Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026

Section 6101(a) of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (132 Stat. 4726; Public Law 115–334) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1)—

(A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking “2025” and inserting “2027”;

(B) in subparagraph (A)—

(i) in clause (i)—

(I) in the heading, by striking “Substance use disorder set-aside” and inserting “Set-aside”;

(II) by inserting “at rural health facilities” before “that provide”; and

(III) by inserting “, mental health, behavioral health, or maternal health” before “treatment”; and

(ii) in clause (ii), by inserting “mental health, behavioral health, maternal health, or” before “substance”;

(C) in subparagraph (B)—

(i) in clause (i)—

(I) in the heading, by striking “Substance use disorder selection” and inserting “Selection”;

(II) in subclause (I), by inserting “mental health, behavioral health, maternal health, or” before “substance” the first place it appears; and

(III) in subclause (II), by inserting “mental health concerns, behavioral health concerns, maternal health concerns, or” before “substance”; and

(ii) in clause (ii), by inserting “, behavioral health treatment, mental health treatment, or maternal health, respectively” before the period; and

(D) in subparagraph (C), by inserting “behavioral health, mental health, maternal health, or” before “substance” the first place it appears; and

(2) in paragraph (2), by striking “2025” and inserting “2027”.

Section 2335A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–5) is amended by striking “$82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023” and inserting “$82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to remain available for 2 fiscal years after the fiscal year for which appropriated”.

(a) In general.— Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended—

(1) in the section heading, by striking “Access to broadband telecommunications services in rural areas” and inserting “ReConnect Rural Broadband Program”;

(2) in subsection (a), by striking “The purpose” and all that follows through “provide funds for” and inserting “The Secretary shall establish a program, which shall be known as the “ReConnect Rural Broadband Program”, to provide grants, loans, and loan guarantees to finance”;

(3) in subsection (c)—

(A) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:

“(1) In general.— The Secretary shall make grants, loans, and loan guarantees to eligible entities described in subsection (d) for the purpose of financing the construction, improvement, or acquisition of facilities and equipment necessary for delivering broadband service in rural areas.”;

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraphs (A) and (B) and inserting the following:

“(A) In general.— In making grants, making loans, and guaranteeing loans under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give the highest priority to applications for projects to provide broadband service to unserved rural communities that do not have any residential broadband service of at least—

(i) a 25–Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and

(ii) a 3–Mbps upstream transmission capacity.

(B) Other.— After giving priority to the applications described in subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall then give priority to applications—

(i) for projects to provide broadband service to rural communities—

(I) with a population of less than 10,000 inhabitants; or

(II) in geographically underserved and distressed areas, including—

(aa) a socially vulnerable community (as determined by the Secretary);

(bb) a persistent poverty county (as determined by the Secretary); or

(cc) in an economically distressed area (as determined by the Secretary);

(ii) that were developed with the participation of, and will receive a substantial portion of the funding or in-kind assistance for the project from, 2 or more stakeholders, including—

(I) State, local, and Tribal governments;

(II) nonprofit institutions;

(III) community anchor institutions, such as—

(aa) public libraries;

(bb) elementary schools and secondary schools (as defined in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801));

(cc) institutions of higher education (including 1862 Land-Grant Institutions, 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, 1994 Land-Grant Institutions, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Historically Black Colleges and Universities);

(dd) health care facilities; and

(ee) facilities essential for local or regional commerce or for the movement of goods;

(IV) private entities;

(V) philanthropic organizations; and

(VI) cooperatives; or

(iii) that are submitted by an eligible entity or is owned by an entity that has provided broadband service or other utility service for at least 5 years in rural areas in the State in which the project would be carried out.

(C) Affordability.— In determining whether a household is unserved for purposes of this section, the Secretary shall consider the affordability of broadband service.”;

(C) in paragraph (3)—

(i) in subparagraph (B)—

(I) by striking “and” at the end of clause (i);

(II) by striking the period at the end of clause (ii) and inserting “; and”; and

(III) by adding at the end the following:

“(iii) shall be subject to a grant agreement of not less than 10 years.”;

(ii) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D) and inserting the following:

“(C) Applications.—

(i) Grant-only applications.— The Secretary shall establish an application process that permits an application for a grant-only award.

(ii) Combined applications.— The Secretary shall establish an application process that—

(I) permits a single application for a grant and a loan under title I or II, or this title, that is associated with the grant; and

(II) provides a single decision to award the grant and the loan.”;

(iii) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as subparagraph (D); and

(iv) by striking subparagraph (F); and

(D) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the following:

“(4) Fees.—

(A) Initial guarantee fee.— The Secretary may assess an initial guarantee fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under this section in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.

(B) Periodic retention fee.— The Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under this section in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal of the guarantee loan.

(C) Disclosure.— In altering any fee charged for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under this section, the Secretary, not less than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall provide a public disclosure, of the financial data, economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, and other factors used to determine the new fee rates.”;

(4) in subsection (d)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)—

(I) in clause (i), by adding “and” at the end; and

(II) by striking “require; and” and all that follows through “agree” and insert “require, and agree”;

(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (E) and inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:

“(B) Inclusions.— An entity eligible to obtain assistance under subsection (c) may include—

(i) a State or local government, including any agency, subdivision, instrumentality, or political subdivision of a State or local government;

(ii) a territory or possession of the United States;

(iii) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));

(iv) a cooperative or mutual organization;

(v) an organization of 2 or more incorporated areas that have established an intermunicipal legal agreement for the purposes of delivering communication services to residents;

(vi) a corporation; or

(vii) a limited liability company or limited liability partnership.

(C) Ineligible entities.— An individual or legal general partnership that is formed with individuals shall not be eligible to obtain a grant, loan, or grant and loan combination under subsection (c).

(D) Affiliated owned and operated networks.— Under this subsection, the Secretary may fund the construction of networks owned and operated by an affiliate of an eligible entity receiving the grant, loan, or loan guarantee, if the eligible entity, the affiliate, or both, as determined necessary by the Secretary, furnishes adequate security for the grant, loan, or loan guarantee.”; and

(iii) in subparagraph (E) (as so redesignated by clause (ii) of this subparagraph), by inserting “, directly or in conjunction with any combination of affiliates,” before “may not”;

(B) in paragraph (2)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)—

(I) by striking “subparagraphs (B) and (C)” and inserting “subparagraph (B)”;

(II) by striking “is submitted—” and all that follows through “(i) not less than 50” and inserting “is submitted not less than 75” ; and

(III) by striking “(e); and” and all that follows and inserting “(e).”;

(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking “(A)(i)” and inserting “(A)”; and

(iii) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the following:

“(C) Affordability.— In deciding whether a proposed service territory is unserved for purposes of subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall consider the affordability of broadband service in the service territory.”; and

(C) by striking paragraphs (4) and (5);

(5) in subsection (e)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) by striking “Subject to paragraph (2), for” and inserting “For”;

(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking “25” and inserting “50”; and

(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking “3” and inserting “25”;

(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:

“(2) Adjustments.— The Secretary may adjust, through a 30-day public notice and comment period published in the Federal Register, an increase in the minimum level of broadband service under paragraph (1) of no more than 50 percent from the preceding year, if less than 95 percent of the funds of the program are obligated in the preceding 2 funding rounds.”; and

(C) in paragraph (4)—

(i) in the paragraph heading, by striking “buildout” and inserting “project agreement”; and

(ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) through (D) and inserting the following:

“(B) Broadband buildout standards defined.— A project must meet the following applicable broadband standard in order to be considered for assistance;

(i) A project with an award term of less than 8 years must provide service at 2 times the minimum broadband speed established in subsection (e)(1).

(ii) A project with an award term of at least 8 years and less than 14 years must provide service at 5 times the minimum broadband speed established in subsection (e)(1).

(iii) A project with an award term of 14 or more years must provide service at 10 times the minimum broadband speed established in subsection (e)(1).

(C) Network upgrade planning.— The Secretary may prioritize an applicant seeking to meet the broadband buildout standards under clause (i) or (ii) of subparagraph (B) if the applicant submits information regarding the potential for the physical infrastructure of the network to be upgraded to meet the broadband buildout standards under subparagraph (B)(iii) at the time of the application, assuming reasonable progress in relevant networking technologies.”;

(6) by striking subsection (j) and inserting the following:

“(j) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $350,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031, to remain available until expended.”; and

(7) in subsection (k), by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.

(b) Regulations.— Not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall promulgate rules to carry out the amendments made by subsection (a) of this section, and complete the biennial review process required by section 601(e)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.

(c) Sunset.— The authorities provided by section 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) shall have no force or effect beginning 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act.

