June 26, 2025 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has issued a final rule to adopt changes from the 2018 Farm Bill that apply to the BioPreferred® Program (formally known as the Biobased Markets Program). Changes include merging guidelines for Designating Biobased Products for Federal Procurement (FP) and the Voluntary Labeling Initiative for Biobased Products into one streamlined regulation. | Stakeholder Announcement
June 24, 2025 - The Rural Housing Service (RHS) Office of the Multifamily Housing (MFH) is announcing July 1, 2025, as the effective implementation date of the Housing Opportunity Through Modernization Act (HOTMA). To accommodate the required HOTMA changes, Rural Development (RD) published updates to Chapter 6 of Handbook 2-3560 on June 13, 2025. All MFH tenant certifications effective on or after July 1, 2025, must comply with HOTMA requirements. However, between July 1, 2025, and January 1, 2026, RD will not penalize MFH owners for HOTMA-related tenant file errors during supervisory reviews. | Stakeholder Announcement
April 2, 2025 - U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has amended two program funding opportunities to remove harmful DEIA scoring criteria. The overhaul brings these programs into compliance with Executive Order 14151, Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing, issued on January 20, 2025. | Stakeholder Announcement
Mar. 25, 2025 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development has amended fourteen program funding opportunities to remove harmful DEIA scoring criteria. The overhaul brings these programs into compliance with Executive Order 14151, Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing, issued on January 20, 2025. | Stakeholder Announcement