As used in this subchapter (except in sections 1473 and 1474(b) of this title) the terms “farm”, “farm dwelling”, and “farm housing” shall include dwellings or other essential buildings of eligible applicants.

The Secretary shall establish procedures under which borrowers under this subchapter are required to make periodic payments for the purpose of taxes, insurance, and other necessary expenses as the Secretary may deem appropriate. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, such payments shall not be considered public funds. The Secretary shall direct the disbursement of the funds at the appropriate time or times for the purposes for which the funds were escrowed. The Secretary shall pay the same rate of interest on escrowed funds as is required to be paid on escrowed funds held by other lenders in any State where State law requires payment of interest on escrowed funds, subject to appropriations to the extent that additional budget authority is necessary to carry out this sentence. If the prepayments made by the borrower are not sufficient to pay the amount due, advances may be made by the Secretary to pay the costs in full, which advances shall be charged to the account of the borrower, bear interest, and be payable in a timely fashion as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary shall notify a borrower in writing when loan payments are delinquent.

With respect to any limitation on the amount of any loan which may be made, insured, or guaranteed under this subchapter for the purchase of a dwelling unit, the Secretary may increase such amount by up to 20 percent if such increase is necessary to account for the increased cost of the dwelling unit due to the installation of a solar energy system (as defined in subparagraph (3) of the last paragraph of section 1703(a) of title 12) therein.

The programs authorized by this subchapter shall be carried out, consistent with program goals and objectives, so that the involuntary displacement of families and businesses is avoided.

The Secretary may not restrict the availability of assistance under this subchapter for any alien for whom assistance may not be restricted under section 1436a of this title.

For the purposes of this subchapter, the term “development cost” shall include the packaging of loan and grant applications and actions related thereto by public and private nonprofit organizations tax exempt under title 26.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Secretary shall not transfer any program authorized by this subchapter to the Rural Development Administration.

The Secretary may make a loan, grant, or combined loan and grant to an eligible very low-income applicant in order to improve or modernize a rural dwelling, to make the dwelling safer or more sanitary, or to remove hazards. The Secretary may make a loan or grant under this subsection to the applicant to cover the cost of any or all repairs, improvements, or additions such as repairing roofs, providing sanitary waste facilities, providing a convenient and sanitary water supply, repairing or providing structural supports, or making similar repairs, additions, improvements, including all preliminary and installation costs in obtaining central water and sewer service. The maximum amount of a grant, a loan, or a loan and grant shall not exceed such limitations as the Secretary determines to be appropriate. Any portion of the sums advanced to the borrower treated as a loan shall be secured and be repayable within twenty years in accordance with the principles and conditions set forth in this subchapter, except that a loan for less than $7,500 need be evidenced only by a promissory note. Sums made available by grant may be made subject to the conditions set forth in this subchapter for the protection of the Government with respect to contributions made on loans made by the Secretary.

In order to encourage adequate family-size farms the Secretary may make loans under this section and section 1473 of this title to any applicant whose farm needs enlargement or development in order to provide income sufficient to support decent, safe, and sanitary housing and other farm buildings, and may use the funds made available under clause (b) of section 1483 of this title for such purposes.

During any time that any such loan is outstanding, the Secretary is authorized under regulations to be prescribed by him to grant a moratorium upon the payment of interest and principal on such loan for so long a period as he deems necessary, upon a showing by the borrower that due to circumstances beyond his control, he is unable to continue making payments of such principal and interest when due without unduly impairing his standard of living. In cases of extreme hardship under the foregoing circumstances, the Secretary is further authorized to cancel interest due and payable on such loans during the moratorium. Should any foreclosure of such a mortgage securing such a loan upon which a moratorium has been granted occur, no deficiency judgment shall be taken against the mortgagor if he shall have faithfully tried to meet his obligation.

In foreclosing on any mortgage held by the Secretary under this subchapter, the Secretary shall follow the foreclosure procedures of the State in which the property involved is located to the extent such procedures are more favorable to the borrower than the foreclosure procedures that would otherwise be followed by the Secretary. This subsection shall be subject to the availability of amounts approved in appropriations Acts, to the extent additional budget authority is necessary to carry out this subsection.

In connection with financial assistance authorized in this subchapter, the Secretary shall require that all new buildings and repairs financed under this subchapter shall be substantially constructed and in accordance with such building plans and specifications as may be required by the Secretary. Buildings and repairs constructed with funds advanced pursuant to this subchapter shall be supervised and inspected as required by the Secretary. In addition to the financial assistance authorized in this subchapter, the Secretary is authorized to furnish, through such agencies as he may determine, to any person, including a person eligible for financial assistance under this subchapter, without charge or at such charges as the Secretary may determine, technical services such as building plans, specifications, construction supervision and inspection, and advice and information regarding farm dwellings and other buildings.

The Secretary is further authorized and directed to conduct research, technical studies, and demonstrations relating to the mission and programs of the Farmers Home Administration and the national housing goals defined in section 1441 of this title. In connection with such activities, the Secretary shall seek to promote the construction of adequate farm and other rural housing, with particular attention to the housing needs of the elderly, handicapped, migrant and seasonal farmworkers, Indians and other identifiable groups with special needs. The Secretary shall conduct such activities for the purposes of stimulating construction and improving the architectural design and utility of dwellings and buildings. In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary may permit demonstrations involving innovative housing units and systems which do not meet existing published standards, rules, regulations, or policies if the Secretary finds that in so doing, the health and safety of the population of the area in which the demonstration is carried out will not be adversely affected, except that the aggregate expenditures for such demonstrations may not exceed $10,000,000 in any fiscal year.

