Agriculture

Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017

Wildfire Prevention and Mitigation Act of 2017 This bill prohibits any further consultation from being required by the Departments of Agriculture (USDA) or the Interior after the approval of land and resource management plans for National Forest System (NFS) lands or land use plans for public lands, respectively, with respect to: (1) the listing of a species as threatened or endangered or a designation of a critical habitat, if such a plan has already been adopted; or (2) any provision of such plan. Interior shall develop one or more categorical exclusions, from requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 to conduct environmental assessment and environmental impact statements, for specified vegetative management activities that are carried out to establish or improve habitat for the greater sage-grouse or mule deer. The Forest Service shall prepare an environmental assessment for each ecosystem restoration project, stewardship contracting project, and project under a good neighbor agreement on certain NFS land. Under the assessment, it shall study and describe in each project both the proposed action and a no-action alternative. The Forest Service shall establish an arbitration pilot program as an alternative dispute resolution process in lieu of judicial review for such projects. The Forest Service shall prioritize and carry out ecosystem restoration projects to accomplish one or more of specified objectives. A categorical exclusion is made available for certain forest management activities in order to: (1) expedite specified critical response actions, (2) meet forest plan goals for early seral and early successional forests, (3) improve wildlife habitats, and (4) thin forests. The bill makes permanent USDA's authority to designate treatment areas that are experiencing an insect or disease epidemic.

Disaster Displacement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017

Disaster Displacement Act of 2017 This bill requires a state, as a condition of participation in the Medicaid program, to provide medical assistance to eligible survivors of Hurricane Maria. For a specified coverage period, the federal matching rate shall be 100% with respect to such assistance. Eligibility shall be determined on the basis of specified income standards but without application of any resources test or state-residency requirements. The Department of Housing and Urban Development shall, upon request from a public housing agency, provide additional funding for specified housing assistance that is necessary as a consequence of a major disaster. The Department of Agriculture shall do the same upon request from either a state or a political subdivision of a state.

Fruit and Vegetable Access for Children Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 2 November 2017

Fruit and Vegetables Access for Children Act of 2017 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to allow the Department of Agriculture Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program to include canned, dried, frozen, or pureed fruits and vegetables. (Under current law, the program provides grants to states to make fresh fruits and vegetables available in elementary schools.)

America Wins Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

America Wins Act The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax on the carbon dioxide content of coal, petroleum and petroleum products, and natural gas sold by the manufacturer, producer, or importer and require the revenues to be used for infrastructure and other purposes. Refunds or credits for the tax must be issued for carbon substances that are: (1) not emitted due to use as a feedstock or through carbon capture and sequestration, or (2) previously taxed carbon substances used to make another taxable carbon substance. The bill includes border adjustment provisions that require certain fees, credits, or refunds for carbon-intensive goods that are exported or imported. The bill also establishes a Build America Trust Fund and appropriates to the fund amounts equal to the increase in revenues attributable to the tax. Specified amounts of the funds must be used, without further appropriation, for infrastructure, including highways and transit; aviation; passenger rail; harbors, waterways, flood protection, and dams; clean water; Department of Agriculture water and waste disposal programs; and broadband deployment. Specified portions of the funds must also be used for: providing assistance to workers and communities reliant on industries that primarily produce taxable carbon substances or carbon-intensive goods, an energy refund program to provide payments to certain low-income households, and a refundable tax credit for households that meet specified income requirements.

Northern Mariana Islands Enhanced Nutrition Assistance Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

Northern Mariana Islands Enhanced Nutrition Assistance Act of 2017 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to reauthorize through FY2023 the pilot program for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands to operate the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) in the same manner in which the program is operated in the states.

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to establish a program to provide advance payments under the Emergency Conservation Program for the repair or replacement of fencing.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to give agricultural producers the option of receiving advance payments under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) for the repair or replacement of fencing. (The ECP provides emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and to implement emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought.) The advance payments must be provided before the producer carries out the repair or replacement and be based on the fair market value of the cost of the repair or replacement approved by USDA under the program.

To amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to increase support for conservation practices under the emergency conservation program, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to increase the maximum cost-share payment permitted under the Department of Agriculture Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). (The ECP provides emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and to implement emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought.) The bill requires the maximum cost-share payment permitted under the ECP (currently $200,000 per person or legal entity, per natural disaster) to be equal to the maximum cost-share permitted under the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (currently $500,000 per person or legal entity, per disaster).

To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide to producers partial payments under the livestock indemnity program for livestock sold for salvage.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require the Department of Agriculture to make payments under the Livestock Indemnity Program for livestock that is sold for a reduced sale price in excess of the normal mortality. Any payments made pursuant to this bill must be reduced by the amount that the producer received from the sale. (Under current law, the Livestock Indemnity Program provides payments to eligible producers on farms that have incurred livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, or attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law.)

Wildland Fires Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

Wildland Fires Act of 2017 This bill requires the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a cost review each fiscal year of each wildfire covering an area greater than 100,000 acres. Appropriations for wildfire management operations in USDA's or Interior's Wildland Fire Management accounts that are not expended for a fiscal year may be available for wildfire risk reduction projects on federal land. Interior and USDA shall: (1) publish a map depicting at-risk communities (as re-defined by this bill), including tribal communities; and (2) furnish financial assistance to such communities adjacent to federal land for wildfire planning and preparations. Interior and USDA shall: (1) establish a pilot program to reduce the risk of wildfires to communities in the wildland-urban interface and reestablish natural fire regimes outside such interface, and (2) implement the program to treat specified federal land composed primarily of ponderosa or Jeffrey pines by September 30, 2027. The bill establishes the Pilot Monitoring Committee to monitor the impacts on wildfire risk and the ecological effects of the projects being implemented under such program. Interior and USDA: (1) may issue stewardship contracts or enter into stewardship agreements for up to 10 years to conduct prescribed fires on federal lands, and (2) shall establish a pilot program for awarding contracts or agreements of up to 20 years to carry out restoration projects or hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands. The National Forest Foundation shall establish a program to certify as a collaborative a group of interested persons that is interested in assisting USDA and Interior in increasing the quantity of projects or activities such departments carry out on an individual unit of National Forest System land or public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with the applicable management plan.

To increase the maximum amount of assistance authorized under supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs for livestock indemnity payments, livestock forage disaster assistance, and emergency assistance for livestock, honey bee, and farm-raised fish losses.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to increase the payment limitation for certain Department of Agriculture supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs. The bill increases from $125,000 to $250,000 the total amount of disaster assistance payments that may be received under all of the programs by a person or legal entity (excluding a joint venture or general partnership) for any crop year. (Under current law, the payment limitation applies to the Livestock Forage Program; the Livestock Indemnity Program; and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program.)

Young and Beginning Farmers Act

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

Young and Beginning Farmers Act This bill amends various agricultural laws to modify and establish programs to assist beginning farmers. The bill makes land trusts eligible for certain assistance under the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. In administering the program, USDA must prioritize an application for purchasing an easement that maintains agricultural viability, requires subsequent purchases to be at agricultural value, or both. The bill modifies several agricultural programs to: require the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to prequalify loan applicants, increase and index for inflation the limits on the amounts of USDA farm ownership loans, transfer jurisdiction of the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers to the FSA, establish an online customer self-service portal, reauthorize the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program with increased mandatory funding and allow specified funds to be transferred for individual development accounts, reauthorize the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Accounts Pilot Program, reauthorize the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program with increased mandatory funding, and authorize grants for farm viability programs. The FSA must assign state coordinators to promote communication with beginning farmers or ranchers and increase their access to USDA programs. The General Services Administration may sell surplus farm equipment or property to socially disadvantaged, veteran, or beginning farmers and ranchers.

A bill to amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to establish a program to provide advance payments under the Emergency Conservation Program for the repair or replacement of fencing.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to give agricultural producers the option of receiving advance payments under the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) for the repair or replacement of fencing. (The ECP provides emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and to implement emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought.) The advance payments must be provided before the producer carries out the repair or replacement and be based on the fair market value of the cost of the repair or replacement approved by USDA under the program.

