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defendant relevant to the issues of liability and dam-
ages.
(g) 
LIMITATION
ON
FORECLOSURES.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the Secretary may not
begin acceleration on or foreclosure of a loan if the borrower
is a Pigford claimant and, in an appropriate administra-
tive proceeding, makes a prima facie case that the fore-
closure is related to a Pigford claim.
(h) FUNDING.—
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Of the funds of the Com-
modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make
available for payments and debt relief in satisfaction
of claims against the United States under subsection
(b) and for any actions under subsection (g)
$100,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, to remain available
until expended.
(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—In
addition to funds made available under paragraph
(1), there are authorized to be appropriated such
sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
SEC. 5403. SENSE OF THE SENATE RELATING TO CLAIMS
BROUGHT 
BY 
SOCIALLY 
DISADVANTAGED
FARMERS OR RANCHERS.
It is the sense of the Senate that the Secretary should
resolve all claims and class actions brought against the De-
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partment of Agriculture by socially disadvantaged farmers
or ranchers (as defined in section 355(e) of the Consolidated
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2003(e)), in-
cluding Native American, Hispanic, and female farmers or
ranchers, based on racial, ethnic, or gender discrimination
in farm program participation in an expeditious and just
manner.
SEC. 5404. ELIGIBILITY OF EQUINE FARMERS AND RANCH-
ERS FOR EMERGENCY LOANS.
Section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1961(a)) is amended—
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘farmers,
ranchers’’ and inserting ‘‘farmers or ranchers (includ-
ing equine farmers or ranchers)’’; and
(2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘farming,
ranching,’’ and inserting ‘‘farming or ranching (in-
cluding equine farming or ranching)’’.
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TITLE VI—RURAL DEVELOPMENT
AND INVESTMENT
Subtitle A—Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act
SEC. 6001. WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND WASTEWATER FA-
CILITY GRANTS.
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 ‘‘2007’’ and inserting ‘‘2012’’.
SEC. 6002. RURAL BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY GRANTS.
Section 306(a)(11)(D) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(11)(D)) is
amended by striking ‘‘2007’’ and inserting ‘‘2012’’.
SEC. 6003. CHILD DAY CARE FACILITY GRANTS, LOANS, AND
LOAN GUARANTEES.
Section 306(a)(19) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(19)) is amended
by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting the following:
‘‘(C) CHILD DAY CARE FACILITIES.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of the
Commodity Credit Corporation, the Sec-
retary shall use for the costs of grants,
loans, and loan guarantees to pay the Fed-
eral share of the cost of developing and con-
structing day care facilities for children in
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rural areas, as determined by the Secretary,
$40,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, to remain
available until expended.
‘‘(ii) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FUND-
ING AND AUTHORITIES.—The funds and au-
thorities made available under this sub-
paragraph shall be in addition to other
funds and authorities relating to develop-
ment and construction of rural day care fa-
cilities.’’.
SEC. 6004. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CIRCUIT
RIDER PROGRAM.
Section 306(a)(22) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)) is
amended—
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘2002 (115
Stat. 719)’’ and inserting ‘‘2008’’; and
(2) 
in 
subparagraph 
(C), 
by 
striking
‘‘$15,000,000 for fiscal year 2003’’ and inserting
‘‘$20,000,000 for fiscal year 2008’’.
SEC. 6005. MULTIJURISDICTIONAL REGIONAL PLANNING
ORGANIZATIONS.
Section 306(a)(23)(E) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(23)(E)) is
amended by striking ‘‘2007’’ and inserting ‘‘2012’’.
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SEC. 6006. RURAL HOSPITAL LOANS AND LOAN GUARAN-
TEES.
Section 306(a)(24) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(24)) is amended
by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(C) RURAL HOSPITALS.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Of the funds of the
Commodity Credit Corporation, the Sec-
retary shall use for the costs of loans and
loan guarantees to pay the Federal share of
the cost of rehabilitating or improving hos-
pitals that have not more than 100 acute
beds in rural areas, as determined by the
Secretary, $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2008,
to remain available until expended, of
which not less than $25,000,000 shall be for
use at hospitals in rural areas with not
more than 50 acute beds.
