[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3278 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 3278

To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide and 
 improve housing in rural areas for educators, public safety officers, 
  and medical providers, and their households, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              June 7, 2012

  Mr. Begich introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
    referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide and 
 improve housing in rural areas for educators, public safety officers, 
  and medical providers, and their households, 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 Educator and American 
Community Housing Act of 2012''.

SEC. 2. HOUSING FOR EDUCATORS, PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICERS, AND MEDICAL 
              PROVIDERS.

    Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(26) Grants and loan guarantees to provide housing for 
        educators, public safety officers, and medical providers.--
                    ``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
                            ``(i) Educator.--The term `educator' means 
                        an individual who--
                                    ``(I) is employed full-time as a 
                                teacher, principal, or administrator 
                                by--
                                            ``(aa) a public elementary 
                                        school or secondary school that 
                                        provides direct services to 
                                        students in grades 
                                        prekindergarten through grade 
                                        12, or a Head Start program; 
                                        and
                                            ``(bb) meets the 
                                        appropriate teaching 
                                        certification or licensure 
                                        requirements of the State for 
                                        the position in which the 
                                        individual is employed; or
                                    ``(II) is employed full-time as a 
                                librarian, a career guidance or 
                                counseling provider, an education aide, 
                                or in another instructional or 
                                administrative position for a public 
                                elementary school or secondary school.
                            ``(ii) Medical provider.--The term `medical 
                        provider' means--
                                    ``(I) a licensed doctor of medicine 
                                or osteopathy;
                                    ``(II) an American Indian, Alaska 
                                Native, or Native Hawaiian recognized 
                                as a traditional healing practitioner;
                                    ``(III) a health care provider 
                                that--
                                            ``(aa) is licensed or 
                                        certified under Federal or 
                                        State law, as applicable; and
                                            ``(bb) is providing 
                                        services that are eligible for 
                                        coverage under a plan under the 
                                        Federal Employees Health 
                                        Benefits Program under chapter 
                                        89 of title 5, United States 
                                        Code;
                                    ``(IV) a provider authorized under 
                                section 119 of the Indian Health Care 
                                Improvement Act (25 U.S.C. 1616l); or
                                    ``(V) any other individual that the 
                                Secretary determines is capable of 
                                providing health care services.
                            ``(iii) Public safety officer.--The term 
                        `public safety officer' means an individual who 
                        is employed full-time--
                                    ``(I) as a law enforcement officer 
                                by a law enforcement agency of the 
                                Federal Government, a State, a unit of 
                                general local government, or an Indian 
                                tribe; or
                                    ``(II) as a firefighter by a fire 
                                department of the Federal Government, a 
                                State, a unit of general local 
                                government, or an Indian tribe.
                            ``(iv) Qualified community.--The term 
                        `qualified community' means any open country, 
                        or any place, town, village, or city--
                                    ``(I) that is not part of or 
                                associated with an urban area; and
                                    ``(II) that--
                                            ``(aa) has a population of 
                                        not more than 2,500; or
                                            ``(bb)(AA) has a population 
                                        of not more than 10,000; and
                                            ``(BB) is not accessible by 
                                        a motor vehicle, as defined in 
                                        section 30102 of title 49, 
                                        United States Code.
                            ``(v) Qualified housing.--The term 
                        `qualified housing' means housing for 
                        educators, public safety officers, or medical 
                        providers that is located in a qualified 
                        community.
                            ``(vi) Qualified project.--The term 
                        `qualified project' means--
                                    ``(I) the construction, 
                                modernization, renovation, or repair of 
                                qualified housing;
                                    ``(II) the payment of interest on 
                                bonds or other financing instruments 
                                (excluding instruments used for 
                                refinancing) that are issued for the 
                                construction, modernization, 
                                renovation, or repair of qualified 
                                housing;
                                    ``(III) the repayment of a loan 
                                used--
                                            ``(aa) for the 
                                        construction, modernization, 
                                        renovation, or repair of 
                                        qualified housing; or
                                            ``(bb) to purchase real 
                                        property on which qualified 
                                        housing will be constructed;
                                    ``(IV) purchasing or leasing real 
                                property on which qualified housing 
                                will be constructed, renovated, 
                                modernized, or repaired; or
                                    ``(V) any other activity normally 
                                associated with the construction, 
                                modernization, renovation, or repair of 
                                qualified housing, as determined by the 
                                Secretary.
                            ``(vii) Educational service agency, 
                        elementary school, local educational agency, 
                        secondary school, state educational agency.--
                        The terms `educational service agency', 
                        `elementary school', `local educational 
                        agency', `secondary school', and `State 
                        educational agency' have the meanings given 
                        those terms in section 9101 of the Elementary 
                        and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 
