Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 110 Part 1.djvu/1129

 PUBLIC LAW 104-127—APR. 4, 1996 110 STAT. 1105 borrower has received debt forgiveness on another direct loan made under this title.". SEC. 649. SHORT FORM CERTIFICATION OF FARM PROGRAM BOR- ROWER COMPLIANCE. The Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.) (as amended by section 648) is amended by adding at the end the following: "SEC. 374. SHORT FORM CERTIFICATION OF FARM PROGRAM BOR- 7 USC 20081. ROWER COMPLIANCE. "The Secretary shall develop and utilize a consolidated short form for farm program borrowers to use in certifying compliance with any applicable provision of law (including a regulation) that serves as an eligibility prerequisite for a loan made under this title.". SEC. 650. CREDIT STUDY. 7 USC 2001 note. (a) IN GENERAL.— The Secretary of Agriculture shall conduct Reports. a study and report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate on the demand for and availability of credit in rural areas for agriculture, housing, and rural development. (b) PURPOSE. — The purpose of the study shall be to ensure that Congress has current and comprehensive information to consider as Congress deliberates on rural credit needs and the availability of credit to satisfy the needs of rural areas of the United States. (c) ITEMS IN STUDY.— In conducting the study, the Secretary shall Ijase the study on the most current available data and analyze— (1) rural demand for credit from the Farm Credit System, the ability of the Farm Credit System to meet the demand, and the extent to which the Farm Credit System provides loans to satisfy the demand; (2) rural demand for credit from the United States banking system, the ability of banks to meet the demand, and the extent to which banks provide loans to satisfy the demand; (3) rural demand for credit from the Secretary, the ability of the Secretary to meet the demand, and the extent to which the Secretary provides loans to satisfy the demand; (4) rural demand for credit from other Federal agencies, the ability of the agencies to meet the demand, and the extent to which the agencies provide loans to satisfy the demand; (5) what measure or measures exist to gauge the overall demand for rural credit, the extent to which rural demand for credit is satisfied, and what the measures have demonstrated; (6) a comparison of the interest rates and terms charged by the Farm Credit System Farm Credit Banks, production credit associations, and banks for cooperatives with the rates and terms charged by the banks of the United States for credit of comparable risk and maturity; (7) the advantages and disadvantages of the modernization and expansion proposals of the Farm Credit System on the Farm Credit System, the United States banking system, rural

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