97 STAT. 1250 12 USC 1709. 42 USC 14907. 42 USC 1483. 42 USC 1490a. 42 USC 1490m. Ante, p. 1181. PUBLIC LAW 98-181-NOV. 30, 1983 ance of any mortgage meeting the requirements of section 203 of the National Housing Act.". PROCESSING OF APPLICATION SEC. 521. Title V of the Housing Act of 1949 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following new section: "PROCESSING OF APPLICATIONS "SEC. 532. (a) The Secretary shall, in making assistance available under this title, give a priority to applications submitted by"(1) persons and families that have the greatest housing assistance needs because of their low income and their residing in inadequate dwellings; "(2) applicants applying for assistance for projects that will serve such persons and families; and "(3) applicants residing in areas which are the most rural in character. "(b) In making available the assistance authorized by section 513 and section 521(a) with respect to projects involving insured and guaranteed loans and interest credits and rental assistance payments, the Secretary shall process and approve requests for such assistance in a manner that provides for a preliminary reservation of assistance at the time of initial approval of the project.". RURAL HOUSING PRESERVATION GRANT PROGRAM SEC. 522. Title V of the Housing Act of 1949 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "HOUSING PRESERVATION GRANTS "SEC. 533. (a) The purpose of this section is to authorize the Secretary to make grants to eligible grantees including private nonprofit organizations, Indian tribes, general units of local government, counties, States, and consortia of other eligible grantees, in order to "(1) rehabilitate single family housing in rural areas which is owned by low- and very low-income persons and families, and "(2) rehabilitate rental properties or cooperative housing which has a membership resale structure that enables the cooperative to maintain affordability for persons of low income in rural areas serving low- and very low-income occupants. The Secretary may also provide assistance payments as provided by section 8(0) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 upon the request of grantees in order to minimize the displacement of very low-income tenants residing in units rehabilitated with assistance under this section. "(b) Rehabilitation programs assisted under this section shall"(1) be used to provide loans or grants to owners of single family housing in order to cover the cost of repairs and improvements; (2) be used to provide interest reduction payment; "(3) be used to provide loans or grants to owners of rental housing, except that rental rehabilitation assistance provided under this subsection for any structure shall not exceed 75 per PUBLIC LAW 98-181-NOV. 30, 1983 centum of the total costs associated with the rehabilitation of that structure; “(4) be used to provide other comparable assistance that the Secretary deems appropriate to carry out the purpose of this section, designed to reduce the costs of such repair and rehabilitation in order to make such housing affordable by persons of low income and, to the extent feasible, by persons and families whose incomes do not exceed 50 per centum of the area median income; "(5) benefit low- and very low-income persons and families in rural areas, without causing the displacement of current residents; and “(6) raise health and safety conditions to meet those specified in section 509(a). "(cX1) The Secretary shall allocate rehabilitation grant funds for use in each State on the basis of a formula contained in a regulation prescribed by the Secretary using the average of the ratios between "(A) the population of the rural areas in that State and the population of the rural areas of all States; "(B) the extent of poverty in the rural areas in that State and the extent of poverty in the rural areas of all States; and "(C) the extent of substandard housing in the rural areas of that State and the extent of substandard housing in the rural areas of all States. Any funds which are allocated to a State but uncommitted to grantees will be transferred to the State office of the Farmers Home Administration in a timely manner and be used for authorized rehabilitation activities under section 504. “(2) Unless there is only one eligible grantee in a State, a single grantee may not receive more than 50 per centum of a State's allocation. "(dX1) Eligible grantees may submit a statement of activity to the Secretary at the time specified by the program administrator, containing a description of its proposed rehabilitation program. The statement shall consist of the activities each entity proposes to undertake for the fiscal year, and the projected progress in carrying out those activities. The statement of activities shall be made available to the public for comment. “(2) In preparing such statement, the grantee shall consult with and consider the views of appropriate local officials. "(3) The Secretary shall evaluate the merits of each statement on the basis of such criteria as the Secretary shall prescribe, including the extent "(A) to which the repair and rehabilitation activities will assist persons of low income who lack adequate shelter, with priority given to applications assisting the maximum number of persons and families whose incomes do not exceed 50 per centum of the area median income; "(B) to which the repair and rehabilitation activities include the participation of other public or private organizations in providing assistance, in addition to the assistance provided under this section, in order to lower the costs of such activities or provide for the leveraging of available funds to supplement the rural housing preservation grant program; 97 STAT. 1251 Ante, p. 1242. Funding allocations. Uncommitted funds. 