I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3192 
To modify the requirements for the Administrator of the Small Business 
Administration relating to declaring a disaster in a rural area, and 
for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 13, 2021 
Mr. GOLDEN (for himself and Mr. HAGEDORN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Small Business 
A BILL 
To modify the requirements for the Administrator of the 
Small Business Administration relating to declaring a 
disaster in a rural area, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Disaster Assistance 
for Rural Communities Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DISASTER DECLARATION IN RURAL AREAS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 7(b) of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)) is amended by inserting after 
paragraph (15) the following: 
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‘‘(16) DISASTER
DECLARATION
IN
RURAL 
AREAS.— 
‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph— 
‘‘(i) the term ‘rural area’ means a ge-
ographic area with a population of less 
than 200,000 outside an urbanized area; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the term ‘significant damage’ 
means, with respect to property, uninsured 
losses of not less than 40 percent of the es-
timated fair replacement value or pre-dis-
aster fair market value of the damaged 
property, whichever is lower. 
‘‘(B) DISASTER
DECLARATION.—For the 
purpose of making loans under paragraph (1) 
or (2), the Administrator may declare a disaster 
in a rural area for which a major disaster was 
declared by the President under section 401 of 
the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) 
if— 
‘‘(i) the Governor of the State in 
which the rural area is located requests 
such a declaration; and 
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‘‘(iii) any regulatory changes that will 
impact the ability of communities in rural 
areas to obtain disaster assistance under 
this subsection.’’. 
(b) REGULATIONS.—Not later than 120 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the Small Business Administration shall issue regulations 
to carry out the amendment made by subsection (a). 
(c) GAO REPORT.— 
(1) DEFINITION OF RURAL AREA.—In this sub-
section, the term ‘‘rural area’’ means an area with 
a population of less than 200,000 outside an urban-
ized area. 
(2) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Comptroller Gen-
eral of the United States shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship of 
the Senate and the Committee on Small Business of 
the House of Representatives a report on— 
(A) any unique challenges that commu-
nities in rural areas face compared to commu-
nities in urbanized areas when seeking to obtain 
disaster assistance under section 7(b) of the 
Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)); and 
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(B) legislative recommendations for im-
proving access to disaster assistance for com-
munities in rural areas. 
Æ 
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