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Bill· SS. 4357 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 July 2020
Repairing Existing Public Land by Adding Necessary Trees Act or the REPLANT Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) annually for each of the 10 years after enactment of this bill to transmit to Congress an estimate of the sums necessary to be appropriated, in addition to the funds available from other sources, to replant and otherwise treat an acreage equal to the acreage to be cut over that year, plus a sufficient portion of the backlog of lands found to be in need of treatment to eliminate the backlog within the 10-year period. After such 10-year period, USDA shall transmit annually to Congress an estimate of the sums necessary to replant and otherwise treat all lands being cut over and maintain planned timber production on all other forested lands in the National Forest System to prevent the development of a backlog of needed work larger than the needed work at the beginning of the fiscal year. Each reforestation activity included in a renewable resource assessment shall be carried out in accordance with applicable Forest Service management practices and definitions, including those contained in a specified amendment and regulations related to silvicultural practices. The Forest Service shall, based on recommendations from regional foresters, create a priority list of reforestation projects that primarily take place on priority land, promote effective reforestation following unplanned events, and may include activities to ensure adequate and appropriate seed availability. USDA shall give priority to projects on the priority list.
Bill· SS. 4336 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2020
Reforming, Expanding, and Simplifying Investment for Local Infrastructure to Enhance our Neighborhoods and Towns Act or the RESILIENT Act This bill establishes the Rural Partnerships Office within the Department of Agriculture and otherwise authorizes policies and programs within various federal agencies to assist rural communities in the strategic planning, design, financing, and implementation of infrastructure (e.g., water, transportation, broadband, and energy) projects, including by providing technical assistance for such projects.
Bill· SS. 4338 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 2020
Safe Line Speeds During COVID-19 Act of 2020 This bill directs the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to temporarily suspend any waivers and not issue new waivers related to line speeds in meat and poultry establishments and inspection staffing requirements for such establishments through 90 days after the date on which the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period is lifted. Additionally, the implementation of, and conversion to, the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System must be suspended. No funds made available to USDA during such period shall be used to develop, propose, finalize, issue, amend, or implement any policy, regulation, directive, constituent update, or any other agency program that would increase line speeds at meat and poultry establishments. Not later than 90 days after the end of the period, the Government Accountability Office shall conduct a review of actions taken by specific federal agencies, including USDA, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the effectiveness of such actions in protecting animal, food, and worker safety.
Bill· HRH.R. 7794 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
Emergency SNAP Flexibilities Extension Act This bill extends existing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) flexibilities for states during the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. Under current law, the Department of Agriculture (USDA) has temporarily waived certain requirements under SNAP due to COVID-19. Specifically, the bill authorizes states to extend through June 30, 2021, SNAP certification periods and adjust periodic reporting and interview requirements for some or all participating households without USDA approval. Additionally, states may allow household reporting requirements to satisfy the recertification requirements for some or all participating households with recertification periods set to expire on or before December 31, 2021.
Bill· SS. 4321 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2020
Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act This bill establishes funding for, expands, and provides additional economic assistance to small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the Small Business Administration (SBA) is authorized to provide second draw loans of up to $2 million under the Paycheck Protection Program. A recipient shall be eligible for forgiveness of a second draw loan in the same manner as an initial paycheck protection loan. The SBA may also provide loans of up to $10 million to recovery sector small businesses (e.g., certain seasonal businesses and businesses located in low-income census tracts) to meet working capital needs, acquire fixed assets, or refinance existing indebtedness while recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Among other requirements, a loan recipient must demonstrate at least a 50% reduction in gross revenues. Further the bill modifies the Paycheck Protection Program by, among other things, (1) expanding forgivable expenses, (2) allowing borrowers to select an eight-week period through December 31, 2020, to use their paycheck protection loan, (3) simplifying the forgiveness application for smaller loans, (4) expanding eligibility to certain chambers of commerce and destination marketing organizations, and (5) establishing a specific loan calculation for farmers and ranchers. Lastly, the SBA must establish and carry out a facility to improve the recovery of eligible small businesses from the COVID-19 pandemic, increase resiliency in the manufacturing supply chain of small businesses, and increase economic development of small business low-income census tracts by providing financial assistance to participating investment companies that facilitate equity financing to eligible small businesses.