(d) Transition rules.—

(1) Availability of funds for administrative costs.— Not more than 1 percent of the unobligated balances of amounts made available, as of the date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, to carry out the pilot program described in section 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) may be used for the costs of transitioning from the pilot program to the program under section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as amended by this Act.

(2) Consolidation of funds.—

(A) In general.— The unobligated balances of all amounts made available on or before June 30, 2025, to carry out the pilot program described in section 779 of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018 (Public Law 115–141) that are in excess of the amount described in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph are hereby transferred to and merged with amounts made available to carry out the program authorized under section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.

(B) Unfunded approvals.— The amount described in this subparagraph is the amount required to fully fund each project approved as of the date that is 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, under the pilot program described in such section 779 for which amounts were not obligated or partially obligated as of such date.

Section 602(g) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–1(g)) is amended by striking “2018 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 603 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–2) is amended to read as follows:

“603. Innovative broadband advancement program.—

(a) In general.— The Secretary shall establish a program to be known as the “Innovative Broadband Advancement Program”, under which the Secretary may provide a grant, a loan, or both to an eligible entity for the purpose of demonstrating innovative broadband technologies or methods of broadband deployment that significantly decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and provide substantially faster broadband speeds than are available, in a rural area.

(b) Terrestrial broadband demonstration projects.—

(1) In general.— The Secretary shall provide grants or loans to eligible entities for the purpose of deploying innovative broadband technologies to qualified consumers who subscribe to terrestrial broadband service in rural areas.

(2) Eligibility.— To be eligible to obtain assistance under this subsection for a project, an entity shall—

(A) submit to the Secretary an application—

(i) that describes a terrestrial broadband demonstration project designed to decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and substantially increase broadband speed to not less than the maximum broadband project agreement requirements established under section 601(e)(4), to qualified consumers in a rural area to be served by the project; and

(ii) at such time, in such manner, and containing such other information as the Secretary may require;

(B) demonstrate that the entity is able to carry out the project; and

(C) agree to complete the project build-out within 5 years after the date the assistance is first provided for the project.

(3) Prioritization.— In awarding assistance under this subsection, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals for projects that—

(A) involve partnerships between or among multiple entities;

(B) would provide broadband service to the greatest number of rural entities at or above the broadband requirements referred to in paragraph (2)(A)(i);

(C) the Secretary determines could be replicated in rural areas described in paragraph (2); and

(D) are located in States and territories selected by the Secretary to be diverse on the basis of geography, topography, and demographics.

(4) Qualified consumer.— In this subsection, the term qualified consumer means—

(A) an individual or member of a household who lives in a rural area;

(B) a rural small business; or

(C) an essential community facility, as defined pursuant to section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)).

(5) Rural area.— In this subsection, the term rural area has the meaning provided in section 601(b)(3).

(c) Satellite broadband demonstration projects.—

(1) Purpose.— The purpose of this subsection is to reduce or eliminate the costs to access satellite broadband service for remote subscribers.

(2) Definitions.— In this subsection:

(A) Eligible entity.— The term eligible entity means a broadband service provider that provides Internet access directly to qualified consumers in remote areas via satellite technology.

(B) Qualified consumer.— The term qualified consumer means a consumer served by an eligible entity that receives a grant under paragraph (3), who is—

(i) an individual or a member of a household at or below the poverty line (as defined in section 673(2) of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, including any revision required by such section, applicable to a family of the size involved); or

(ii) an essential community facility, as defined pursuant to section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)).

(C) Satellite broadband equipment.— The term satellite broadband equipment means user terminals, Wi-Fi routers, power supplies, mounts, and any other equipment necessary to connect a qualified consumer to satellite broadband service.

(D) Secretary.— The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Rural Utilities Service.

(E) Remote.— The term remote means a region classified within level 3 or level 4 of the frontier and remote ZIP Code areas published by the Economic Research Service of the Department of Agriculture.

(3) Grants to eligible entities.—

(A) In general.— Subject to paragraph (B), the Secretary shall make grants to eligible entities for the purpose of reducing or eliminating the cost associated with the purchase or installation, or both, of satellite broadband equipment to qualified consumers to subscribe to satellite broadband service in remote areas.

(B) Requirements.— As a condition of receiving a grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall—

(i) provide retail broadband service delivered via satellite technology to qualified consumers, that—

(I) enables a qualified consumer to the service to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, video; and

(II) has a latency which does not exceed 250 milliseconds;

(ii) submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such other information as the Secretary may require;

(iii) agree to reduce or eliminate the cost associated with the purchase, installation, or both, of satellite broadband equipment for qualified consumers; and

(iv) agree to provide qualified consumers with the reduction or elimination of that cost within 1 year of the assistance being obligated to the eligible entity.

(C) Eligibility map of qualified consumers.— Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall publish a map of the remote areas of qualified consumers that do not have access to terrestrial broadband service of at least—

(i) a 25–Mbps downstream transmission capacity; and

(ii) a 3–Mbps upstream transmission capacity.

(d) Report.— Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit a comprehensive report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate that shall provide the outcomes, effectiveness, and impact of the Innovative Broadband Advancement Program, including—

(1) an assessment of the broadband infrastructure funded, including the scope, scale, nature and geographic locations of each award;

(2) the broadband access and speeds achieved, including the download and upload speeds, latency, and overall network reliability;

(3) any technical or logistical challenges encountered by the eligible entities; and

(4) any recommendations for future innovative broadband deployment initiatives in rural areas.

(e) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.”.

Section 604 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–3) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)(2)—

(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking “10” and inserting “25”; and

(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking “1” and inserting “3”;

(2) in subsection (c)—

(A) in paragraph (1), by striking “and” at the end;

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking the period at the end and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(3) provides broadband speeds not less than the broadband project agreement requirements established under section 601(e)(4)(B)(ii) to the eligible entity within the proposed eligible service area.”; and

(3) in subsection (g), by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–5) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“607. Rate regulation.— Nothing in this title authorizes the Secretary to regulate rates charged for broadband service.”.

Section 701 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950cc) is amended—

(1) in the section heading, by inserting “technical assistance,” before “and”;

(2) in subsection (a)(1)(B)(i), by inserting “, including a complete shapefile map” before the semicolon;

(3) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking “and” at the end;

(ii) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as subparagraph (C) and inserting after subparagraph (A) the following:

“(B) validate the information submitted by service providers under subparagraph (A) through procedures established by the Secretary, which shall include an agency determination provided to the submitter, an opportunity of the submitter to respond, and a final non-appealable determination of the Secretary; and”; and

(iii) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated by clause (ii) of this subparagraph), by striking “paragraph (1)” and inserting “subparagraph (A)”; and

(B) in paragraph (2), by striking all that precedes subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:

“(2) Assessment of eligibility.— In making any determination to award a loan, loan guarantee, or grant for any retail broadband project provided assistance or for which assistance is sought that is administered by the Secretary, the Secretary shall confirm that each unserved rural community identified in the application is eligible for funding by—

(A) utilizing the map created by the Federal Communications Commission under section 802(c)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 and the Deployment Locations Map established under section 60104(b) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (47 U.S.C. 1704(b));”; and

(4) by striking subsection (e) and inserting the following:

“(e) Broadband technical assistance program.—

(1) In general.— The Secretary shall make grants to private, nonprofit, or public organizations to provide or receive eligible entities broadband technical assistance and training to expand access to broadband service in rural communities through the broadband programs of the Department of Agriculture including—

(A) preparing applications for grants, loans and loan guarantees under this section;

(B) identifying resources to finance broadband facilities from public and private sources, including other Federal agencies;

(C) preparing feasibility studies, financial forecasts, market surveys, environmental studies, and technical design information to support broadband services;

(D) preparing reports and surveys necessary to support the need for broadband services, the price range, and request financial assistance;

(E) analyzing and improving operations related to the management, including financial management, of broadband facilities and to the efficiency of the entity;

(F) collecting broadband infrastructure data; or

(G) assisting with other areas of need identified by the Secretary.

(2) Eligible entities.— To be eligible to obtain assistance under this subsection, an entity shall be—

(A) a federally recognized Tribe or Tribal entity;

(B) a State or local government, including any agency, subdivision, instrumentality, or political subdivision thereof;

(C) a territory or possession of the United States;

(D) an institution of higher education (including a 1862 Land-Grant Institution, 1890 Land-Grant Institution, 1994 Land-Grant Institution, Hispanic-Serving Institution, or Historically Black College or University);

(E) a nonprofit organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

(F) a cooperative or mutual organization;

(G) a corporation; or

(H) a limited liability company or limited liability partnership.