In order to carry out this section, the Secretary shall establish a research capacity within the Farmers Home Administration which shall have authority to undertake, or to contract with any public or private body to undertake, research authorized by this section.

The Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare and submit to the President and to the Congress estimates of national rural housing needs and reports with respect to the progress being made toward meeting such needs and correlate and recommend proposals for such executive action or legislation necessary or desirable for the furtherance of the national housing objective and policy established by this Act with respect to rural housing, together with such other reports or information as may be required of the Secretary by the President or the Congress.

For the purposes of this subsection and subsection (b) of this section, the Secretary may use the services of any existing committee of farmers operating (pursuant to laws or regulations carried out by the Department of Agriculture) in any county or parish in which activities are carried on under this subchapter. In any county or parish in which activities are carried on under this subchapter and in which no existing satisfactory committee is available, the Secretary is authorized to appoint a committee composed of three persons residing in the county or parish. Each member of such existing or newly appointed committee shall be allowed compensation at the rate determined by the Secretary while engaged in the performance of duties under this subchapter and, in addition, shall be allowed such amounts as the Secretary may prescribe for necessary traveling and subsistence expenses. One member of the committee shall be designated by the Secretary as chairman. The Secretary shall prescribe rules governing the procedures of the committees, furnish forms and equipment necessary for the performance of their duties, and authorize and provide for the compensation of such clerical assistance as he deems may be required by any committee.

The committees utilized or appointed pursuant to this section may examine applications of persons desiring to obtain the benefits of section 1471(a)(1) and (2) of this title as they relate to the successful operation of a farm, and may submit recommendations to the Secretary with respect to each applicant as to whether the applicant is eligible to receive such benefits, whether by reason of his character, ability, and experience he is likely successfully to carry out undertakings required of him under a loan under such section, and whether the farm with respect to which the application is made is of such character that there is a reasonable likelihood that the making of the loan requested will carry out the purposes of this subchapter. The committees may also certify to the Secretary with respect to the amount of any loan.

The Secretary, for the purposes of this subchapter, shall have the power to determine and prescribe the standards of adequate farm housing and other buildings, by farms or localities, taking into consideration, among other factors, the type of housing which will provide decent, safe, and sanitary dwelling for the needs of the family using the housing, the type and character of the farming operations to be conducted, and the size and earning capacity of the land. The Secretary shall approve a residential building as meeting such standards if the building is constructed in accordance with (1) the minimum standards prescribed by the Secretary, (2) the minimum property standards prescribed by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for mortgages insured under title II of the National Housing Act [12 U.S.C. 1707 et seq.], (3) the standards contained in any of the voluntary national model building codes, or (4) in the case of manufactured housing, the standards referred to in section 1472(e) of this title. To the maximum extent feasible, the Secretary shall promote the use of energy saving techniques through standards established by such Secretary for newly constructed residential housing assisted under this subchapter. Such standards shall, insofar as is practicable, be consistent with the standards established pursuant to section 526 of the National Housing Act [12 U.S.C. 1735f–4] and shall incorporate the energy performance requirements developed pursuant to such section.

The Secretary may require any recipient of a loan or grant to agree that the availability of improvements constructed or repaired with the proceeds of the loan or grant under this subchapter shall not be a justification for directly or indirectly changing the terms or conditions of the lease or occupancy agreement with the occupants of such farms to the latter’s disadvantage without the approval of the Secretary.

The Secretary is authorized, after October 1, 1977, with respect to any unit or dwelling newly constructed during the period beginning eighteen months prior to October 12, 1977, and purchased with financial assistance authorized by this subchapter which he finds to have structural defects to make expenditures for (1) correcting such defects, (2) paying the claims of the owner of the property arising from such defects, or (3) acquiring title to the property, if such assistance is requested by the owner of the property within thirty-six months after financial assistance under this subchapter is rendered to the owner of the property or, in the case of property with respect to which assistance was made available within eighteen months prior to October 12, 1977, within thirty-six months after October 12, 1977. Expenditures pursuant to this subsection may be paid from the Rural Housing Insurance Fund. Decisions by the Secretary regarding such expenditures or payments under this subsection, and the terms and conditions under which the same are approved or disapproved, shall not be subject to judicial review.

In the event of default involving a security interest in tribal allotted or trust land, the Secretary shall only pursue liquidation after offering to transfer the account to an eligible tribal member, the tribe, or the Indian housing authority serving the tribe or tribes. If the Secretary subsequently proceeds to liquidate the account, the Secretary shall not sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of or alienate the property except to one of the entities described in the preceding sentence.

The Secretary shall, by regulation, prescribe the terms and conditions under which expenditures and payments may be made under the provisions of this section.

make contracts for services and supplies without regard to the provisions of section 6101 of title 41, when the aggregate amount involved is less than $300;

enter into subordination, subrogation, or other agreements satisfactory to the Secretary;

compromise, adjust, reduce, or charge-off claims, and adjust, modify, subordinate, or release the terms of security instruments, leases, contracts, and agreements entered into or administered by the Secretary under this subchapter, as circumstances may require, including the release of borrowers or others obligated on a debt from personal liability with or without payment of any consideration at the time of the compromise, adjustment, reduction, or charge-off of any claim;