Bill· HRH.R. 7758 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Assistance for Rural Health, Safety and Educational Facilities Act This bill authorizes and provides funding for Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance to rural hospital, health, public safety, and education facilities affected by the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency. USDA may (1) provide grants to such entities; (2) provide a zero or 1% interest loan, loan forgiveness, or loan modifications to such entities; and (3) reduce or eliminate any fee that would otherwise be required to be paid with respect to a loan guarantee provided to such entities. Such assistance may be provided to (1) ensure that such entities have the necessary resources to maintain public health, safety, or order; (2) address financial hardships of such entities due to COVID-19; and (3) promote the financial stability of such entities.
Bill· HRH.R. 7745 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Protecting Fairs During Coronavirus Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program to address the effects of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic on state and local fairs. In carrying out the program, USDA may provide competitive grants to states (i.e., the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territories of the United States). A state may only use grant funds provided under the program to assist a state agricultural agency to address cost coverage issues related to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on state and local fairs, including by identifying opportunities to provide virtual education and entertainment related to agriculture.
Bill· HRH.R. 7764 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Child Nutrition Relief Act of 2020 This bill extends the authority of the Department of Agriculture to waive certain requirements for the school meal programs due to COVID-19.
Bill· SS. 4292 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Saving American History Act of 2020 This bill prohibits the use of federal funds by an elementary or secondary school to teach the 1619 Project or by a local educational agency (LEA) to support its teaching in public schools. (The 1619 Project is an initiative that addresses the beginning of slavery in the United States.) Additionally, an elementary or secondary school that teaches this project or an LEA that supports its teaching in public schools is ineligible to receive federal funds for professional development. Further, the Departments of Education, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services must reduce federal funds in a prorated amount to an elementary or secondary school that teaches this project or an LEA that supports its teaching in public schools. However, federal funding shall not be reduced for programs for low-income students (e.g., free or reduced-price lunch) or students with disabilities.
Bill· SS. 4298 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 July 2020
Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants Act or the RAMP-UP Act This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department of Agriculture to provide grants to meat and poultry processing facilities for assistance with costs incurred in making improvements to such facilities and carrying out other planning activities necessary to be subject to inspection and allow for interstate shipment of their products. Each grant shall not exceed $100,000. Grant recipients must provide matching nonfederal funds in an amount equal to the amount of a grant, except for grants awarded in FY2020 or FY2021.
Bill· SS. 4286 (116th)open
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
Research Investment to Spark the Economy Act or the RISE Act This bill authorizes the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, Education, Energy, the Interior, and Health and Human Services and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation, and Environmental Protection Agency to provide support for research regarding COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) or research disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Support under this bill shall be provided through federal science agencies with at least $50 million in basic and applied research obligations in FY2020. Support may be used to provide supplemental funding to extend the duration of a grant to a research institution or national laboratory that was awarded prior to the enactment of this bill, or to expand the purposes of such a grant as specified; provide supplemental funding through existing competitively awarded cooperative agreements and contracts to cover the increased costs of construction of scientific facilities and equipment that have been delayed because of COVID-19; and award grants and cooperative agreements to institutions of higher education to conduct research on the behavioral, social, or economic effects of COVID-19 and the responses to the disease or on the effectiveness of such responses. Agencies must provide the support as rapidly as possible. Provided funds shall remain available for expenditure for up to two years.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 656 (116th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
This resolution (1) designates July 2020 as National Blueberry Month; and (2) recognizes the contributions of blueberry growers in the United States and their families, and that purchasing blueberries grown in the United States supports farmers, jobs, and the economy of the United States.
