October 17, 1984
I am today signing S. 2819, the Housing and Community Development Technical Amendments
Act of 1984. This legislation amends the Housing and Urban-Rural Recovery Act of 1983 to
correct certain defects in the Department of Housing and Urban Development's community
development block grant and assisted housing programs. It also contains provisions affecting the
Department of Agriculture's rural housing programs and miscellaneous amendments to certain
banking laws.
In signing this legislation, however, I must express my strong concerns regarding its provisions
prohibiting the transfer of rural housing loan authority to other programs administered by the
Farmers Home Administration. There have been several instances in recent years in which such a
transfer has been used to provide vital and urgent funding to other, equally important sectors of
the farm economy. I do not want this legislation to serve as a precedent for obstructing the
interchange authority between Farmers Home Administration programs.
Note: As enacted, S. 2819 is Public Law 98 - 479, approved October 17.