RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE.

SEC. 232. RURAL UTILITIES SERVICE. (a) Establishment Required.— The Secretary shall establish and maintain within the Department the Rural Utilities Service and assign to the Service such functions as the Secretary considers appropriate. (b) Administrator.— (1) Appointment.— The Rural Utilities Service shall be headed by an Administrator who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. (2) Succession.— Any official who is serving as Administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration on the date of the enactment of this Act and who was appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate— (A) may be considered to be serving in the successor position established under paragraph (1); and (B) shall not be required to be reappointed to that position by reason of the enactment of this Act. (3) Executive schedule.— Section 5315 of title 5, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following: “Administrator, Rural Utilities Service, Department of Agriculture.”. (c) Functions.— The Secretary shall carry out through the Rural Utilities Service the following functions that are under the jurisdiction of the Department; (1) Electric and telephone loan programs and water and waste facility activities authorized by law, including— (A) the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.); and (B) section 2322 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 1926–1); and (2) Water and waste facility programs and activities authorized by law, including— (A) sections 306, 306A, 306B, and 306C, the provisions of sections 309 and 309A relating to assets, terms, and conditions of water and sewer programs, section 310B(b)(2), and the amendment made by section 342 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926, 1926a, 1926b, 1926c, 1929, 1929a, 1932(b)(2), and 1013a); and (B) section 2324 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 1926 note).