Bill· HRH.R. 7721 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
Farm Labor Expansion Act of 2020 or the FLEX Act This bill allows farmers a new tax credit for 40% of the first-year wages paid to eligible replacement workers. The bill defines an eligible replacement worker as any individual who began a period of unemployment after March 27, 2020, and was receiving unemployment compensation during such period, and performs for the employer substantially the same job functions as temporary agricultural workers. The bill limits the amount of wages taken into account for any employee for purposes of the credit to $25,000 for all taxable years and terminates the credit two years after the enactment of this bill.
Bill· SS. 4288 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2020
Badger-Two Medicine Protection Act This bill establishes the Badger-Two Medicine Cultural Heritage Area in Montana. The Department of Agriculture must develop a comprehensive plan for the long-term protection and management of the Cultural Heritage Area as an amendment to the land and resource management plan for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana.
Resolution· HRESH.Res. 1058 (116th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
This resolution elects a specified Member to the following House committees: (1) Agriculture, and (2) the Budget.
Bill· HRH.R. 7704 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Pilot Program to award grants to local educational agencies for (1) projects that hire qualified, full-time food and nutrition educators to carry out programs in schools that have the goal of improving student health and nutrition; and (2) projects that fund school gardens or other evidence-based interventions relating to student health and nutrition to create hands-on learning opportunities for students. In awarding grants under the program, USDA must prioritize projects that serve schools or districts (1) in which not less than 40% of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, or (2) that include neighborhoods with high rates of childhood obesity or other diet-related diseases.
Bill· SS. 4233 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
Loggers Relief Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make payments to a timber harvesting business or timber hauling business that, as a result of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, experienced a loss of not less than 10% in gross revenue during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on July 31, 2020, as compared to its gross revenue during the same period in 2019. The amount of a payment made to an eligible entity shall be equal to 10% of the gross revenue of the business during the period beginning on January 1, 2019, and ending on July 31, 2019. USDA shall make such a payment only to a business that certifies that the payment will be used only for operating expenses.
Bill· SS. 4235 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2020
Agricultural Security Risk Review Act This bill expands the membership of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to include the Secretary of Agriculture. The committee reviews the national security implications of certain foreign investments in U.S. businesses or real estate, including critical infrastructure or technologies.
Bill· HRH.R. 7680 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
Reinforcing Utility Restoration After Losses (RURAL) Act This bill provides authority and funding for the Department of Agriculture to establish a loan program for certain rural utility service providers (e.g., electric, telecommunications, or waste disposal service providers) to replace specified losses during a federally declared disaster or emergency. During such a disaster or emergency, interest on the loan shall not accrue, and repayment of principal shall not be required. Borrowers may qualify for partial loan forgiveness if certain requirements are met. The bill also establishes and provides funding for a Rural Utility Bridge Loan Fund to implement the program.
Bill· HRH.R. 7690 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 July 2020
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make payments to a timber harvesting business or timber hauling business that, as a result of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic, experienced a loss of not less than 10% in gross revenue during the period beginning on January 1, 2020, and ending on July 31, 2020, as compared to its gross revenue during the same period in 2019. The amount of a payment made to an eligible entity shall be equal to 10% of the gross revenue of the business during the period beginning on January 1, 2019, and ending on July 31, 2019. USDA shall make such a payment only to a business that certifies that the payment will be used only for operating expenses.
Bill· HRH.R. 7619 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Expanding Assistance to Farmers Act of 2020 This bill expands allowable uses and forgivable expenses for amounts provided under the Paycheck Protection Program, established to support small businesses in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019), to include certain property rental payments made by an agricultural enterprise. Such rental payments must be made on property that is used solely for the agricultural enterprise and shall include equipment (e.g., tractors, combines, and planters), land, and buildings.
