Title: Assistance for Rural Health, Safety and Educational Facilities Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Assistance for Rural Health, Safety and Educational Facilities Act
This bill authorizes and provides funding for Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance to rural hospital, health, public safety, and education facilities affected by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency.
USDA may (1) provide grants to such entities; (2) provide a zero or 1% interest loan, loan forgiveness, or loan modifications to such entities; and (3) reduce or eliminate any fee that would otherwise be required to be paid with respect to a loan guarantee provided to such entities.
Such assistance may be provided to (1) ensure that such entities have the necessary resources to maintain public health, safety, or order; (2) address financial hardships of such entities due to COVID-19; and (3) promote the financial stability of such entities.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7758 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 7758

To provide for assistance to rural health, education, and public safety 
 facilities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 23, 2020

 Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia (for himself and Mr. Hagedorn) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for assistance to rural health, education, and public safety 
 facilities affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, 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 ``Assistance for Rural Health, Safety 
and Educational Facilities Act''.

SEC. 2. ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL HEATH, SAFETY AND EDUCATIONAL FACILITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture (in this section 
referred to as the ``Secretary'') may--
            (1) make a grant to any hospital, health facility, public 
        safety facility, or education facility that is eligible for 
        assistance under section 306(a)(1) or 310B(g) of the 
        Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act and is located in a 
        rural area (within the meaning of section 343(a)(13)(C) of such 
        Act, subject to sections 343(a)(13)(H) and 343(a)(13)(I) of 
        such Act);
            (2) provide a zero interest loan or a 1 percent loan to, 
        forgive principal or interest or modify any term or condition 
        of an outstanding loan made to, or refinance part or all of any 
        other loan if the purpose of the loan or loan part is an 
        eligible purpose under such section 306(a)(1) to any hospital, 
        health facility, public safety facility, or education facility 
        that is eligible for a direct loan under such section 
        306(a)(1); and
            (3) reduce or eliminate any fee that would otherwise be 
        required to be paid under such section 306(a)(1) or 310B(g) 
        with respect to a loan guarantee provided to any hospital, 
        health facility, public safety facility, or education facility, 
        on the condition that the borrower receives the benefit 
        resulting from the reduction or elimination of the fee.
    (b) Level of Assistance.--The Secretary may provide assistance to 
an entity under this section as the Secretary determines is necessary 
to--
            (1) ensure that the entity has the necessary resources to 
        maintain public health, safety, or order;
            (2) address financial hardships of the entity due to the 
        COVID-19 public health emergency; and
            (3) promote the financial stability of the entity.
    (c) Use of Funds.--An entity to which assistance is provided under 
this section may use the assistance--
            (1) for any purpose for which the entity is eligible for 
        assistance under such section 306(a)(1) or 310B; or
            (2) for any eligible direct operational expenses of the 
        entity, as determined by the Secretary.
    (d) Notice.--The Secretary may disburse funds under this section 
pursuant to 1 or more notices in the Federal Register, without regard 
to publication of any final rulemaking.
    (e) Appropriation.--
            (1) In general.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the 
        United States not otherwise appropriated, there are 
        appropriated $4,000,000,000 to carry out this section.
            (2) Reservation for assistance to hospitals and health 
        facilities.--The Secretary shall reserve $2,000,000,000 of the 
        amount appropriated by paragraph (1) for assistance to 
        hospitals and health facilities eligible for assistance under 
        this section.
            (3) Reservation for administrative expenses.--The Secretary 
        shall reserve 3 percent of the amount appropriated by paragraph 
        (1) for administrative expenses incurred in carrying out this 
        section.
            (4) Availability.--The amount appropriated in paragraph (1) 
        shall remain available through December 31, 2021.
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