(3) Selection priority.— In selecting recipients of grants under this paragraph, the Secretary shall give priority to organizations that have experience in providing technical assistance and training to rural entities.

(4) National applications.— The Secretary shall allow applications for grants under this paragraph from qualified organizations for the sole purpose of providing on-site community technical assistance and training on a national or multi-State regional basis.

(f) Assistance for community broadband mapping.—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may make grants to eligible entities for the purpose of collecting broadband service data to assist the Secretary in—

(A) establishing the availability of broadband service or middle mile infrastructure in a rural area;

(B) determining the eligibility of a community for assistance under any broadband program administered by the Secretary;

(C) undertaking a service area assessment under this section; or

(D) collecting information to submit a challenge to the National Broadband Map created by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to section 802(c)(1) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(c)(1)).

(2) Application.— To apply for a grant under this section, an entity shall submit an application which identifies—

(A) the data collection area;

(B) the purpose of the data collection;

(C) the types of broadband service data to be collected;

(D) the survey and data collection methods utilized; and

(E) any other information the Secretary determines necessary to promote the integrity of broadband service collected under this section.

(3) Limitation of grant amount.— The amount of a grant made available under this subsection shall not exceed $50,000.

(4) Broadband service data usage.— The Secretary shall ensure that any broadband service data collected under this section is—

(A) measured or assessed in accordance with such standards as are established by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to section 802(a)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(a)(1)(A));

(B) accurate and verifiable in accordance with such standards as are established by the Federal Communications Commission pursuant to section 802(a)(1)(A) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 642(a)(1)(A));

(C) included in any broadband maps or data sets maintained by the Secretary; and

(D) made available to the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission and the Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration for inclusion in any broadband maps or data sets either may maintain.

(5) Definitions.— In this subsection:

(A) Broadband service.— The term broadband service has the same meaning given the term in section 601.

(B) Broadband service data.—

(i) In general.— The term broadband service data means information related to—

(I) the location and type of broadband service;

(II) the location and type of broadband infrastructure;

(III) the advertised, maximum, and average speed of broadband service;

(IV) the average price of the most subscribed tier of broadband service;

(V) the speed tiers of broadband service available in the area; or

(VI) any additional metric the Secretary deems appropriate.

(ii) Further definition.— The Secretary shall further define the term broadband service area to ensure that data is measured and collected in a manner consistent with the reporting requirements under this section, and any broadband coordination or data-sharing obligations.

(C) Eligible entity.— The term eligible entity means—

(i) a unit of local government in a rural area;

(ii) a Tribal Government or unit of Tribal Government;

(iii) an economic development or other community organization;

(iv) an eligible entity under title I or II that serves persons in rural areas;

(v) an internet service provider that has not more than 100,000 subscribers; or

(vi) any other entity eligible under a title VI program that is not an internet service provider.

(D) Middle mile infrastructure.— The term middle mile infrastructure has the meaning given the term in section 602.

(E) Rural area.— The term rural area has the meaning given the term in section 601.

(6) Limitation on amount made available for grants.— The Secretary may not expend more than 1 percent of the amounts made available under subsection (g) for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out this subsection.

(g) Limitations on reservation of funds.— Not less than 3 but not more than 5 percent of the amounts appropriated to the program to carry out title VI shall be set aside to be used for—

(1) conducting oversight under such title;

(2) implementing accountability measures and related activities authorized under such title; or

(3) carrying out this section.”.

Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“608. Limitation on overbuilding.— Any area in a proposed service area under this title shall not be considered unserved if an applicant in another Federal or State broadband program has received an obligation of funding to offer retail broadband service in the area not more than 5 years from the date of the obligation of funds, at a speed of at least 100 Mbps download and 20 Mbps upload.”.

Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a) is amended—

(1) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting “, if the entity continues to serve rural areas (as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A))” before the semicolon;

(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking “or” at the end; and

(iii) by redesignating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (E) and inserting after subparagraph (B) the following:

“(C) any Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));

(D) any public, quasi-public, or nonprofit entity that uses innovative financing techniques and market development tools to accelerate the deployment of energy efficiency technology; or”;

(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the following:

“(2) Energy efficiency measures.— The term energy efficiency measures means, with respect to any property service by an eligible entity—

(A) a structural improvement or investment in a cost-effective, commercial technology to increase energy efficiency (including cost-effective on- or off-grid renewable energy or energy storage system); and

(B) the replacement of a manufactured housing unit or large appliance with a substantially similar manufacturing housing unit or appliance, respectively, if that replacement is a cost-effective option with respect to energy savings.”;

(2) in subsection (c)—

(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting “and grants” before “to”;

(B) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:

“(1) In general.— Subject to this subsection, the Secretary shall provide—

(A) loans to eligible entities that agree to use the loan funds to make loans under subsection (d) to qualified consumers for the purpose of implementing energy efficiency measures; and

(B) at the election of any eligible entity that receives a loan under subparagraph (A) of this paragraph, a grant in accordance with paragraph (11).”;

(C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (9) as paragraphs (3) through (10), respectively, and inserting after paragraph (1) the following:

“(2) Prioritization.— The Secretary shall give priority to applications from eligible entities serving at least 80 percent of their ratepayers residing in rural areas, as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).”;

(D) in paragraph (3) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph)—

(i) in the paragraph heading, by inserting “for loans” before the period; and

(ii) in subparagraph (A)(i), by striking “that is”;

(E) by striking paragraph (6) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph) and inserting the following:

“(6) Repayment.—

(A) In general.— Subject to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, with respect to a loan under paragraph (1)(A)—

(i) the term shall not exceed 20 years from the date on which the loan is closed; and

(ii) except as provided in paragraph (8), the repayment of each advance shall be amortized for a period not to exceed 10 years.

(B) Extensions.— The Secretary may extend the term of a loan under subparagraph (A)(i), or the deadline for repayment of an advance under subparagraph (A)(ii), as the Secretary determines appropriate.”;

(F) in paragraph (8) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph)—

(i) in subparagraph (B), by striking “(1)” and inserting “(1)(A)”; and

(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking “Repayment” and inserting “Subject to an applicable extension under paragraph (6)(B), repayment”;

(G) by striking paragraph (9) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (C) of this paragraph) and inserting the following:

“(9) Limitations.—

(A) Special advances.— All special advances shall be made under a loan described in paragraph (1) during the first 10 years of the term of the loan.

(B) Replacement of manufactured housing units or large appliances.— Not more than 10 percent of the total annual amount of budget authority for loans described in paragraph (1) may be used for the replacement of manufactured housing units or large appliances.”; and

(H) by adding at the end the following:

“(11) Grants.—

(A) In general.— At the election of an eligible entity that receives a loan under this subsection, the Secretary may provide to the eligible entity a grant to pay for a portion of the costs incurred in—

(i) making repairs to the property of a qualified consumer that facilitates the energy efficiency measures for the property financed through a loan provided to the qualified consumer under subsection (d); or

(ii) providing technical assistance, outreach, and training.

(B) Amount.—

(i) In general.— Except as provided in clause (ii), the amount of a grant provided to an eligible entity under this paragraph shall be equal to not more than 5 percent of the amount of the loan provided to the eligible entity under this subsection.

(ii) Persistent poverty counties.— The amount of a grant provided under this paragraph to an eligible entity that will use the grant to make loans under subsection (d) to qualified consumers located in a persistent poverty county (as determined by the Secretary) shall be equal to 10 percent of the amount of the loan provided to the eligible entity under this subsection.”;

(3) in subsection (d)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “or grant” before “funds”; and

(ii) by striking subparagraphs (B) and (C) and inserting the following:

“(B)

(i) may have a term and amortization schedule the length of which is the useful life of the energy efficiency measures implemented using the loan, if the loan term does not exceed 20 years; and

(ii) shall finance energy efficiency measures for the purpose of decreasing energy usage or costs of the qualified consumer by an amount that ensures, to the maximum extent practicable, that the applicable loan term described in clause (i) will not pose an undue financial burden on the qualified consumer, as determined by the eligible entity;

(C) shall not be used to fund purchases of, or modifications to, personal property unless the personal property—

(i) is a manufactured housing unit or large appliance described in subsection (b)(2)(B); or

(ii) is or becomes attached to real property as a fixture;”; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

“(3) Clarification of eligibility.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law (including regulations), an eligible entity may make a loan under this subsection to any qualified consumer located within the service territory of the eligible entity, regardless of whether the qualified consumer is located in a rural area.”;

(4) in subsection (e)—

(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting “outreach,” before “and technical assistance”;

(B) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking “and technical assistance of the program” and inserting “outreach, and technical assistance relating to the program under this section”; and

(ii) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by inserting “, outreach,” before “and training”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(3) Funding.— Not less than 3 but not more than 5 percent of amounts appropriated under subsection (i) may be used to provide outreach, training, and technical assistance under this subsection.”; and

(5) in subsection (i), by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Advanced wireless communications technology.— The term advanced wireless communications technology means advanced technology that contributes to mobile (5G or beyond) networks, next-generation Wi-Fi networks, or other future networks using other technologies, regardless of whether the network is operating on an exclusive licensed, shared licensed, or unlicensed frequency band.

