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101 records in US in 2019
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
School Hunger Elimination Act of 2019 This bill revises requirements under the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program of the Department of Agriculture, including by expanding mandatory direct certification of low-income children for free or reduced-price meals.
United States · United States Congress · 30 October 2019
U.S. Beef Integrity Act This bill modifies label requirements for meat food products of cattle. Specifically, the bill prohibits the label of cattle meat or a meat food product of cattle from bearing the phrase Product of U.S.A. unless such meat or meat food product is exclusively derived from one or more cattle born, raised, and slaughtered in the United States. The requirement does not apply to cattle meat or a meat food product of cattle that is intended and offered for export to a foreign country.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019
ARPA-Terra Act of 2019 This bill establishes within the Department of Agriculture the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Terra (ARPA-Terra) to (1) overcome the long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of agricultural technologies that enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and resilience to extreme weather and infectious disease; and (2) ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced agricultural technologies that increase economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. ARPA-Terra must award grants to institutions of higher education and other entities to achieve its goals, including to accelerate early-stage research on agricultural technologies. ARPA-Terra must also implement agriculture technology projects that identify and promote revolutionary advances in fundamental sciences; translate scientific discoveries and cutting-edge inventions into technological innovations; and accelerate transformational technological advances in areas that, due to technical and financial uncertainty, industry is not likely to undertake without federal assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 29 October 2019
ARPA-Terra Act of 2019 This bill establishes within the Department of Agriculture the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Terra (ARPA-Terra) to (1) overcome the long-term and high-risk technological barriers in the development of agricultural technologies that enhance export competitiveness, environmental sustainability, and resilience to extreme weather and infectious disease; and (2) ensure that the United States maintains a technological lead in developing and deploying advanced agricultural technologies that increase economic opportunities for farmers, ranchers, and rural communities. ARPA-Terra must award grants to institutions of higher education and other entities to achieve its goals, including to accelerate early-stage research on agricultural technologies. ARPA-Terra must also implement agriculture technology projects that identify and promote revolutionary advances in fundamental sciences; translate scientific discoveries and cutting-edge inventions into technological innovations; and accelerate transformational technological advances in areas that, due to technical and financial uncertainty, industry is not likely to undertake without federal assistance.
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2019
McIntire-Stennis Act District of Columbia Equality Act This bill makes the District of Columbia eligible for funding under the McIntire-Stennis Cooperative Forestry Act. (Under the Act, the Department of Agriculture provides funding to states for forestry research and graduate training at colleges and universities.)
United States · United States Congress · 28 October 2019
Rebuild Rural America Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish the Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration and the Rural Future Partnership Fund to provide five-year renewable block grants to certified rural regions to implement locally-developed regional revitalization plans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2019
National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility Act of 2019 This bill provides statutory authority for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to act through the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to provide integrated research and development to defend U.S. agriculture and food against bio- and agro-terrorism threats. Specifically, the bill requires USDA to use the facility to implement research and development objectives to (1) develop veterinary countermeasures for emerging foreign animal diseases and animal transboundary diseases; and (2) provide advanced test, diagnostic, and evaluation capability for threat detection, vulnerability assessment, and veterinary countermeasure assessment for animal and zoonotic diseases.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2019
Rebuild Rural America Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish the Rural Innovation and Partnership Administration and the Rural Future Partnership Fund to provide five-year renewable block grants to certified rural regions to implement locally-developed regional revitalization plans.
United States · United States Congress · 24 October 2019
School Modernization and Efficient Access to Lunches for Students Act of 2019 or the School MEALS Act of 2019 This bill establishes programs and revises requirements relating to direct certification processes for the National School Lunch Program. Direct certification allows schools to use data matching procedures to approve school meals without the need for applications for children who receive assistance under other programs, such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program). Specifically, the bill directs the Department of Agriculture to provide grants and technical assistance for states and tribal organizations to improve their direct certification processes, including with respect to children who receive assistance under a food distribution program on Indian reservations. The bill also expands the time frame for schools to elect and gather eligibility data for the Community Eligibility Provision that permits schools in high-poverty areas to serve free meals to all enrolled students without the need for applications.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2019
Seeding Rural Resilience Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a public service announcement campaign to address the mental health of farmers and ranchers, including television, radio, print, outdoor, and digital public service announcements. Additionally, USDA must establish a voluntary program to train employees of the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service in the management of stress experienced by farmers and ranchers, including the detection of stress and suicide prevention; and convene a task force of agricultural and rural stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels to assess the causes of mental stress in farmers and ranchers and identify best practices for responding to such stress.