                        7801).
                    ``(B) Grants.--The Secretary may make a grant to an 
                applicant to carry out a qualified project.
                    ``(C) Loan guarantees.--The Secretary may guarantee 
                a loan made to an applicant for the construction, 
                modernization, renovation, or repair of qualified 
                housing.
                    ``(D) Financing mechanisms.--The Secretary may make 
                payments of interest on bonds, loans, or other 
                financial instruments (other than financial instruments 
                used for refinancing) that are issued to an applicant 
                for a qualified project.
                    ``(E) Application.--An applicant that desires a 
                grant, loan guarantee, or payment of interest under 
                this paragraph shall submit to the Secretary an 
                application that--
                            ``(i) indicates whether the qualified 
                        housing for which the grant, loan guarantee, or 
                        payment of interest is sought is located in a 
                        qualified community;
                            ``(ii) identifies the applicant;
                            ``(iii) indicates whether the applicant 
                        prefers to receive a grant, loan guarantee, or 
                        payment of interest under this paragraph;
                            ``(iv) describes how the applicant would 
                        ensure the adequate maintenance of qualified 
                        housing assisted under this paragraph;
                            ``(v) demonstrates a need for qualified 
                        housing in a qualified community, which may 
                        include a deficiency of affordable housing, a 
                        deficiency of habitable housing, or the need to 
                        modernize, renovate, or repair housing;
                            ``(vi) describes the expected impact of the 
                        grant, loan guarantee, or payment of interest 
                        on--
                                    ``(I) educators, public safety 
                                officers, and medical providers in a 
                                qualified community, including the 
                                impact on recruitment and retention of 
                                educators, public safety officers, and 
                                medical providers; and
                                    ``(II) the economy of a qualified 
                                community, including--
                                            ``(aa) any plans to use 
                                        small business concerns for the 
                                        construction, modernization, 
                                        renovation, or repair of 
                                        qualified housing; and
                                            ``(bb) the short- and long-
                                        term impact on the rate of 
                                        employment in the qualified 
                                        community; and
                            ``(vii) describes how the applicant would 
                        ensure that qualified housing assisted under 
                        this paragraph is used for educators, public 
                        safety officers, and medical providers.
                    ``(F) Input from state director of rural 
                development.--The State Director of Rural Development 
                for a State may submit to the Secretary an evaluation 
                of any application for a qualified project in the State 
                for which an application for assistance under this 
                paragraph is submitted and the Secretary shall take 
                into consideration the evaluation in determining 
                whether to provide assistance.
                    ``(G) Priority.--In awarding grants and making loan 
                guarantees and payments of interest under this 
                paragraph, the Secretary shall give priority to an 
                applicant that is--
                            ``(i) a State educational agency or local 
                        educational agency;
                            ``(ii) an educational service agency;
                            ``(iii) a State or local housing authority;
                            ``(iv) an Indian tribe or tribal 
                        organization, as those terms are defined in 
                        section 4 of the Indian Self-Determination and 
                        Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 450b);
                            ``(v) a tribally designated housing entity;
                            ``(vi) a local government; or
                            ``(vii) a consortium of any of the entities 
                        described in clauses (i) through (vi).
                    ``(H) Limitation.--The Secretary may provide 
                assistance to the same applicant under only 1 of 
                subparagraphs (B), (C), and (D).
                    ``(I) Requirement.--As a condition of eligibility 
                for a grant, loan guarantee, or payment of interest 
                under this paragraph, at least 1 named applicant shall 
                be required to maintain ownership of the qualified 
                housing that is the subject of the grant, loan 
                guarantee, or payment of interest during the greater 
                of--
                            ``(i) 15 years; or
                            ``(ii) the period of the loan for which a 
                        loan guarantee or payment of interest is made 
                        under this paragraph.
                    ``(J) Reporting.--
                            ``(i) By applicants.--Not later than 2 
                        years after the date on which an applicant 
                        receives a grant, loan guarantee, or payment of 
                        interest under this paragraph, the applicant 
                        shall submit to the Secretary a report that--
                                    ``(I) describes how the grant, loan 
                                guarantee, or payment of interest was 
                                used; and
                                    ``(II) contains an estimate of the 
                                number of jobs created or maintained by 
                                use of the grant, loan guarantee, or 
                                payment of interest.
                            ``(ii) By gao.--Not later than 2 years 
                        after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 
                        the Comptroller General of the United States 
                        shall submit to Congress a report evaluating 
                        the program under this paragraph.
                    ``(K) Authorization of appropriations.--
                            ``(i) In general.--There is authorized to 
                        be appropriated to the Secretary $50,000,0000 
                        for fiscal year 2012, and each fiscal year 
                        thereafter.
                            ``(ii) Availability.--Any amounts 
                        appropriated to carry out this paragraph shall 
                        remain available for obligation by the 
                        Secretary during the 3-year period beginning on 
                        the date of the appropriation.
                            ``(iii) Use of funds.--Of any amounts 
                        appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out 
                        this paragraph, the Secretary shall use--
                                    ``(I) not less than 50 percent to 
                                make grants under this paragraph;
                                    ``(II) not more than 5 percent to 
                                carry out national activities under 
                                this paragraph, including providing 
                                technical assistance and conducting 
                                outreach to qualified communities; and
                                    ``(III) any amounts not expended in 
                                accordance with subclauses (I) and (II) 
                                to make loan guarantees and payments of 
                                interest under this paragraph.''.
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