Bill· HRH.R. 7656 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2020
Food and Farm Emergency Assistance Act This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide competitive grants to agricultural producers and other agricultural entities to support worker and public health and safety, or to adapt production, processing, distribution, and sales systems, in response to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). In awarding grants, preference shall be given to applications containing proposals intended to (1) expand access to food for participants in USDA food and nutrition programs; (2) enhance food distribution in high-need or underserved areas; (3) address local agricultural product oversupply issues and reduce food waste; or (4) benefit young, beginning, or socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. The amount of a grant shall not exceed $15,000 for individual agricultural producers and $35,000 for other agricultural entities. USDA must conduct outreach to states and eligible entities with respect to the availability of grants under the bill.
Bill· HRH.R. 7608 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2020
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021 This bill provides FY2021 appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs. The bill provides appropriations to the State Department for Administration of Foreign Affairs, International Organizations, and International Commissions. The bill provides appropriations for Related Agencies and Related Programs, including the U.S. Agency for Global Media, the Asia Foundation, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Center for Middle Eastern-Western Dialogue Trust Fund, the Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship Program, the Israeli Arab Scholarship Program, the East-West Center, and the National Endowment for Democracy. The bill provides appropriations for Other Commissions, including the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom, the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Congressional-Executive Commission on the People's Republic of China, and the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The bill provides appropriations to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the State Department and the President for International Security Assistance, and the President and International Financial Institutions for Multilateral Assistance. The bill provides appropriations for Bilateral Economic Assistance to the President; the State Department; Independent Agencies, including the Peace Corps, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, the Inter-American Foundation, and the U.S. African Development Foundation; and the Department of the Treasury. The bill provides appropriations for Export and Investment Assistance to the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency. The bill also includes provisions that provide emergency funding for expenses to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus (i.e., the virus that causes COVID-19); establish the People-to-People Partnership for Peace Fund to fund projects that help build the foundation for a peaceful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians and a sustainable two-state solution; and establish the Joint Investment of Peace Initiative to support the development of the Palestinian private sector economy and increased economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians. The bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.
Bill· HRH.R. 7610 (116th)open
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2020
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021 This bill provides FY2021 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 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. The bill provides appropriations to the Food and Nutrition Service 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. The bill provides appropriations to the Foreign Agricultural Service for (1) Food for Peace Title II Grants, and (2) McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program Grants. The bill also provides appropriations for the Food and Drug Administration, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and the Farm Credit Administration. Additionally, the bill sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts.
Bill· HRH.R. 7554 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
American Farmers, Food Banks, and Families Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the position of Domestic Agriculture Supply Chain Administrator. The Administrator must carry out activities in the interest of assisting farmers in entering their products into the domestic market; act as a liaison to connect farmers with food banks, schools, grocers, restaurants, and nonprofit organizations to expand domestic market access for organizations that are in need of agricultural products; identify barriers, either regulatory or legal, that prevent or inhibit farmers from entering their products into the domestic market through food distribution networks or other entities; and make recommendations to USDA regarding the means by which to remove such barriers. Additionally, USDA must establish a catalog or data resource that is capable of recording (1) farms that have excess agricultural products, and (2) food distribution organizations that are in need of certain agricultural products.
Bill· HRH.R. 7521 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Safe Line Speeds in COVID-19 Act This bill directs the Food Safety and Inspection Service of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), for the duration of the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) emergency period, to suspend any waivers and not issue new waivers related to line speeds in meat and poultry establishments and inspection staffing requirements for such establishments. Additionally, the implementation of, and conversion to, the New Swine Slaughter Inspection System must be suspended. No funds made available to USDA during the COVID-19 emergency period shall be used to develop, propose, finalize, issue, amend, or implement any policy, regulation, directive, constituent update, or any other agency program that would increase line speeds at meat and poultry establishments. Upon termination of the COVID-19 emergency period, the Government Accountability Office shall conduct a review of actions taken by specific federal agencies, including USDA, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to determine the effectiveness of such actions in protecting animal, food, and worker safety.