bid for and purchase at any foreclosure or other sale or otherwise to acquire the property pledged or mortgaged to secure a loan or other indebtedness owing under this subchapter, to accept title to any property so purchased or acquired, to operate or lease such property for such period as may be necessary or advisable, to protect the interest of the United States therein, to repair and rehabilitate such property, and to sell or otherwise dispose of the property so purchased or acquired by such terms and for such considerations as the Secretary shall determine to be reasonable and to make loans as provided herein to provide adequate farm dwellings and buildings for the purchasers of such property; except that the Secretary may not sell or otherwise dispose of such property unless (1) the Secretary assures that such property will meet decent, safe, and sanitary standards, including cost-effective energy conservation standards prescribed under section 1479(a) of this title, (2) the recipient of the property is obligated, as a condition of the sale or other disposition of the property, to meet such standards with respect to the property before such property is occupied, or (3) such recipient is precluded, as a condition of the sale or other disposition of the property, from using the property for residential purposes and the authority of the Secretary under this paragraph includes the authority to transfer section 1472 inventory properties for use as rental or cooperative units under section 1485 of this title with mortgages containing repayment terms with up to fifty years, or for use as rental units under section 1484 of this title with mortgages containing repayment terms with up to 33 years, to private nonprofit organizations, public bodies, or for-profit entities, which have good records of providing low income housing under section 1485 of this title; such a transfer may be made even where rental assistance may be required so long as the authority to provide such assistance is available after taking into account the requirements of section 1490a(d)(1) of this title; where the Secretary determines the transfer will contribute to the provision of housing for very low-income persons and families, the transfer may be made at the lesser of the appraised value or the Farmers Home Administration’s investment;

continue processing as expeditiously as possible applications on hand received prior to the time an area has been determined by the Secretary not to be “rural” or a “rural area”, as those terms are defined in section 1490 of this title, and make loans or grants to such applicants who are found to be eligible on the same basis as though the area were still rural;

issue rules and regulations which assure that applicants denied assistance under this subchapter or persons or organizations whose assistance under this subchapter is being substantially reduced or terminated are given written notice of the reasons for denial, reduction or termination and are provided at least an opportunity to appeal an adverse decision and to present additional information relevant to that decision to a person, other than the person making the original determination, who has authority to reverse the decision, except that rules issued under this subsection may not exclude from their coverage decisions made by the Secretary that are not based on objective standards contained in published regulations;

notwithstanding that an area ceases, or has ceased, to be “rural”, in a “rural area”, or an eligible area, make assistance under this subchapter available for subsequent loans to permit necessary dwelling repairs and rehabilitation and in connection with transfers and assumptions of property securing any loan made, insured, or held by the Secretary or in connection with any property held by the Secretary under this subchapter on the same basis as though the area were still rural;

utilize with respect to the indebtedness arising from loans and payments made under this subchapter, all the powers and authorities given to him under sections 1150 to 1150b of title 12;

utilize the services of fee inspectors and fee appraisers to expedite the processing of applications for loans and grants under this subchapter, which services shall be utilized in any case in which a county or district office is unable to expeditiously process such loan and grant applications, and to include the cost of such services in the amount of such loans and grants; and

make such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this subchapter.

The Secretary, to the extent approved in appropriations Acts for fiscal years 1993 and 1994, may enter into 5-year supplemental rental assistance contracts under section 1472(c)(5)(D) of this title aggregating $12,178,000 for fiscal year 1993 and $12,689,476 for fiscal year 1994.

There are authorized to be appropriated for rural housing vouchers under section 1490r of this title, $130,000,000 for fiscal year 1993 and $140,000,000 for fiscal year 1994.

Any contract of insurance executed by the Secretary under this section shall be an obligation of the United States and incontestable except for fraud or misrepresentation of which the holder of the contract has actual knowledge.

Amounts made available pursuant to section 1483 of this title shall be available for administrative expenses incurred under this section.

The Secretary may waive the interest rate limitation contained in subsection (a)(2) and the requirement of section 1471(c)(3) of this title in any case in which the Secretary determines that qualified public or private nonprofit sponsors are not currently available and are not likely to become available within a reasonable period of time and such waiver is necessary to permit farmers to provide housing and related facilities for migrant domestic farm laborers, except that the benefits resulting from such waiver shall accrue to the tenants, and the interest rate on a loan insured under this section and for which the Secretary permits such waiver shall be no less than one-eighth of 1 per centum above the average interest rate on notes or other obligations which are issued under section 1481 of this title and have maturities comparable to such a loan.

No loan shall be made or insured under subsection (a) or (b) unless the Secretary finds that the construction involved will be undertaken in an economical manner and will not be of elaborate or extravagant design or materials. However, specifically designed equipment required by elderly or handicapped persons or families shall not be considered elaborate or extravagant. A loan may be made or insured under subsection (a) or (b) with respect to detached units, including those on scattered sites, for cooperative housing.

Amounts made available pursuant to section 1483 of this title shall be available for administrative expenses incurred under this section.

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b) of this section, the Secretary may make and insure loans to consumer cooperatives to enable such cooperatives to finance the transfers of memberships in the cooperatives upon such terms and conditions as low- and moderate-income persons can reasonably afford, except that such loans shall not be made upon terms more favorable than are authorized under section 1490a(a) of this title, and that the total loan to a cooperative under this section shall not exceed the value of the property.

After approving a project involving newly constructed or substantially rehabilitated units under this section, the Secretary shall limit cost increases to those approved by the Secretary. The Secretary may approve those increases only for unforeseen factors beyond the owner’s control, design changes required by the Secretary or the local government, or changes in financing approved by the Secretary.

For the purpose of achieving the lowest cost in providing units in newly constructed projects assisted under this section, the Secretary shall give a preference in entering into contracts under this section for projects which are to be located on specific tracts of land provided by States, units of local government, or others if the Secretary determines that the tract of land is suitable for such housing, and that affording such preference will be cost effective.

The Secretary shall assure that management fees are not excessive when a project developed under this section is managed by the developer or an affiliate of the developer.

The Secretary may not deny assistance under this section or section 1490a of this title on the basis that the project involved is to be located on more than one site.

The Secretary may not (1) deny assistance under this section on the basis that rental assistance payments under section 1490a of this title may be required unless the authority to provide such assistance is not available; or (2) promulgate any regulation that would have the effect of denying occupancy to eligible persons on the basis that such persons require rental assistance payments under section 1490a of this title.

In determining the income of a person or family occupying housing financed under this section, the Secretary shall consider the value of that person’s or family’s assets in the same manner as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development considers such value for the purpose of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437 et seq.].

No fee other than a late fee may be imposed by or for the Secretary or any other Federal agency on or with respect to a loan made or insured under this section.

Loan authority that is obligated under this section but that is not expended due to any action that removes the original borrower, may be reallocated to a different borrower during the same fiscal year in which the loan authority was obligated. Any loan authority under this section appropriated or made available within limits established in appropriations Acts shall remain available until expended.

The Secretary may provide for the assumption or transfer of a loan or loan obligation under this section to any person or entity qualified to receive a loan or loan obligation under this section in any case of default or foreclosure with respect to the original borrower. The Secretary shall provide in each assumption or transfer under this subsection for the assumption of the obligations, rights, and interests under the terms of the loan or loan obligation or such other terms as the Secretary determines appropriate.

The amount of any financial assistance provided under this section for low-rent housing and related facilities shall not exceed 90 per centum of the total development cost thereof, as determined by the Secretary, less such amount as the Secretary determines can be practicably obtained from other sources (including a loan under section 1484 of this title).

The Secretary may make payments pursuant to any contract for financial assistance under this section at such times and in such manner, as may be specified in the contract. In each contract, the Secretary shall include such covenants, conditions, or provisions as he deems necessary to insure that the housing and related facilities, for which financial assistance is made available, be used only in conformity with the provisions of this section.

The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to insure that Federal funds expended under this section are not wasted or dissipated. The Secretary shall not give priority for funding under this section to any one of the groups listed in subsection (a) over any of the others so listed.

All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors on projects assisted by the Secretary which are undertaken by approved applicants under this section shall be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on similar construction in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sections 3141–3144, 3146, and 3147 of title 40. The Secretary shall not extend any financial assistance under this section for any project without first obtaining adequate assurance that these labor standards will be maintained on the construction work; except that compliance with such standards may be waived by the Secretary in cases or classes of cases where laborers or mechanics, not otherwise employed at any time on the project, voluntarily donate their services without compensation for the purpose of lowering the costs of construction and the Secretary determines that any amounts thereby saved are fully credited to the person, corporation, association, organization, or other entity, undertaking the project. The Secretary of Labor shall have, with respect to the labor standards specified in this section, the authority and functions set forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (15 F.R. 3176; 64 Stat. 1267), and section 3145 of title 40.

Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a)(3), the Secretary may, upon a finding of persistent need for migrant farmworker housing in any area, provide assistance to eligible applicants for 90 per centum of the development costs of such housing in such area to be used solely by migrant farmworkers while they are away from their residence. Such housing shall be constructed in such a manner as to be safe and weatherproof for the time it is to be occupied, be equipped with potable water and modern sanitation facilities (including a kitchen sink, toilet, and bathing facilities), and meet such other requirements as the Secretary may prescribe.

The Secretary shall utilize not more than 10 per centum of the amounts available for any fiscal year for purposes of this section for financial assistance to eligible private and public nonprofit agencies to encourage the development of domestic and migrant farm labor housing projects under this subchapter.

The Secretary may insure loans meeting the requirements of section 1472 of this title, and may make loans in accordance with the requirements of such section to be sold and insured. The amount of such a loan to a low income person or family shall not exceed the amount necessary to provide adequate housing which is modest in size, design, and cost (as determined by the Secretary).

The Secretary may insure loans in accordance with the requirements of section 1484 of this title (exclusive of subsections (a)(3), (a)(5), and (b) thereof), 1485 of this title (exclusive of subsections (a) and (b)(3) thereof), 1490d, and 1490f of this title, and may make loans meeting such requirements to be sold and insured. Upon the expiration of ninety days after the original capitalization of the Rural Housing Insurance Fund, created by subsection (e) of this section, no new loans shall be made or insured under section 1484 or 1485(b) of this title, except in conformity with this section. The notes held in the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund (section 1929 of title 7) which evidence loans made or insured by the Secretary under section 1484 or 1485(b) of this title, the rights and liabilities of that Fund under insurance contracts relating to such loans held by insured investors, the mortgages securing the obligations of the borrowers under such loans held in the Fund or by insured investors, and all rights to subsequent collections on and proceeds of such notes, contracts, and mortgages, are hereby transferred to the Rural Housing Insurance Fund and for the purposes of this subchapter and any other Act shall be subject to the provisions of this section as if created pursuant thereto. The Rural Housing Insurance Fund shall compensate the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund for the aggregate unpaid principal balance plus accrued interest of the notes so transferred.

The Secretary may use the Rural Housing Insurance Fund for the purpose of making loans to be sold and insured under this section. Any loan made and sold by the Secretary under this section after April 7, 1986 (and any loan made by other lenders under this subchapter that is insured or guaranteed in accordance with this section, is purchased by the Secretary, and is sold by the Secretary under this section after such date) shall be sold to the public and may not be sold to the Federal Financing Bank, unless such sale to the Federal Financing Bank is required to service transactions under this subchapter between the Secretary and the Federal Financing Bank occurring on or before such date.

