Title 7AgricultureRelease 119-73

§936e Administrative prohibitions applicable to certain electric borrowers

Title 7 › Chapter CHAPTER 31— - RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND TELEPHONE SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - RURAL ELECTRIC AND TELEPHONE DIRECT LOAN PROGRAMS › § 936e

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must make rules to cut back on extra approvals, restrictions, and paperwork for electric borrowers whose net worth is more than 110 percent of the total outstanding principal on all loans the Secretary made or guaranteed to them. The rules should follow how private lenders handle similar risks. If a private lender asks to fund a capital project for such a borrower, the Secretary must quickly offer either to share the government’s lien on the system or to let the private lender’s lien come before the government’s lien on the financed property. The Secretary can set reasonable security rules using private-lender practices. These changes do not limit other legal powers the Secretary has to set loan terms or take actions allowed by law.

Full Legal Text

Title 7, §936e

Agriculture — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)For the purpose of relieving borrowers of unnecessary and burdensome requirements, the Secretary, guided by the practices of private lenders with respect to similar credit risks, shall issue regulations, applicable to any electric borrower under this chapter whose net worth exceeds 110 percent of the outstanding principal balance on all loans made or guaranteed to the borrower by the Secretary, to minimize those approval rights, requirements, restrictions, and prohibitions that the Secretary otherwise may establish with respect to the operations of such a borrower.
(b)At the request of a private lender providing financing to such a borrower for a capital investment, the Secretary shall, expeditiously, either offer to share the government’s lien on the borrower’s system or offer to subordinate the government’s lien on that property financed by the private lender.
(c)In issuing regulations implementing this section, the Secretary may establish requirements, guided by the practices of private lenders, to ensure that the security for any loan made or guaranteed under this chapter is reasonably adequate.
(d)Nothing in this section limits the authority of the Secretary to establish terms and conditions with respect to the use by borrowers of the proceeds of loans made or guaranteed under this chapter or to take any other action specifically authorized by law.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1994—Pub. L. 103–354 substituted “Secretary” for “Administrator” in heading of subsec. (d) and wherever appearing in text. 1993—Pub. L. 103–201 inserted “certain” before “electric” in section catchline and amended text generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: “The Administrator may not require prior approval of, impose any requirement, restriction, or prohibition with respect to the operations of, or deny or delay the granting of a lien accommodation to, any electric borrower under this chapter whose net worth exceeds 110 percent of the outstanding principal balance on all loans made or guaranteed to the borrower by the Administrator.”

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Regulations

Pub. L. 103–201, § 2, Dec. 17, 1993, 107 Stat. 2342, provided that: “The Administrator of the Rural Electrification Administration shall issue interim final

Regulations

implementing this Act [amending this section] not later than 180 days after enactment [Dec. 17, 1993]. If the

Regulations

are not issued within such period of time, the Administrator may not, until the Administrator issues such

Regulations

, require prior approval of, establish any requirement, restriction, or prohibition, with respect to the operations of any electric borrower under the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 [7 U.S.C. 90 et seq.] whose net worth exceeds 110 percent of the outstanding principal balance on all loans made or guaranteed to the borrower by the Administrator.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

7 U.S.C. § 936e

Title 7Agriculture

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73