A bill to amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to increase the maximum amount of assistance authorized under supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to increase the payment limitation for certain Department of Agriculture supplemental agricultural disaster assistance programs. The bill increases from $125,000 to $250,000 the total amount of disaster assistance payments that may be received under all of the programs by a person or legal entity (excluding a joint venture or general partnership) for any crop year. (Under current law, the payment limitation applies to the Livestock Forage Program; the Livestock Indemnity Program; and the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, and Farm-Raised Fish Program.)

A bill to amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide to producers partial payments under the livestock indemnity program for livestock sold for salvage.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require the Department of Agriculture to make payments under the Livestock Indemnity Program for livestock that is sold for a reduced sale price in excess of the normal mortality. Any payments made pursuant to this bill must be reduced by the amount that the producer received from the sale. (Under current law, the Livestock Indemnity Program provides payments to eligible producers on farms that have incurred livestock deaths in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather, or attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law.)

A bill to amend the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to increase support for conservation practices under the emergency conservation program, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 1 November 2017

This bill amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to increase the maximum cost-share payment permitted under the Department of Agriculture Emergency Conservation Program (ECP). (The ECP provides emergency funding and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and to implement emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe drought.) The bill requires the maximum cost-share payment permitted under the ECP (currently $200,000 per person or legal entity, per natural disaster) to be equal to the maximum cost-share permitted under the Emergency Forest Restoration Program (currently $500,000 per person or legal entity, per disaster).

Kisatchie National Forest Land Conveyance Act

United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2017

Kisatchie National Forest Land Conveyance Act This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to sell specified federal land in Winn Parish, Louisiana. USDA shall convey a portion of that land to Collins Camp Properties, Inc.

Industrial Hemp Water Rights Act

United States · United States Congress · 27 October 2017

Industrial Hemp Water Rights Act This bill specifies that the owner of an absolute or conditional water right (including a federally recognized tribe), or an entity that receives or distributes water contracted from the federal government, may, pursuant to applicable water law, use or sell the water for the cultivation of industrial hemp if the growth or cultivation of industrial hemp is otherwise authorized under the laws of the state or tribe in which the use occurs. The bill applies regardless of whether the water has passed through a federal water project.

Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 26 October 2017

Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to exceed the $100,000 limit on small business development center assistance grants to accommodate extraordinary occurrences having a catastrophic impact on small business concerns in a community. The bill amends the Disaster Relief Act of 1970 to permit: (1) the use of SBA and Farm Service Agency (formerly, Farmers Home Administration) loans for enterprises that are vital to recovery efforts in a disaster area (including debris removal services, manufactured housing, gasoline, telecommunications, or building materials); and (2) such loans to waive any required evaluation of creditworthiness in exchange for a fee set by the SBA or the Farm Service Agency.

School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017

School Milk Nutrition Act of 2017 This bill revises the requirements for milk provided by the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and other Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs. The bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to permit schools participating in the NSLP to offer students low-fat and fat-free milk, including low-fat flavored milk containing no more than 150 calories per 8-ounce serving. For students who cannot consume fluid milk because of a medical or other dietary need, schools may offer a nondairy beverage that is: (1) nutritionally equivalent to low-fat and fat-free milk; and (2) meets USDA nutritional standards, including fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, vitamin D, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, riboflavin, and vitamin B-12. (Under current law, the substitute is only required to include fortification of calcium, protein, vitamin A, and vitamin D to levels found in cow's milk.) In establishing national school nutritional standards, USDA must provide that containers of all beverages sold in schools have the same maximum volume. USDA must also: (1) report to Congress on recent trends in fluid milk consumption in schools; (2) carry out a pilot program to test and demonstrate strategies by which schools can increase the consumption of fluid milk; and (3) make lactose-free milk with an extended shelf life available to schools. If available evidence indicates that woman and children participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) typically consume fewer than the number of daily servings of dairy recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, USDA must ensure that women have access to reduced fat milk for themselves and their children upon request.

Recognizing the International Day of Rural Women on October 15, 2017, in celebration of women farmers around the world.

