A bill to amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act.
Public Law 96-438 · S. 985 · 96th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Jimmy Carter (D) on Oct 13, 1980 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Sen. Herman Talmadge (D-GA)
Cosponsors: None
Passage votes
- HouseMethod not stated
- SenateMethod not stated
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Farmers Home Administration to make or insure loans for: (1) the acquisition, installation, and modification of nonfossil energy systems on family farms; (2) community facilities to communities with populations up to 20,000 people (presently 10,000); and (3) the promotion of rural industrialization by encouraging the development of energy systems not utilizing fossil fuels.
Includes aliens legally admitted for permanent residence among those eligible for all Farmers Home Administration programs authorized under such Act.
Requires that any limitations on the amount of emergency loans to any one borrower, which may be imposed by the Secretary by regulation, take into consideration the operations and financial status of each borrower.
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct the emergency loan program under such Act so as to foster and encourage the family system of agriculture.
Prohibits making or insuring loans exceeding the amount of actual loss unless the Secretary determines the applicant is unable to obtain a guaranteed loan from a private or cooperative lending agency sufficient to finance actual needs. Directs the Secretary to require at least one written indication of declination of credit for loans up to $300,000 and at least two such written indications for loans over $300,000. Authorizes the Secretary to waive such requirement for loans up to $300,000 if an undue burden would be imposed on any applicant.
Limits the amount of any emergency loan covering actual loss caused by a disaster to the amount of actual loss on $500,000, whichever is less, per disaster. Limits the amount of any emergency loan for purposes other than to cover actual losses to an amount that would not cause the total unpaid indebtedness of the borrower for such loans to exceed differing specified amounts for fiscal years 1980, 1981, and 1982.
Authorizes the Secretary to make or insure emergency loans, notwithstanding specified credit requirements, to applicants able to obtain sufficient credit elsewhere to finance their actual needs at reasonable rates and terms: (1) limited to the actual loss up to $500,000 per disaster; (2) at interest rates prescribed by the Secretary, but not in excess of the cost of money to the Government plus an additional charge of up to one percent per year; and (3) subject to other terms and conditions for similar emergency loans.
Requires that, under the emergency loan program, the interest rate for guaranteed loans exceeding the amount of the actual loss be negotiable, but not in excess of a rate the Secretary may determine.
Authorizes the Secretary to pay interest subsidies in specified limited amounts to lenders for those portions of guaranteed loans representing actual losses.
Shortens the length of time for which subsequent emergency loans for annual operating purposes are authorized, from five additional years to two additional years.
Specifies the maximum aggregate principal amounts for insured and guaranteed real estate, operating, and emergency loans under the Agriculture Credit Insurance Fund; and water sewer facility, industrial development, and community facility loans under the Rural Development Insurance Fund for each of the fiscal years 1980, 1981, and 1982.
Directs the Secretary to develop, and submit to the appropriate congressional committees, long-term cost projections for specified loan programs.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 19 actions.
- Oct 13, 1980Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- PresidentPresident · Public Law 96-438.
- Oct 2, 1980PresidentPresident · Measure presented to President.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in Senate.
- PresidentPresident · Measure enrolled in House.
- Oct 1, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · House agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in House: House agreed to conference report.
- Sep 30, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to conference report.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report agreed to in Senate: Senate agreed to conference report.
- Sep 25, 1980Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-1394.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference report filed: Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 96-1394.
- Dec 19, 1979Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in House.
- Dec 14, 1979Resolving differencesResolving differences · Conference scheduled in Senate.
- Resolving differencesResolving differences · Senate agreed to House amendment with an amendment.
- Oct 24, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed House, amended, in lieu of H. R. 3683.
- May 23, 1979FloorFloor · Measure passed Senate, amended.
- May 15, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Reported by Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- Apr 23, 1979CommitteeCommittee · Referred to Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in the Senate
Data notes
Shows the introduction, each committee and subcommittee step the source dates (referral, hearings, markup, report, discharge), and the floor, conference, presidential and became-law steps. Calendar placements, messages between the chambers, amendments and committee report numbers are not shown for laws before the 108th Congress. Two entries the source lists twice are shown once.
Official record
The bill’s full text and every action, including introduction and committee steps, are on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.