{"bills":[{"photos":{"featured":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr1259-114/featured_helping-expand-lending-practices-in-rural-communities-act-1454548440.jpg","featured_large":"https://assets.countable.us/bill/photo/hr1259-114/featured_large_helping-expand-lending-practices-in-rural-communities-act-1454548440.jpg","shareable":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr1259-114.png"},"introduced_on":"2015-03-04","title_override":"Does Rural America Need More Access to Financial Institutions?","summary_override":"

This bill would require the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an application process for people who live or do business in a place that they would like to designate as a \"rural area\" under federal consumer financial law.

The application process would be part of a temporary program to designate certain counties as \"rural.\" Usually, for a place to be considered rural, it must meet the Urban Influence Codes (UICs) — guidelines set by the Dept. of Agriculture. This bill would allow people to apply counties for a rural stamp, even if they don't meet the UICs.

There is a criteria, however. The CFPB to would have to consider the following when reviewing applications for a rural status:

Criteria for rural/urban/metropolitan/micropolitan designations used by the Bureau of the Census, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Secretary of Agriculture;
A written opinion provided by the state’s bank supervisor;
Population density.

Within 60 days after receiving an application, the CFPB would have to publish the application in the Federal Register, and leave it up for 90 days to elicit public comment. Within 90 days of the end of the public comment period the CFPB must grant or deny the application in whole or in part, and publish an explanation of the decision in the Federal Register.

A rejection of an application by the CFPB does not mean an area can't apply for rural status again — as long as the application is made 90 days after the Bureau denies the application. This legislation would only last two years.