‘‘(ii) PRIORITY.—In making loans and
loan guarantees under this subparagraph,
the Secretary shall give priority to hospitals
for—
‘‘(I) the provision of facilities to
improve and install patient care,
health quality outcomes, and health in-
formation technology, including com-
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puter hardware and software, equip-
ment for electronic medical records,
handheld computer technology, and
equipment that improves interoper-
ability; or
‘‘(II) the acquisition of equipment
and software purchased collectively in
a cost effective manner to address tech-
nology needs.
‘‘(iii) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FUND-
ING AND AUTHORITIES.—The funds and au-
thorities made available under this sub-
paragraph shall be in addition to other
funds and authorities relating to rehabilita-
tion and improvement of hospitals described
in clause (i).’’.
SEC. 6007. TRIBAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ESSENTIAL
COMMUNITY FACILITIES.
Section 306(a)(25) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(25)) is
amended—
(1) in subparagraph (B)(ii), by striking ‘‘75 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘95 percent’’; and
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ‘‘2007’’ and
inserting ‘‘2012’’.
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SEC. 6008. COMMUNITY FACILITY LOANS AND GRANTS FOR
FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES AND OUTLYING
AREAS.
Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
‘‘(26) COMMUNITY FACILITY LOANS AND GRANTS
FOR
FREELY
ASSOCIATED
STATES
AND
OUTLYING
AREAS.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), of the amount that is made available
for each fiscal year for each of the community fa-
cility loan and grant programs established under
paragraphs (1), (19), (20), (21), and (25), the
Secretary shall allocate 0.5 percent of the
amount for making loans or grants (as applica-
ble) under the program to eligible entities that
are located in freely associated States or outlying
areas (as those terms are defined in section
1121(c) of the Elementary and Secondary Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6331(c)) that are
subject to the jurisdiction of the United States
and are otherwise covered by this Act.
‘‘(B) REALLOCATION.—If the Secretary de-
termines that a sufficient number of applications
for loans or grants for a program described in
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subparagraph (A) have not been received from el-
igible entities for a fiscal year during the 180-
day period beginning on October 1 of the fiscal
year, the Secretary shall reallocate any unused
funds to make loans or grants (as applicable)
under the program to eligible entities that are lo-
cated in States.’’.
SEC. 6009. PRIORITY FOR COMMUNITY FACILITY LOAN AND
GRANT PROJECTS WITH HIGH NON-FEDERAL
SHARE.
Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) (as amended by section
6008) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(27) PRIORITY FOR COMMUNITY FACILITY LOAN
AND
GRANT
PROJECTS
WITH
HIGH
NON-FEDERAL
SHARE.—In carrying out the community facility loan
and grant programs established under paragraphs
(1), (19), (20), (21), and (25), the Secretary shall give
priority to projects that will be carried out with a
non-Federal share of funds that is substantially great-
er than the minimum requirement, as determined by
the Secretary by regulation.’’.
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SEC. 6010. SEARCH GRANTS.
Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) (as amended by section
6009) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(28) APPLICATIONS FILED BY ELIGIBLE COMMU-
NITIES.—
‘‘(A) ELIGIBLE COMMUNITY.—In this para-
graph, the term ‘eligible community’ means a
community 
that, 
as 
determined 
by 
the
Secretary—
‘‘(i) has a population of 2,500 or fewer
inhabitants; and
‘‘(ii) is financially distressed.
‘‘(B) APPLICATIONS.—In the case of water
and waste disposal and wastewater facilities
grant programs authorized under this title, the
Secretary may accept applications from eligible
communities for grants for feasibility study, de-
sign, and technical assistance.
‘‘(C) TERMS.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided
in clause (ii), the terms of the grant pro-
grams described in subparagraph (B) shall
apply to the applications described in that
subparagraph.