United States · United States Congress · 23 October 2019
Access Business Credit Act of 2019 or the ABC Act of 2019 This bill modifies the requirements for calculating taxable income to exclude from the gross income of certain banks interest received on small business loans of up to $5 million. The bill applies to loans that are (1) secured by land situated in the United States that is used or held by the small business in connection with the active conduct of a farming business, or (2) incurred in the ordinary course of the trade or business of the small business. To be eligible for the exclusion, the bank must have less than $50 billion in assets at the closing of the preceding taxable year.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 22 October 2019
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2019
Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2019 This bill sets forth provisions regarding development of geothermal, solar, or wind energy on public lands. The bill directs the Department of the Interior to establish priority areas on covered land (i.e., public land administered by Interior and not excluded under law from the development of geothermal, solar, or wind energy) for geothermal, solar, or wind energy projects. Other areas shall also be considered for the development of renewable energy projects under this bill, consistent with the principles of multiple use. Interior shall establish a program to improve federal permit coordination with respect to renewable energy projects carried out on covered land. Interior and the Department of Agriculture shall seek to issue permits that in total authorize the production of at least 25 gigawatts of electricity from geothermal, solar, or wind energy projects by the end of 2025. The bill provides for the disposition of revenues from the development of wind or solar energy on covered land. The bill establishes the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund to make funds available to federal, state, and tribal agencies for distribution in regions in which renewable energy projects are located on federal land for (1) restoring and protecting fish and wildlife habitat and corridors for affected species and water resources in areas affected by geothermal, solar, or wind energy development; and (2) preserving and improving recreational access to federal land and water in an affected region.
United States · United States Congress · 22 October 2019
This bill extends through FY2027 the authority of the Department of Agriculture to collect fees for a marina on the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 2019
Livestock Risk Management and Education Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide competitive grants to improve the farm management knowledge and skills of livestock producers. USDA must give priority to applicants that (1) demonstrate an ability to work directly with livestock producers, (2) collaborate with farm management educational programs and associations, and (3) include in their application a description of the curriculum the applicant is seeking to carry out to educate livestock producers on risk management through futures market participation and hedging strategies.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019
Shellfish Aquaculture Improvement Act of 2019 This bill limits the ability of an aquaculture worker to bring a civil action against an employer for employment-related injuries. Specifically, the bill limits recovery for injuries sustained by an aquaculture worker if (1) state workers' compensation is available to such individual; and (2) at the time of injury, the individual was engaged in aquaculture in a place where the individual had lawful access. An aquaculture worker is an individual employed by commercial enterprises involved in the controlled cultivation and harvest of aquatic plants and animals, including the cleaning, processing, or canning of fish and fish products, the cultivation and harvesting of shellfish, and the controlled growing and harvesting of other aquatic species.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019
Farm Support Integrity for Family Farms Act The bill modifies Department of Agriculture commodity programs with respect to (1) payment limitations, and (2) the requirement to be actively engaged in farming in order to receive payments.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019
Safe Food Act of 2019 This bill establishes the Food Safety Administration (FSA) as an independent agency to administer and enforce food safety laws. The functions of specified federal agencies that relate to the administration or enforcement of food safety laws are transferred to the FSA. The FSA is directed to promulgate regulations to protect the food supply from contamination; implement federal food safety inspection, labeling, enforcement, and research efforts to protect the public health; develop consistent and science-based standards for safe food; prioritize federal food safety efforts and deployment of resources to achieve the greatest benefit in reducing foodborne illness; administer a national food safety program based on an analysis of the hazards associated with different foods and the processing of different foods; require that all food and feed facilities register before operation or importation of food, feed, or ingredients; establish an accreditation system for foreign governments seeking to certify food for importation to the United States; establish requirements for tracing food and animals from point of origin to retail sale; establish and administer a food safety technology program to foster innovations with the potential to improve food safety; maintain or access an active surveillance system of food and epidemiological evidence; establish a sampling system to monitor contaminants in food; rank categories of food based on their health hazard; establish a national public education campaign on food safety; and conduct research relating to food safety. This bill includes provisions regarding prohibited acts, recall authority, penalties for violations of food safety laws, whistle-blower protection, and civil actions.
