Agriculture

A bill to limit the level of premium subsidy provided by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to agricultural producers.

United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2018

This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to limit federal crop insurance premium subsidies provided to agricultural producers to $40,000. The limit applies to the total amount of premiums paid by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation on behalf of a person or legal entity for all policies issued for a crop year.

FARMERS FIRST Act

United States · United States Congress · 19 April 2018

Facilitating Accessible Resources for Mental health and Encouraging Rural Solutions For Immediate Response to Stressful Times Act or the FARMERS FIRST Act This bill amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide grants to state departments of agriculture, state cooperative extension services, and nonprofit organizations for cooperative programs to establish farm and ranch stress assistance networks. The networks must provide stress assistance programs to farmers and ranchers, including counseling and support through: telephone helplines and websites, training for advocates for affected individuals, support groups, outreach services and activities, and home delivery of assistance for farm residents who are homebound. USDA must coordinate with the Department of Health and Services (HHS) to establish the grant program and a National Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network to coordinate the stress assistance programs on a national scale. USDA and HHS must also establish an advisory committee to report on the state of behavioral and mental health in farmers and ranchers.

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 2019

United States · United States House of Representatives · 18 April 2018

Gus Schumacher Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Reauthorization Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 18 April 2018

Gus Schumacher Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes and modifies the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive grant program. The program supports projects to increase the purchase of fruits and vegetables among low-income consumers participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) by providing incentives at the point of purchase. The bill renames the program the Gus Schumacher Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive program and modifies requirements regarding the nonfederal share, application criteria, and the priorities for awarding grants. The bill also requires USDA to establish a Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program Training, Evaluation, and Information Center to assist grant recipients.

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to repeal desert terminal lakes assistance.

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018

This bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to repeal the Desert Terminal Lakes Program. (The Department of Agriculture program requires the transfer of certain Commodity Credit Corporation funds to the Bureau of Reclamation to provide water to at-risk natural desert terminal lakes.)

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to transfer to the administrative jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to approximately 11,760 acres of identified federal land in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota. Immediately upon transfer, the federal land shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and considered as a part of its reservation. The federal land shall not become eligible or be used for gaming activities under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

Farmers of Tomorrow Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018

Farmers of Tomorrow Act This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for Department of Agriculture (USDA) direct farm ownership loans by modifying the three-year experience requirement. (Under current law, USDA may make a direct farm ownership loan only to a farmer or rancher who has participated in the business operations of a farm or ranch for at least three years or has other acceptable experience.) The bill modifies the experience requirement to specify a list of acceptable experience and educational criteria that USDA may count for an applicant to meet or reduce the necessary experience requirement.

FARMS Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018

Flexible Agricultural Repayments and Modifying Schedules Act or FARMS Act This bill requires the Department of Education to provide the option for a restructured student loan repayment schedule to certain agricultural producers, farmers, or ranchers.

Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act

United States · United States Congress · 17 April 2018

Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act This bill establishes a student loan forgiveness program for certain farmers or ranchers.

Big Bear Land Exchange Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018

Big Bear Land Exchange Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to convey 73 acres of identified Forest Service land to the County of San Bernardino, California, in exchange for approximately 71 acres of identified land owned by the county. Before completing the exchange, the USDA must relocate the portion of the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail that is located on the federal land to adjacent National Forest System land.

Invasive Species Prevention and Forest Restoration Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 April 2018

Invasive Species Prevention and Forest Restoration Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to award competitive grants for the federal government, state cooperative institutions, colleges and universities, and nonprofit entities to address critical threats to numerous tree species by non-native plant pests and noxious weeds.

Rural Health Insurance Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Rural Health Insurance Act of 2018 This bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture to provide loans and grants to assist in the establishment of agricultural association health plans to help bring new health options and lower priced health care coverage to rural Americans.

Regional Conservation Partnership Program Improvement Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Regional Conservation Partnership Program Improvement Act of 2018 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 purposes of the program, 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, modify the requirements for allocating funding for the program, modify the application process and requirements for program contracts, authorize USDA to award grants to partners to directly operate conservation projects, authorize USDA to advance 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.

Hemp Farming Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Hemp Farming Act of 2018 This bill legalizes industrial hemp that has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) concentration of no more than 0.3% by removing it from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. States and Indian tribes may regulate the production of hemp by submitting a plan to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill also makes hemp producers eligible for the federal crop insurance program and certain USDA research grants.