42 USC 1474. Activity statements by grantees. Public availability. Evaluation by 97 STAT. 1252 Rental or cooperative housing assistance. 42 USC 2000a PUBLIC LAW 98–181–NOV. 30, 1983 "(C) to which such activities will be undertaken in rural areas having populations below 10,000 or in remote parts of other rural areas; "(D) to which the repair and rehabilitation activities may be expected to result in achieving the greatest degree of repair or improvement for the least cost per unit or dwelling; "(E) to which the program would minimize displacement; "(F) to which the program would alleviate overcrowding in rural residences inhabited by low- and very low-income persons and families; "(G) to which the program would minimize the use of grant funds for administrative purposes; and "(H) to which the owner agrees to meet the requirement of subsection (eX1XB)(iv) for a period longer than 5 years; and shall assess the demonstrated capacity of the grantee to carry out the program as well as the financial feasibility of the program. "(4) The amount of assistance provided under this section with respect to any housing shall be the least amount that the Secretary determines is necessary to provide, through the repair and rehabilitation of such housing, decent housing of modest design that is affordable for persons of low income. "(e)(1) Assistance under this section may be provided with respect to rental or cooperative housing only if "(A) the owner has entered into such agreements with the Secretary as may be necessary to assure compliance with the requirements of this section, to assure the financial feasibility of such housing, and to carry out the other provisions of this section; "(B) the owner agrees— "(i) to pass on to the tenants any reduction in the debt service payments resulting from the assistance provided under this section; "(ii) not to convert the units to condominium ownership (or in the case of a cooperative, to condominium ownership or any form of cooperative ownership not eligible for assistance under this section); "(iii) not refuse to rent a dwelling unit in the structure to a family solely because the family is receiving or is eligible to receive assistance under any Federal, State, or local housing assistance program; and "(iv) that the units repaired and rehabilitated with such assistance will be occupied, or available for occupancy, by persons of low income; during the 5-year period beginning on the date on which the units in the housing are available for occupancy; "(C) the unit of general local government or nonprofit organization that receives the assistance certifies to the satisfaction of the Secretary that the assistance will be made available in conformity with Public Law 88-352 and Public Law 90-284; "(D) the owner agrees to enter into and abide by written leases with the tenants, which leases shall provide that tenants may be evicted only for good cause; and "(E) the unit of general local government or nonprofit organızation will agree to supervise repairs and rehabilitation and will agree to have a disinterested party inspect such repairs and rehabilitation. PUBLIC LAW 98–181–NOV. 30, 1983 "(2) Assistance under this section provided with respect to any housing other than rental or cooperative housing may be provided only if the owner complies with the requirements set forth in subparagraph (E) of paragraph (1) and any other requirements established by the Secretary to carry out the purpose of this section. “(3)A) The Secretary shall provide that if the owner or his or her successors in interest fail to carry out the agreements described in subparagraphs (A) and (B) of paragraph (1) during the applicable period, the owner or his or her successors in interest shall make a payment to the Secretary of an amount that equals the total amount of assistance provided under this section with respect to such housing, plus interest thereon (without compounding), for each year and any fraction thereof that the assistance was outstanding, at a rate determined by the Secretary taking into account the average yield on outstanding marketable long-term obligations of the United States during the month preceding the date on which the assistance was made available. 