Title: Rural HOMES Act
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
Rural Housing Opportunity Maximization for Energy Savings Act or the Rural HOMES Act
This bill reauthorizes through FY2023 and revises the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, including by expanding the rural energy savings program to include loans for replacing a manufactured home with another manufactured home if the replacement would be cost-effective in increasing energy efficiency.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3115 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3115

 To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend 
  and modify the rural energy savings program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 21, 2018

  Mr. Merkley (for himself, Ms. Smith, and Mr. Wyden) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend 
  and modify the rural energy savings program, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Rural Housing Opportunity 
Maximization for Energy Savings Act'' or the ``Rural HOMES Act''.

SEC. 2. RURAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM.

    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 (B), by striking ``or'' 
                        at the end;
                            (ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
                        period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(D) an entity comparable to an entity described 
                in any of subparagraphs (A) through (C) that the 
                Secretary determines provides energy efficiency 
                services to rural consumers.'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``The term'' and inserting 
                        the following:
                    ``(A) In general.--The term''; and
                            (ii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Inclusion.--The term `energy efficiency 
                measures' includes the replacement of a manufactured 
                home with another manufactured home if the eligible 
                entity determines that the replacement would be cost-
                effective in increasing energy efficiency.'';
                    (C) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as 
                paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively;
                    (D) by inserting after paragraph (2) the following:
            ``(3) Manufactured home.--
                    ``(A) In general.--Subject to subparagraph (B), the 
                term `manufactured home' has the meaning given the term 
                in section 982.4(b) of title 24, Code of Federal 
                Regulations (or successor regulations).
                    ``(B) Requirement.--The term `manufactured home' 
                includes only an owner-occupied manufactured home that 
                is located on land--
                            ``(i) that is owned by the owner of the 
                        manufactured home; or
                            ``(ii) for which the owner of the 
                        manufactured home has a long-term lease 
                        arrangement that--
                                    ``(I) is not less than 2 years 
                                longer than the term of the applicable 
                                loan under this section; and
                                    ``(II) includes a predetermined 
                                rental rate agreement.''; and
                    (E) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), by 
                striking ``served by'' and inserting ``located in the 
                service area of'';
            (2) in subsection (d)(1)(B), by inserting ``(or not more 
        than 20 years in the case of a loan for the replacement of a 
        manufactured home with another manufactured home)'' after ``10 
        years''; and
            (3) in subsection (h), by striking ``2018'' and inserting 
        ``2023''.
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