A bill, the Flexible Financing for Rural America Act (S. 4152), was introduced in the Senate, by Sens. John Hoeven (R-ND), John Boozman (R-AR), Tina Smith (D-MN), and Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), proposing to provide rural providers and other borrowers under the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) programs the ability to refinance their debt at market rates without penalty. Currently, the RUS programs charge significant penalties when borrowers refinance their loans. The Senators state that this bill will aid in the economic recovery from COVID-19. Representatives Vicky Hartzler (R-MO) and Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ) introduced the same bill, H.R. 7483, in the House.