(2) Artificial intelligence.— The term artificial intelligence has the meaning given the term in section 238(g) of the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019 (Public Law 115–232; 10 U.S.C. note prec. 4061).

(3) Foreign adversary.— The term foreign adversary means any foreign government or foreign nongovernment person engaged in a long-term pattern or serious instances of conduct significantly adverse to the national security of the United States, or security and safety of United States persons.

(4) Precision agriculture; precision agriculture technology.— The terms precision agriculture and precision agriculture technology have the meanings given the terms in section 1201 of the Food Security Act of 1985.

(5) Trusted.— The term trusted means, with respect to a provider of advanced communications service or a supplier of communications equipment or service, that the Secretary has determined that the provider or supplier is not owned by, controlled by, or subject to the influence of, a foreign adversary.

(6) Voluntary consensus standards development organization.— The term voluntary consensus standards development organization means an organization that develops standards in a process that meets the principles for the development of voluntary consensus standards (as defined in the document of the Office of Management and Budget entitled “Federal Participation in the Development and Use of Voluntary Consensus Standards and in Conformity Assessment Activities” (OMB Circular A–119)).

(b) Purposes.— The purposes of this section are—

(1) to enhance the participation of precision agriculture in the United States; and

(2) to promote United States leadership in voluntary consensus standards development organizations that set standards for precision agriculture.

(c) Interconnectivity standards for precision agriculture.—

(1) In general.— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Federal Communications Commission, shall—

(A) develop voluntary, consensus-based, private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices for precision agriculture that will promote economies of scale and ease the burden of the adoption of precision agriculture; and

(B) in carrying out subparagraph (A)—

(i) coordinate with relevant public and trusted private sector stakeholders and other relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations; and

(ii) consult with sector-specific agencies, other appropriate agencies, and State and local governments.

(2) Considerations.— The Secretary, in carrying out paragraph (1), shall, in consultation with the Federal Communications Commission and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, consider—

(A) the evolving demands of precision agriculture;

(B) the connectivity needs of precision agriculture technology;

(C) the cybersecurity challenges facing precision agriculture, including cybersecurity threats for agriculture producers and agriculture supply chains;

(D) the impact of advanced wireless communications technology on precision agriculture; and

(E) the impact of artificial intelligence on precision agriculture.

(d) GAO assessment of precision agriculture standards.—

(1) Study.— Not later than 1 year after the Secretary develops standards under subsection (c), and every 2 years thereafter for the following 8 years, the Comptroller General of the United States shall conduct a study that assesses those standards, including the extent to which those standards, as applicable—

(A) are voluntary;

(B) were developed in coordination with relevant industry organizations, including voluntary consensus standards development organizations; and

(C) have successfully encouraged the adoption of precision agriculture.

(2) Report.— The Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that summarizes the findings of each study conducted under paragraph (1).

Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is amended by inserting after subsection (e) the following:

“(f) Food supply chain capacity and resilience guaranteed loans.—

(1) Definition of food supply chain guaranteed loan.— In this subsection, the term food supply chain guaranteed loan means a business and industry guaranteed loan that is made or guaranteed by the Secretary under subsection (a)(2)(A), including a guarantee described in subsection (a)(3).

(2) Purpose.— A food supply chain guaranteed loan may be made for the purpose of financing new investments in the start-up or expansion of projects in the United States that will increase the capacity of the food supply chain in the United States to aggregate, process, manufacture, store, transport, wholesale, or distribute food, agricultural products, or agricultural inputs.

(3) Limitations.— The maximum amount of a food supply chain guaranteed loan shall not exceed $40,000,000.

(4) Loan guarantees in nonrural areas.— The Secretary may guarantee a food supply chain guaranteed loan to an eligible entity for a facility that is not located in a rural area if—

(A) the primary purpose of the loan guarantee is for a facility to aggregate, process, manufacture, store, transport, wholesale, or distribute food agricultural products, or agricultural inputs for agricultural producers or processors that are located within 80 miles of the facility;

(B) the applicant demonstrates to the Secretary that the primary benefit of the loan guarantee will be to provide employment for residents of a rural area; and

(C) the total principal amount of food supply chain guaranteed loans guaranteed for a fiscal year under this paragraph does not exceed 10 percent of the total principal amount of food supply chain guaranteed loans made for the fiscal year under subsection (a)(2)(A).

(5) Quarterly reports to Congress.— Within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that contains—

(A) an evaluation of the outcomes achieved through use of the assistance, and the ability of the recipient of the assistance to meet performance goals;

(B) a description of any debt recovery made with respect to a loan guaranteed under this subsection, and agency projections for activities for which the assistance is provided; and

(C) any recommendations of the Secretary regarding the implementation of this subsection.

(6) Reservation of funds.—

(A) In general.— For each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, the Secretary shall reserve not more than 5 percent of the funds made available to carry out subsection (a) to carry out this subsection.

(B) Availability of funds.— Funds reserved under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal year shall be reserved until April 1 of the fiscal year.”.

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Eligible entity.— The term eligible entity means—

(A) a public, private, or cooperative organization organized on a for-profit or nonprofit basis, including a small establishment and very small establishment;

(B) an Indian Tribe (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304));

(C) a land-grant college or university (as defined in section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));

(D) a non-land-grant college of agriculture (as defined in that section); and

(E) a State department of agriculture or other applicable State office with authority over meat and poultry processing and rendering.

(2) Small establishment; very small establishment.— The terms small establishment and very small establishment have the meanings given the terms smaller establishment and very small establishment, respectively, in the final rule entitled “Pathogen Reduction; Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems” (61 Fed. Reg. 38806 (July 25, 1996)) (or successor regulations).

(b) Purposes.— The purposes of this section are—

(1) to create more resilient local and regional food systems;

(2) to expand, diversify, and increase resilience in meat and poultry processing and rendering activities;

(3) to increase farmer and rancher access to animal slaughter options;

(4) to improve compliance of processors with livestock and poultry processing statutes (including regulations), including the Federal Meat Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (21 U.S.C. 451 et seq.);

(5) to reduce barriers to entry for new meat and poultry processors and renderers;

(6) to establish new, or update, expand, or otherwise improve existing, meat and poultry processing and rendering facilities; and

(7) to support the processing and slaughtering of niche production methods such as halal, kosher, and other specific cultural methods.

(c) Grants.—

(1) In general.— The Secretary shall award grants to eligible entities to use in accordance with subsection (d).

(2) Maximum amount.— The maximum amount of a grant awarded under paragraph (1) shall not exceed $500,000.

(3) Duration.— The term of a grant awarded under paragraph (1) shall not exceed 3 years.

(4) Priority.— In awarding grants under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall give priority to small establishments and very small establishments.

(d) Use of funds.— An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant to carry out activities in support of the purposes described in subsection (b), including activities—

(1) to identify and analyze business opportunities, including feasibility studies required for credit worthiness;

(2) to achieve compliance with applicable Federal, State, or local regulations;

(3) to conduct regional, community, and local economic development planning and coordination and leadership development;

(4) to incentivize new, innovative, or mobile enterprises for increasing or improving local and regional meat or poultry processing and rendering;

(5) to implement humane handling infrastructure, including holding space for livestock prior to slaughter, shade structures, and structures and equipment for humane slaughter;

(6) to develop a feasibility study or business plan for, or carry out any other activity associated with, establishing or expanding a small meat or poultry slaughter, processing, or rendering facility;

(7) to purchase equipment that enables the further use or value-added sale of coproducts or byproducts; and

(8) to purchase cold storage and related equipment.

(e) Federal share.— The Federal share of the activities carried out using a grant awarded under this section shall not exceed—

(1) 90 percent in the case of a grant in the amount of $100,000 or less; or

(2) 75 percent in the case of a grant in an amount greater than $100,000.

