habitants (excluding populations described in subpara-
graphs (F) and (G) of section 343(a)(13) of the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1991(a)(13))’’. 
SEC. 4. HARMONIZATION OF THE POPULATION THRESHOLD 
FOR RURAL WATER SUPPLY PROJECTS. 
The Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 
(43 U.S.C. 2401 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 102(9)(C)— 
(A) in clause (i) by striking ‘‘or’’; 
(B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘structures.’’ 
and inserting ‘‘structures; or’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iii) a project that is designed to 
serve an area described in subparagraph 
(F) or (G) of section 343(a)(13) of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop-
ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)).’’; and 
(2) in section 202(6)— 
(A) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 
and (C) as subparagraphs (D) and (E) respec-
tively; and 
(B) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00007
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
‘‘(B) a rural water project, or rural water 
supply project that does not otherwise meet the 
definition of a rural water supply project under 
section 102(9), authorized under— 
‘‘(i) section 1110 of division FF of the 
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 
(Public Law 116–260); or 
‘‘(ii) any other Federal statute; 
‘‘(C) any project authorized for an Indian 
Tribe under part III of subtitle A of title X of 
the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 
2009 (Public Law 111–11);’’. 
SEC. 5. CLARIFICATIONS REGARDING UNITED STATES TER-
RITORIES AND FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES. 
(a) BROADBAND, TELEMEDICINE, AND DISTANCE 
LEARNING.— 
(1) Section 601(c)(3)(D)(ii) of the Rural Elec-
trification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)(3)(D)(ii)) 
is amended by inserting ‘‘, including any such com-
munities in a territory or possession of the United 
States’’ before the period. 
(2) Section 601(d)(4) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
950bb(d)(4)) is amended— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 
‘‘, TERRITORIAL,’’ before ‘‘AND LOCAL’’; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00008
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(B) in the text, by inserting ‘‘, territorial,’’ 
before ‘‘or local’’. 
(b) 
COMMUNITY
CONNECT
GRANTS.—Section 
604(a)(3)(A)(i)(III) of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb–3(a)(3)(A)(i)(III)) is amended by 
inserting ‘‘or territory of the United States’’ before the 
semicolon. 
(c) RURAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.— 
Section 310B(e)(1)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)(1)(B)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘the Commonwealth of the North-
ern Mariana Islands,’’ before ‘‘and the’’. 
(d) CONSOLIDATED FARM AND RURAL DEVELOP-
MENT ACT.—Each of sections 343(a)(6) and 381A(1) of 
the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 
U.S.C. 1991(a)(6) and 2009(1)) is amended by striking 
‘‘Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands’’ and inserting 
‘‘the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated 
States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau, pursuant 
to the terms of the applicable Compact of Free Association 
with the United States’’. 
(e) HOUSING ACT OF 1949.—Title V of the Housing 
Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 501 (42 U.S.C. 1471)— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00009
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(A) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘and in 
the Territories of Alaska and Hawaii and in the 
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
lands, the territories and possessions of the 
United States, and the Trust Territory of the 
Pacific Islands’’ and inserting ‘‘, including any 
territory or other possession of the United 
States’’; and 
(B) in subsection (b)(4), by striking ‘‘the 
Northern Mariana Islands, and the Trust Terri-
tory of the Pacific Islands’’ and inserting ‘‘and 
the Northern Mariana Islands’’; 
(2) in section 502(h)(16)(D) (42 U.S.C. 
1472(h)(16)(D)), by striking ‘‘the Trust Territories 
of the Pacific,’’; 
(3) in section 520, by striking ‘‘but not in ex-
cess of 20,000’’; and 
(4) in section 533(d)(3)(C), by striking ‘‘below 
10,000’’ and inserting ‘‘below 25,000’’. 
SEC. 6. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS. 
(a) Section 748 of the Agriculture, Rural Develop-
ment, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agen-
cies Appropriations Act, 2002 (7 U.S.C. 918b) is amended 
by inserting a comma after ‘‘Service’’. 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00010
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(b) The Rural Electrification Act of 1936 is amend-
ed— 
(1) 
in 
section 
305(d)(3)(C) 
(7 
U.S.C. 
935(d)(3)(C)), by striking ‘‘(2)(A)(iii)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘(2)(A)(ii)’’; 
(2) in section 306A(e) (7 U.S.C. 936a(e)), by 
striking ‘‘transfered’’ and inserting ‘‘transferred’’; 
(3) in section 601(e)(4)(C)(i) (7 U.S.C. 