United States · United States Congress · 18 October 2019
This resolution recognizes (1) the contributions of American wines and distinctive American wine-growing regions; and (2) the value of promoting wines from the regions, including those protected by American Viticultural Area designations or other appellations of origin.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2019
America Grows Act of 2019 This bill require certain adjustments to the discretionary spending limits for FY2020-FY2024 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that conduct agricultural research. The bill requires adjustments for the following agencies within the Department of Agriculture: the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of these agencies to be at least the amount appropriated for FY2019. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 17 October 2019
This resolution designates October 16, 2019, and October 16, 2020, as World Food Day and encourages the people of the United States to observe the days with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Sustainable Municipal Access to Resilient Technology in Infrastructure Act or the SMART Infrastructure Act This bill directs a state or locality that receives funds from the Federal Highway Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), or the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to require open and free competition among suppliers of construction materials. The Department of Transportation, the EPA, the Corps of Engineers, and USDA shall establish an interagency task force to issue a comprehensive report on federally funded infrastructure projects.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
This resolution supports the designation of World Food Day and encourages the people of the United States to observe the days with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
United States · United States Congress · 16 October 2019
Universal School Meals Program Act of 2019 This bill revises requirements under the food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture, such as the school lunch and breakfast programs. For example, the bill provides free meals to all school children regardless of income. The bill increases the reimbursement rate for school food authorities participating in the food and nutrition programs. The bill also prohibits school food authorities from (1) physically segregating or otherwise discriminating against any child participating in the free breakfast program, or (2) overtly identifying a child participating in the program with a special token or announcement. Additionally, the bill expands the summer food service program by making all children eligible for participation in the program. Further, the bill revises eligibility determinations for measuring poverty to include runaway or homeless youth, foster children, migratory children, and children participating in specified programs (e.g., Head Start).
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
Universal School Meals Program Act of 2019 This bill revises requirements under the food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture, such as the school lunch and breakfast programs. For example, the bill provides free meals to all school children regardless of income. The bill increases the reimbursement rate for school food authorities participating in the food and nutrition programs. The bill also prohibits school food authorities from (1) physically segregating or otherwise discriminating against any child participating in the free lunch or breakfast program, or (2) overtly identifying a child participating in either program with a special token or announcement. Additionally, the bill expands the summer food service program by making all children eligible for participation in the program. Further, the bill revises eligibility determinations for measuring poverty to include runaway or homeless youth, foster children, migratory children, and children participating in specified programs (e.g., Head Start).
United States · United States Congress · 15 October 2019
Seeding Rural Resilience Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to implement a public service announcement campaign to address the mental health of farmers and ranchers, including television, radio, print, outdoor, and digital public service announcements. Additionally, USDA must establish a voluntary program to train employees of the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service in the management of stress experienced by farmers and ranchers, including the detection of stress and suicide prevention; and convene a task force of agricultural and rural stakeholders at the federal, state, and local levels to assess the causes of mental stress in farmers and ranchers and identify best practices for responding to such stress.
United States · United States Congress · 11 October 2019
Community Broadband Mapping Act This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service to award telecommunications grants to local governments, electric and telephone cooperatives, economic development and community groups, and small internet providers for collecting local broadband service information.
United States · United States Congress · 8 October 2019
This resolution supports the recognition of National Mushroom Day and honors the region of Chester and Berks Counties, Pennsylvania, for its unparalleled contributions to the national mushroom industry.
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 2019
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to award grants to public food service providers, tribal organizations, or private nonprofit entities for activities related to food recovery.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
Fair Sugar Policy Act of 2019 This bill makes several modifications to the Department of Agriculture's sugar program. Among other modifications, the bill decreases the rate for price support loans, repeals the marketing allotments, revises the administration of import quotas, and repeals the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2019
Fair Sugar Policy Act of 2019 This bill makes several modifications to the Department of Agriculture's sugar program. Among other modifications, the bill decreases the rate for price support loans, repeals the marketing allotments, revises the administration of import quotas, and repeals the Feedstock Flexibility Program.