United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017

Recognizes the International Day of Rural Women. Calls on the people of the United States and interested groups to: celebrate rural women as integral members of societies and economies around the world; recognize women farmers for their role in feeding their families and fellow countrymen and for their productivity which helps maintain economic stability and stronger democracies; ensure rural women have access to the tools and productive resources they need to engage in entrepreneurship; and recommit to reducing limitations, breaking down barriers to success, and prioritizing initiatives that wholly support rural women farmers at the local level.

ARC-CO Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2017

ARC-CO Improvement Act This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make certain adjustments to county yields used to calculate actual crop revenue under the Agriculture Risk Coverage-County Level program (ARC-CO) to reduce disparities between neighboring and nearby counties with similar soils and climate that cannot be explained by a localized weather event. (Under ARC-CO, farmers receive payments when the actual county crop revenue of a covered commodity is less than the ARC-CO guarantee for the covered commodity.) In the case of county coverage, USDA must: (1) prioritize the use of yields from sources that provide the greatest geographic coverage of county-level data from the same source; and (2) use the yield, benchmark revenue, and payment rate based on the county of the physical location of the farm. With respect to a farm that crosses county boundaries, USDA must: (1) split the base acres on a pro rata basis based on the relative quantity of cropland in each county, and (2) calculate any payments on the same pro rata basis.

Wildland Fires Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 19 October 2017

Wildland Fires Act of 2017 This bill requires the Departments of the Interior and Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a cost review each fiscal year of each wildfire covering an area greater than 100,000 acres. Appropriations for wildfire management operations in USDA's or Interior's Wildland Fire Management accounts that are not expended for a fiscal year may be available for wildfire risk reduction projects on federal land. Interior and USDA shall: (1) publish a map depicting at-risk communities (as re-defined by this bill), including tribal communities; and (2) furnish financial assistance to such communities adjacent to federal land for wildfire planning and preparations. Interior and USDA shall: (1) establish a pilot program to reduce the risk of wildfires to communities in the wildland-urban interface and reestablish natural fire regimes outside such interface, and (2) implement the program to treat specified federal land composed primarily of ponderosa or Jeffrey pines by September 30, 2027. The bill establishes the Pilot Monitoring Committee to monitor the impacts on wildfire risk and the ecological effects of the projects being implemented under such program. Interior and USDA: (1) may issue stewardship contracts or enter into stewardship agreements for up to 10 years to conduct prescribed fires on federal lands, and (2) shall establish a pilot program for awarding contracts or agreements of up to 20 years to carry out restoration projects or hazardous fuels reduction projects on federal lands. The National Forest Foundation shall establish a program to certify as a collaborative a group of interested persons that is interested in assisting USDA and Interior in increasing the quantity of projects or activities such departments carry out on an individual unit of National Forest System land or public land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in accordance with the applicable management plan.

Virginia Wilderness Additions Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2017

Virginia Wilderness Additions Act of 2017 This bill adds specified additional lands in the George Washington National Forest (a part of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests in Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky) to the Rough Mountain Wilderness and the Rich Hole Wilderness. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) may use motorized equipment and mechanized transport in the Rich Hole addition until it is incorporated into the Rich Hole Wilderness in order to enhance natural ecosystems by implementing certain activities to improve water quality and aquatic passage, as set forth in the Forest Service document titled "Decision Notice for the Lower Cowpasture Restoration and Management Project" and dated December 2015. In carrying out such water quality and aquatic passage improvement activities, USDA must use the minimum tool or administrative practice necessary when using such equipment and transport with the least amount of adverse impact on wilderness character and resources.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program Improvement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2017

Regional Conservation Partnership Program Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make several modifications to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP). (The RCPP currently operates through several USDA conservation programs to provide funding for partners to join in efforts with producers to increase the restoration and sustainable use of soil, water, wildlife, and related natural resources on regional or watershed scales.) The bill modifies the program to: require the RCPP to be operated as a separate program rather than through several existing USDA conservation programs; expand the authority of project partners to define the scope of the activities that will help achieve conservation benefits; require USDA to set timelines for entering into contracts and providing funding; require USDA to establish program coordinators in each state; increase the portion of funding that is allocated to the RCPP from USDA conservation programs; modify the application process and requirements for program contracts; authorize USDA to award grants to partners to directly operate conservation projects; authorize USDA to provide funding to partners for project development and outreach activities; and establish reporting requirements for partners regarding the progress made toward addressing natural resource concerns and related outcomes of the projects.