97 STAT. 1253 "(B) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, any assistance provided under this section shall constitute a debt, which is payable in the case of any failure to carry out the agreements described in subparagraphs (A), (B), and (C) of paragraph (1), and shall be secured by the security instruments provided by the owner to the Secretary. "(f) The Secretary shall provide for such advance payments of Advance assistance under this section as the Secretary determines is necessary to effectively carry out the provisions of this section. "(g) The Secretary shall, at least on an annual basis, make such review and audits as may be necessary or appropriate to determine whether the grantee has carried out its activities in a timely manner and in accordance with the requirements of this section, the degree to which the activities assisted benefitted persons of low income and very low-income who lacked adequate housing, and whether the grantee has a continuing capacity to carry out the activities in a timely manner. The Secretary may adjust, reduce, or withdraw resources made available to grantees receiving assistance under this section, or take other action as appropriate in accordance with the findings of these reviews and audits. Any amounts which became available as a result of actions under this subsection shall be reallocated in the year in which they become available to such grantee or grantees as the Secretary may determine. "(h) The Secretary is authorized to prescribe such rules and regulations and make such delegations of authority as he deems necessary to carry out this section within 90 days after the date of enactment of this section. "(i) The Secretary shall establish procedures which support national historic preservation objectives and which assure that, if any rehabilitation proposed to be assisted under this section would affect property that is included or is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, such activity shall not be undertaken unless (1) it will reasonably meet the standards for rehabilitation issued by the Secretary of the Interior and the appropriate State historic preservation officer is afforded the opportunity to comment on the specific rehabilitation plan, or (2) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is afforded an opportunity to comment on cases for which the recipient of assistance, in consultation with the State historic preservation officer, determines that the proposed rehabilitation activity cannot reasonably meet such standards or would adversely affect historic property as defined therein. assistance Review and Procedures supporting historic preservation. 97 STAT. 1254 Report to Publication in Transmittal to congressional committees. 42 USC 14900. Export-Import Amendments of 12 USC 635 note. Ante, p. 916. PUBLIC LAW 98-181–NOV. 30, 1983 "(j) Not later than 180 days after the close of each fiscal year in which assistance under this section is furnished, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report which shall contain "(1) a description of the progress made in accomplishing the objectives of this section; and “(2) a summary of the use of such funds during the preceding year. The Secretary shall require grantees under this section to submit to him such reports, and other information as may be necessary in order for the Secretary to make the report required by this subsection.". MISCELLANEOUS SEC. 523. Title V of the Housing Act of 1949 is amended by adding at the end thereof the following: "REVIEW OF RULES AND REGULATIONS "SEC. 534. (a) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no rule or regulation pursuant to this title may become effective unless it has first been published for public comment in the Federal Register for at least 60 days, and published in final form for at least 30 days. "(b) The Secretary shall transmit to the chairman and ranking Member of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate and the Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs of the House, all rules and regulations at least 15 days before they are sent to the Federal Register for purposes of subsection (a). "(c) The provisions of this section shall not apply to a rule or regulation which the Secretary certifies is issued on an emergency basis. "RECIPROCITY IN APPROVAL OF HOUSING SUBDIVISIONS AMONG FEDERAL AGENCIES "SEC. 535. The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and the Administrator of Veterans' Affairs shall each accept an administrative approval of any housing subdivision made by any of the others so that not later than January 1, 1984, there is total reciprocity for housing subdivision approvals among the agencies which they head.". TITLE VI-EXPORT-IMPORT BANK ACT AMENDMENTS OF 1983 SHORT TITLE SEC. 601. This title may be cited as the "Export-Import Bank Act Amendments of 1983". PART A-EXPORT-Import Bank ACT AMENDMENTS EXTENSION OF THE EXPORT-IMPORT BANK ACT SEC. 611. Section 8 of the Export-Import Bank Act of 1945 (12 U.S.C. 635f) is amended by striking out "November 18, 1983" and inserting in lieu thereof "September 30, 1986". |