Hemp Farming Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Hemp Farming Act of 2018 This bill legalizes industrial hemp that has a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) concentration of no more than 0.3% by removing it from schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. States and Indian tribes may regulate the production of hemp by submitting a plan to the Department of Agriculture (USDA). The bill also makes hemp producers eligible for the federal crop insurance program and certain USDA research grants.

ACRE Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Agriculture Creates Real Employment Act or the ACRE Act This bill reduces environmental requirements for agricultural producers, including requirements concerning the takings of certain birds at farms or aquaculture facilities, exports of certain sea urchins and sea cucumbers, discharges of pesticides, the use of information and data collected in accordance with certain environmental laws, or oil pollution on farms.

Promoting Hydropower Development and Jobs Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Promoting Hydropower Development and Jobs Act This bill amends the Federal Power Act to authorize the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to establish an expedited process for issuing and amending licenses and preliminary permits for qualifying hydropower facilities that will be associated with existing nonpowered dams. In establishing the expedited process, FERC shall convene an interagency task force with federal and state agencies and Indian tribes to coordinate the regulatory process associated with the authorizations required to construct and operate a qualifying facility. FERC must assess the safety of existing nonfederal dams and other nonfederal structures related to a qualifying facility before licensing the facility. FERC must coordinate with the Department of the Army, the Department of the Interior, and the Department of Agriculture to jointly develop a list of existing nonpowered federal dams that have the greatest potential for nonfederal hydropower development. Licensees of a qualifying facility are not required to pay an annual charge for administrative expenses until construction commences.

Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Community Connect Grant Program Act of 2018 This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to provide statutory authority for the existing Community Connect Grant Program, which is a Department of Agriculture program that provides grants to finance broadband transmission in rural areas where broadband service does not currently exist.

Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 12 April 2018

Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 2018 This bill (commonly known as the farm bill) reauthorizes through FY2023 and modifies Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs that address: commodity support, conservation, trade and international food aid, nutrition assistance, farm credit, rural development, research and extension activities, forestry, horticulture, and crop insurance. The bill modifies agriculture and nutrition policies to: expand the work requirements and modify the eligibility rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program), repeal the Conservation Stewardship Program and incorporate parts of the program into the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, revise the requirements and process for the Environmental Protection Agency pesticide registration program, require farmers to make a one-time election to obtain either price loss coverage or agricultural risk coverage for the 2019-2023 crop years, allow payment yields used for price loss coverage payments to be updated once in counties affected by drought, rename the Margin Protection Program for dairy producers as the Dairy Risk Management Program and modify coverage levels and premiums, combine several trade programs into a single International Market Development Program, increase the loan limits for guaranteed farm ownership and operating loans, establish new broadband standards for projects financed through USDA, and expand the categorical exclusions that exempt certain forest management activities from requirements under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to prepare an environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement.

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 2019

United States · United States Senate · 11 April 2018

Northern Mariana Islands Enhanced Nutrition Assistance Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 11 April 2018

Northern Mariana Islands Enhanced Nutrition Assistance Act of 2018 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. The bill prohibits funds available for the pilot program from being provided for the Northern Mariana Islands nutrition assistance program block grant during a year in which more than $8.5 million in unexpended pilot program funds remain available for the grant.

Dairy Risk Management Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018

Dairy Risk Management Act of 2018 This bill reauthorizes and modifies the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Margin Protection Program for dairy producers, which is a voluntary program that pays participating dairy operations when a formula-based national margin (the difference between milk prices and feed costs) falls below a producer-selected insured margin. The bill changes the name of the program to the Dairy Risk Management Program and modifies coverage levels and premiums. With respect to other USDA dairy programs, the bill: reauthorizes the Dairy Forward Pricing Program, reauthorizes the Dairy Indemnity Program, reauthorizes the Dairy Promotion and Research Program, and repeals the Dairy Product Donation Program.

To increase the access of small farmers in Puerto Rico to Federal agriculture programs, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018

This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Office of Advocacy and Outreach to increase the access of small farmers who grow specialty crops in Puerto Rico to loans under several USDA programs. (Specialty crops include fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops, including floriculture.) The programs covered by the bill include microloan programs, programs for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers, programs for beginning farmers, and the emergency loan program. The USDA Office of Advocacy and Outreach must also carry out a training program to teach best farming practices to small farmers in Puerto Rico. The Department of the Interior must develop a program to allow small farmers to farm on federal land in Puerto Rico if: (1) the land is not environmentally sensitive, (2) farming on the land will not harm endangered native species or natural habitats, and (3) the land is suitable for farming.

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to support a smart agriculture industry technology roadmap, and for other purposes.

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018

This bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to: (1) reauthorize the Agriculture Innovation Center Demonstration Program through FY2023, and (2) require the Department of Agriculture to use $500,000 of the funds provided each year for the program to support a public-private partnership to produce and update a smart agriculture industry technology roadmap. A smart agriculture industry technology roadmap is a set of policies designed to: (1) guide the future development of technology in the agriculture industry; and (2) help align the efforts of the U.S agriculture industry, the research community, and other members of the agriculture community to increase U.S. efforts to become the global leader in smart farming and agriculture.

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to provide eligibility under the assistive technology program for farmers with disabilities to veterans with disabilities and their families.

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018

This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to reauthorize and modify the Department of Agriculture Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities. (The program provides grants for programs to provide agricultural education and assistance directed at accommodating disability in farm operations for disabled individuals and family members engaged in farming and farm-related occupations.) The bill modifies the program to specify that veterans are eligible for assistance under the program, including disabled veterans and family members who: (1) are engaged in farming and farm-related occupations, and (2) are pursuing new farming opportunities. The bill also permits the grants to be used for programs that provide behavioral therapy programs to assist veterans with mental service-connected disabilities, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

American Food for American Schools Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 10 April 2018

American Food for American Schools Act of 201 8 This bill amends the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require school food authorities (SFAs) to request a waiver from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to purchase foreign commodities or products for the National School Lunch Program (NSLP). SFAs may purchase foreign commodities or products without a waiver if the commodities or products are not produced or available domestically. (Under current law, Buy American provisions require SFAs to purchase, to the maximum extent practicable, domestic commodities or products for the NSLP. There are limited exceptions which permit the purchase of foreign products in circumstances when using domestic products is truly not practicable. If an SFA uses an exception, there is no requirement to request a waiver to purchase a foreign product or commodity, but the SFA must keep documentation justifying the exception.) USDA may not grant a waiver for an SFA to purchase foreign commodities or products unless: (1) the commodities or products are not produced domestically in sufficient amounts or of satisfactory quality, (2) the domestic commodities or products would be significantly higher in price than foreign commodities or products, and (3) the SFA agrees to make the waiver publicly available on its website and email a notification of the waiver to parents or guardians of students who will be served the foreign commodity or product purchased pursuant to the waiver.

WATER Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 April 2018

Water and Targeted Environmental Research Act of 2018 or the WATER Act This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Innovation Grants program. The bill modifies the program to: specify that matching funds for grants may include in-kind contributions provided by a cooperative extension service or a state agricultural experiment station, and extend through FY2023 the requirement for USDA to use specified funds for payments to producers to implement practices to address air quality concerns from agricultural operations and meet regulatory requirements. The bill also requires USDA to establish and maintain a publicly available database that provides: (1) a compilation and analysis of effective conservation practices for soil health, nutrient management, and source water protection in varying soil compositions, cropping systems, slopes, and landscapes; and (2) a list of recommended new and effective conservation practices.

AIPM Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 26 March 2018

Areawide Integrated Pest Management Act of 2018 or the AIPM Act of 2018 This bill amends the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 to expand the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program to include grants to colleges, universities, and other entities for qualified areawide integrated pest management projects to prevent the spread of pests and invasive species. The bill establishes an areawide integrated pest management committee to consider stakeholder feedback and determine priorities for the projects. The projects must be implemented on a landscape scale or larger and include collaboration with specified federal, regional, state, and nongovernmental entities. The projects may prevent the spread of pests and invasive species through: prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and suppression; educational programs; and physical, mechanical, cultural biologically-based, or chemical controls. A qualified project must: provide for significant benefits for the prevention, eradication, or management of pests and invasive species; provide for economic and environmental benefits to agriculture, individuals, wildlife, and the environment; address the annual priorities established by the integrated pest management committee; last no more than five years; establish a regional advisory committee to oversee the project; and involve the cooperative extension services in translating the results of research into practical information and tools to be shared. USDA must transfer to the National Institute of Food and Agriculture the authority for the Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program.

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation Restoration Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to transfer to the administrative jurisdiction of the Department of the Interior all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to approximately 11,760 acres of identified federal land in the Chippewa National Forest in Cass County, Minnesota. Immediately upon transfer, the federal land shall be held in trust for the benefit of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and considered as a part of its reservation. The federal land shall not become eligible or be used for gaming activities under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide a limited exception to the prohibition on price loss coverage payments or agriculture risk coverage payments when the sum of the base acres on a farm is 10 acres or less.

