, and technical assistance products and services provide tribes and those who serve them with a path to investing and growing over time to provide critical services to their members.
Leveraging the right programs at the right time enabled SWC to grow over time into a company that now serves tribal members across 22
Broadband
RD is building on its commitment to support deployment of critical infrastructure and to promote economic development in tribal areas. With an estimated 35 percent of residents of tribal lands still lacking broadband service, we understand that providing access to broadband is a high priority for many tribal leaders. From FY 2010-2017, tribal organizations benefited from
RD's ReConnect is the most recent program to offer loans, grants and loan/grant combinations to finance broadband infrastructure projects through eligible rural entities, including tribes.
The scoring criteria for
In addition to ReConnect, RD is beginning its work to implement new broadband provisions from the 2018 Farm Bill. As always, we will engage and listen to tribal perspectives as we implement these new provisions.
Technical Assistance
For many tribal communities, understanding which RD programs meet their needs can be challenging. Advice and assistance are available to RD applicants and borrowers throughout the planning, filing, and build out of projects. RD provides technical assistance to tribes directly, in collaboration with partners and through grants provided to private technical assistance providers. Several programs, including the Water and Environmental Programs (WEP), the Community Facilities (CF) Program and the new ReConnect program offer funding for technical assistance and training.
For example, WEP administers a Technical Assistance and Training (TAT) Grant program, as well as a Solid Waste Management Grant (SWM) program, both of which are available and subscribed to by tribal and
RD funded circuit riders also provide hands-on technical assistance to tribes in operating water systems. For example, when the
In August of 2018, Rural Development Oklahoma partnered with the
In terms of outreach, RD employs a full time National Native American Coordinator who works across all RD programs and provides support to RD staff and Tribes across the Nation. And in each state that serves at least one federally recognized tribe, RD appoints a Native American Coordinator, customarily as a collateral duty, to serve as a single point of contact for tribes in that state.
Innovating for Better Service
RD is continuously exploring ways in which we can more strategically engage our customers and deliver our programs. Secretary Perdue has a clear vision for
For example, RD is partnering with two Native Community Development Financial Institutions (NCDFIs) that have extensive experience working in Native American communities. In FY 2018, RD obligated
Each NCDFI contributed
New Opportunities in the 2018 Farm Bill
The 2018 Farm Bill reauthorizes RD programs that support tribal economic development and provides new tools that will enable RD to better serve the needs of tribal nations. Big or small, these changes will make a real impact on program delivery.
We thank this Committee and the Agriculture Committees for the update to the Rural Alaska Village Grant (RAVG) program in Section 6408 of the Farm Bill. This change supports the commitment among federal, state, and local partners to work collaboratively to deliver the RAVG program in an efficient, streamlined, accountable and impactful way. In June of 2011, RD, the
The RAVG program is an excellent example of how partnership among federal and state entities can change lives in native communities. The village of
The new Farm Bill also authorizes RD to refinance certain RD hospital loans, as well as telecommunications and electric loans. We understand that these authorities are of interest to tribal borrowers and we look forward to engaging on this issue in the upcoming USDA Farm Bill consultations.
In Section 6302 of the Farm Bill,
RD is looking forward to the tribal consultations and listening sessions in the weeks and months ahead to hear from tribes how to best implement this section of the Farm Bill and to begin building the framework of a new central RD technical assistance function to be deployed should funding be appropriated for it.
Conclusion
RD will continue to actively support all tribal nations in their efforts to improve the quality of life for their members. To do so, we will partner with other public and private entities to fund projects, leverage the many tools and authorities
Read this original document at: https://www.indian.senate.gov/sites/default/files/Jacki%20Ponti-Lazaruk%20USDA%20Rural%20Development%20Chief%20Innovation%20Officer%20%20041019.pdf
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