II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1011 

To establish a national historic country store preservation program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 12, 2005 

Mr. JEFFORDS introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 

referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 

A BILL

To establish a national historic country store preservation 

program.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘National Historic 

5 Country Store Preservation Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) historic country stores are lasting icons of 

9 rural tradition in the United States; 
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1 (2) historic country stores are valuable contrib2 utors to the civic and economic vitality of their local 

3 communities; 

4 (3) historic country stores demonstrate innova5 tive approaches to historic preservation and small 

6 business practices; 

7 (4) historic country stores are threatened by 

8 larger competitors and the costs associated with 

9 maintaining older structures; and 

10 (5) the United States should— 

11 (A) collect and disseminate information 

12 concerning the number, condition, and variety 

13 of historic country stores; 

14 (B) develop opportunities for cooperation 

15 among proprietors of historic country stores; 

16 and 

17 (C) promote the long-term economic viabil18 ity of historic country stores. 

19 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

20 In this Act: 

21 (1) COUNTRY STORE.— 

22 (A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘country 

23 store’’ means a structure independently owned 

24 and formerly or currently operated as a busi25 ness that— 
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1 (i) sells or sold grocery items and 

2 other small retail goods; and 

3 (ii) is located in a nonmetropolitan 

4 area, as defined by the Secretary. 

5 (B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘country 

6 store’’ includes a cooperative. 

7 (2) ELIGIBLE APPLICANT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

8 applicant’’ means— 

9 (A) a State department of commerce or 

10 economic development; 

11 (B) a national or State nonprofit organiza12 tion that— 

13 (i) is described in section 501(c)(3), 

14 and exempt from Federal tax under section 

15 501(a), of the Internal Revenue Code of 

16 1986; and 

17 (ii) has experience or expertise, as de18 termined by the Secretary, in the identi19 fication, evaluation, rehabilitation, or pres20 ervation of historic country stores; 

21 (C) a national or State nonprofit trade or22 ganization that— 

23 (i) is described in section 501(c)(3), 

24 and exempt from Federal tax under section 
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1 501(a), of the Internal Revenue Code of 

2 1986; and 

3 (ii) acts as a cooperative to promote 

4 and enhance country stores; and 

5 (D) a State historic preservation office. 

6 (3) FUND.—The term ‘‘Fund’’ means the His7 toric Country Store Revolving Loan Fund estab8 lished by section 5(a). 

9 (4) HISTORIC COUNTRY STORE.—The term 

10 ‘‘historic country store’’ means a country store 

11 that— 

12 (A) has operated at the same location for 

13 at least 50 years; and 

14 (B) retains sufficient integrity of design, 

15 materials, and construction to clearly identify 

16 the structure as a country store. 

17 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

18 the Secretary of Commerce, acting through the As19 sistant Secretary for Economic Development. 

20 SEC. 4. HISTORIC COUNTRY STORE PRESERVATION PRO21 GRAM. 

22 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall establish 

23 a historic country store preservation program— 

24 (1) to collect and disseminate information on 

25 historic country stores; 
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1 (2) to promote State and regional partnerships 

2 among proprietors of historic country stores; and 

3 (3) to sponsor and conduct research on— 

4 (A) the economic impact of historic coun5 try stores; 

6 (B) best practices to— 

7 (i) improve the profitability of historic 

8 country stores; and 

9 (ii) protect historic country stores 

10 from foreclosure or seizure; and 

11 (C) best practices for developing coopera12 tive organizations that address the economic 

13 and historic preservation needs of historic coun14 try stores. 

15 (b) GRANTS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may make 

17 grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative 

18 agreements with, eligible applicants to carry out an 

19 eligible project under paragraph (2). 

20 (2) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—A grant under this 

21 subsection may be made to an eligible entity for a 

22 project— 

23 (A) to rehabilitate or repair a historic 

24 country store; 
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1 (B) to identify, document, and conduct re2 search on historic country stores; and 

3 (C) to develop and evaluate appropriate 

4 techniques or best practices for protecting his5 toric country stores. 

6 (3) REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible applicant that 

7 receives a grant for an eligible project under para8 graph (1) shall comply with all applicable require9 ments for historic preservation projects under Fed10 eral, State, and local law. 

