S. 1617 would authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA), for the purpose of providing disaster loans, to declare disasters in rural areas where significant damage has occurred. The act also would require the SBA and the Government Accountability Office to report to the Congress concerning the availability of disaster loans in rural areas and ways to improve access to those loans. CBO estimates that enacting S. 1617 would not affect direct spending or revenues. CBO has not estimated the discretionary costs of implementing the legislation. The legislation contains no intergovernmental or private-sector mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act.