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‘‘(ii) EXCEPTIONS.—Grants made pur-
suant to applications described in subpara-
graph (B)—
‘‘(I) shall fund up to 100 percent
of eligible project costs; and
‘‘(II) shall be subject to the least
documentation 
requirements 
prac-
ticable.
‘‘(iii) 
PROCESSING.—The 
Secretary
shall process applications received under
subparagraph (B) in the same manner as
other similar grant applications.
‘‘(D) FUNDING.—In addition to any other
funds made available for technical assistance, the
Secretary may use to carry out this paragraph
not more than 4 percent of the total amount of
funds made available for a fiscal year for water,
waste disposal, and essential community facili-
ties.’’.
SEC. 6011. EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY WATER
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM.
Section 306A(i)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926a(i)(2)) is amended
by striking ‘‘2007’’ and inserting ‘‘2012’’.
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SEC. 6012. WATER SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AND NATIVE VIL-
LAGES IN ALASKA.
Section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d) is amended—
(1) in subsection (a)—
(A) by striking ‘‘make grants to the State’’
and inserting ‘‘make grants to—
‘‘(1) the State’’;
(B) by striking the period at the end and
inserting ‘‘; and’’; and
(C) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(2) the Denali Commission to improve solid
waste disposal sites that are contaminating, or threat-
en to contaminate, rural drinking water supplies in
the State of Alaska.’’;
(2) in subsection (c)—
(A) in the subsection heading by striking
‘‘WITH THE STATE OF ALASKA’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘the State of Alaska’’ and
inserting ‘‘the appropriate grantee under sub-
section (a)’’; and
(3) in subsection (d)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2007’’
and inserting ‘‘2013’’;
(B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as
paragraph (4); and
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(C) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(3) DENALI
COMMISSION.—Not more than 5
percent of the amount made available under para-
graph (1) for a fiscal year may be transferred to the
Denali Commission to improve solid waste disposal
sites that are contaminating, or threaten to contami-
nate, rural drinking supplies in the State of Alaska.’’.
SEC. 6013. GRANTS TO DEVELOP WELLS IN RURAL AREAS.
(a) GRANTS TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO FI-
NANCE THE CONSTRUCTION, REFURBISHING, AND SERV-
ICING
OF
INDIVIDUALLY-OWNED
HOUSEHOLD
WATER
WELL SYSTEMS IN RURAL AREAS FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH
LOW OR MODERATE INCOMES.—Section 306E(d) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1926e(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2007’’ and inserting
‘‘2012’’.
(b) GRANTS TO DEVELOP AREA WELLS IN ISOLATED
AREAS.—Subtitle A of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act is amended by inserting after section
306E (7 U.S.C. 1926e) the following:
‘‘SEC. 306F. GRANTS TO DEVELOP AREA WELLS IN ISO-
LATED AREAS.
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF ISOLATED AREA.—In this section,
the term ‘isolated area’ means an area—
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‘‘(1) in which the development of a traditional
water system is not financially practical due to—
‘‘(A) the distances or geography of the area;
and
‘‘(B) the limited number of households
present to be served; and
‘‘(2) that is not part of a city of more than 1,000
inhabitants.
‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Secretary may make grants to
nonprofit organizations to develop and construct household,
shared, and community water wells in isolated rural areas.
‘‘(c) PRIORITY IN AWARDING GRANTS.—In awarding
grants under this section, the Secretary shall give priority
to applicants that have demonstrated experience in devel-
oping safe and similar projects including household, shared,
and community wells in rural areas.
‘‘(d) REQUIREMENTS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As a condition on receipt of
a grant under this section, the water from wells fund-
ed under this section shall be tested annually for
water quality, as determined by the Secretary.
‘‘(2) RESULTS.—The results of tests under para-
graph (1) shall be made available to—
‘‘(A) the users of the wells; and
‘‘(B) the appropriate State agency.