There is hereby created the Rural Housing Insurance Fund (hereinafter referred to as the “Fund”) which shall be used by the Secretary as a revolving fund for carrying out the provisions of this section. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be necessary for the purposes of the Fund. The guaranteed loan program under this subchapter shall be operated separately from the insured loan program operated under this subchapter and no funds designated for one program may be transferred to another program.

Money in the Fund not needed for current operations shall be invested in direct obligations of the United States or obligations guaranteed by the United States.

All funds, claims, notes, mortgages, contracts, and property acquired by the Secretary under this section, and all collections and proceeds therefrom, shall constitute assets of the Fund; and all liabilities and obligations of such assets shall be liabilities and obligations of the Fund. Loans may be held in the Fund and collected in accordance with their terms or may be sold by the Secretary with or without agreements for insurance thereof. The Secretary is authorized to make agreements with respect to servicing loans held or insured by him under this section and purchasing such insured loans on such terms and conditions as he may prescribe.

The Secretary is authorized to issue notes to the Secretary of the Treasury to obtain funds necessary for discharging obligations under this section and for authorized expenditures out of the Fund, but, except as may be authorized in appropriation Acts, not for the original or any additional capital of the Fund. Such notes shall be in such form and denominations and have such maturities and be subject to such terms and conditions as may be prescribed by the Secretary with the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury. Each note shall bear interest at the average rate, as determined by the Secretary of the Treasury, payable by the Treasury upon its marketable public obligations outstanding at the beginning of the fiscal year in which such note is issued, which are neither due nor callable for redemption for fifteen years from their date of issue. The Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to purchase any notes of the Secretary issued hereunder, and for that purpose the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized to use as a public debt transaction the proceeds from the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, and the purposes for which such securities may be issued under such chapter are extended to include purchases of notes issued by the Secretary. All redemption, purchases, and sales by the Secretary of the Treasury of such notes shall be treated as public debt transactions of the United States. The notes issued by the Secretary to the Secretary of the Treasury shall constitute obligations of the Fund.

The Secretary may retain out of interest payments by the borrower an annual charge in an amount specified in the insurance or sale agreement applicable to the loan. Of the charges retained by the Secretary, if any, not to exceed 1 per centum per anspan of the unpaid balance of the loan shall be deposited in the Fund. Any retained charges not deposited in the Fund shall be available for administrative expenses in carrying out the provisions of this subchapter, to be transferred annually, and become merged with any appropriation for administrative expenses of the Farmers Home Administration, when and in such amounts as may be authorized in appropriation Acts.

Any sale by the Secretary of loans individually or in blocks, pursuant to subsections (c) and (g), shall be treated as a sale of assets for the purposes of chapter 11 of title 31, notwithstanding the fact that the Secretary, under an agreement with the purchaser, holds the debt instruments evidencing the loans and holds or reinvests payments thereon as trustee and custodian for the purchaser.

The Secretary may also, upon the application of lenders, builders, or sellers and upon compliance with requirements specified by him, make commitments upon such terms and conditions as he shall prescribe to make or insure loans under this section to eligible applicants.

The assets and liabilities of, and authorizations applicable to, the Rural Housing Direct Loan Account are hereby transferred to the Fund, and such Account is hereby abolished. Such assets and their proceeds, including loans made out of the Fund pursuant to this section, shall be subject to all of the provisions of this section.

The Secretary may guarantee and service loans made for the purchase of eligible residential properties under section 1441a(c) 1

Housing and related facilities provided with loans described in subsection (a) shall be located in rural areas; and applicants eligible for such loans under section 1472, 1487(a)(1),1 or 1490f(a) of this title, or for occupancy of housing provided with such loans under section 1485 or 1490f(c) of this title, shall include otherwise qualified nonrural residents who will become rural residents.

There shall be reimbursed to the Rural Housing Insurance Fund by annual appropriations (1) the amounts by which nonprincipal payments made from the fund during each fiscal year to the holders of insured loans described in subsection (a)(1) exceed interest due from the borrowers during each year, and (2) the amount of assistance payments described in subsections (a)(2) and (a)(5). There are authorized to be appropriated to the Rural Housing Insurance Fund such sums as may be necessary to reimburse such fund for the amount of assistance payments described in subsection (a)(1)(C). The Secretary may from time to time issue notes to the Secretary of the Treasury under section 1487(h) and of this title and section 1490f of this title to obtain amounts equal to such unreimbursed payments, pending the annual reimbursement by appropriation.

Any rent or contribution of any recipient or any tenant in a project assisted under subsection (a)(5) shall not increase as a result of this section, any amendment thereto, or any other provision of Federal law or regulation by more than 10 per centum during any twelve-month period, unless the increase above 10 per centum is attributable to increases in income which are unrelated to this subsection or other law or regulation.

Upon the application of any State or political subdivision thereof, or any public or private nonprofit organization, the Secretary is authorized, after consultation with the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Director of the Office of Economic Opportunity, and after the Secretary determines that the housing and related facilities cannot reasonably be provided in any other way, to provide financial and technical assistance for the establishment, in rural areas, of housing and related facilities for trainees and their families who are residents of a rural area and have a rural background, while such trainees are enrolled and participating in training courses designed to improve their employment capability. The selection of training sites and location of housing shall be made with due regard to the economic viability of the area, and only after consideration of a labor area survey and full coordination among all Government agencies having primary responsibility for administering related programs.