Central Coast Heritage Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017

Central Coast Heritage Protection Act This bill designates specified lands in the Bakersfield Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and in the Lost Padres National Forest in California as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. It also designates certain land in Los Padres National Forest as the Machesna Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the Machesna Mountain Wilderness Area. Specified segments of the Indian, Mono, Matilija, Sespe, and Piru Creeks and Sisquoc River in California are designated as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Certain land in the Los Padres National Forest in California is designated as the Fox Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the San Rafael Wilderness. This bill designates specified land: (1) in Los Padres National Forest as the Condor Ridge Scenic Area; and (2) in Los Padres National Forest and in the BLM Bakersfield Field Office as the Black Mountain Scenic Area. The Department of Agriculture shall: (1) study connecting the northern and southern parts of the Los Padres National Forest using a trail corridor across parts of the Northern and Southern Santa Lucia Mountains of the Southern California Coastal Range; (2) designate the Condor National Recreation Trail, extending from Lake Piru to the Botchers Gap Campground in the Monterey County corridor in California; and (3) conduct a study to improve nonmotorized recreation trail opportunities (including mountain bicycling) on land not designated as wilderness within the Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Mt. Pinos ranger districts. The Forest Service shall study the feasibility of opening a new trail, for vehicles measuring 50 inches or less, connecting Forest Service Highway 95 to the existing off-highway vehicle trail system in the Ballinger Canyon off-highway vehicle area. Indian tribes shall be assured access to the wilderness areas, scenic areas, and potential wilderness areas designated by this bill for traditional cultural and religious purposes.

Central Coast Heritage Protection Act

United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2017

Central Coast Heritage Protection Act This bill designates specified lands in the Bakersfield Field Office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and in the Lost Padres National Forest in California as wilderness areas and as components of the National Wilderness Preservation System. It also designates certain land in Los Padres National Forest as the Machesna Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the Machesna Mountain Wilderness Area. Specified segments of the Indian, Mono, Matilija, Sespe, and Piru Creeks and Sisquoc River in California are designated as components of the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System. Certain land in the Los Padres National Forest in California is designated as the Fox Mountain Potential Wilderness Area, which shall be incorporated into the San Rafael Wilderness. This bill designates specified land: (1) in Los Padres National Forest as the Condor Ridge Scenic Area; and (2) in Los Padres National Forest and in the BLM Bakersfield Field Office as the Black Mountain Scenic Area. The Department of Agriculture shall: (1) study connecting the northern and southern parts of the Los Padres National Forest using a trail corridor across parts of the Northern and Southern Santa Lucia Mountains of the Southern California Coastal Range; (2) designate the Condor National Recreation Trail, extending from Lake Piru to the Botchers Gap Campground in the Monterey County corridor in California; and (3) conduct a study to improve nonmotorized recreation trail opportunities (including mountain bicycling) on land not designated as wilderness within the Santa Barbara, Ojai, and Mt. Pinos ranger districts. The Forest Service shall study the feasibility of opening a new trail, for vehicles measuring 50 inches or less, connecting Forest Service Highway 95 to the existing off-highway vehicle trail system in the Ballinger Canyon off-highway vehicle area. Indian tribes shall be assured access to the wilderness areas, scenic areas, and potential wilderness areas designated by this bill for traditional cultural and religious purposes.

SALE Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017

Securing All Livestock Equitably Act of 2017 or the SALE Act of 2017 This bill amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to require all livestock purchased by a dealer in cash sales and all inventories of, or receivables or proceeds from, such livestock to be held by the dealer in a trust until all unpaid cash sellers of the livestock have been paid. The bill exempts from the requirement any dealer whose average annual purchases of livestock do not exceed $500,000.

Mid-Mississippi Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 12 October 2017

Mid-Mississippi Conservation, Recreation and Development Act of 2017 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to issue to the Pat Harrison Waterway District a long-term special use permit to develop approximately 8,307 acres of specified National Forest System land within the Bienville National Forests of Mississippi for public purposes only.