(f) Quarterly reports to Congress.— Within 30 days after the end of each calendar quarter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that contains—

(1) an evaluation of the outcomes achieved through use of the grant, and the ability of the grantee to meet performance goals;

(2) an evaluation of the compliance of the grantee with the terms and conditions of the grant;

(3) a determination as to whether the grant recipient maintains adequate financial capacity to carry out the activities for which the grant is provided; and

(4) any recommendations of the Secretary regarding the implementation of this section.

(g) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $3,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Childcare.—

(A) In general.— The term childcare means any program that—

(i) provides quality care and early education for children who have not yet entered first grade; and

(ii) is operated by—

(I) an eligible childcare provider described in section 658P(6)(A) of the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 9858n(6)(A)); or

(II) a childcare provider that, on the date of enactment of this Act—

(aa) is licensed, regulated, or registered in the State, territory, or Indian Tribe in which the provider is located; and

(bb) meets applicable State, Tribal, territorial, and local health and safety requirements.

(B) Inclusions.— The term childcare includes—

(i) a school-based program described in subparagraph (A);

(ii) a program described in subparagraph (A) that is a Head Start program, including a migrant and seasonal Head Start program, or an American Indian and Alaska Native Head Start program carried out under the Head Start Act (42 U.S.C. 9831 et seq.);

(iii) a facility used for a program described in subparagraph (A); and

(iv) a service provided under a program described in subparagraph (A).

(2) Initiative.— The term Initiative means the Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative established under subsection (b).

(3) Rural area.— The term rural area has the meaning given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.

(b) Establishment.— The Secretary shall establish an initiative, to be known as the “Expanding Childcare in Rural America Initiative”, under which the Secretary shall provide, for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2029, priority in accordance with subsection (c) to address the availability, quality, and cost of childcare in rural areas.

(c) Childcare priorities.—

(1) In general.— Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in selecting recipients of loans and grants under a program described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall give priority to any qualified applicant that proposes to use the loan or grant to address the availability, quality, or cost of childcare.

(2) Description of programs.— The programs referred to in paragraph (1) are the following:

(A) The essential community facilities loan and grant programs authorized under section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)).

(B) The business and industry direct and guaranteed loan program authorized under section 310B(g) of that Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)).

(C) The rural microentrepreneur assistance program authorized under section 379E of that Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s).

(D) The intermediary relending program authorized under the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1936b).

(d) Requirements.— In providing funding in accordance with the Initiative, the Secretary shall ensure a balanced geographical distribution of the benefits under the Initiative.

(e) Evaluation; report.—

(1) Evaluation.— Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative evaluation of the projects carried out using assistance provided under the Initiative, including—

(A) a description of—

(i) the types of projects carried out;

(ii) the communities in which the projects are carried out;

(iii) the organizations and entities participating in the projects; and

(iv) the types of partnerships developed to carry out the projects; and

(B) the economic and social impacts of the investments in the projects.

(2) Report.— Not later than 4 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives a report describing the evaluation conducted under paragraph (1), including a thorough analysis of the outcomes of the evaluation.

(a) In general.— Within 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall directly, or through cooperative agreements, provide technical assistance and strengthen local capacity to improve access to rural development programs administered by the Secretary for local partners (including local governments, cooperatives, businesses, and community anchor institutions) in geographically underserved and distressed areas.

(b) Reports.— Beginning 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall annually publish, make available to the public, and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report on how the provision of technical assistance under subsection (a) has affected geographically underserved and distressed areas in the year covered by the report.

(c) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Geographically underserved and distressed area.— The term geographically underserved and distressed area means a rural area (as defined in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)))—

(A) in a socially vulnerable community (as determined by the Secretary);

(B) in a persistent poverty county (as determined by the Secretary);

(C) in an economically distressed area (as determined by the Secretary); or

(D) in a colonia.

(2) Community anchor institution.— The term community anchor institution means—

(A) a public library;

(B) an elementary or secondary school;

(C) an institution of higher education;

(D) a health care facility; or

(E) any other nonprofit or governmental community support organization.

Subtitle D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

“379J. Rural Development Innovation Center.—

(a) Definition of rural development mission areas.— In this section, the term Rural Development Mission Areas means the agencies under the Rural Development Agency at the Department of Agriculture, including the Rural Utilities Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Housing Service.

(b) Establishment.— There is hereby established within the Rural Development Mission Areas a Rural Development Innovation Center (the “Innovation Center”) to promote and facilitate innovation in the administration and implementation of rural development programs and initiatives.

(c) Functions.— The Innovation Center shall—

(1) review all processes for Rural Development Mission Area programs to identify inefficiencies, redundancies, and barriers to access, including—

(A) unnecessary delays in loan and grant applications processing and approvals;

(B) high application costs; and

(C) deficiencies in technical assistance for programs;

(2) establish and maintain an ongoing public process for public and private stakeholders to provide perspectives on the challenges faced when applying for, utilizing, or participating in Rural Development Mission Area programs;

(3) identify and assess any innovative strategies and collaborative models to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of rural development programs and initiatives;

(4) foster and maintain partnerships with public and private stakeholders to leverage expertise and resources for the Rural Development Mission Areas;

(5) promote cross-agency collaborations and identify best practices in rural economic development;

(6) identify and implement technological solutions and software applications to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Rural Development Mission Area programs, including enhancing data management systems;

(7) conduct research, analysis, and evaluation to modernize, simplify, and improve Rural Development Mission Area programs, and ensure that the programs are accessible, transparent, and user-friendly; and

(8) disseminate information, guidance, and training materials to Rural Development Mission Area personnel and stakeholders on innovative rural development practices and opportunities.

(d) Modernization plan.— The Innovation Center shall develop, and periodically update, a modernization plan to facilitate innovation in administering and implementing rural development programs and initiatives that—

(1) outlines strategies aimed at harnessing the potential of emerging technologies for program delivery and overall service;

(2) enhances program efficiencies by identifying and implementing measures to streamline program and administrative processes, reduce redundancies, and optimize resource allocation;

(3) expands the availability and accessibility of digital services, leveraging digital platforms and tools to broaden the reach of the programs and improve the overall user experience for rural stakeholders;

(4) integrates data-driven solutions to optimize program delivery and maximize impact and effectiveness of the efforts in rural development; and

(5) establishes periodic milestones and goals to track the progress of the modernization plan.

(e) Report.— The Secretary shall submit an annual report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on—

(1) the activities and accomplishments of the Innovation Center, including progress in advancing rural development innovation and the outcome achieved;

(2) a comprehensive working plan designed to actively engage public and private stakeholders, as described in subsection (c)(2); and

(3) the progress on the modernization plan described in subsection (d).”.

Section 236 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6946) is amended—

(1) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (8), by striking “and” at the end;

(B) in paragraph (9), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(10) coordinate with the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in implementation of the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network provided for in section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936).”; and

(2) by adding at the end the following:

“(c) Report.— The Rural Health Liaison shall submit an annual report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate outlining the activities conducted under subsection (b).”.

Section 306(a)(2)(B)(vii) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(2)(B)(vii)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 306(a)(22) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)) is amended to read as follows:

“(22) Rural water and wastewater circuit rider program.—

(A) Establishment.— The Secretary, through the Rural Utilities Service, shall continue a national rural water and wastewater circuit rider program that is consistent with the activities and results of the program conducted before the date of enactment of this Act, and with this section, as determined by the Secretary.

(B) Purpose.— The Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program shall provide a network of expert rural water Circuit Riders located in all 50 States, including United States territories and Freely Associated States, which work one-on-one with eligible rural water and wastewater systems in major assistance categories described in subparagraph (D). The program is intended to help rural water systems operate effectively and efficiently and achieve long-term sustainability and compliance with certain Federal laws and requirements, including the Safe Water Drinking Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.) and the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.).

(C) Eligible entities.— In selecting recipients of grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements to be made available for activities listed under subparagraph (D), the Secretary shall select nonprofit organizations that have demonstrated experience providing technical assistance and disaster and recovery assistance for water and wastewater utilities nationwide. Awardees shall rely on personnel that possess active water and wastewater operators’ licenses or overall knowledge of water utilities necessary to carry out eligible activities under subparagraph (D).

