LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Developers who build or rehabilitate homes in rural Nebraska will have more funding options under a bill passed by the Nebraska Legislature.

Senators voted unanimously Monday to create the Rural Workforce Housing Investment Fund by transferring about $7 million in unused money from the state’s affordable housing trust fund. The measure now goes to Gov. Pete Ricketts for approval.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg, says grants provided by the new fund will help address a dearth of workforce housing in small towns.

Developers say building affordable housing is more difficult in rural areas than in cities such as Omaha and Lincoln. They have to work on a smaller scale and are farther away from labor and construction materials.