Food Bank Assistance Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017

Food Bank Assistance Act of 201 7 This bill amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 and the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to provide additional funding to the Department of Agriculture for carrying out the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP). (TEFAP helps supplement the diets of low-income Americans, including the elderly, by providing them with emergency food and nutrition assistance. The program provides food and administrative funds to states to supplement the diets of these groups.)

Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2017

Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act of 2017 This bill provides $36.5 billion in FY2018 emergency supplemental appropriations to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Department of the Interior for relief and recovery efforts in response to recent hurricanes and wildfires. For FEMA, the bill provides: (1) $18.67 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund, of which up to $4.9 billion may be transferred to the Community Disaster Loan Program for direct loans to assist local governments in providing essential services as a result of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, or Maria; and (2) $16 billion in debt relief for the National Flood Insurance Program. The bill also provides $576.5 million to the Forest Service and Interior for wildfire suppression activities. USDA may use up to $1.27 billion of funds previously provided for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) contingency reserve to provide a grant to Puerto Rico for disaster nutrition assistance in response to the presidentially declared major disasters and emergencies. The bill designates the funds as emergency requirements. (Emergency spending is exempt from discretionary spending limits and other budget enforcement rules.)

National Monument CAP Act

United States · United States Congress · 6 October 2017

National Monument Creation and Protection Act This bill amends the Antiquities Act of 1906 to allow the President to declare by public proclamation an object or objects of antiquity (currently, historic landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other objects of historic or scientific interest) that are situated on lands owned or controlled by the federal government to be national monuments. "Objects of antiquity" means relics, artifacts, human or animal skeletal remains, fossils, and certain buildings constructed before enactment of this bill. The bill prescribes limits on land that may be declared to be a national monument based on acreage, proximity to other national monuments, whether it has been reviewed by the Department of the Interior or Agriculture (USDA) under the National Environmental Policy Act, and whether it has been approved by each county and state within whose boundaries it will be located. Such limitation shall not apply to a designation made to prevent imminent and irreparable harm to the object or objects of antiquity to be protected. Such exception shall end after one year and may be used only once. The President may reduce the size of any declared national monument: (1) by 85,000 acres or less; or (2) by more than 85,000 acres only if the reduction has been approved by each county and state within whose boundaries the monument will be located and reviewed by Interior or USDA under the National Environmental Policy Act. The bill prohibits any land from being declared as a national monument in a configuration that would place nonfederally owned property within the monument without first obtaining the owners' written consent.

HIGH-TECH AGRICULTURE: SMALL FIRMS ON THE FRONTIER OF AGRIBUSINESS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 5 October 2017

NOMINATION HEARING: GREGORY IBACH, TO BE UNDER SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE FOR MARKETING AND REGULATORY PROGRAMS, AND. WILLIAM NORTHEY, TO BE UNDER SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE FOR FARM AND FOREIGN AGRICULTURAL SERVICES

United States · United States Senate · 5 October 2017

Local FARMS Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017

Local Food And Regional Market Supply Act or the Local FARMS Act This bill consolidates, modifies, and authorizes several Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to expand regional or local food markets and implement food safety practices. The bill authorizes and provides mandatory funding for a new Agricultural Market Development Program that is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and consolidates: the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion Program, Value-Added Producer Grants, regional food chain coordination, and public-private partnerships to plan and develop regional food systems. The bill modifies the Food Safety Outreach Program to move the program to the AMS, provide mandatory funding, and expand the project priorities. The bill also: establishes a national food safety cost-share program; reauthorizes the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program; authorizes rural development grants and loans to be used for meat, dairy, and poultry processing infrastructure; allows institutions participating in the school food programs to use locally grown, locally raised, or locally caught as a product specification; authorizes grants for produce prescription programs for low-income individuals and households; and reauthorizes the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and expands eligibility to include low-income veterans. The bill modifies the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program to: (1) require the majority of funds to be reserved for national or regional programs involving multiple states, and (2) expand the purposes of the program to include food waste reduction.

Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017

Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial Act This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Memorial at the Dam site in Los Angeles County, California, to honor the victims of the Saint Francis Dam disaster of March 12, 1928. The Memorial shall be managed by the Forest Service. USDA shall submit to Congress, by three years after this bill's enactment, recommendations regarding: the planning, design, construction, and long-term management of the Memorial; the proposed boundaries; a visitor center and educational facilities; and ensuring public access to the Memorial. The bill establishes the Saint Francis Dam Disaster National Monument on specified National Forest System land administered by USDA in Los Angeles County for the purpose of conserving and enhancing the cultural, archaeological, historical, watershed, educational, and recreational resources and values of the Monument. USDA shall develop a management plan for the Monument by four years after this bill's enactment. USDA shall manage the Monument: (1) in a manner that conserves and enhances its cultural and historic resources, and (2) in accordance with the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. The bill limits the use of motorized vehicles but permits grazing within the Monument.

FSA Loan Guarantee Enhancement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 5 October 2017

FSA Loan Guarantee Enhancement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to provide additional authority for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make and guarantee farm loans through the Farm Service Agency (FSA). The bill modifies the FSA's loan programs to: (1) increase the amount of unpaid debt permitted per borrower under farm ownership and operating loans guaranteed by USDA, (2) extend and increase the authorizations of funding to make or guarantee farm ownership and operating loans, and (3) require the authorization levels to be adjusted for inflation beginning in FY2019.

American Prairie Conservation Act

United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017

American Prairie Conservation Act This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to modify provisions, known as sodsaver provisions, that reduce benefits under the Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop insurance and noninsured crop disaster assistance programs for farmers who plant crops on native sod. The bill also amends the Agriculture Act of 2014 to extend the requirement for USDA to submit annual reports to Congress regarding cropland acreage.

Local FARMS Act

United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017

Local Food And Regional Market Supply Act or the Local FARMS Act This bill consolidates, modifies, and authorizes several Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs to expand regional or local food markets and implement food safety practices. The bill authorizes and provides mandatory funding for a new Agricultural Market Development Program that is administered by the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and consolidates: the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion Program, Value-Added Producer Grants, regional food chain coordination, and public-private partnerships to plan and develop regional food systems. The bill modifies the Food Safety Outreach Program to move the program to the AMS, provide mandatory funding, and expand the project priorities. The bill also: establishes a national food safety cost-share program; reauthorizes the National Organic Certification Cost-Share Program; authorizes rural development grants and loans to be used for meat, dairy, and poultry processing infrastructure; allows institutions participating in the school food programs to use locally grown, locally raised, or locally caught as a product specification; authorizes grants for produce prescription programs for low-income individuals and households; and reauthorizes the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program and expands eligibility to include low-income veterans. The bill modifies the Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program to: (1) require the majority of funds to be reserved for national or regional programs involving multiple states, and (2) expand the purposes of the program to include food waste reduction.

American Prairie Conservation Act

United States · United States Congress · 4 October 2017

American Prairie Conservation Act This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to modify provisions, known as sodsaver provisions, that reduce benefits under the Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop insurance and noninsured crop disaster assistance programs for farmers who plant crops on native sod. The bill also amends the Agriculture Act of 2014 to extend the requirement for USDA to submit annual reports to Congress regarding cropland acreage.

Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 October 2017

Wildland Firefighter Recognition Act This bill requires the Office of Personnel Management to develop a distinct wildland firefighter occupational series. The series must apply to the following positions:  forestry technician; range technician; other positions related to significant prevention, preparedness, control, suppression, or management activities for wildland firefighters; and other positions conducting activities necessary to meet any other emergency incident. The Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture must use the series in the advertising and hiring of a wildland firefighter. The bill requires an employee in a wildland firefighter occupational series to receive a pay differential based on the unusual physical hardship or hazardous nature of the position. An individual employed as a wildland firefighter on the date on which the occupational series takes effect may: (1) remain in the occupational series in which the individual is working, or (2) be included in the wildland firefighter occupational series.

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2017

United States · United States Senate · 28 September 2017

Making Rural America Count Act

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017

Making Rural America Count Act This bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture from including incarcerated prison populations when determining eligibility or the levels of assistance for rural development programs.