Bill· HRH.R. 7571 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Facilitating Reforms that Offer Necessary Telehealth In Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of certain telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill removes restrictions that require the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) to be in certain rural areas and to be a specific type of facility, if the services (1) are mental health services furnished in a frontier state, or (2) are furnished in an Indian Health Service facility. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Agriculture must award grants for broadband infrastructure in frontier states to support the provision of mental health services via telehealth under Medicare.
Bill· HRH.R. 7501 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
This bill establishes that a minimum of 50% of a covered packer's weekly volume of livestock slaughter must be purchased through spot market sales from nonaffiliated producers. (The term covered packer applies to a packer that is required to report to the Department of Agriculture each reporting day information on the price and quantity of livestock purchased by such packer and does not include a packer that owns only one livestock processing plant.) A spot market sale is a purchase and sale of livestock by a packer from a producer under (1) an agreement that specifies a firm base price that may be equated with a fixed dollar amount on the date the agreement is entered into, (2) which the livestock are slaughtered not more than 14 days after the date on which the agreement is entered into, and (3) circumstances in which a reasonable competitive bidding opportunity exists on the date on which the agreement is entered into.
Bill· HRH.R. 7535 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2020
Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2020 This bill revises the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to make the online redemption of benefits, including the acceptance of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, more widely available by requiring the implementation of online SNAP purchasing in every state and providing funding for an online redemption portal and a technical assistance center. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must award on a competitive basis one or more contracts to develop an EBT Online Redemption Portal to (1) allow program participants to use online or mobile electronic benefits transactions to purchase program foods from, and make online payments to, authorized program retailers under SNAP; and (2) facilitate food purchase delivery for program participants using such electronic benefits transactions. The Food and Nutrition Service of USDA must award competitive grants or enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit entities to establish a SNAP Online Purchasing Technical Assistance Center to provide state agencies, authorized program retailers, and program participants information on and technical assistance with accepting SNAP benefits through online transactions and use of the portal. In providing technical assistance, the center must give priority to entities that are small and limited-resource retailers. The bill provides funding for both the online redemption portal and the technical assistance center. USDA must maintain on its website a publicly available listing, organized and searchable by region, locality, and state, of all approved retail food stores accepting benefits from recipients of SNAP, including through online transactions.
Bill· HRH.R. 7490 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 2020
Requiring Assistance to Meat Processors for Upgrading Plants Act or the RAMP-UP Act This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department of Agriculture to provide grants to meat and poultry processing facilities for assistance with costs incurred in making improvements to such facilities and carrying out other planning activities necessary to be subject to inspection and allow for interstate shipment of their products. Each grant shall not exceed $100,000. Grant recipients must provide matching nonfederal funds in an amount equal to the amount of a grant, except for grants awarded in FY2020 or FY2021.
Bill· HRH.R. 7483 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Flexible Financing for Rural America Act of 2020 This bill allows rural utility service providers to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a request to adjust the interest rate or modify the terms of certain loans. The request shall include a report summarizing how the adjustment or modification will assist the borrower in providing critical utility services to a rural community. Specifically, on receipt of a request, USDA must adjust the interest rate on the loan to match certain interest rates in effect when the bill is enacted for obligations of comparable maturity to the term remaining on the loan (or a higher rate requested by the borrower), and make modifications to the loan terms as necessary to address changes in the financial position of the borrower due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency and to promote the financial sustainability of the borrower. In carrying out the adjustments or modifications, USDA shall not impose or collect any fee from, or impose any penalty on, a borrower. The bill also provides funding to implement the adjustments and modifications.
Bill· HRH.R. 7482 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Future of Agricultural Resiliency And Modernization Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to award grants to certain entities, including states, local governments, and nonprofit organizations, to carry out projects that further agricultural resiliency and modernization, such as projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions; improve air, water, and soil health; and increase carbon sequestration. Additionally, USDA must establish a program to award grants to governmental organizations and private entities in the agricultural sector to carry out at least 10 pilot projects with the potential to reduce or sequester greenhouse emissions that convert and valorize tree nut harvest by-products and waste into multiple higher value biocarbon products, including sustainable industrial applications, agrochemicals, repurposing process heat, energy, and construction materials.
