Rural Economic-development Assistance and Consultation to Help Our Tribes Act

Rural Economic-development Assistance and Consultation to Help Our Tribes Act or the REACH Our Tribes Act

This bill requires certain actions, particularly by the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for tribal consultation, data reporting, and interagency collaboration for economic development.

Specifically, the bill requires USDA to establish a formal process for consultation with tribal governments on (1) annual budget requests; and (2) bills proposing the reauthorization of certain USDA programs over a period of multiple years with budgetary impacts, including bills providing for the reauthorization of USDA programs (commonly known as farm bills). USDA must report to Congress on this consultation process.

Additionally, the bill requires USDA to establish a plan for analyzing and publicly reporting to tribal entities on funding provided through USDA programs for which tribal entities are eligible to apply.

The bill also requires USDA, in consultation with the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Economic Development Administration, to establish an interagency task force on economic development programs. This task force must (1) review guidance and application requirements for economic development programs administered by USDA, and (2) develop interagency agreements to reduce administrative and planning burdens for applicants to such programs and the federal agencies administering such programs.

The Department of Commerce must establish a working group to develop and regularly update a comprehensive and public repository of federal economic development programs that are available to tribal entities.