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‘‘(e) LIMITATION.—The amount of a grant under this
section shall not exceed the lesser of—
‘‘(1) $50,000; or
‘‘(2) the amount that is 75 percent of the cost of
a single well and associated system.
‘‘(f) PROHIBITION.—The Secretary may not award
grants under this section in any area in which a majority
of the users of a proposed well have a household income that
is greater than the nonmetropolitan median household in-
come of the State or territory, as determined by the Sec-
retary.
‘‘(g) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.—Not more than 10
percent of the amount of a grant made under this section
may be used to pay administrative expenses associated with
providing project assistance, as determined by the Sec-
retary.
‘‘(h) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.’’.
SEC. 6014. COOPERATIVE EQUITY SECURITY GUARANTEE.
Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is amended—
(1) in the first sentence of subsection (a), by in-
serting ‘‘and private investment funds that invest pri-
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marily in cooperative organizations’’ after ‘‘or non-
profit’’; and
(2) in subsection (g)—
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding guarantees described in paragraph
(3)(A)(ii)’’ before the period at the end;
(B) in paragraph (3)(A)—
(i) by striking ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The
Secretary’’ and inserting the following:
‘‘(A) ELIGIBILITY.—
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary’’;
and
(ii) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(ii) EQUITY.—The Secretary may
guarantee a loan made for the purchase of
preferred stock or similar equity issued by
a cooperative organization or a fund that
invests primarily in cooperative organiza-
tions, if the guarantee significantly benefits
1 or more entities eligible for assistance
under subsection (a)(1), as determined by
the Secretary.’’; and
(C) in paragraph (8)(A)(ii), by striking ‘‘a
project—’’ and all that follows through the end
of subclause (II) and inserting ‘‘a project that—
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‘‘(I)(aa) is in a rural area; and
‘‘(bb) provides for the value-added
processing of agricultural commodities;
or
‘‘(II) significantly benefits 1 or
more entities eligible for assistance
under subsection (a)(1), as determined
by the Secretary.’’.
SEC. 6015. RURAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.
(a) ELIGIBILITY.—Section 310B(e)(5) of the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1932(e)(5)) is amended—
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘a nation-
ally coordinated, regionally or State-wide operated
project’’ and inserting ‘‘activities to promote and as-
sist the development of cooperatively- and mutually-
owned businesses’’;
(2) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘to pro-
mote and assist the development of cooperatively- and
mutually-owned businesses’’ before the semicolon;
(3) by striking subparagraph (D);
(4) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as sub-
paragraph (D);
(5) in subparagraph (D) (as so redesignated), by
striking ‘‘and’’ at the end;
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(6) by inserting after subparagraph (D) (as so
redesignated) the following:
‘‘(E) demonstrate a commitment to—
‘‘(i) networking with and sharing the
results of the efforts of the center with other
cooperative development centers and other
organizations involved in rural economic
development efforts; and
‘‘(ii) developing multiorganization and
multistate approaches to addressing the co-
operative and economic development needs
of rural areas; and’’;
(7) in subparagraph (F), by striking ‘‘providing
greater than’’ and inserting ‘‘providing’’.
(b) AUTHORITY TO AWARD MULTIYEAR GRANTS.—
Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Devel-
opment Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended by striking
paragraph (6) and inserting the following:
‘‘(6) GRANT PERIOD.—
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A grant awarded to a
center that has received no prior funding under
this subsection shall be made for a period of 1
year.
‘‘(B) MULTIYEAR GRANTS.—If the Secretary
determines it to be in the best interest of the pro-
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gram, the Secretary shall award grants for a pe-
riod of more than 1 year, but not more than 3
years, to a center that has successfully met the
parameters described in paragraph (5).’’.
(c) AUTHORITY TO EXTEND GRANT PERIOD.—Section
310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended—
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (7), (8), and (9)
as paragraphs (8), (9), and (12), respectively; and
(2) inserting after paragraph (6) the following:
‘‘(7) AUTHORITY TO EXTEND GRANT PERIOD.—
The Secretary may extend for 1 additional 12-month
period the period in which a grantee may use a grant
made under this subsection.’’.