11 (c) COUNTRY STORE ALLIANCE PILOT PROJECT.—

12 The Secretary shall carry out a pilot project in the State 

13 of Vermont under which the Secretary shall conduct dem14 onstration activities to preserve historic country stores, in15 cluding— 

16 (1) the collection and dissemination of informa17 tion on historic country stores in the State; 

18 (2) the development of collaborative country 

19 store marketing and purchasing techniques; and 

20 (3) the development of best practices for his21 toric country store proprietors and communities fac22 ing transitions involved in the sale or closure of a 

23 historic country store. 
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1 SEC. 5. HISTORIC COUNTRY STORE REVOLVING LOAN 

2 FUND. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established in the 

4 Treasury of the United States a revolving fund, to be 

5 known as the ‘‘Historic Country Store Revolving Loan 

6 Fund’’, consisting of— 

7 (1) such amounts as are appropriated to the 

8 Fund under subsection (b); 

(2) 1 9 ⁄3 of the amounts appropriated under sec10 tion 7(a); and 

11 (3) any interest earned on investment of 

12 amounts in the Fund under subsection (d). 

13 (b) TRANSFERS TO FUND.—There are appropriated 

14 to the Fund amounts equivalent to— 

15 (1) the amounts repaid on loans under section 

16 6; and 

17 (2) the amounts of the proceeds from the sales 

18 of notes, bonds, obligations, liens, mortgages and 

19 property delivered or assigned to the Secretary pur20 suant to loans made under section 6. 

21 (c) EXPENDITURES FROM FUND.— 

22 (1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), on 

23 request by the Secretary, the Secretary of the Treas24 ury shall transfer from the Fund to the Secretary 

25 such amounts as the Secretary determines are nec26 essary to provide loans under section 6. 
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1 (2) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—An amount 

2 not exceeding 10 percent of the amounts in the 

3 Fund shall be available for each fiscal year to pay 

4 the administrative expenses necessary to carry out 

5 this Act. 

6 (d) INVESTMENT OF AMOUNTS.— 

7 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Treas8 ury shall invest such portion of the Fund as is not, 

9 in the judgment of the Secretary of the Treasury, 

10 required to meet current withdrawals. 

11 (2) INTEREST-BEARING OBLIGATIONS.—Invest12 ments may be made only in interest-bearing obliga13 tions of the United States. 

14 (3) ACQUISITION OF OBLIGATIONS.—For the 

15 purpose of investments under paragraph (1), obliga16 tions may be acquired— 

17 (A) on original issue at the issue price; or 

18 (B) by purchase of outstanding obligations 

19 at the market price. 

20 (4) SALE OF OBLIGATIONS.—Any obligation ac21 quired by the Fund may be sold by the Secretary of 

22 the Treasury at the market price. 

23 (5) CREDITS TO FUND.—The interest on, and 

24 the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any ob-
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1 ligations held in the Fund shall be credited to and 

2 form a part of the Fund. 

3 (e) TRANSFERS OF AMOUNTS.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The amounts required to be 

5 transferred to the Fund under this section shall be 

6 transferred at least monthly from the general fund 

7 of the Treasury to the Fund on the basis of esti8 mates made by the Secretary of the Treasury. 

9 (2) ADJUSTMENTS.—Proper adjustment shall 

10 be made in amounts subsequently transferred to the 

11 extent prior estimates were in excess of or less than 

12 the amounts required to be transferred. 

13 SEC. 6. LOANS FOR HISTORIC COUNTRY STORE REHABILI14 TATION OR REPAIR PROJECTS. 

15 (a) IN GENERAL.—Using amounts in the Fund, the 

16 Secretary may make loans to historic country store propri17 etors and eligible applicants for projects to purchase, reha18 bilitate, or repair historic country stores. 

19 (b) APPLICATIONS.— 

20 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a loan 

21 under this section, a country store proprietor or eli22 gible applicant shall submit to the Secretary an ap23 plication for a loan. 

24 (2) CONSIDERATIONS FOR APPROVAL OR DIS25 APPROVAL.—In determining whether to approve or 
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1 disapprove an application for a loan submitted under 

2 paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider— 

3 (A) the demonstrated need for the pur4 chase, construction, reconstruction, or renova5 tion of the historic country store based on the 

6 condition of the historic country store; 

7 (B) the age of the historic country store; 

8 and 

9 (C) the extent to which the project to pur10 chase, rehabilitate, or repair the historic coun11 try store includes collaboration among historic 

12 country store proprietors and other eligible ap13 plicants. 

14 (c) REQUIREMENTS.—An eligible applicant that re15 ceives a loan for a project under this section shall comply 

16 with all applicable standards for historic preservation 

17 projects under Federal, State, and local law. 

18 SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

19 (a) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to be appro20 priated to carry out this Act, $50,000,000 for the period 

21 of fiscal years 2006 through 2011, to remain available 

22 until expended. 

23 (b) COUNTRY STORE ALLIANCE PILOT PROJECT.—

24 Of the amount made available under subsection (a), not 
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1 less than $250,000 shall be made available to carry out 

2 section 4(c).

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