RURAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM.

SEC. 542. [42 U.S.C. 1490r] RURAL HOUSING VOUCHER PROGRAM. (a) In General.—To such extent or in such amounts as are approved in appropriation Acts, the Secretary shall carry out a rural housing voucher program to assist very low-income families and persons to reside in rental housing in rural areas. For such purposes, the Secretary may provide assistance using a payment standard based on the fair market rental rate established by the Secretary for the area. The monthly assistance payment for any family shall be the amount by which the payment standard for the area exceeds 30 per centum of the family's monthly adjusted income, except that such monthly assistance payment shall not exceed the amount which the rent for the dwelling unit (including the amount allowed for utilities in the case of a unit with separate utility metering) exceeds 10 per centum of the family's monthly gross income. (b) Coordination and Limitation.—In carrying out the rural housing voucher program under this section, the Secretary shall— (1) coordinate activities under this section with activities assisted under sections 515 and 533 of this title; and (2) enter into contracts for assistance for not more than 5000 units in any fiscal year. (c) Eligibility of Households in Sections 514, 515, and 516 Projects.—The Secretary may provide rural housing vouchers under this section for any low-income household (including those not receiving rental assistance) residing for a term longer than the remaining term of their lease that is in effect on the date of prepayment, foreclosure, or mortgage maturity, in a property financed with a loan under section 514 or 515 or a grant under section 516 that has— (1) been prepaid with or without restrictions imposed by the Secretary pursuant to section 502(c)(5)(G)(ii)(I); (2) been foreclosed; or (3) matured after September 30, 2005.