Launched in March, Senator’s working group brings Arizonans together to develop and deliver lasting solutions to the issues facing rural communities
WASHINGTON – Arizona senior Senator Kyrsten Sinema held a virtual meeting with her Rural Development Working Group – an assembly of local leaders from rural communities across the state – to provide updates on her work delivering resources and results for rural Arizona.
Charlene Fernandez, Arizona State Director of USDA Rural Development, joined Sinema’s meeting to detail the resources available for some of the top priorities in rural communities – water, housing, and community facilities.
“By working with local leaders in rural areas across our state, we’ve delivered real results on some of their communities’ top priorities – from a cleaner water future, to better broadband access, to increased access to health care services including mental, behavioral, and addiction health care. On behalf of the Arizonans we serve, we’ll keep at it,” said Sinema.
The Rural Development Working Group partnership represents the participants’ shared dedication to focusing on the unique issues impacting rural Arizona – from wildfires, to forest management, rural health care, substance abuse, broadband, and more.
During the meeting, Sinema expressed that her office is prepared to assist in drafting letters of support and delivering resources to local municipalities to support grant projects that would have a positive impact on the community.
In recent years, Sinema has accomplished multiple bipartisan victories that deliver long-lasting solutions to rural communities across Arizona. In particular, Sinema’s bipartisan infrastructure law – legislation she wrote, negotiated, and ushered into law – addresses many of rural Arizona’s biggest priorities, including water infrastructure and security and wildfire prevention and mitigation.
Sinema additionally led negotiations on the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – legislation reducing community violence by expanding mental, behavioral, and addiction health care resources for vulnerable populations.
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