(d) COOPERATIVE
RESEARCH
PROGRAM.—Section
310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended by inserting after para-
graph (9) (as redesignated by subsection (c)(1)) the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(10) COOPERATIVE RESEARCH PROGRAM.—The
Secretary shall enter into a cooperative research
agreement with 1 or more qualified academic institu-
tions in each fiscal year to conduct research on the
national economic effects of all types of cooperatives.’’.
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(e) ADDRESSING
NEEDS
OF
MINORITY
COMMU-
NITIES.—Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) is amended by
inserting after paragraph (10) (as added by subsection (d))
the following:
‘‘(11) ADDRESSING NEEDS OF MINORITY COMMU-
NITIES.—
‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF SOCIALLY DISADVAN-
TAGED.—In this paragraph, the term ‘socially
disadvantaged’ has the meaning given the term
in section 355(e).
‘‘(B) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—If the total amount
appropriated under paragraph (12) for a
fiscal year exceeds $7,500,000, the Secretary
shall reserve an amount equal to 20 percent
of the total amount appropriated for grants
for cooperative development centers, indi-
vidual cooperatives, or groups of coopera-
tives that serve socially disadvantaged com-
munities, a majority of the boards of direc-
tors or governing boards of which are com-
prised of socially disadvantaged individ-
uals.
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‘‘(ii) INSUFFICIENT
APPLICATIONS.—
To the extent that the Secretary determines
that funds reserved under clause (i) would
not be used for grants described in that
clause due to insufficient applications for
the grants, the Secretary shall use the funds
as otherwise authorized by this subsection.’’.
(f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Paragraph
(12) of section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)) (as redesignated by
subsection (c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2007’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2012’’.
SEC. 6016. GRANTS TO BROADCASTING SYSTEMS.
Section 310B(f)(3) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(f)(3)) is amended
by striking ‘‘2007’’ and inserting ‘‘2012’’.
SEC. 
6017. 
LOCALLY-PRODUCED 
AGRICULTURAL 
FOOD
PRODUCTS.
Section 310B(g) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)) is amended by adding
at the end the following:
‘‘(9) LOCALLY-PRODUCED AGRICULTURAL FOOD
PRODUCTS.—
‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph:
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‘‘(i) 
LOCALLY-PRODUCED
AGRICUL-
TURAL FOOD PRODUCT.—The term ‘locally-
produced agricultural food product’ means
any agricultural product raised, produced,
and distributed in—
‘‘(I) the locality or region in
which the final agricultural product is
marketed, so that the total distance
that the agricultural product is trans-
ported is less than 300 miles from the
origin of the agricultural product; or
‘‘(II) the State in which the agri-
cultural product is produced.
‘‘(ii) UNDERSERVED COMMUNITY.—The
term ‘underserved community’ means a
community (including an urban or rural
community and an Indian tribal commu-
nity) that has, as determined by the
Secretary—
‘‘(I) limited access to affordable,
healthy foods, including fresh fruits
and vegetables, in grocery retail stores
or farmer-to-consumer direct markets
or a high incidence of a diet-related
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disease as compared to the national av-
erage, including obesity; and
‘‘(II) a high rate of hunger or food
insecurity or a high poverty rate.
‘‘(B) LOAN
AND
LOAN
GUARANTEE
PRO-
GRAM.—
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, act-
ing through the Administrator of the Rural
Business-Cooperative Service in coordina-
tion with the Administration of the Agricul-
tural Marketing Service, shall make or
guarantee loans to individuals, cooperatives,
businesses, and other entities to establish
and facilitate enterprises that process, dis-
tribute, aggregate, store, and market locally-
produced agricultural food products.
‘‘(ii) REQUIREMENT.—The recipient of
a loan or loan guarantee under clause (i)
shall agree to make a reasonable effort, as
determined by the Secretary, to work with
retail and institutional facilities to which
the recipient sells locally-produced agricul-
tural food products to inform the consumers
of the retail or institutional facilities that
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the consumers are purchasing or consuming
locally-produced agricultural food products.
