[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 157 (Wednesday, September 28, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S5165]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             DISASTER ASSISTANCE FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES ACT

  Mr. SCHUMER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 278, S. 1617.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 1617) to modify the requirements for the 
     Administrator of the Small Business Administration relating 
     to declaring a disaster in a rural area, and for other 
     purposes.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill, 
which had been reported from the Committee on Small Business and 
Entrepreneurship, with an amendment to strike all after the enacting 
clause and insert in lieu thereof the following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Disaster Assistance for 
     Rural Communities Act''.

     SEC. 2. DISASTER DECLARATION IN RURAL AREAS.

       (a) In General.--Section 7(b) of the Small Business Act (15 
     U.S.C. 636(b)) is amended by inserting after paragraph (15) 
     the following:
       ``(16) Disaster declaration in rural areas.--
       ``(A) Definitions.--In this paragraph--
       ``(i) the term `rural area' means any county or other 
     political subdivision of a State, the District of Columbia, 
     or a territory or possession of the United States that is 
     designated as a rural area by the Bureau of the Census; and
       ``(ii) the term `significant damage' means, with respect to 
     property, uninsured losses of not less than 40 percent of the 
     estimated fair replacement value or pre-disaster fair market 
     value of the damaged property, whichever is lower.
       ``(B) Disaster declaration.--For the purpose of making 
     loans under paragraph (1) or (2), the Administrator may 
     declare a disaster in a rural area for which a major disaster 
     was declared by the President under section 401 of the Robert 
     T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 
     U.S.C. 5170) and for which individual assistance was not 
     authorized under section 408 of such Act (42 U.S.C. 5174) 
     if--
       ``(i) the Governor of the State or the Chief Executive of 
     the Indian tribal government in which the rural area is 
     located requests such a declaration; and
       ``(ii) any home, small business concern, private nonprofit 
     organization, or small agricultural cooperative has incurred 
     significant damage in the rural area.
       ``(C) SBA report.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
     of enactment of this paragraph, and every year thereafter, 
     the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Small 
     Business and Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee 
     on Small Business of the House of Representatives a report 
     on, with respect to the 1-year period preceding submission of 
     the report--
       ``(i) any economic injury that resulted from a major 
     disaster declared by the President under section 401 of the 
     Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance 
     Act (42 U.S.C. 5170) in a rural area;
       ``(ii) each request for assistance made by the Governor of 
     a State or the Chief Executive of an Indian tribal government 
     under subparagraph (B)(i) and the response of the 
     Administrator, including the timeline for each response; and
       ``(iii) any regulatory changes that will impact the ability 
     of communities in rural areas to obtain disaster assistance 
     under this subsection.''.
       (b) Regulations.--Not later than 120 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Small 
     Business Administration shall issue regulations to carry out 
     the amendment made by subsection (a).
       (c) GAO Report.--
       (1) Definition of rural area.--In this subsection, the term 
     ``rural area'' means any county or other political 
     subdivision of a State, the District of Columbia, or a 
     territory or possession of the United States that is 
     designated as a rural area by the Bureau of the Census.
       (2) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall submit to the Committee on Small Business and 
     Entrepreneurship of the Senate and the Committee on Small 
     Business of the House of Representatives a report on--
       (A) any unique challenges that communities in rural areas 
     face compared to communities in urbanized areas when seeking 
     to obtain disaster assistance under section 7(b) of the Small 
     Business Act (15 U.S.C. 636(b)); and
       (B) legislative recommendations for improving access to 
     disaster assistance for communities in rural areas.

  Mr. SCHUMER. I further ask unanimous consent that the committee-
reported substitute amendment be agreed to.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The committee-reported amendment, in the nature of a substitute, was 
agreed to.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I ask unanimous consent that the bill, as amended, be 
considered read a third time.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill, as amended, was ordered to be engrossed for a third reading 
and was read the third time.
  Mr. SCHUMER. I know of no further debate on the bill, as amended.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. If there is no further debate, and the bill 
having been read the third time, the question is, Shall the bill pass?
  The bill (S. 1617), as amended, was passed.
  Mr. SCHUMER. Finally, I ask unanimous consent that the motion to 
reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table with no 
intervening action or debate.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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