This is probably a dumb question, but I keep reading that we have to drop rates to 6% for the SSCRA. Is it the rate that must be 6% or the APR that can't be higher than 6%. The information I'm looking at says ...cannot bear interest at a rate in excess of 6 percent per annum .

It's actually broader than either the IR or APR. If you treated everything received from the borrower (except principal) as a Finance Charge and calculated an APR, that's the test. Unlike Reg Z, SSCRA includes late charges, all types of fees and interest in the same category. The sum of all these charges cannot exceed 6% per annum or you're in violation of SSCRA.