(D) Eligible uses of funds.— An eligible entity shall use funds under the Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider program for a rural water, wastewater, or wastewater disposal facility for—

(i) technical assistance, including—

(I) Board training;

(II) managerial and financial operations with the effort to enhance the long-term sustainability of rural water and wastewater systems, including partnerships, consolidation, and regionalization;

(III) physical operation and maintenance of rural water and wastewater infrastructure;

(IV) water treatment;

(V) regulatory compliance;

(VI) facility security;

(VII) loan application and reporting;

(VIII) cybersecurity;

(IX) implementation of cybersecurity plans, procedures, and technologies to protect against cyberthreats; or

(X) other areas the Secretary deems appropriate;

(ii) disaster and recovery assistance including—

(I) direct on-site personnel and equipment to eligible utilities;

(II) coordinating in statewide emergency response networks;

(III) facilitating the development of action plans between utilities, local governments, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the State emergency management agencies;

(IV) resiliency and mitigation planning;

(V) GIS mapping;

(VI) updating vulnerability assessments, preparation of emergency response plans, communication protocols, hazard recognition and evaluation skills;

(VII) conducting preliminary damage assessments of critical infrastructure;

(VIII) addressing outstanding deficiencies focused on resolving health-based regulatory, operational, financial, and managerial deficiencies that impact the sustainability of the affected utilities;

(IX) application and reporting assistance for Federal and State requirements including Federal Emergency Management Agency and insurance recovery claims;

(X) providing for disaster readiness, support, and response activities targeted to disadvantaged communities that lack the financial resources and human capital necessary to adequately address significant health, safety, or sanitary concerns; and

(XI) other areas the Secretary deems appropriate.

(iii) Additional uses.— In response to activities under subparagraph (B) related to natural disasters and emergencies, not more than 5 percent of each award may be used to purchase or reimburse the rental costs of appropriate emergency equipment, as determined by the Secretary.

(E) Eligible project areas.— To receive assistance under the Rural Water and Wastewater Circuit Rider Program and carry out activities, an eligible entity must serve—

(i) an area with a population of—

(I) 10,000 or fewer inhabitants for technical assistance under subparagraph (D)(i); or

(II) 50,000 or fewer inhabitants for disaster and recovery assistance under subparagraph (D)(ii); and

(ii) a public body, nonprofit corporation, or Indian tribe with legal authority to own and operate the water facility.

(F) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this paragraph $25,000,000 for fiscal year 2027 through fiscal year 2031.

(G) Continuity of essential circuit rider activities.— Activities carried out under this subparagraph that are necessary to prevent imminent harm to life or property may continue during a lapse in appropriations, using unobligated balances previously appropriated under the heading “Rural Water and Waste Disposal Program Account”.”.

Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (22) the following:

“(23) Assistance for distressed water systems.—

(A) To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of eligible rural community waste disposal and water facilities as described in subparagraph (B), for any entity described in subparagraph (C), the Secretary may—

(i) make a zero percent interest loan or a 1 percent interest loan pursuant to paragraph (1);

(ii) forgive the principal or interest, or modify any term or condition of a new or existing loan made pursuant to paragraph (1);

(iii) refinance all or part of any other loan made for an eligible purpose under paragraph (1) of this subsection or section 306C; or

(iv) waive any fee required to insure or guarantee a loan pursuant to paragraph (1) or (24).

(B) To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of the services provided by eligible entities, the Secretary shall—

(i) provide assistance to an eligible entity for the purpose of—

(I) ensuring the entity has necessary resources to maintain public health, safety, or order;

(II) addressing financial hardships of the eligible entity, its customers, and the community it serves;

(III) improving the financial stability of the eligible entity, including changes to—

(aa) operational practices;

(bb) revenue enhancements;

(cc) policy revisions; and

(dd) contract services; and

(IV) supporting a partnership, regionalization, or consolidation of the entity with another water system; and

(ii) require an applicant to—

(I) receive financial planning assistance and prepare a long-term financial plan; or

(II) partner, regionalize, or consolidate with another water system.

(C) An entity shall be eligible for assistance under this paragraph if the entity—

(i) is a rural water, wastewater, or wastewater disposal system with respect to which assistance may be provided under a water or wastewater, or waste disposal program under this subsection or section 306A, 306C, or 306D, and

(ii) is—

(I) located in a socially disadvantaged community, a persistent poverty county, colonia, or distressed tribal area, as determined by the Secretary; or

(II) facing an economic hardship as defined by the Secretary.

(D) An entity eligible under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (a) may designate a water and wastewater utility provider to apply for a loan under this paragraph and carry out the loan application on behalf of the eligible entity.

(E)

(i) The Secretary shall evaluate such a loan application on the basis of the needs of the eligible entity and the beneficiaries of the eligible entity rather than the needs of the applicant water and wastewater utility provider.

(ii) A water and wastewater utility provider to whom a loan is made under this paragraph on the basis of an application submitted on behalf of an eligible entity may use the loan only for the benefit of the residents of the eligible area for which the loan is provided.”.

Section 306(a)(25)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(25)(C)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 306A(i)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926a(i)(2)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 306D(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d(d)(1)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 306E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926e) is amended to read as follows:

“306E. Rural decentralized water systems.—

(a) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Eligible individual.— The term eligible individual means an individual who is a member of a household the members of which have a combined income (for the most recent 12-month period for which the information is available) that is not more than 80 percent of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the State or territory in which the individual resides, according to the most recent decennial census of the United States.

(2) Eligible grant recipient.— The term eligible grant recipient means a private nonprofit organization that uses a grant provided under this section for the purposes described in subsection (b)(1).

(3) Qualified water quality testing.— The term qualified water quality testing means a baseline analysis of the bacterial and chemical characteristics of concern from a drinking water sample collected at the point of consumption and tested by a laboratory certified to conduct water quality testing that is provided to—

(A) the Secretary; and

(B) the eligible grant recipient receiving a grant under this section and any eligible individual served by the eligible grant recipient.

(b) Grants.—

(1) In general.— The Secretary may make grants to an eligible grant recipient for the purpose of—

(A) providing loans and subgrants to eligible individuals for—

(i) the construction, refurbishing, and servicing of individual household water well systems and individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems in rural areas that are or will be owned by the eligible individuals; or

(ii) in the event of ground well water contamination, the installation or replacement of water treatment, where needed as determined by a qualified water quality test or other third-party documentation to the satisfaction of the Secretary;

(B) performing qualified water quality testing of individual household water well systems and individually utilized household decentralized wastewater systems in rural areas that are or will be utilized by the eligible individuals; or

(C) providing technical assistance to eligible individuals for—

(i) the installation or replacement of individual household water well systems and individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems in rural areas that are or will be owned by the eligible individuals;

(ii) interpreting qualified water quality tests; or

(iii) addressing ground well water contamination.

(2) Terms and amounts for loans and subgrants.—

(A) Terms of loans.— A loan made with grant funds under this section—

(i) shall have an interest rate of 1 percent; and

(ii) shall have a term not to exceed 20 years.

(B) Amounts.— A loan or subgrant made with grant funds under this section shall not exceed $20,000 for each water well system or decentralized wastewater system described in paragraph (1).

(3) Administrative expenses.— A recipient of a grant made under this section may use grant funds to pay administrative expenses associated with providing the assistance described in paragraph (1), as determined by the Secretary.

(4) Water treatment standards.— Water treatment provided under this section shall—

(A) incorporate components that are third-party certified as compliant with relevant consensus-based standards for drinking water treatment units or systems, as determined by the Secretary; and

(B) be installed, according to the instructions of the manufacturer, by a qualified, certified, or licensed water treatment professional, including a professional credentialed through a manufacturer or third-party.

(c) Priority in awarding grants.— In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority to an applicant that has substantial expertise and experience in promoting the safe and effective use of individually owned household water well systems, individually owned household decentralized wastewater systems, and ground water.

(d) Limitation.— An eligible grant recipient cannot use more than 10 percent of a grant awarded under this section for the activities described under subparagraphs (B) and (C) of subsection (b)(1).

(e) Authorization of appropriations.— There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.”.

Section 310B(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(a)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:

“(C) Precision agriculture; precision agriculture technology.— The terms precision agriculture and precision agriculture technology have the meanings given those terms in section 1201 of the Food Security Act of 1985.”; and

(2) in paragraph (2)—

(A) by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph (C);

(B) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (D) and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(E) expanding the adoption of precision agriculture practices, including by financing the acquisition of precision agriculture technology, in order to promote best practices, reduce costs, and improve the environment.”.

Section 310B(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(b)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1), by striking “governments and related agencies” and inserting “governments, related agencies, and Indian tribes”; and

(2) in paragraph (2), by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 310B(c)(4)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(4)(A)) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the following:

“(C) Cooperative development.— The term cooperative development means activities including education, training, and technical assistance, to support the start-up, expansion, or ongoing sustainability of new and existing cooperatives.”;

(2) in paragraph (5)—

(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking “underserved and economically distressed areas in rural areas of the United States” and inserting “socially vulnerable, underserved, or distressed communities”; and

(B) in subparagraph (F)—

(i) by inserting “at least” before “a 25 percent”; and

(ii) by inserting “, and all applications that satisfy this subparagraph shall be given the same priority for the scoring criterion based on satisfying this subparagraph” before the period;

(3) in paragraph (6), by striking subparagraph (B) and inserting the following:

“(B) Award renewals for qualified nonprofit institutions.— The Secretary shall award a grant under this subsection to a nonprofit institution on the same terms and for the establishment or operation of the same center or centers for cooperative development for which the nonprofit institution was awarded a grant in the current fiscal year, if the nonprofit institution—

(i) is a recipient of an award under this subsection;

(ii) requests a renewal under this subparagraph;

(iii) has submitted a complete application under this subsection in the preceding 2 fiscal years; and

(iv) has operated the center or centers for cooperative development in a manner which successfully meets the parameters described in paragraph (5), as determined by the Secretary.”;

(4) in paragraph (10), by adding at the end the following: “The Secretary shall analyze the data resulting from the research, and include the data and the analysis in the annual report submitted by the interagency working group under paragraph (12).”;

(5) in paragraph (12), by adding at the end the following: “Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this sentence and annually thereafter, the interagency working group shall submit to the Congress a report describing the activities carried out by the working group.”; and

(6) in paragraph (13), by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

(a) In general.— Section 333 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1983) is amended—

(1) by inserting “(a) In general.—” before “In connection”;

(2) in paragraph (5), by adding “and” at the end;

(3) in paragraph (6)(E), by striking “; and” and inserting a period;

(4) by striking paragraph (7); and

(5) by adding at the end the following:

“(b) Fees.—

(1) Initial guarantee fee.— The Secretary may assess an initial guarantee fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 306(a) in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.

(2) Periodic retention fee.— The Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 306(a) in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal of the guaranteed loan.

(3) Disclosure.— In altering any fee charged for any insured or guaranteed loan issued or modified under section 306(a), the Secretary, not less than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall provide a public disclosure of the financial data, economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, and other factors used to determine the new fee rates.”.

(b) Conforming amendment.— Section 310B(g)(5) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(5)) is amended to read as follows:

“(5) Fees.—

(A) Initial guarantee fee.— The Secretary may assess an initial guarantee fee for any guaranteed business and industry loan in an amount that does not exceed 3 percent of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.

(B) Periodic retention fee.— The Secretary may assess a periodic retention fee for any guaranteed business and industry loan in an amount that does not exceed 0.75 percent of the outstanding principal of the guaranteed loan.

(C) Disclosure.— In altering any fee charged for any guaranteed business and industry loan, the Secretary, not less than 30 days in advance of any fee change, shall provide a public disclosure of the financial data, economic and behavioral assumptions, calculations, and other factors used to determine the new fee rates.”.

Section 310B(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 310B(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(i)) is amended—

(1) in paragraph (2)—

(A) by striking “and” at the end of subparagraph (C);

(B) by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (D) and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(E) provides training opportunities and resources for veterans (as defined in section 101(2) of title 38, United States Code) who actively are or are seeking to become agricultural producers, which shall be known as the “Armed to Farm Initiative”.”; and

(2) in paragraph (4), by striking “2008 through 2023.” and inserting the following:

“(A) $3,500,000 shall be made available for each fiscal year for activities described in subparagraphs (A) through (D) of paragraph (2); and

(B) $1,500,000 shall be available for each fiscal year for activities described in paragraph (2)(E).”.

Section 310B(j) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(j)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.

Section 310H(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936b(i)) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

(a) In general.— Section 342 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1990a) is amended—

(1) by striking “Assistance” and inserting the following:

“(a) Refinancing of certain rural health care facility debt.—

(1) In general.— Assistance”;

(2) by striking “rural hospital” and inserting “an eligible health care facility”;

(3) by striking “a community” and inserting “an area”;

(4) by striking “hospital,” and inserting “eligible health care facility,”; and

(5) by adding at the end the following:

“(2) Requirements.— To promote the long-term sustainability and financial viability of an eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall—

(A) provide assistance to an eligible health care facility for the purpose of—

(i) ensuring the facility has necessary resources to maintain public health, safety, or order;

(ii) addressing financial hardships of the facility, its patients, and the area it serves; and

(iii) identifying the financial stability of the facility, including—

(I) operational practices;

(II) revenue enhancements;

(III) policy revisions;

(IV) partnerships, regionalization, or consolidation of rural health systems; and

(V) contract services; and

(B) require an applicant to—

(i) receive financial planning assistance; and

(ii) prepare a long-term financial plan.

(3) Waiver.— In the case of an application for refinancing pursuant to this section, the Secretary may waive the requirement of section 302(a)(1)(D) if the eligible health care facility is insolvent.

(b) Rural health care facility technical assistance program.—

(1) In general.— In lieu of any other authority under which the Secretary may provide technical assistance to any eligible health care facility, the Secretary shall establish, and maintain, directly or by grant, contract, or cooperative agreement, a Rural Health Care Facility Technical Assistance Program (in this section referred to as the “Program”) to provide technical assistance and training, tailored to the capacity and needs of each eligible health care facility, to help eligible health care facilities in rural areas—

(A) identify development needs for maintaining essential health care services, and support action plans for operational and quality improvement projects to meet the development needs;

(B) better manage their financial and business strategies, including providing financial planning assistance and preparing long-term financial plans; and

(C) identify, and apply for assistance from, loan and grant programs of the Department of Agriculture for which the facilities are eligible.

(2) Goals.— The goals of the Program shall be to—

(A) improve the long-term financial position and operational efficiency of the eligible health care facilities;

(B) prevent the closure of eligible health care facilities;

(C) strengthen the delivery of health care in rural areas;

(D) help eligible health care facilities better access and compete for loans and grants from programs administered by the Department of Agriculture; and

(E) continue the activities of the Rural Hospital Technical Assistance Program in effect as of the date of the enactment of this subsection.

(3) Program participation.—

(A) In general.— The Secretary shall engage in outreach and engagement strategies to encourage eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program.

(B) Eligible health care facility selection.— In selecting eligible health care facilities to participate in the Program, the Secretary shall give priority to borrowers and grantees of the Rural Housing Service, Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and Rural Utilities Service. The Secretary may also consider—

(i) the age and physical state of the health care facility involved;

(ii) the financial vulnerability of the eligible health care facility, and the ability of the eligible health care facility to meet debt obligations;

(iii) the electronic health record implementation needs of the health care facility;

(iv) whether the eligible health care facility is located in a health professional shortage area or a medically underserved area;

(v) whether the eligible health care facility serves a medically underserved population; and

(vi) such other criteria and priorities as are determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

(C) Reporting requirements.— Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this section, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a written report describing the progress and results of the program conducted under this section, which should include—

(i) a brief description of each project to provide technical assistance to an eligible health care facility under this section, including—

(I) the name and location of the facility;

(II) a description of the assistance provided;

(III) a description of the outcomes for completed projects;

(IV) the cost of the technical assistance; and

(V) any other information the Secretary deems appropriate;

(ii) a summary of the technical assistance projects completed;

(iii) a summary of the outcomes of the technical assistance projects;

(iv) an assessment of the effectiveness of the Program; and

(v) recommendations for improving the Program.

(D) Limitations on authorization of appropriations.— To carry out this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary not more than $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031.

(c) Definitions.— In this section:

(1) Rural area.— The term rural area has the meaning given the term in section 343(a)(13)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)).

(2) Development needs.— The term development needs includes—

(A) constructing, expanding, renovating or otherwise modernizing health care facilities;

(B) increasing telehealth capabilities;

(C) acquiring or upgrading health care information systems such as electronic health records;

(D) providing financial planning assistance and preparing a long-term financial plan; and

(E) such other needs as the Secretary deems critical to maintaining health care services in the community in which an eligible health care facility is located.

(3) Eligible health care facility.— The term eligible health care facility means a facility that is located in a rural area and is—

(A) a hospital (as defined in section 1861(e) of the Social Security Act;

(B) a psychiatric hospital (as defined in section 1861(f) of such Act);

(C) a long-term care hospital (as defined in section 1861(ccc) of such Act);

(D) a critical access hospital (as defined in section 1861(mm)(1) of such Act);

(E) a rural health clinic (as defined in section 1861(aa)(2) of such Act);

(F) a religious nonmedical health care institution (as defined in section 1861(ss)(1) of such Act);

(G) a sole community hospital (as defined in section 1886(d)(5)(C)(iii) of such Act);

(H) a rural emergency hospital (as defined in section 1861(kkk)(2) of such Act);

(I) a home health agency (as defined in section 1861(o) of such Act); or

(J) a community health center (as defined in section 330 of the Public Health Service Act).