Housing and related facilities assisted under this section shall be safe and sanitary, constructed in the most economical manner, and of modest design, giving due consideration to the purposes to be served and the needs of the occupants, and may, in the discretion of the Secretary, include mobile family quarters. Design and location shall be such as to facilitate, as feasible, the use of such housing and related facilities for other purposes when no longer needed for the primary purpose.

The applicant shall contribute the necessary land, or funds to acquire such land, from its own resources, including land acquired by donation or from funds repayable under subsection (e) or borrowed from other sources.

The Secretary may make advances pursuant to any contract for financial assistance under this section at such times and in such manner as may be specified in the contract. Such advances for the purchase of land shall be repayable with interest and within a period not to exceed thirty-three years and may be made upon such security, if any, as the Secretary requires. Advances for other purposes may be made repayable with or without interest or nonrepayable, as determined by the Secretary on the basis of the anticipated income, and cost of operation of the housing and related facilities and the ability of each applicant to finance such facilities. Any advances shall be limited to cover the capital costs of constructing such facilities, plus interest on borrowings to cover such costs.

Should housing and related facilities assisted pursuant to a contract under this section be sold to an ineligible transferee or diverted to a use other than its primary purpose within a period specified in the contract, all advances made under such contract shall be repaid to the Secretary, up to the amount of the sales price or the fair value of the property as determined by the Secretary, whichever is higher, with interest from the date of the sale or diversion. If no suitable alternate use of the property is available, as determined by the Secretary, after the purpose of this section can no longer be served, the property shall be returned to its original condition by the recipient of the assistance.

Interest charged on advances made under this section shall be at a rate, prescribed by the Secretary, which shall be not less than a rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury taking into consideration the current average market yield on outstanding marketable obligations of the United States with remaining periods to maturity comparable to the average maturities of such loans, adjusted to the nearest one-eighth of 1 per centum, less not to exceed the difference between the adjusted rate determined by the Secretary of the Treasury and 1 per centum per annum, as determined by the Secretary.

The Secretary shall prescribe regulations to insure that Federal funds expended under this section are not wasted or dissipated.

As used in this section (1) the term “related facilities” shall include any necessary community rooms or buildings, infirmaries, utilities, access roads, water and sewer services, and the minimum fixed or movable equipment determined by the Secretary to be necessary to make the housing reasonably habitable by trainees and their families; and (2) the term “trainee” means any person receiving training under any federally assisted training program.

There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

The purposes of this section are (1) to make financial assistance available on reasonable terms and conditions in rural areas and small towns to needy low-income individuals and their families who, with the benefit of technical assistance and overall guidance and supervision, participate in approved programs of mutual or self-help housing by acquiring and developing necessary land, acquiring building materials, providing their own labor, and working cooperatively with others for the provision of decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings for themselves, their families, and others in the area or town involved, and (2) to facilitate the efforts of both public and private nonprofit organizations providing assistance to such individuals to contribute their technical and supervisory skills toward more effective and comprehensive programs of mutual or self-help housing in rural areas and small towns wherever necessary.

In determining whether to extend financial assistance under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b), the Secretary shall take into consideration, among other factors, the suitability of the area within which construction will be carried out to the type of dwelling which can be provided under mutual or self-help housing programs, the extent to which the assistance will facilitate the provision of more decent, safe, and sanitary housing conditions than presently exist in the area, the extent to which the assistance will be utilized efficiently and expeditiously, the extent to which the assistance will effect an increase in the standard of living of low-income individuals participating in the mutual or self-help housing program, and whether the assistance will fulfill a need in the area which is not otherwise being met through other programs, including those carried out by other Federal, State, or local agencies.

As used in this section, the term “construction” includes the erection of new dwellings, and the rehabilitation, alteration, conversion, or improvement of existing structures.

The Secretary is authorized to establish appropriate criteria and procedures in order to determine the eligibility of applicants for the financial assistance provided under this section, including criteria and procedures with respect to the periodic review of any construction carried out with such financial assistance.

Amounts appropriated under this subsection, together with principal collections from loans made under appropriations in any previous fiscal years, shall be deposited in the Self-Help Housing Land Development Fund, which shall be available, to the extent approved in appropriation Acts, as a revolving fund for making loans under subsection (b)(1)(B); except that not more than $5,000,000 may be made available during fiscal year 1985. Instruments and property acquired by the Secretary in or as a result of making such loans shall be assets of the Self-Help Housing Land Development Fund.

The Secretary shall issue rules and regulations for the orderly processing and review of applications under this section and rules and regulations protecting the rights of grantees under this section in the event he determines to end grant assistance prior to the termination date of any grant agreement.

The Secretary may make grants to or enter into contracts with public or private nonprofit corporations, agencies, institutions, organizations, Indian tribes, and other associations approved by him, to pay part or all of the cost of developing, conducting, administering or coordinating effective and comprehensive programs of technical and supervisory assistance which will aid needy low-income individuals and families in benefiting from Federal, State, and local housing programs in rural areas. In processing applications for such grants or contracts made by private nonprofit corporations, agencies, institutions, organizations, and other associations, the Secretary shall give preference to those which are sponsored (including assistance to the applicant in processing the application, implementing the technical assistance program, and carrying out the obligations of the grant or contract) by a State, county, municipality, or other governmental entity or public body.

The Secretary is authorized to make loans to public or private nonprofit corporations, agencies, institutions, organizations, Indian tribes, and other associations approved by him for the necessary expenses, prior to construction, of planning, and obtaining financing for, the rehabilitation or construction of housing for low-income individuals or families under any Federal, State, or local housing program which is or could be used in rural areas. Such loans shall be made without interest and shall be for the reasonable costs expected to be incurred in planning, and in obtaining financing for, such housing prior to the availability of financing, including but not limited to preliminary surveys and analyses of market needs, preliminary site engineering and architectural fees, and construction loan fees and discounts. The Secretary shall require repayment of loans made under this subsection, under such terms and conditions as he may require, upon completion of the housing or sooner.

