YourVoice.Now Summary
Your MoneyTransparency & AccountabilityRural business owners could borrow up to $75,000 instead of $50,000 — and the loan could cover the whole project.
Your Money
Today the program caps these business loans at $50,000. The bill would let a rural owner borrow up to $25,000 more to start or grow a business.
Right now federal money can pay for at most 75 percent of a project, so the rest has to come from somewhere else. The bill would let it pay the full cost.
The loan could go toward tearing down, putting up, or fixing up buildings for the business. It could pay for no more than half of what that work costs.
Transparency & Accountability
The program's spending approval ran out after budget year 2023, though Congress has kept paying for it in yearly budget bills. A new 2026 to 2030 window means lawmakers would have to take it up again.
More about this bill
If you run a small business in a rural area, you could borrow more. A federal loan program for very small rural businesses would raise its cap from $50,000 to $75,000. Federal money could also cover a whole project, instead of just 75 percent of it. The loans go out through local nonprofits, tribes, and public colleges. They lend to rural business owners with 10 or fewer workers. People who work for themselves count too. Loan money could also pay for demolition, construction, and other building work. It could cover up to half of those costs. The program's spending approval ran out after 2023. This bill would set it again for 2026 through 2030. The yearly limit would stay $20 million.
Congressional Summary
Reauthorizes through FY2030 and revises the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program, increasing borrowing limits to $75,000 and maximum federal cost share to 100%.
Legislative Subjects
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Action Date
- 2025-08-08
- Date Added
- 2026-04-03
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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