{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=32DFCFAB-5A7A-4A42-BAC6-43FE58854AC4", "PASSED: Sens. Moran, Klobuchar, Shaheen\u2019s Legislation to Increase Access to Rural Housing", "2024-01-24", "2024", "2024-01", "Republican", "Senate", "KS", "Jerry Moran", "M000934", "www.moran.senate.gov", "moran", "https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Yesterday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed legislation introduced by U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) to extend the loan window for the U.S. Department of Agriculture\u2019s (USDA) Section 524 Rural Housing site loan program. This legislation now goes to the U.S. House of Representatives to be passed.\n\nThe Section 524 program provides loans to non-profits and local and trial governments to acquire and develop land to be subdivided into building sites for low and moderate-income families. This legislation would extend the loan repayment window from two years to five years, increasing flexibility for borrowers.\n\n\u201cHousing shortages are impacting rural communities and hurting their ability to grow and expand,\u201d said Sen. Moran. \u201cModernizing the USDA rural housing site development loans will help incentivize new construction. By giving local governments and non-profits more flexibility to repay these loans, we can help bolster affordable housing in rural America. I urge the House of Representatives to quickly pass this legislation to provide alleviate housing shortages in rural America.\u201d\n\n\u201cOur country\u2019s housing shortage, which has hit small towns and rural areas particularly hard, is fueling an affordability crisis,\u201d said Sen. Klobuchar. \u201cThis legislation will increase flexibility on loan repayments for nonprofits and local governments that are building affordable rural housing, giving them more options to address the unique needs of rural communities.\u201d \u201cNew Hampshire is in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, ranking fourth in the nation for lack of housing,\u201d said Sen. Shaheen. \u201cMaking loans for affordable rural housing construction more effective by extending the term of these loans can help Granite State families purchase homes. I\u2019m pleased to see this bipartisan legislation pass the Senate and I thank Senator Moran for his leadership on this bill.\u201d\n\nThe loan window extension program is also supported by various housing organizations and leaders.\n\n\u201cThe nation\u2019s housing crisis affects communities of all sizes. Helping America\u2019s smaller towns and rural areas plan and develop more affordable and attainable housing is critically important,\u201d said Angela Brooks, President of American Planning Association. \u201cWorking on the front lines of housing challenges in rural America, planners know the essential role that federal policy can play. We applaud the bipartisan action in the U.S. Senate, led by Senators Moran, Klobuchar and Shaheen, to improve the USDA 524 loan program. This action will provide an essential financing tool that leads to more homes and more opportunity for rural and small-town America.\u201d\n\n\u201cAs a national rural housing nonprofit, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) applauds Senator Moran and Senator Klobuchar for their focus on targeted, commonsense improvements to the USDA rural housing programs,\u201d said Jonathan Harwitz, Director of Public Policy at HAC. \u201cExtending the loan term from two to five years will make the Section 524 rural housing site loan program more adaptable to current project development timelines. We are glad to see this bill pass in the Senate and look forward to working with the House.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe National Rural Housing Coalition (NRHC) applauds the leadership of Senator Moran on Senate passage of S 3646, which extends the term of US Department of Agriculture rural housing site loans,\u201d said the National Rural Housing Coalition. \u201cThis change will facilitate acquisition and development of sites for affordable housing in rural communities, which is sorely needed. We appreciate Senator Moran's efforts and look forward to working with the House on this important legislation.\u201d\n\n\u201cBy any measure, rural America is facing a housing affordability crisis, with rising rents and house prices over the last few years, and more limited access to credit,\u201d said Michele Stockwell, President, BPC Action. \u201cBPC Action commends Sens. Jerry Moran, Amy Klobuchar, and Jeanne Shaheen for their leadership on the Rural Housing Site Loans Term Extension Act. This legislation extends the term of USDA rural housing site loans which will help rural communities across America more easily acquire and develop sites for affordable housing. We look forward to working with Congress to enact this legislation before the end of the year.\u201d\n\n# # #", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T17:40:56Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ID=32DFCFAB-5A7A-4A42-BAC6-43FE58854AC4"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7781449239701033, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}