United States · United States House of Representatives · 25 September 2019
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2019
Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program Extension Act of 2019 This bill extends the Department of Agriculture 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program. (Under current law, the program provides disaster payments to agricultural producers who suffered crop, tree, bush, and vine losses resulting from hurricanes and wildfires that occurred in the 2017 calendar year.) The bill extends the availability of the funding for the program through December 31, 2021, and expands the program to include losses resulting from hurricanes and wildfires occurring in calendar year 2018 or 2019.
United States · United States Congress · 25 September 2019
Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act or the CURD Act This bill provides statutory authority for a definition of natural cheese. Under the bill, natural cheese is defined as cheese that is produced from animal milk or certain dairy ingredients and is produced in accordance with established cheese-making standards.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2019
Farm to Table Safety Act This bill modifies the Department of Agriculture (USDA) food safety education program. Specifically, the bill requires USDA to (1) include farm workers in the program; and (2) expand the scope of the program to include practices that prevent bacterial contamination of food, methods of identifying sources of food contamination, and other means of decreasing food contamination.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2019
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019 This bill authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), every fiscal year, to hire, train, and assign 240 new agricultural specialists until the total number of specialists equals and sustains the requirements identified each year in the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model. The CBP may also hire, train, and assign support staff to assist the specialists and specified levels of agricultural canine teams. In calculating the number of specialists needed at each port of entry through the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model, the Office of Field Operations of the CBP must (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspections and other activities conducted at each such port of entry; and (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other projected changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current commercial forecasts, and other relevant information.
United States · United States Congress · 24 September 2019
Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2019 This bill allows energy tax credits through 2021 for investments in (1) qualified biogas property, or (2) qualified manure resource recovery property. "Qualified biogas property" comprises a system that (1) uses anaerobic digesters or other specified processes to convert biomass into a gas which is at least 52% methane, and (2) captures the gas for use as a fuel. The term includes property that cleans and conditions the gas for use as a fuel. "Qualified manure resource recovery property" comprises a system that uses specified processes to recover the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from a non-treated digestate or animal manure by reducing or separating at least 50% of the nutrients, excluding any reductions during the incineration, storage, composting, or field application of the non-treated digestate or animal manure. The term also includes certain processing equipment. The Department of the Treasury must enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a study of biogas and report to Congress on the study.
United States · United States Congress · 20 September 2019
Giving Agriculture Relief from Loopholes in International Commerce Act or the GARLIC Act This bill specifies that processed dried garlic and dried garlic mixed with minimal amounts of other vegetables are subject to the higher duty imposed on dried garlic instead of the lower duties imposed on further processed vegetables and other mixed vegetables.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Lead-Free Future Act of 2019 This bill addresses lead-based hazards, and their abatement, in residential properties. Specifically, the bill requires the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to award grants to state and local governments and certain nonprofit organizations for the purpose of evaluating and reducing lead-based hazards in residential properties constructed before 1978. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) may award grants to state and local governments to monitor blood lead levels in infants, children, and pregnant women and to educate the public on the risks of lead poisoning. To be eligible to receive funding from these grant programs and others addressing lead poisoning, a state or local government must have a blood lead reference level (i.e., the minimum concentration of lead at which it is recommended that public health actions be taken) at or below the level used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Applicants must also conduct an environmental investigation to identify environmental sources of lead exposure in residential properties and childcare facilities occupied by a child with an elevated blood lead level. In addition, HUD, the Department of Agriculture, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and the Department of Veterans Affairs must require alignment with specified federal laws, including those related to lead-risk assessment and lead-hazard remediation, as a condition of eligibility for federal mortgage programs and certain federally supported housing. These agencies must also test and remedy lead hazards in such housing.