","official_title":"To provide for an application process for interested parties to apply for an area to be designated as a rural area, and for other purposes.","short_title":"Helping Expand Lending Practices in Rural Communities Act","popular_title":null,"short_summary":"(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)\n\nHelping Expand Lending Practices in Rural Communities Act\n\n(Sec. 2) Directs the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to establish an application process under which a person who lives or does business in a state may apply to have an area in the state identified as a rural area if it has not yet been so designated by the CFPB for purposes of federal consumer financial law.\n\n Prescribes criteria for the CFPB to consider when evaluating the application. Requires the CFPB to: (1) grant or deny the application within 90 days after the public comment period ends; and (2) publish the grant or denial in the Federal Register, including an explanation of the factors upon which the CFPB relied in making its determination.\n\nSunsets this Act two years after its enactment.","summarized":true,"cost":1000000,"cost_commentary":"Between increases in staff and money for running the program, the CBO estimates that implementing this bill would cost around $1 million over the 2015-2025 period.","impact":"Banks and their consumers in rural areas, the CFPB, the Director of the CFPB, and other federal agencies that use criteria to designate some areas as \"rural\". ","argument_for":"Rural communities that are not considered \"rural\" by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) miss out on the financial products and benefits of that category. They need a process to apply for rural status, and this bill creates one.","argument_against":"The CFPB should be able to figure out for itself whether or not an area is rural. An application process will add more work for the CFPB — it would be simpler if the bureau simply loosened its criteria for defining an area as \"rural.\"","bill_type":"hr","published":true,"type":"FederalBill","id":"hr1259-114","bill_id":"hr1259-114","formal_id":"H.R. 1259","chamber":"house","congress":114,"last_action_at":"2015-04-14T00:00:00.000Z","active":true,"enacted":false,"enacted_at":null,"vetoed":false,"last_vote_at":"2015-04-13T23:01:31.000Z","debated_on":"2015-04-13T00:00:00.000Z","congress_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1259","plain_text_url":"http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-114hr1259rfs/html/BILLS-114hr1259rfs.htm","shareable_image_url":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/bills/hr1259-114.png","congress_full_text_url":"https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th/house-bill/1259/text","is_current_congress":false,"last_version_on":"2015-03-04","related_bill_ids":["s871-114","hr1389-114","s1910-114","s2132-114"],"progress":"Passed House","house_passage_result":true,"senate_passage_result":false,"position_count":48,"committees":[{"name":"Committee on Financial Services","chamber":"house","committee_id":"HSBA","subcommittee":false},{"name":"Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs","chamber":"senate","committee_id":"SSBK","subcommittee":false}],"links":{"rollCalls":"/api/roll_calls?bill_id=hr1259-114","details":"/api/bills/hr1259-114/details","sharingMessage":"/api/sharing_messages/hr1259-114","positionsFor":"/api/bills/hr1259-114/positions/for","positionsAgainst":"/api/bills/hr1259-114/positions/against"},"upcoming":false,"cosponsors_count":3,"slug":"hr1259-114-helping-expand-lending-practices-in-rural-communities-act","latest_chamber_votes_id":"hr1259-114","official_url":null,"target_video":true,"following":false,"vote_count":1665,"yea_vote_count":968,"nay_vote_count":691,"passed_house":true,"passed_senate":false,"vote_id":null,"my_position_id":null,"topic_ids":["work","economy","financial-markets"],"issue_ids":["work","jobs","private-sector","economy","financial-markets","banking"],"sponsor_id":149}],"votes":[],"issues":[{"id":"work","name":"Work","slug":"work","description":null,"page_title":null,"icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/work/black_work-1429042040.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/work/grey_work-1429042040.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/work/white_work-1429042040.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"jobs","name":"Jobs","slug":"jobs","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding employment. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"Jobs Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/jobs/black_jobs-1429042050.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/jobs/grey_jobs-1429042050.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/jobs/white_jobs-1429042050.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"private-sector","name":"Private Sector","slug":"private-sector","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Private Sector. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about. ","page_title":"Private Sector Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/private-sector/black_private-sector-1429042058.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/private-sector/grey_private-sector-1429042058.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/private-sector/white_private-sector-1429042058.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"economy","name":"Economy","slug":"economy","description":"The US Economy is heavily impacted by Federal legislation. Here you can find bills encompassing US monetary policy, the US Federal Budget, overall government spending, appropriations and how we handle the US federal debt and state finances. ","page_title":"Legislation related to the US Economy, monetary policy, the federal budget and government spending - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/economy/black_economy-1429042041.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/economy/grey_economy-1429042041.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/economy/white_economy-1429042041.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"financial-markets","name":"Financial Markets","slug":"financial-markets","description":"Regulations for the US financial Markets - including Banking, Securities, Insurance, Currency and the Credit Markets. Legislation can also cover foreign loans, corporations and debt.","page_title":"Federal legislation related to regulating US financial markets and the US Currency - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/financial-markets/black_financial-markets-1429042042.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/financial-markets/grey_financial-markets-1429042042.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/financial-markets/white_financial-markets-1429042042.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false},{"id":"banking","name":"Banking","slug":"banking","description":"Vote on the latest federal legislation regarding Banking. Make your voice heard about the issues you care about.\r\n","page_title":"Banking Legislation - Vote on Bills, Stay informed, Hold Your Reps Accountable","icons":{"black":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/banking/black_banking-1429042064.svg","grey":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/banking/grey_banking-1429042064.svg","white":"https://assets.countable.us/issue/icon/banking/white_banking-1429042064.svg"},"cover_image_url":null,"is_following":false}],"users":[{"name":"samligon","vote_count":362,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1633910756/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1633910756/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1633910756/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1633910756/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/jZB8Pe9D/following","followers":"/api/users/jZB8Pe9D/followers"},"about_me":"LA > DAL > NYC","twitter_id":"","facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"samligon","issue_count":21,"is_following":null,"influence_score":610,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":8,"following_count":5,"position_count":41,"id":"jZB8Pe9D","partner_id":null}],"bill_position":{"flagged":false,"id":"e2fa0ef1-eec3-4469-bf1a-5f02203be34f","argument_for":"Burden is actually lifted from the agency to divine a perfect definition of rural, so less can be spent on that while areas self-report and the agency can approve. Don't let people fall through bureaucratic cracks.","argument_against":null,"show_argument_for":true,"show_argument_against":false,"upvote_count":0,"upvotes_for_count":0,"upvotes_against_count":null,"has_upvoted":false,"endorsement_count":0,"links":{"self":"https://www.countable.us/positions/e2fa0ef1-eec3-4469-bf1a-5f02203be34f"},"body":"Burden is actually lifted from the agency to divine a perfect definition of rural, so less can be spent on that while areas self-report and the agency can approve. Don't let people fall through bureaucratic cracks.","stance":"yea","created_at":"2015-04-16T15:10:12.822Z","shareable_image_url":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/positions/e2fa0ef1-eec3-4469-bf1a-5f02203be34f.png","note_color":null,"note_text":null,"bill_id":"hr1259-114","user_id":"jZB8Pe9D","endorser_ids":[]}}

Like Countable?

samligon

Does Rural America Need More Access to Financial Institutions?