The future of rural communities across the state, like Salamanca, is looking a little brighter.

"Sometimes it seems like we are overlooked for funding that we desperately need to make our community better," Salamanca Mayor Sandra Magiera said.

Overlooked no more, the city is now eligible to apply for a share of $50 billion in rural economic development funds.

"In our city, we could use these funds to improve childcare options for our residents, rebuild crumbling infrastructure and push the economic development our area is desperately in need of," Magiera said.

Still, on her RV tour across the state, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand was in Salamanca Wednesday to reintroduce the Rebuild Rural America Act, legislation that, if passed would invest federal dollars in rural communities and address the challenges they face.

"But too often, federal economic policies have sidelined these communities and failed to support their unique needs. We have a unique opportunity to improve how the federal government invests in rural areas and we can make a narrow and inflexible system better being able to respond to rural communities specific needs," Sen. Gillibrand said.

It would also allow local leaders to implement programs and ideas in their communities like revitalizing Main Street, modernizing schools and providing more opportunity for youth.

"And it would give them the support they need to improve everything from infrastructure and schools to public health facilitates and affordable housing options," Sen. Gillibrand said.

This is why Mayor Magiera is eager to apply and receive the funds, leaders in Salamanca are calling it a game changer.

"For our city and surrounding communities," she said.

Gillibrand says she hopes to get the legislation passed in the farm bill this year.