Bill· SS. 4189 (116th)open
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Water for Conservation and Farming Act This bill establishes a funding source for certain water resources development projects in western states. The bill also establishes new water resources development programs, as well as reauthorizes and expands existing ones. Specifically, the bill establishes a Bureau of Reclamation Infrastructure Fund to fund water-related programs, including water reclamation and reuse projects, dam safety projects, and the WaterSMART program (which provides assistance to eligible government entities to increase water supply). Each year from FY2031-FY2061, the Department of the Interior must deposit $300 million of revenues into this fund that would otherwise be deposited into the Reclamation Fund (which currently funds irrigation works in western states). The bill also reauthorizes through FY2025 the WaterSMART program and expands the program, including by expanding the types of entities eligible for assistance. In addition, the bill reauthorizes through FY2024 the Cooperative Watershed Management Program (which provides assistance to watershed groups to address water management needs) and expands the program to include projects that generate environmental benefits. The bill also establishes new programs directed at western states to provide assistance to agricultural producers to create and maintain waterbird and shorebird habitats, award grants to eligible government entities and nonprofit conservation organizations for habitat restoration projects that improve watershed health, and provide assistance to eligible government entities and nonprofit organizations for aquatic ecosystem and restoration projects.
Bill· SS. 4152 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Flexible Financing for Rural America Act of 2020 This bill allows rural utility service providers to submit to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a request to adjust the interest rate or modify the terms of certain loans. The request shall include a report summarizing how the adjustment or modification will assist the borrower in providing critical utility services to a rural community. Specifically, on receipt of a request, USDA must adjust the interest rate on the loan to match certain interest rates in effect when the bill is enacted for obligations of comparable maturity to the term remaining on the loan (or a higher rate requested by the borrower), and make modifications to the loan terms as necessary to address changes in the financial position of the borrower due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) public health emergency and to promote the financial sustainability of the borrower. In carrying out the adjustments or modifications, USDA shall not impose or collect any fee from, or impose any penalty on, a borrower. The bill also provides funding to implement the adjustments and modifications.
Bill· SS. 4156 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Responding to Epidemic Losses and Investing in the Economic Future for Producers Act of 2020 or the RELIEF for Producers Act of 2020 This bill establishes requirements and provides funding for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make payments to livestock and poultry producers to offset losses related to the intentional depopulation of livestock and poultry due to insufficient access to meat or poultry processing during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The bill also provides additional funding to USDA for animal disease prevention and management programs.
Bill· SS. 4211 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Facilitating Reforms that Offer Necessary Telehealth In Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act This bill modifies requirements relating to coverage of certain telehealth services under Medicare. Specifically, the bill removes restrictions that require the originating site (i.e., the location of the beneficiary) to be in certain rural areas and to be a specific type of facility, if the services (1) are mental health services furnished in a frontier state, or (2) are furnished in an Indian Health Service facility. Additionally, the Federal Communications Commission and the Department of Agriculture must award grants for broadband infrastructure in frontier states to support the provision of mental health services via telehealth under Medicare.
Bill· SS. 4202 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
Expanding SNAP Options Act of 2020 This bill revises the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to make the online redemption of benefits, including the acceptance of Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards, more widely available by requiring the implementation of online SNAP purchasing in every state and providing funding for an online redemption portal and a technical assistance center. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must award on a competitive basis one or more contracts to develop an EBT Online Redemption Portal to (1) allow program participants to use online or mobile electronic benefits transactions to purchase program foods from, and make online payments to, authorized program retailers under SNAP; and (2) facilitate food purchase delivery for program participants using such electronic benefits transactions. The Food and Nutrition Service of USDA must award competitive grants or enter into cooperative agreements with nonprofit entities to establish a SNAP Online Purchasing Technical Assistance Center to provide state agencies, authorized program retailers, and program participants information on and technical assistance with accepting SNAP benefits through online transactions and use of the portal. In providing technical assistance, the center must give priority to entities that are small and limited-resource retailers. The bill provides funding for both the online redemption portal and the technical assistance center. USDA must maintain on its website a publicly available listing, organized and searchable by region, locality, and state, of all approved retail food stores accepting benefits from recipients of SNAP, including through online transactions.