‘‘(iii) PRIORITY.—In making or guar-
anteeing a loan under clause (i), the Sec-
retary shall give priority to—
‘‘(I) projects that support commu-
nity development and farm and ranch
income by marketing, distributing,
storing, aggregating, or processing a
locally-produced 
agricultural 
food
product; and
‘‘(II) projects that have compo-
nents benefitting underserved commu-
nities.
‘‘(iv) RETAIL
OR
INSTITUTIONAL
FA-
CILITIES.—The Secretary may allow recipi-
ents of loans or loan guarantees under
clause (i) to provide up to $250,000 in loan
or loan guarantee funds per retail or insti-
tutional facility for an underserved commu-
nity in a rural or nonrural area to help re-
tail facilities—
‘‘(I) to modify and update the fa-
cilities to accommodate locally-pro-
duced agricultural food products; and
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‘‘(II) to provide outreach to con-
sumers about the sale of locally-pro-
duced agricultural food products.
‘‘(v) REPORTS.—Not later than 1 year
after the date of enactment of this para-
graph and annually thereafter, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Ag-
riculture of the House of Representatives
and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutri-
tion, and Forestry of the Senate a report
that describes projects carried out using
loans or loan guarantees made under clause
(i), including—
‘‘(I) the characteristics of the com-
munities served by the projects; and
‘‘(II) benefits of the projects.
‘‘(vi) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.—
‘‘(I) IN
GENERAL.—For each of
fiscal years 2008 through 2012, the
Secretary shall reserve not less than 5
percent of the funds made available to
carry out this subsection to carry out
this subparagraph.
‘‘(II) AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.—
Funds reserved under subclause (I) for
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a fiscal year shall be reserved until
April 1 of the fiscal year.’’.
SEC. 6018. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR
RURAL AREAS.
Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(i) APPROPRIATE
TECHNOLOGY
TRANSFER
FOR
RURAL AREAS PROGRAM.—
‘‘(1) DEFINITION OF NATIONAL NONPROFIT AGRI-
CULTURAL
ASSISTANCE
INSTITUTION.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘national nonprofit agricultural as-
sistance institution’ means an organization that—
‘‘(A) is described in section 501(c)(3) of the
Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from
taxation under 501(a) of that Code;
‘‘(B) has staff and offices in multiple re-
gions of the United States;
‘‘(C) has experience and expertise in oper-
ating national sustainable agriculture technical
assistance programs; and
‘‘(D) provides the technical assistance
through toll-free hotlines, 1 or more websites,
publications, and workshops.
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‘‘(2) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a national appropriate technology transfer for
rural areas program to assist agricultural producers
that are seeking information to help the agricultural
producers—
‘‘(A) reduce input costs;
‘‘(B) conserve energy resources;
‘‘(C) diversify operations through new en-
ergy crops and energy generation facilities; and
‘‘(D) expand markets for the agricultural
commodities produced by the producers through
use of practices involving sustainable agri-
culture.
‘‘(3) IMPLEMENTATION.—
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall
carry out the program under this subsection by
making a grant to, or offering to enter into a co-
operative agreement with, a national nonprofit
agricultural assistance organization.
‘‘(B) GRANT AMOUNT.—A grant made, or
cooperative agreement entered into, under sub-
paragraph (A) shall provide 100 percent of the
cost of providing information described in para-
graph (2).
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‘‘(4) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out
this subsection $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2008 through 2012.’’.
SEC. 6019. RURAL ECONOMIC AREA PARTNERSHIP ZONES.
Section 310B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1932) (as amended by section
6019) is amended by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(j) RURAL ECONOMIC AREA PARTNERSHIP ZONES.—
For the period beginning on the date of enactment of this
subsection and ending on September 30, 2012, the Secretary
shall carry out rural economic area partnership zones in
the States of New York, North Dakota, and Vermont, in ac-
cordance with the terms and conditions contained in the
memorandums of agreement entered into by the Secretary
for the rural economic area partnership zones, except as oth-
erwise provided in this subsection.’’.
