Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 108 Part 3.djvu/29

 PUBLIC LAW 103-318—AUG. 26, 1994 108 STAT. 1781 Public Law 103-318 103d Congress An Act To establish the Northern Great Plains Rural Development Commission, Aug. 26, 1994 and for other purposes. [S. 2099] Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, Northern Great Plains Rural SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. Development This Act may be cited as the "Northern Great Plains Rural 7 USC 2661 note. Development Act". SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 7 USC 2661 note. Congress finds that— (1) the rural economy of the Northern Great Plains is undergoing a substantial and potentially threatening transformation; (2) the rural Northern Great Plains suffers from substantial measurable poverty, unemplo)ntnent, outmigration, underemployment, aging of the population, and low per capita income; (3) the Northern Great Plains is highly rural and has a highly dispersed population, and contains many Native American reservations; (4) many of the basic industries of the rural Northern Great Plains in natural resources are under stress; (5) a concerted Federal, State, and local public and private efiFort is needed if the rural Northern Great Plains is to share in the general prosperity of the United States; (6) the creation ofjobs and expansion of existing businesses, including small businesses, offer the greatest hope for rural economic growth and revitaUzation in the Northern Great Plains; (7) the availability of capital, technology, market information, infi*astructure development, educational opportunities, health care, housing, recreational activities, and resource development are essential to successful business development in the rural Northern Great Plains; (8) the transportation needs of the rural Northern Great Plains must be addressed through highway and bridge construction, air service availability, and rail service and river transport development; (9) because of the social, geographic, weather, historical, and cultural ties of the rural Northern Great Plains as well as common economic problems, planning for this unique region is desirable and urgently needed; and

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