All funds appropriated for the purpose of subsection (b) shall be deposited in a fund which shall be known as the low-income sponsor fund, and which shall be available without fiscal year limitation and be administered by the Secretary as a revolving fund for carrying out the purposes of that subsection. Sums received in repayment of loans made under subsection (b) shall be deposited in such fund.

The Secretary is authorized, upon such terms and conditions (substantially identical insofar as may be feasible with those specified in section 1472 of this title) as he may prescribe, to make loans to persons and families of low or moderate income, and to insure and make commitments to insure loans made to persons and families of low or moderate income, to assist them in purchasing dwelling units in condominiums located in rural areas.

Any loan made or insured under subsection (a) shall cover a one-family dwelling unit in a condominium, and shall be subject to such provisions as the Secretary determines to be necessary for the maintenance of the common areas and facilities of the condominium project and to such additional requirements as the Secretary deems appropriate for the protection of the consumer.

In addition to individual loans made or insured under subsection (a) the Secretary is authorized, upon such terms and conditions (substantially identical insofar as may be feasible with those specified in section 1485 of this title) as he may prescribe, to make or insure blanket loans to a borrower who shall certify to the Secretary, as a condition of obtaining such loan or insurance, that upon completion of the multifamily project the ownership of the project will be committed to a plan of family unit ownership under which (1) each family unit will be eligible for a loan or insurance under subsection (a), and (2) the individual dwelling units in the project will be sold only on a condominium basis and only to purchasers eligible for a loan or insurance under subsection (a). The principal obligation of any blanket loan made or insured under this subsection shall in no case exceed the sum of the individual amounts of the loans which could be made or insured with respect to the individual dwelling units in the project under subsection (a).

As used in this section, the term “condominium” means a multi-unit housing project which is subject to a plan of family unit ownership acceptable to the Secretary under which each dwelling unit is individually owned and each such owner holds an undivided interest in the common areas and facilities which serve the project.

In making available the assistance authorized by section 1483 of this title and section 1490a(a) of this title with respect to projects involving insured and guaranteed loans and interest credits and rental assistance payments, the Secretary shall process and approve requests for such assistance in a manner that provides for a preliminary reservation of assistance at the time of initial approval of the project.

The Secretary shall provide for such advance payments of assistance under this section as the Secretary determines is necessary to effectively carry out the provisions of this section.

The Secretary shall, at least on an annual basis, make such review and audits as may be necessary or appropriate to determine whether the grantee has carried out its activities in a timely manner and in accordance with the requirements of this section, the degree to which the activities assisted benefitted low income families or persons and very low-income families or persons who lacked adequate housing, and whether the grantee has a continuing capacity to carry out the activities in a timely manner. The Secretary may adjust, reduce, or withdraw resources made available to grantees receiving assistance under this section, or take other action as appropriate in accordance with the findings of these reviews and audits. Any amounts which become available as a result of actions under this subsection shall be reallocated as housing preservation grants to such grantee or grantees as the Secretary may determine.

The Secretary shall establish procedures which support national historic preservation objectives and which assure that, if any rehabilitation proposed to be assisted under this section would affect property that is included or is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, such activity shall not be undertaken unless (1) it will reasonably meet the standards for rehabilitation issued by the Secretary of the Interior and the appropriate State historic preservation officer is afforded the opportunity to comment on the specific rehabilitation plan, or (2) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is afforded an opportunity to comment on cases for which the recipient of assistance, in consultation with the State historic preservation officer, determines that the proposed rehabilitation activity cannot reasonably meet such standards or would adversely affect historic property as defined therein.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no rule or regulation pursuant to this subchapter may become effective unless it has first been published for public comment in the Federal Register for at least 60 days, and published in final form for at least 30 days.

The Secretary shall transmit to the chairman and ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs of the House, all rules and regulations at least 15 days before they are sent to the Federal Register for purposes of subsection (a).

The provisions of this section shall not apply to a rule or regulation which the Secretary certifies is issued on an emergency basis.

The Secretary shall include with each rule or regulation required to be transmitted to the Committees under this section a detailed summary of all changes required by the Office of Management and Budget that prohibit, modify, postpone, or disapprove such rule or regulation in whole or part.

The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs shall each accept an administrative approval of any housing subdivision made by any of the others so that not later than January 1, 1984, there is total reciprocity for housing subdivision approvals among the agencies which they head.

For purposes of complying with subsection (a), the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall consider the issuance by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs of a certificate of reasonable value for 1 or more properties in a subdivision to be an administrative approval for the entire subdivision. This subsection shall not apply after September 30, 1994.

Before the expiration of the period referred to in subsection (b), the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall report to the Congress on housing subdivision approval policies and practices, if any, of the Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Agriculture and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The report shall focus on the administration of environmental laws in connection with any such policies and practices, and shall recommend any statutory, regulatory, and administrative changes needed to achieve total reciprocity for such housing subdivision approvals. The Secretary of Housing and Urban Development shall consult with the foregoing agencies, and such other agencies as the Secretary selects, in preparing the report.

For loans made under this subchapter, the Secretary may accept subdivisions that have been approved by local, county, or State agencies.

During the period when an application is pending or assistance is being provided, the applicant shall update the disclosure required under the previous subsection within 30 days of any substantial change.