SEC. 6020. DEFINITIONS.
(a) RURAL AREA.—Section 343(a) of the Consolidated
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)) is
amended by striking paragraph (13) and inserting the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(13) RURAL AND RURAL AREA.—
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graphs (B) and (C), the terms ‘rural’ and ‘rural
area’ mean any area other than—
‘‘(i) a city or town that has a popu-
lation of greater than 50,000 inhabitants,
except that, for all activities under pro-
grams in the rural development mission
area within the areas of the County of Hon-
olulu, Hawaii, and the Commonwealth of
Puerto Rico, the Secretary may designate
any portion of the areas as a rural area or
eligible rural community that the Secretary
determines is not urban in character, other
than any area included in the Honolulu
Census Designated Place or the San Juan
Census Designated Place;
‘‘(ii) any urbanized area (as defined
by the Bureau of the Census) contiguous
and adjacent to a city or town described in
clause (i); and
‘‘(iii) any collection of census blocks
contiguous to each other (as defined by the
Bureau of the Census) that—
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‘‘(I) is adjacent to a city or town
described in clause (i) or an urbanized
area described in clause (ii); and
‘‘(II) has a housing density that
the Secretary estimates is greater than
200 housing units per square mile, ex-
cept that an applicant may appeal the
estimate based on actual data for the
area.
‘‘(B) WATER AND WASTE DISPOSAL GRANTS
AND DIRECT AND GUARANTEED LOANS.—For the
purpose of water and waste disposal grants and
direct and guaranteed loans provided under
paragraphs (1), (2), and (24) of section 306(a),
the terms ‘rural’ and ‘rural area’ mean a city,
town, or unincorporated area that has a popu-
lation of no more than 10,000 inhabitants.
‘‘(C) COMMUNITY
FACILITY
LOANS
AND
GRANTS.—For the purpose of community facility
direct and guaranteed loans and grants under
paragraphs (1), (19), (20), (21), and (24) of sec-
tion 306(a), the terms ‘rural’ and ‘rural area’
mean any area other than—
‘‘(i) an area described in clause (i),
(ii), or (iii) of subparagraph (A); and
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‘‘(ii) a city, town, or unincorporated
area that has a population of greater than
20,000 inhabitants.
‘‘(D) AREAS RURAL IN CHARACTER.—
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding
any other provision of this paragraph, the
Under Secretary for Rural Development
may determine (pursuant to a petition by
a local community or on the initiative of
the Under Secretary) that an area described
in clause (ii) or (iii) of subparagraph (A)
is a rural area for the purposes of this
paragraph, if the Under Secretary finds
that the area is rural in character, as deter-
mined by the Under Secretary.
‘‘(ii) ADMINISTRATION.—In carrying
out clause (i), the Under Secretary for
Rural Development—
‘‘(I) shall not delegate the author-
ity described in clause (i); but
‘‘(II) shall consult with the appli-
cable rural development State or re-
gional director of the Department of
Agriculture.
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‘‘(E) EXCLUSIONS.—Notwithstanding any
other provision of this paragraph, in deter-
mining which census blocks are not in a rural
area (as defined in this paragraph), the Sec-
retary shall exclude any cluster of census blocks
that would otherwise be considered not in a rural
area only because the cluster is adjacent to not
more than 2 census blocks that are otherwise con-
sidered not in a rural area under this para-
graph.’’.
(b) ANNUAL REPORTS.—Not later than 2 years after
the date of enactment of this Act and every 2 years there-
after, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of
the Senate a report that—
(1) assesses the various definitions of the term
‘‘rural’’ and ‘‘rural area’’ that are used with respect
to programs administered by the Secretary;
(2) describes the effects that the variations in
those definitions have on those programs;
(3) make recommendations for ways to better
target funds provided through rural development pro-
grams;