Center for Rural Pennsylvania

The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It was created by Act 16 of 1987, the Rural Pennsylvania Revitalization Act. The Center works with the legislature, educators, state and federal executive branch agencies, and national, statewide, regional and local organizations to maximize resources and strategies that can better serve Pennsylvania's nearly 3.4 million rural residents. The Center promotes and sustains the vitality of Pennsylvania's rural and small communities by: - sponsoring research projects to identify policy options for legislative and executive branch consideration and action; - collecting data on trends and conditions to understand the diversity of rural Pennsylvania; - publishing information and research results to inform and educate audiences about the diverse people and communities of rural Pennsylvania; and - participating in local, state and national forums on rural issues to present and learn from best practices.