Rural Service and Workforce Corps Act

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H.R. 7201 Introduced in House (IH)] <DOC> 119th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 7201 To establish a program to fill critical rural workforce shortages through an education assistance and loan repayment in exchange for service in designated rural areas, and for other purposes. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 22, 2026 Ms. Bynum introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Education and Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To establish a program to fill critical rural workforce shortages through an education assistance and loan repayment in exchange for service in designated rural areas, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Service and Workforce Corps Act''. SEC. 2. RURAL SERVICE AND WORKFORCE CORPS PROGRAM. (a) Design.-- (1) In general.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall design a program to be known as the ``Rural Service and Workforce Corps Program'', modeled after the service-for-benefits framework of the National Health Service Corps, to fill critical workforce shortages in targeted rural areas, through the provision of scholarships, tuition assistance, student loan repayment, stipends or wage support during service, and relocation and retention incentives in exchange for 3 years of service in a rural area designated by the Secretary. (2) Priority employment sectors.-- (A) In general.--The program shall be designed to prioritize filling workforce shortages in the