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Investing in Rural America Act of 2025
3/21/2025, 8:05 AM
Summary of Bill HR 1246
The bill recognizes the challenges faced by rural areas in accessing these essential services and seeks to address these disparities by providing financial support to facilities that offer them. By doing so, the bill aims to improve the quality of life for residents in rural areas and ensure that they have access to the services they need to thrive.
Overall, the Rural Investment Act of 2021 is a bipartisan effort to support rural communities and address the unique challenges they face in accessing essential services. It highlights the importance of investing in rural areas and ensuring that all Americans, regardless of where they live, have access to the services they need to lead healthy and fulfilling lives.
Congressional Summary of HR 1246
Investing in Rural America Act of 2025
This bill allows Farm Credit System (FCS) institutions to make and participate in loans and commitments (and extend other technical and financial assistance) for essential community facility projects as part of the Department of Agriculture's Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant Program. This program provides funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas.
The FCS financing and technical assistance may be provided in order to make capital available to develop, build, maintain, improve, or provide related equipment or other support for essential community facilities in rural communities (e.g., certain facilities that provide healthcare, community support, public safety, educational, or utility services).
Under the bill, the financing provided by an FCS institution may not exceed 15% of the total of all outstanding loans of the institution. Further, an FCS institution must (1) offer at least one non-FCS lending institution an interest in the financing under reasonable terms and conditions acceptable to the borrower, and (2) report the offer to the Farm Credit Administration (FCA).
The FCA must submit an annual report to Congress on the activities undertaken by FCS institutions under this bill, including through the partnerships between FCS institutions and other lending institutions. The FCA must post the report on the administration's website.