United States · United States Congress · 19 September 2019
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2020 This bill provides FY2020 appropriations for the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies. The bill provides appropriations to USDA for Agricultural Programs, including the Office of the Secretary, Executive Operations, the Office of the Chief Information Officer, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the Office of Civil Rights, Agriculture Buildings and Facilities, Hazardous Materials Management, the Office of Inspector General, the Office of the General Counsel, the Office of Ethics, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, the Agricultural Research Service, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, the Agricultural Marketing Service, and the Food Safety and Inspection Service. The bill also provides appropriations to USDA for Farm Production and Conservation Programs, including the Farm Production and Conservation Business Center, the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. The bill provides appropriations to the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund and the Commodity Credit Corporation Fund. For USDA Rural Development programs, the bill includes appropriations for Rural Development Salaries and Expenses, the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, and the Rural Utilities Service. Within the Food and Nutrition Service budget, the bill includes appropriations for Child Nutrition Programs; the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program); the Commodity Assistance Program; and Nutrition Programs Administration. Within the Foreign Agricultural Service budget, the bill provides appropriations for Food for Peace Title II Grants and McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants. The bill also provides appropriations for the Food and Drug Administration and the Farm Credit Administration. Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2019
Continuing Appropriations Act, 2020, and Health Extenders Act of 2019 This bill provides FY2020 continuing appropriations to federal agencies through November 21, 2019. It is known as a continuing resolution (CR) and prevents a government shutdown that would otherwise occur when FY2020 begins on October 1, 2019, if the 12 regular appropriations bills that fund the federal government for FY2020 have not been enacted. The CR funds most projects and activities at the FY2019 levels with several exceptions that provide funding flexibility and additional appropriations to various programs. Additionally, the CR extends several programs that are scheduled to expire at the end of FY2019, including several health programs, the National Flood Insurance Program, the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program and related programs, several authorities related to immigration, the Calfed Bay-Delta Authorization Act, the Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, the Export-Import Bank of the United States, and the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. The bill also includes a provision that permits the Department of Agriculture to continue making payments to farmers affected by retaliatory tariffs by accelerating reimbursements to the Commodity Credit Corporation for certain net realized losses sustained in FY2019.
United States · United States Congress · 18 September 2019
Access to Healthy Food for Young Children Act of 2019 This bill revises several provisions related to the child and adult care food program. Among other things, the bill requires reimbursements to be adjusted annually to reflect the Consumer Price Index for food away from home, rather than the Consumer Price Index for food at home used under current law; provides for an additional meal service to be served in child care settings with eight or more hours between the first meal service and the beginning of the fourth meal service; expands geographical eligibility for tier I family or group day care homes; and requires the Department of Agriculture to establish an advisory committee to examine the feasibility of reducing unnecessary or duplicative paperwork for those participating or seeking to participate in the program.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2019
Special Forest Products Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program of charging and collecting fees for forest botanical products harvested on National Forest System (NFS) lands. Under the program, USDA may not permit forest botanical products to be harvested in excess of sustainable harvest levels. Collected fees must be in an amount to recover a portion of the fair market value of the harvested forest botanical products and a portion of all of the costs incurred by USDA that are associated with the granting, modifying, or monitoring of the authorization for harvest of the products, including the costs of any environmental or other analysis. USDA must establish a personal use harvest level for each forest botanical product. The harvesting of a forest botanical product below that level by a person for personal use shall not be subject to the charges and fees under this bill. USDA shall (1) conduct analyses to determine whether and how the harvest of forest botanical products on NFS lands can be conducted on a sustainable basis, and (2) establish procedures and timeframes for monitoring and revising the harvest levels established for such products. Funds collected under the program shall be expended at NFS units to pay for the costs of conducting inventories of forest botanical products, determining sustainable levels of harvest, monitoring and assessing the impacts of harvest levels and methods, restoration activities, and authorizing harvest.
United States · United States Congress · 17 September 2019
Bonding Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act of 2019 This bill revises bonding requirements for oil and gas development. Specifically, the bill increases the amount of bond that oil and gas developers must provide prior to conducting surface-disturbing activities and requires such amounts to adjust every three years for inflation. The bill also requires the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to establish uniform standards for all interim and final reclamation plans and not release any bond amounts until the standards have been met by oil and gas developers.
