Tribal Food and Housing Security Act
This bill provides support to Indian tribes for rural development, including by: (1) allowing the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to extend financial assistance through the Farmers Home Administration for tribal housing and buildings, and (2) establishing a technical assistance program to help tribal entities access USDA rural development programs.
[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2489 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
115th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 2489
To amend the Housing Act of 1949 to extend the authority of the
Secretary of Agriculture to make loans to certain entities for housing
and buildings on adequate farms, to establish a technical assistance
program to improve access by Tribal entities to rural development
programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 1, 2018
Ms. Heitkamp introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Housing Act of 1949 to extend the authority of the
Secretary of Agriculture to make loans to certain entities for housing
and buildings on adequate farms, to establish a technical assistance
program to improve access by Tribal entities to rural development
programs, 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 ``Tribal Food and Housing Security
Act''.
SEC. 2. HOUSING ACT AMENDMENTS.
(a) Definitions.--Section 501 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C.
1471) is amended--
(1) in subsection (a), by redesignating paragraph (5) as
paragraph (9) and moving that paragraph to the position after
subsection (b)(8); and
(2) in subsection (b)--
(A) in paragraph (9), as redesignated and moved by
paragraph (1) of this Act, by striking ``Definitions''
and inserting ``Rehabilitate; rehabilitation; repair;
repairs''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(10) Community development financial institution.--In
this title, the term `community development financial
institution' has the meaning given the term in section 103 of
the Community Development Banking and Financial Institutions
Act of 1994 (12 U.S.C. 4702).
``(11) Indian land.--In this title, the term `Indian land'
has the meaning given the term is section 3 of the Native
American Business Development, Trade Promotion, and Tourism Act
of 2000 (25 U.S.C. 4302).
``(12) Native community development financial
institution.--In this title, the term `Native community
development financial institution' means a community
development financial institution that directs not less than 50
percent of the activities of that community development
financial institution toward an Indian land.
``(13) Tribally designated housing entity.--In this title,
the term `tribally designated housing entity' has the meaning
given the term in section 4 of the Native American Housing
Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 U.S.C.
4103).''.
(b) Loans to Native Community Development Financial Institutions,
Indian Tribes, and Tribally Designated Housing Entities for Housing and
Buildings on Adequate Farms.--Section 501(a) of the Housing Act of 1949
(42 U.S.C. 1471(a)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (4)(B)(ii), by striking the period at the
end and inserting ``; and''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following:
``(5) to a Native community development financial
institution--
``(A) for use by that Native community development
financial institution for any of the purposes described
in paragraphs (1) through (4); or
``(B) for the purpose of making a loan to an owner
described in paragraph (1), (2), or (3) of property on
Indian trust land for any of the purposes described in
paragraphs (1) through (4); and
``(6) to an Indian tribe or a tribally designated housing
entity for the purpose of developing adequate housing that is
modest in size, design, and cost (as determined by the
Secretary) on Indian trust land.
``(7) Definition.--In this subsection, the term `Indian
trust land' has the meaning given the term `substantially
underserved trust area' in the Rural Electrification Act of
1936 (7 U.S.C. 936f).''.
(c) Set Asides for Indian Tribes, Housing Entities, and Low-Income
Members of Indian Tribes.--
(1) Housing act of 1949.--Title V of the Housing Act of
1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471 et seq.) is amended--
(A) in section 502 (42 U.S.C. 1472), by adding at
the end the following:
``(j) Set Aside.--Of amounts made available to provide loans under
this section beginning in the first fiscal year after the date of
enactment of the Tribal Food and Housing Security Act and every fiscal
year thereafter, the Secretary shall set aside 5 percent to provide
loans to--
``(1) Indian tribes;
``(2) tribally designated housing entities; and
``(3) members of Indian tribes on Indian land, with
priority given to members of Indian tribes on Indian trust
land, as defined in section 306F of the Rural Electrification
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 936f).'';
(B) in section 504 (42 U.S.C. 1474), by adding at
the end the following:
``(d) Set Aside.--Of amounts made available to provide loans or
grants under this section beginning in the first fiscal year after the
date of enactment of the Tribal Food and Housing Security Act and every
fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall set aside 5 percent to
provide loans or grants to--
``(1) Indian tribes;
``(2) tribally designated housing entities; and
``(3) members of Indian tribes on Indian land, with
priority given to members of Indian tribes on Indian trust
land, as defined in section 306F of the Rural Electrification
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 936f).'';
(C) in section 515 (42 U.S.C. 1485), by adding at
the end the following:
``(bb) Set Aside.--Of amounts made available to provide loans under
this section beginning in the first fiscal year after the date of
enactment of the Tribal Food and Housing Security Act and every fiscal
year thereafter, the Secretary shall set aside 5 percent to provide
loans to--
``(1) Indian tribes; and
``(2) tribally designated housing entities.'';
(D) in section 533 (42 U.S.C. 1490m), by adding at
the end the following:
``(j) Set Aside.--Of amounts made available to provide grants under
this section beginning in the first fiscal year after the date of
enactment of the Tribal Food and Housing Security Act and every fiscal
year thereafter, the Secretary shall set aside 5 percent to provide
grants to--
``(1) Indian tribes;
``(2) tribally designated housing entities; and
``(3) members of Indian tribes on Indian land, with
priority given to members of Indian tribes on Indian trust
land, as defined in section 306F of the Rural Electrification
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 936f).''; and
(E) in section 538 (42 U.S.C. 1490p-2), by adding
at the end the following:
``(w) Set Aside.--Of the gross obligations provided for the
principal amount of guaranteed loans under this section beginning in
the first fiscal year after the date of enactment of the Tribal Food
and Housing Security Act and every fiscal year thereafter, the
Secretary shall set aside 5 percent to guarantee loans provided to--
``(1) Indian tribes; and
``(2) tribally designated housing entities.''.
(2) Rural utilities services.--
(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph, the terms
``Indian tribe'' and ``tribally designated housing
entity'' have the meanings given those terms in section
501(b) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1471(b)),
as amended by this Act.
(B) Set aside.--Of amounts made available beginning
in the first fiscal year after the date of enactment of
this Act and every fiscal year thereafter for community
facility direct and guaranteed loans and grants under
section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) and water or waste
disposal grants or direct or guaranteed loans under
paragraph (1) or (2) of section 306(a) of the
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.
1926(a)), the Secretary of Agriculture shall set aside
5 percent to provide assistance to--
(i) Indian tribes; and
(ii) tribally designated housing entities.
SEC. 3. FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM ON INDIAN RESERVATIONS.
Section 4(b)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C.
2013(b)(4)) is amended by striking ``is authorized'' and all that
follows through ``Secretary finds'' and inserting ``shall pay the full
amount of administrative costs and distribution costs on Indian
reservations that the Secretary determines to be''.
SEC. 4. ESTABLISHMENT OF TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) Definition.--In this section, the term ``tribally designated
housing entity'' has the meaning given the term in section 4 of the
Native American Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996
(25 U.S.C. 4103).
(b) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a
technical assistance program to improve access by Tribal entities to
rural development programs funded by the Department of Agriculture
through available cooperative agreement authorities of the Secretary of
Agriculture.
(c) Technical Assistance Program.--The technical assistance program
established under subsection (b) shall address the unique challenge of
Tribal governments, Tribal producers, Tribal businesses, Tribal
business entities, and tribally designated housing entities in
accessing Department of Agriculture-supported rural infrastructure,
rural cooperative development, rural business and industry, rural
housing, and other rural development activities.
<all>
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Indian Affairs.
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