950bb(e)(4)(C)(i)), by adding ‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(4) in section 603(c)(1)(A) (7 U.S.C. 950bb– 
2(c)(1)(A)), by striking ‘‘maximum’’ and inserting 
‘‘minimum’’; and 
(5) in section 701(a) (7 U.S.C. 950cc(a)), by 
striking the first comma. 
(c) The Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act is amended— 
(1) 
in 
section 
306(a)(20)(E) 
(7 
U.S.C. 
1926(a)(20)(E)), by striking ‘‘states’’ and inserting 
‘‘States’’; 
(2) in section 307(a)(6)(B)(i) (7 U.S.C. 
1927(a)(6)(B)(i)), by striking the comma and insert-
ing a semicolon; 
(3) in section 310B(e)(4)(C)(vi) (7 U.S.C. 
1932(e)(4)(C)(vi)), by striking ‘‘center’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘centers’’; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
20:26 Feb 23, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00011
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(4) 
in 
section 
310B(i)(1)(A) 
(7 
U.S.C. 
1932(i)(1)(A)), 
by 
inserting 
‘‘section’’ 
before 
‘‘501(a)’’; 
(5) 
in 
section 
310E(d)(4)(C) 
(7 
U.S.C. 
1935(d)(4)(C)), by striking ‘‘; and’’ the second place 
it appears; 
(6) in section 310F (7 U.S.C. 1936(e)(2)), in 
the paragraph heading, by striking ‘‘ELIGIBLITY’’ 
and inserting ‘‘ELIGIBILITY’’; 
(7) 
in 
section 
343(a)(11)(C) 
(7 
U.S.C. 
1991(a)(11)(C)), by striking ‘‘operator’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘operators’’; 
(8) in section 373(b)(2)(A)(ii) (7 U.S.C. 
2008h(b)(2)(A)(ii)), by striking ‘‘chapters 11, 12, or 
13, of Title’’ and inserting ‘‘chapter 11, 12, or 13 
of title’’; and 
(9) in section 381F (7 U.S.C. 2009e(a)), by 
striking ‘‘Director’’ and inserting ‘‘director’’. 
(d) The Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et 
seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 501 (42 U.S.C. 1471), by trans-
ferring paragraph (5) of subsection (a) to subsection 
(b), adding such paragraph at the end of subsection 
(b), and redesignating such paragraph as paragraph 
(9); 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00012
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(2) in section 515 (42 U.S.C. 1485)— 
(A) in subsection (h)(2)(B), by inserting 
‘‘for’’ after ‘‘approval requirements’’; and 
(B) in subsection (r)(1), by striking ‘‘the 
Secretary—’’ and inserting ‘‘The Secretary—’’; 
(3) in section 520 (42 U.S.C. 1490), in the first 
sentence, by striking ‘‘(except in the cases of Pajaro, 
in the State of California, and Guadalupe, in the 
State of Arizona)’’; 
(4) in section 536(e) (42 U.S.C. 1490p)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), in the matter pre-
ceding subparagraph (A), by inserting ‘‘of’’ 
after ‘‘or (d)’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘any sec-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘any subsection’’; and 
(5) in section 538 (42 U.S.C. 1490r)— 
(A) in subsection (d)(2), by striking ‘‘low 
or moderate income’’ and inserting ‘‘low- or 
moderate-income’’; and 
(B) in subsection (t), by striking ‘‘chapter 
I’’ and inserting ‘‘chapter 1’’. 
(e) The Reclamation Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 
(43 U.S.C. 2401 et seq.) is amended— 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00013
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
(1) in section 106(e), by striking ‘‘(1) IN GEN-
ERAL’’ and all that follows through ‘‘After comple-
tion’’ and inserting ‘‘After completion’’; 
(2) in section 107(e), by striking ‘‘or a grant is 
made, to an organization’’ and inserting ‘‘or a grant 
is made to, an organization’’; and 
(3) in section 202(2)(A), by striking ‘‘of title 
17, Code of Federal Regulation’’ and inserting ‘‘of 
title 17, Code of Federal Regulations’’. 
SEC. 7. ANNUAL REASSESSMENT OF POPULATION THRESH-
OLD FOR RURAL AREAS. 
The Secretary of Agriculture shall annually reassess 
and, if necessary, adjust the numerical threshold used in 
determining whether an area is a rural area for purposes 
of the provisions of law amended by this Act, taking into 
account population level and density trends identified by 
the Bureau of the Census, the classification of areas as 
metropolitan or non-metropolitan by the Office of Manage-
ment and Budget, and, as appropriate, Rural-Urban Com-
muting Area codes of the Economic Research Service, and 
in doing so, may take account of regional differences. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
15:47 Feb 21, 2026
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00014
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\H7609.IH
H7609
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB