[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 51 (Thursday, March 26, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2048-S2049]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCONNELL (for himself, Mr. Heller, Mrs. Capito, and Mr. 
        Paul):
  S. 871. A bill to provide for an application process for interested 
parties to apply for an area to be designated as a rural area, and for 
other purposes; to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban 
Affairs.
  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of the bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 871

       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 ``Helping Expand Lending 
     Practices in Rural Communities Act of 2015'' or the ``HELP 
     Rural Communities Act of 2015''.

     SEC. 2. DESIGNATION OF RURAL AREA.

       (a) Application.--Not later than 90 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Bureau of Consumer Financial 
     Protection shall establish an application process under which 
     a person who lives or does business in a State may, with 
     respect to an area identified by the person in such State 
     that has not been designated by the Bureau as a rural area 
     for purposes of a Federal consumer financial law (as defined 
     under section 1002 of the Consumer Financial Protection Act 
     of 2010), apply for such area to be so designated.
       (b) Evaluation Criteria.--When evaluating an application 
     submitted under subsection (a), the Bureau shall take into 
     consideration the following factors:
       (1) Criteria used by the Director of the Bureau of the 
     Census for classifying geographical areas as rural or urban.
       (2) Criteria used by the Director of the Office of 
     Management and Budget to designate counties as metropolitan 
     or micropolitan or neither.
       (3) Criteria used by the Secretary of Agriculture to 
     determine property eligibility for rural development 
     programs.

[[Page S2049]]

       (4) The Department of Agriculture rural-urban commuting 
     area codes.
       (5) A written opinion provided by the State's bank 
     supervisor, as defined under section 3(r) of the Federal 
     Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1813(r)).
       (6) Population density.
       (c) Rule of Construction.--If, at any time prior to the 
     submission of an application under subsection (a), the area 
     subject to review has been designated as non rural by any 
     Federal agency described under subsection (b) using any of 
     the criteria described under subsection (b), the Bureau shall 
     not be required to consider such designation in its 
     evaluation.
       (d) Public Comment Period.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 60 days after receiving an 
     application submitted under subsection (a), the Bureau 
     shall--
       (A) publish such application in the Federal Register; and
       (B) make such application available for public comment for 
     not fewer than 90 days.
       (2)  Limitation on additional applications.--Nothing in 
     this section shall be construed to require the Bureau, during 
     the public comment period with respect to an application 
     submitted under subsection (a), to accept an additional 
     application with respect to the area that is the subject of 
     the initial application.
       (e) Decision on Designation.--Not later than 90 days after 
     the end of the public comment period under subsection (d)(1) 
     for an application, the Bureau shall--
       (1) grant or deny such application, in whole or in part; 
     and
       (2) publish such grant or denial in the Federal Register, 
     along with an explanation of what factors the Bureau relied 
     on in making such determination.
       (f) Subsequent Applications.--A decision by the Bureau 
     under subsection (e) to deny an application for an area to be 
     designated as a rural area shall not preclude the Bureau from 
     accepting a subsequent application submitted under subsection 
     (a) for such area to be so designated, so long as such 
     subsequent application is made after the end of the 90-day 
     period beginning on the date that the Bureau denies the 
     application under subsection (e).
       (g) Sunset.--This section shall cease to have any force or 
     effect after the end of the 2-year period beginning on the 
     date of the enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 3. OPERATIONS IN RURAL AREAS.

       The Truth in Lending Act (15 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) is 
     amended--
       (1) in section 129C(b)(2)(E)(iv)(I), by striking 
     ``predominantly''; and
       (2) in section 129D(c)(1), by striking ``predominantly''.
                                 ______