Rural Housing Service

Rural Housing Service rural housing insurance fund program account (including transfers of funds) For gross obligations for the principal amount of direct and guaranteed loans as authorized by title V of the Housing Act of 1949, to be available from funds in the rural housing insurance fund, as follows: $4,000,000,000 for loans to section 502 borrowers, as determined by the Secretary, of which $3,000,000,000 shall be for unsubsidized guaranteed loans; $30,000,000 for section 504 housing repair loans; $19,700,000 for section 538 guaranteed multi-family housing loans; $15,000,000 for section 514 farm labor housing; $128,640,000 for section 515 rental housing; $600,000 for section 524 site loans; $25,000,000 for credit sales of acquired property; and $587,000 for section 523 self-help housing land development loans. For the cost of direct and guaranteed loans, including the cost of modifying loans, as defined in section 502 of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974, as follows: section 502 loans, $135,000,000, of which $6,900,000 shall be for unsubsidized guaranteed loans; section 504 housing repair loans, $10,300,000; section 538 multi-family housing guaranteed loans, $1,200,000; section 514 farm labor housing, $7,388,000; section 515 rental housing, $68,745,000; credit sales of acquired property, $3,492,000; and section 523 self-help housing land development loans, $17,000. In addition, for administrative expenses necessary to carry out the direct and guaranteed loan programs, $354,785,000, which shall be transferred to and merged with the appropriation for “Rural Housing Service—Salaries and Expenses”. rental assistance program For rental assistance agreements entered into or renewed pursuant to the authority under section 521(a)(2) or agreements entered into in lieu of debt forgiveness or payments for eligible households as authorized by section 502(c)(5)(D) of the Housing Act of 1949, $541,397,000; and in addition such sums as may be necessary, as authorized by section 521(c) of the Act, to liquidate debt incurred prior to fiscal year 1992 to carry out the rental assistance program under section 521(a)(2) of the Act: Provided, That of this amount not more than $5,900,000 shall be available for debt forgiveness or payments for eligible households as authorized by section 502(c)(5)(D) of the Act, and not to exceed $10,000 per project for advances to nonprofit organizations or public agencies to cover direct costs (other than purchase price) incurred in purchasing projects pursuant to section 502(c)(5)(C) of the Act: Provided further, That agreements entered into or renewed during fiscal year 1998 shall be funded for a five-year period, although the 111 STAT. 2096life of any such agreement may be extended to fully utilize amounts obligated. mutual and self-help housing grants For grants and contracts pursuant to section 523(b)(1)(A) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490c), $26,000,000, to remain available until expended (7 U.S.C. 2209b). rural community fire protection grants For grants pursuant to section 7 of the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 (Public Law 95–313), $2,000,000 to fund up to 50 percent of the cost of organizing, training, and equipping rural volunteer fire departments. rural housing assistance grants (including transfers of funds) For grants and contracts for housing for domestic farm labor, very low-income housing repair, supervisory and technical assistance, compensation for construction defects, and rural housing preservation made by the Rural Housing Service as authorized by 42 U.S.C. 1474, 1479(c), 1486, 1490c, 1490e, and 1490m, $45,720,000, to remain available until expended: Provided, That any obligated and unobligated balances available from prior years in “Rural Housing for Domestic Farm Labor”, “Supervisory and Technical Assistance Grants”, “Very Low-Income Housing Repair Grants”, “Compensation for Construction Defects”, and “Rural Housing Preservation Grants” shall be transferred to and merged with this account: Provided further, That of the total amount appropriated, $1,200,000 shall be for empowerment zones and enterprise communities, as authorized by Public Law 103–66: Provided further, That if such funds are not obligated for empowerment zones and enterprise communities by June 30, 1998, they shall remain available for other authorized purposes under this head. salaries and expenses For necessary expenses of the Rural Housing Service, including administering the programs authorized by the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act, title V of the Housing Act of 1949, and cooperative agreements, $58,804,000: Provided, That this appropriation shall be available for employment pursuant to the second sentence of section 706(a) of the Organic Act of 1944 (7 U.S.C. 2225), and not to exceed $520,000 may be used for employment under 5 U.S.C. 3109.