Resolution· SRESS.Res. 649 (116th)passed
United States · United States Congress · 2 July 2020
This resolution supports the designation of July 2020 as American Grown Flower Month.
Bill· HRH.R. 7454 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act This bill revises the Good Neighbor Authority program to modify the treatment of revenue from timber sale contracts under good neighbor agreements with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior. (The Good Neighbor Authority permits USDA and Interior to enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with states, counties, and Indian tribes to perform forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration services on federal land managed by the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management.) Specifically, the bill (1) requires Indian tribes and counties to retain revenue generated from timber sales under a good neighbor agreement; and (2) allows states, counties, and Indian tribes to use such revenue for authorized restoration projects on nonfederal lands under a good neighbor agreement. (Under current law, only a state is permitted to retain the revenues, and the revenues must be used for restoration projects on federal land.)
Bill· HRH.R. 7452 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Relief for Rural Development Borrowers Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pay the principal, interest, and any associated fees owed on certain USDA rural development loans for a six-month period.
Bill· HRH.R. 7458 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
U.S. Pork Producer Assistance Act of 2020 This bill provides supplemental funding for the Department of Agriculture to provide support payments to domestic pork producers with losses of market-ready hogs due to the COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
Bill· SS. 4127 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Treating Tribes and Counties as Good Neighbors Act This bill revises the Good Neighbor Authority program to modify the treatment of revenue from timber sale contracts under good neighbor agreements with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of the Interior. (The Good Neighbor Authority permits USDA and Interior to enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with states, counties, and Indian tribes to perform forest, rangeland, and watershed restoration services on federal land managed by the Forest Service or the Bureau of Land Management.) Specifically, the bill (1) requires Indian tribes and counties to retain revenue generated from timber sales under a good neighbor agreement; and (2) allows states, counties, and Indian tribes to use such revenue for authorized restoration projects on nonfederal lands under a good neighbor agreement. (Under current law, only a state is permitted to retain the revenues, and the revenues must be used for restoration projects on federal land.)
Bill· SS. 4140 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 1 July 2020
Local Food Assistance and Resilient Markets Act of 2020 or the Local FARM Act of 2020 This bill addresses provisions related to programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA), including the Specialty Block Grant Program, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program), the Loan Agriculture Market Program, and the Farm Microloan Program. USDA must provide grants to states under the Specialty Block Grant Program to procure and distribute specialty crops to needy persons at zero cost to those persons. Each grant distributed shall not exceed $2.5 million. The Food and Nutrition Service of USDA must distribute grants to state agencies to develop tools and provide technical assistance to (1) increase the quantity of retailers that accept and redeem SNAP benefits online, and (2) expand the capacity of retailers to accept and redeem SNAP benefits online. The bill temporarily reduces the matching funds requirement for certain nutrition programs under the Local Agriculture Market Program. Additionally, the bill expands funding under such program to include (1) providing grants to organizations that serve socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers, and (2) making payments to certain entities for COVID-19-related losses. The bill also extends the Farm Microloan Program and temporarily waives certain eligibility requirements for the program during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Bill· HRH.R. 7425 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 2020
Direct Interstate Retail Exemption for Certain Transactions Act or the DIRECT Act This bill allows meat and poultry products inspected by State Meat and Poultry Inspection programs to be sold by retail stores, restaurants, or similar retail-type establishments over the internet and shipped by a carrier in commerce (other than for export to a foreign country), provided the meat and poultry products so inspected are shipped directly to household consumers and in normal retail quantities. (Under the inspection programs, the Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service allows states that meet certain requirements to inspect meat and poultry. The state-inspected products are currently limited to intrastate commerce, unless a state opts into a separate Cooperative Interstate Shipment Program.)