College Student Hunger Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017

College Student Hunger Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to expand the eligibility of students to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to include individuals enrolled in an institution of higher education who: (1) have an expected family contribution of zero, as determined by the procedures established the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA); or (2) are determined to be independent based on specified criteria included in the HEA.

Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017

Organic Farmer and Consumer Protection Act of 2017 This bill amends the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP). USDA must modernize the international trade tracking and data collection systems of the NOP, which must include ensuring that trade and transaction certificates are fully traceable without unduly hindering trade. The bill authorizes mandatory funding to be used for this purpose and for maintaining previous database and technology upgrades. The bill modifies requirements for recordkeeping, investigations, and enforcement with respect to the organic certification process to: allow parties to an active investigation to share confidential business information with government officers or employees and certifying agents involved in the investigation, require federal agencies that administer cross-border documentation systems to provide USDA with access to the data from the systems, allow the NOP to grant an accredited certifying agent the authority to require additional documentation or verification before granting certification, and require USDA to issue regulations limiting the type of operations that are excluded from certification. With respect to the accreditation process for certifying agents, the bill: (1) authorizes USDA to oversee and approve certifying agents operating in a foreign country, and (2) requires certifying agents that intend to operate in a foreign country to be annually authorized.

Supporting the goals and ideals of National Community Gardening Awareness Week.

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017

Supports the goals and ideals of National Community Gardening Awareness Week, including: raising awareness about the importance of community gardens and urban agriculture; improving access to public land for the creation of sustainable food projects; encouraging growth of community gardens; and supporting cooperative efforts among federal, state, and local governments and nonprofit organizations to promote the development and expansion of community gardens and to increase accessibility to disadvantaged population groups.

A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of National Community Gardening Awareness Week.

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2017

Supports the goals and ideals of National Community Gardening Awareness Week, including: raising awareness about the importance of community gardens and urban agriculture; improving access to public land for the creation of sustainable food projects; encouraging growth of community gardens; and supporting cooperative efforts among federal, state, and local governments and nonprofit organizations to promote the development and expansion of community gardens and to increase accessibility to disadvantaged population groups.

SNAP Vitamin and Mineral Improvement Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2017

SNAP Vitamin and Mineral Improvement Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to allow Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) benefits to be used to purchase multivitamin-mineral dietary supplements for home consumption. The supplements: (1) must provide at least half of the vitamins and minerals for which the National Academy of Medicine establishes dietary reference intakes at 50% or more of the daily value for the intended life stage per daily serving, as determined by the Food and Drug Administration; and (2) may not exceed the tolerable upper intake levels for those nutrients for which an established tolerable upper intake level is determined by the National Academy of Medicine.

Expressing support for the designation of September 25, 2017, as "National Lobster Day".

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017

Encourages the observance of National Lobster Day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2017

Small Business Disaster Relief Act of 2017 This bill amends the Small Business Act to authorize the Small Business Administration (SBA) to exceed the $100,000 limit on small business development center assistance grants to accommodate extraordinary occurrences having a catastrophic impact on small business concerns in a community. The bill amends the Disaster Relief Act of 1970 to permit: (1) the use of SBA and Farm Service Agency (formerly, Farmers Home Administration) loans for enterprises that are vital to recovery efforts in a disaster area (including debris removal services, manufactured housing, gasoline, telecommunications, or building materials); and (2) such loans to waive any required evaluation of creditworthiness in exchange for a fee set by the SBA or the Farm Service Agency.

Food Sharing Act of 2017

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2017

Food Sharing Act of 2017 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to: (1) reduce from $9 million to $8.5 million the annual limitation on the total amount of grants that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) may provide under the Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program, and (2) authorize USDA to establish a separate program to provide up to $500,000 annually for grants to establish and carry out gleaning projects. In a gleaning project, an eligible entity: (1) collects edible, surplus food that would be thrown away and distributes the food to agencies or nonprofit organizations that feed the hungry; or (2) harvests for free distribution to the needy, or for donation to agencies or nonprofit organizations for ultimate distribution to the needy, an agricultural crop that has been donated by the owner of the crop. The eligible entities include public food program service providers, tribal organizations, and private nonprofit entities that meet certain requirements for experience, demonstrated competency, cost-sharing, and a willingness to share information regarding the project.