(4) Health professional shortage area.— The term health professional shortage area has the meaning given the term in section 332(a)(1)(A) of the Public Health Service Act.

(5) Medically underserved area.— The term medically underserved area has the meaning given the term in section 330I(a)(5) of the Public Health Service Act.

(6) Medically underserved population.— The term medically underserved population has the meaning given the term in section 330(b)(3) of the Public Health Service Act.”.

(b) Effective date.— The amendments made by subsection (a) shall take effect on the completion of a rulemaking carrying out such amendments.

Section 363 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2006e) is amended to read as follows:

“363. Prohibition on use of loan or grant for certain purposes.—

(a) In general.— The Secretary shall not approve any loan or grant under this title to drain, dredge, fill, or level, or otherwise manipulate a wetland (as defined in section 1201(a)(16) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(16))), or to engage in any activity that results in impairing or reducing the flow, circulation, or reach of water, except in the case of activity related to the maintenance of previously converted wetlands, or in the case of such activity that commenced before November 29, 1990.

(b) Exclusions.—

(1) Utilities lines.— This section shall not apply to a loan made or guaranteed under this title for a utility line.

(2) Permitted activities and projects.— This section shall not apply to a rural development loan made or guaranteed under section 306 or 306C of this Act for an activity or project for which the applicant or borrower has obtained or is required to obtain a permit from the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, under section 10 of the Act of March 3, 1899 (33 U.S.C. 403; 30 Stat. 1151, chapter 425), or section 404 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1344).”.

Section 368(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008c(d)(1)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 378 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008m) is amended—

(1) in subsection (g)(1), by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”; and

(2) in subsection (h), by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.

Section 379B(d) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008p(d)) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 379E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)(4), by striking “$50,000” and inserting “$75,000”;

(2) in subsection (c)(1)(A), by striking “shall not exceed 75 percent” and inserting “may be up to 100 percent, and a loan under this section for a project may be used to cover not more than 50 percent of any renovation, construction, or related costs of real estate improvements under the project”;

(3) in subsection (c)(1)(B), by inserting “(or 5 percent, in the case of a microenterprise development organization serving a persistent poverty county, as determined by the Secretary)” before “of the total amount”; and

(4) in subsection (d), by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 379G(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008u(e)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 379H(d)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v(d)(4)) is amended by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 379I of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008w) is amended—

(1) in subsection (a)—

(A) in paragraph (1)(A)—

(i) in clause (iii)—

(I) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the following:

“(I) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101, and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 102(a)(1), of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002(a)(1)));”;

(II) by redesignating subclauses (II) and (III) as subclauses (III) and (IV), respectively, and inserting after subclause (I) the following:

“(II) an area career and technical education school (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302));”; and

(III) in subclause (IV) (as so redesignated by subclause (II) of this clause), by striking “and”;

(ii) in clause (iv)—

(I) by striking subclause (IV) and inserting the following:

“(IV) an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101, and subparagraphs (A) and (B) of section 102(a)(1), of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001, 1002(a)(1)));”; and

(II) by redesignating subclause (V) as subclause (VI) and inserting after subclause (IV) the following:

“(V) an area career and technical education school (as defined in section 3 of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 (20 U.S.C. 2302)); or”; and

(iii) by adding at the end the following:

“(v) in the case of a career pathway program, includes 1 or more members of the local workforce development board established under section 107 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and serving the region to ensure the program is integrated with the activities carried out by the local workforce development board; and”; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

“(6) Career pathway.— The term career pathway has the meaning given the term in section 3(7) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102(7)).

(7) Industry or sector partnership.— The term industry or sector partnership has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102).”;

(2) in subsection (b)—

(A) in paragraph (1)—

(i) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by inserting “or carry out career pathway training programs or industry or sector partnerships aligned with industry sectors in rural communities” before “, including”;

(ii) in subparagraph (A), by striking “and” after the semicolon;

(iii) in subparagraph (B), by striking the period and inserting a semicolon; and

(iv) by adding at the end the following:

“(C) address workforce challenges, including worker displacement, faced by specific industry sectors in rural communities; and

(D) promote targeted skills development and training initiatives to stimulate innovation and enhance economic development in rural regions.”;

(B) in paragraph (3)—

(i) in subparagraph (A)—

(I) in clause (i), by inserting “, career pathway programs, or industry or sector partnerships” before the semicolon; and

(II) in clause (ii)—

(aa) by inserting “, career pathway programs, or industry or sector partnerships” before “to provide”; and

(bb) by inserting “leadership development,” before “customized training”;

(ii) in subparagraph (F), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(iii) by adding at the end the following:

“(G) the ability of the eligible entity to carry out activities to address the issues of worker displacement, an aging workforce, and youth migration.”; and

(C) by striking paragraph (5) and inserting the following:

“(5) Geographic distribution.— The Secretary shall ensure regional diversity of recipients of grants or participants in providing grants under paragraph (1) for jobs accelerators, career pathway programs, and related programming.”;

(3) in subsection (d)(1)—

(A) in subparagraph (B)(xi), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(B) by adding at the end the following:

“(C) to support career pathway programs or industry or sector partnerships to be carried out within industries in rural communities, including—

(i) telecommunications or broadband services;

(ii) water, waste water, or disposal services;

(iii) electric supply services;

(iv) forestry and logging operations;

(v) conservation practices and management;

(vi) health care and child care;

(vii) manufacturing;

(viii) agribusiness related to production, processing, and distribution;

(ix) veterinarian services; and

(x) any other sectors identified by the local workforce development board serving the region to be an in-demand industry sector or occupation, as defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.”;

(4) in subsection (e)—

(A) in paragraph (1), by striking “and”;

(B) in paragraph (2)(B)—

(i) in clause (xvii), by striking “or”;

(ii) by redesignating clause (xviii) as clause (xix) and inserting after clause (xvii) the following:

“(xviii) the number of individuals who have completed skills development, recognized postsecondary credentials, or gained specialized education through career pathways programs or industry or sector partnerships; or”; and

(iii) in clause (xix) (as so redesignated by subparagraph (B) of this paragraph), by striking the period and inserting “; and”; and

(C) by adding at the end the following:

“(3) in the case of a career pathway program or industry or sector partnership, report to the Secretary the employment and earnings outcomes for individuals who participate in the program on the indicators described in subclauses (I) through (III) of section 116(b)(2)(A)(i) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.”; and

(5) in subsection (f), by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 384J(c) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–9(c)) is amended by striking “50” and inserting “75”.

Section 384S of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–18) is amended by striking “2014 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Each of the following provisions of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act are amended by striking “urbanized” and inserting “urban”:

(1) Section 343(a)(13)(A)(ii) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(A)(ii)).

(2) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(I) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)), in the matter preceding item (aa).

(3) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)(bb) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(I)(bb)).

(4) Section 343(a)(13)(D)(i)(II) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(D)(i)(II)).

(5) Section 343(a)(13)(E) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(E)).

(6) Section 343(a)(13)(F)(i)(II) (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)(F)(i)(II)).

(7) Section 384I(c)(4)(C) (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–8(c)(4)(C)).

Section 306(a)(14) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(14)) is amended—

(1) in subparagraph (A)—

(A) by striking “technical assistance and training to—” and inserting “for—”;

(B) in clause (v), by striking the period and inserting “; or”; and

(C) by redesignating clauses (i) through (v) as subclauses (I) through (V), respectively, and moving each such provision 2 ems to the right; and

(D) by inserting before the matter so redesignated the following:

“(i) technical assistance and training to—”; and

(E) by adding after and below the end the following:

“(ii) disaster and recovery assistance.”; and

(2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting “or disaster and recovery assistance” before “described”.

Section 313A(f) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–1(f)) is amended by striking “2023” and inserting “2031”.

Section 313B of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–2) is amended—

(1) by striking subsection (b) and inserting the following:

“(b) Repayments.—

(1) In general.— In the case of zero interest loans, the Secretary shall establish such reasonable repayment terms as will encourage borrower participation.

(2) Letters of credit.— The Secretary shall not require a letter of credit or other similar guarantee from a recipient of a zero-interest loan under this section if the borrower assigns the Secretary a security interest in any collateral provided to secure a loan made with funds loaned under this section, or makes other similar arrangements to the satisfaction of the Secretary.”; and

(2) in subsection (e)(1), by striking “2019 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.

Section 315(d) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940e(d)) is amended by striking “2008 through 2023” and inserting “2027 through 2031”.