Bill· HRH.R. 7393 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 June 2020
Growing Climate Solutions Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a voluntary program to certify technical assistance providers and third-party verifiers that assist farmers, ranchers, or private forest landowners in preventing or mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, sequestering carbon, or verifying processes described in protocols for greenhouse gas credit markets.
Bill· HRH.R. 7349 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2020
Enhancing Administrative Reviews for Broadband Deployment Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to report to Congress on communications use authorizations (i.e., authorizations to modify or locate communications facilities on public lands). Specifically, Interior and USDA must (1) provide an assessment on programmatic or administrative barriers to reviewing communications use authorizations, (2) provide an assessment of whether there are rules or regulations that could be revised to improve the efficiency of reviewing communications use authorizations, (3) describe the process for prioritizing the review of communications use authorizations, and (4) provide a plan to ensure adequate staffing to review communications use authorizations in a timely manner.
Bill· HRH.R. 7367 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2020
Facilitating the Deployment of Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act or the Facilitating DIGITAL Applications Act This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to submit a report every 60 days describing whether the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture have established online portals for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of a Form 299, as well as any barriers to the establishment of such portals. Form 299 is the application form for the right to install, construct, modify, or maintain a communications facility on federal real property. Both agencies shall notify the NTIA not later than three business days after establishing their online portals.
Bill· HRH.R. 7377 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2020
Deploying Infrastructure with Greater Internet Transactions And Legacy Applications Act or the DIGITAL Applications Act This bill requires the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior to establish online portals for the acceptance, processing, and disposal of a Form 299. Form 299 is the application form for the right to install, construct, modify, or maintain a communications facility on federal real property. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration must publish links to each portal on its website.
Bill· SS. 4087 (116th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2020
Carson City Public Land Correction Act This bill provides for the conveyance of federal land in Carson City, Nevada. The Department of the Interior must convey approximately 258 acres of identified federal land to Carson City. The Department of Agriculture shall convey to Carson City, without consideration, a parcel of approximately 0.45 acres of identified Forest Service land for the expansion of a roadway in the city. Interior shall dispose of approximately 28 acres of federal land identified as the Prison Hills Property. On the disposal of such land, Carson City shall retain (1) a public utility easement, concurrent with Koontz Lane and Conti Drive in the city, that provides waterlines and access to the water tank immediately east of such parcels of federal land; and (2) an existing drainage easement for a future detention basin. If Carson City offers to convey to Interior the approximately 21 acres of land identified as Bennett Ave Properties and Pinion Hills Dr Property, Interior shall accept the offer and then dispose of the land conveyed to it. Carson City may enter into an agreement to sell, lease, or otherwise convey all or a portion of the approximately 75 acres of identified city land in which the Bureau of Land Management has a reversionary interest to third parties for public purposes. The bill provides for the disposition of the proceeds of the land sales conducted pursuant to this bill.
Law· SS. 4054 (116th)open
United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2020
United States Grain Standards Reauthorization Act of 2020 This bill reauthorizes through FY2025 the United States Grain Standards Act, which authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish official marketing standards for grains, and to provide procedures for grain inspection and weighing. Additionally, the bill requires a state agency to notify customers or applicants for weighing or inspection services if it intends to temporarily discontinue the services; extends the authority of USDA to collect fees to fund official inspections and provide official weighing services through FY2025; extends the cap on the administrative and supervisory costs through FY2025; requires USDA to publish quarterly reports describing data from the tests and inspections for intrinsic quality factors (including protein, oil, and starch) and food safety factors; requires USDA to publish quarterly reports including the number of certain waivers and exceptions that were requested and granted; prohibits the use of user fees for activities related to the development or maintenance of grain standards, or for any activity that is not directly related to the performance of an official inspection or weighing service; provides that members of the advisory committee with respect to the act may serve up to two consecutive terms and extends the authorization of the committee through FY2025; and requires USDA to conduct a comprehensive nationwide review of the official agency geographical areas.