United States · United States Congress · 11 September 2019
Broadband Interagency Coordination Act of 2019 This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, and the Department of Agriculture to enter into an interagency agreement to coordinate the distribution of federal funds for new broadband deployment.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2019
Climate Stewardship Act of 2019 This bill provides funding and incentives for states, Indian tribes, local governments, and other entities to carry out climate stewardship practices, including farm and ranch conservation practices, reforestation projects, and wetland restoration projects. For example, the bill extends through FY2030 the Conservation Reserve Program, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and the Conservation Stewardship Program. It also modifies and increases funding levels for some of these programs. The Forest Service must award cost-share grants to states, Indian tribes, local governments, and nonprofit entities to conduct projects to reforest certain land. The bill also establishes a civilian conservation corps to provide youth from low-income communities, indigenous communities, and communities of color with the academic, vocational, and social skills necessary to pursue long-term, productive careers in the forest sector and the wetland restoration sector. Further, the bill sets forth a grant program for states, Indian tribes, local governments, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit entities to conduct coastal wetland restoration projects, including projects that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2019
Healthy Breakfasts Help Kids Learn Act of 2019 This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide additional food (known as commodity assistance) to states participating in the School Breakfast Program (SBP). (Under current law, USDA provides commodity assistance to states participating in the National School Lunch Program based on the number of lunches served. The food may also be served as part of the SBP or other child nutrition programs.) Specifically, the bill (1) repeals a provision that prohibits USDA from offering commodity assistance based on the number of school breakfasts served, and (2) requires USDA to use a specified formula to provide additional commodity assistance for each school breakfast served.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2019
America Grows Act of 2019 This bill require certain adjustments to the discretionary spending limits for FY2020-FY2024 to accommodate increases in appropriations for agencies that conduct agricultural research. The bill requires adjustments for the following agencies within the Department of Agriculture: the Agricultural Research Service, the Economic Research Service, the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. The bill also requires annual appropriations for each of these agencies to be at least the amount appropriated for FY2019. The bill exempts appropriations provided pursuant to this bill from sequestration. Sequestration is a process of automatic, usually across-the-board spending reductions under which budgetary resources are permanently cancelled to enforce specific budget policy goals.
United States · United States Congress · 10 September 2019
Climate Stewardship Act of 2019 This bill provides funding and incentives for states, Indian tribes, local governments, and other entities to carry out climate stewardship practices, including farm and ranch conservation practices, reforestation projects, and wetland restoration projects. For example, the bill extends through FY2030 the Conservation Reserve Program, the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and the Conservation Stewardship Program. It also modifies and increases funding levels for some of these programs. The Forest Service must award cost-share grants to states, Indian tribes, local governments, and nonprofit entities to conduct projects to reforest certain land. The bill also establishes a civilian conservation corps to provide youth from low-income communities, indigenous communities, and communities of color with the academic, vocational, and social skills necessary to pursue long-term, productive careers in the forest sector and the wetland restoration sector. Further, the bill sets forth a grant program for states, Indian tribes, local governments, institutions of higher education, and nonprofit entities to conduct coastal wetland restoration projects, including projects that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
United States · United States Congress · 27 August 2019
Animal Welfare Enforcement Improvement Act This bill revises the licensing process of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for animal dealers and exhibitors to expand USDA's oversight and enforcement of animal welfare requirements. The bill also authorizes citizen suits to enforce the Animal Welfare Act. Dealers and exhibitors must apply to USDA for licenses or renewal licenses each year. Before issuing or renewing licenses, USDA must conduct unannounced facility inspections. USDA must deny an application for a new license if the applicant fails to meet animal welfare standards during a second inspection, a renewal license if the applicant violates such standards in more than one inspection in the previous two years, or a new or renewal license if the dealer or exhibitor has violated laws relating to animals or if the issuance of the license would facilitate the circumvention of state or local laws that prohibit the private ownership of certain animals. Further, USDA must suspend the licenses of dealers or exhibitors whose violations present a risk to animal welfare. USDA must revoke the licenses if the violations persist or if the licensees commit multiple violations. Dealers and exhibitors with suspended or revoked licenses may not be (1) granted another license, (2) granted another license through another person or entity, or (3) employed by another licensee to work with animals during the period of the suspension or revocation.