The Secretary shall certify that assistance provided by the Secretary to any housing project shall not be more than is necessary to provide affordable housing after taking account of assistance from all Federal, State, and local sources. The Secretary shall adjust the amount of assistance provided to an applicant to compensate for any changes reported under subsection (c).

Not less than 180 days following December 15, 1989, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations to implement this section.

For purposes of this section, the term “assistance” means any housing grant, loan, guarantee, insurance, rebate, subsidy, tax credit benefit, or other form of direct or indirect assistance, for the original construction or development of the project.

The Secretary shall submit to the Congress, not later than 180 days following December 15, 1989, a report describing actions taken to carry out this section, including actions to inform and educate officers and employees of the Department of Agriculture regarding the provisions of this section.

There is established within the Farmers Home Administration an Office of Rental Housing Preservation (hereafter in this section referred to as the “Office”). The Office shall be headed by a Director designated by the Secretary of Agriculture.

The Secretary may make commitments to guarantee eligible loans for the development costs of eligible housing and related facilities, and may guarantee such eligible loans, in accordance with this section.

A guarantee made under this section shall guarantee repayment of an amount not exceeding the total of the amount of the unpaid principal and interest of the loan for which the guarantee is made. The liability of the United States under any guarantee under this section shall decrease or increase pro rata with any decrease or increase of the amount of the unpaid portion of the obligation.

A loan guaranteed under this section may be made to a nonprofit organization, an agency or body of any State government or political subdivision thereof, an Indian tribe, or a private entity.

At the time of issuance of a loan guaranteed under this section, the Secretary may collect from the lender a fee equal to not more than 1 percent of the principal obligation of the loan.

The Secretary may authorize certain eligible lenders to determine whether a loan meets the requirements for guarantee under this section and, subject to the availability of authority to enter into guarantees under this section, execute a firm commitment for a guarantee binding upon the Secretary and issue a certificate of guarantee evidencing a guarantee, without review and approval by the Secretary of the specific loan. The Secretary may establish standards for approving eligible lenders for a delegation of authority under this subsection.

Any loan guaranteed under this section may be refinanced and extended in accordance with terms and conditions that the Secretary shall prescribe, but in no event for an additional amount or term that exceeds the limitations under subsection (f).

Section 1471(c) of this title shall not apply to guarantees, or loans guaranteed, under this section.

The Secretary shall establish standards for the treatment of tenants of housing developed using amounts from a loan guaranteed under this section, which shall incorporate, to the extent applicable, existing standards applicable to tenants of housing developed with loans made under section 1485 of this title. Such standards shall include standards for fair housing and equal opportunity, lease and grievance procedures, and tenant appeals of adverse actions.

The standards established under section 1485(m) of this title for housing and related facilities assisted under section 1485 of this title shall apply to housing and related facilities the development costs of which are financed in whole or in part with a loan guaranteed under this section.

There are authorized to be appropriated for each fiscal year for costs (as such term is defined in section 661a of title 2) of loan guarantees made under this section such sums as may be necessary for such fiscal year to provide guarantees under this section for eligible loans having an aggregate principal amount of $500,000,000.

The Secretary may not deny a guarantee under this section on the basis that the interest on the loan or on an obligation supporting the loan for which a guarantee is sought is exempt from inclusion in gross income for purposes of chapter I 3

Any amounts collected by the Secretary pursuant to the fees charged to lenders for loan guarantees issued under this section shall be used to offset costs (as defined by section 661a of title 2) of loan guarantees made under this section.

In the event of a default involving a loan to an Indian tribe or tribal corporation made under this section which is secured by an interest in land within such tribe’s reservation (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior), including a community in Alaska incorporated by the Secretary of the Interior pursuant to the Indian Reorganization Act (25 U.S.C. 461 et seq.),2 the lender shall only pursue liquidation after offering to transfer the account to an eligible tribal member, the tribe, or the Indian housing authority serving the tribe. If the lender subsequently proceeds to liquidate the account, the lender shall not sell, transfer, or otherwise dispose of or alienate the property except to one of the entities described in the preceding sentence.

The assistance made available under this section may be used for the housing purposes authorized under this subchapter, and the Secretary shall issue such regulations as may be necessary to carry out this section to assure the prompt and expeditious use of such funds for the restoration of decent, safe, and sanitary housing within the areas described in subsection (a)(1). In implementing this section, the Secretary shall evaluate the natural hazards to which any permanent replacement housing is exposed and shall take appropriate action to mitigate such hazards.

Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, assistance allocated under this section shall be available to units of general local government and their agencies and to local nonprofit organizations, agencies, and corporations for the construction or rehabilitation of housing for agricultural employees and their families.

The Secretary may waive the application of the provisions of section 1490 of this title with respect to assistance under this section, as the Secretary considers appropriate.

The Secretary is authorized to advance from the Rural Housing Insurance Fund such sums as may be necessary to meet the requirements of subsection (a)(1), subject to limits previously approved in appropriations Acts.

To such extent or in such amounts as are approved in appropriation Acts, the Secretary shall carry out a rural housing voucher program to assist very low-income families and persons to reside in rental housing in rural areas. For such purposes, the Secretary may provide assistance using a payment standard based on the fair market rental rate established by the Secretary for the area. The monthly assistance payment for any family shall be the amount by which the payment standard for the area exceeds 30 per centum of the family’s monthly adjusted income, except that such monthly assistance payment shall not exceed the amount which the rent for the dwelling unit (including the amount allowed for utilities in the case of a unit with separate utility metering) exceeds 10 per centum of the family’s monthly gross income.