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to provide an exception to the rule that prohibits the Department of Agriculture from providing price loss coverage payments or agriculture risk coverage payments to a producer on a farm if the sum of the base acres on the farm is 10 acres or less. The exception applies if the sum of the base acres on the farm, when combined with the base acres of other farms in which the producer has an interest, is more than 10 acres.

Growing American Food Exports Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

Growing American Food Exports Act of 2018 This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Department of Agriculture Biotechnology and Agricultural Trade Program. The purpose of the program is to remove, resolve, or mitigate significant regulatory nontariff barriers to the export of U.S. agricultural commodities into foreign markets through policy advocacy and certain targeted projects.

EQIP Improvement Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

EQIP Improvement Act of 2018 This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). (EQIP provides financial and technical assistance for agricultural producers and land owners to implement certain conservation practices.) The bill modifies EQIP to: reduce the maximum federal cost-share from 75% to 40% for specified practices, repeal the requirement for at least 60% of the funds made available for EQIP payments to be targeted at practices relating to livestock production, and reduce the five-year EQIP payment cap from $450,000 to $150,000. The bill also requires USDA to: (1) coordinate the program with the conservation effects assessments carried out by USDA, and (2) revise the guidance issued to states for allocating funds to require data regarding environmental concerns to be used as a primary factor to prioritize projects. USDA must prioritize EQIP applications that consist only of the performance of certain land management or vegetative practices that are a cost-effective means of addressing the most pressing impairments that threaten to degrade or impair water quality, water quantity, soil or related natural resources within a local watershed, or a specific natural resource boundary.

Agricultural Energy Programs Reauthorization Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

Agricultural Energy Programs Reauthorization Act of 2018 This bill amends the Farm Security Rural Investment Act of 2002 to reauthorize through FY2023 several Department of Agriculture (USDA) energy programs, including: the Biobased Markets Program; the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program; the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels; the Rural Energy For America Program (REAP); the Biomass Research and Development Initiative; the Feedstock Flexibility Program; and the Community Wood Energy Program. The bill modifies and reauthorizes the Biomass Crop Assistance Program to: rename it the Biofuels and Biobased Product Feedstock and Wildland Fire Protection Program; require USDA to provide assistance under the program for hazardous woody fuel reduction projects; and expand the definition of eligible materials to include algae and animal waste byproducts, including fat, oil, grease, and manure. The bill provides mandatory funding through FY2023 for several of the reauthorized programs. The bill modifies the Biobased Markets Program to: (1) include producers of renewable chemicals in the voluntary labeling program, and (2) require USDA and the Department of Commerce to jointly develop North American Industry Classification system codes for renewable chemical manufacturers and biobased products manufacturers. The bill modifies REAP to prohibit more than 30% of the funds from being used each year for: (1) any one form of renewable energy, or (2) technologies to improve the efficiency of energy usage.

Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

Advancing Emergency Preparedness Through One Health Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture, in coordination with other specified agencies and departments, to develop, publish, and submit to Congress a national One Health Framework for coordinated federal activities under the One Health Program, which encourages collaborative efforts to help better prevent, prepare for, and respond to zoonotic disease outbreaks. The framework must (1) describe existing efforts and contain recommendations for building upon and complementing the activities of federal entities; and (2) establish specified goals, including advancing the scientific understanding of the connections among human, animal, and environmental health. 

Conservation Reserve Program Improvement and Rural Water Systems Access Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

Conservation Reserve Program Improvement and Rural Water Systems Access Act of 2018 This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to reauthorize through FY2023 and modify the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). (CRP provides payments to farmers who agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.) The bill authorizes USDA to designate areas of special economic sensitivity as economic priority areas for CRP allocations. These areas include areas with actual and significant declining habitat for specifies of economic significance. A "species of economic significance" is a wildlife specifies: (1) for which CRP is critical to maintaining its habitat, and (2) that the governor of a state verifies provides more than $150 million each year to the economy of the state from hunting and related activities. Additionally, the bill: (1) authorizes cost-share assistance for fencing and water distribution practices, and (2) modifies policies regarding grazing and the mechanical harvesting of vegetative cover on CRP land. The bill also amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to prohibit the Forest Service from charging rural water districts or associations rental fees for rights-of-way for rural water pipelines that cross National Forest System land.

A bill to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to repeal the environmental quality incentives program.

United States · United States Congress · 22 March 2018

This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to repeal the Department of Agriculture Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). (EQIP provides financial and technical assistance for agricultural producers and land owners to implement certain conservation practices.)

Algae Agriculture Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 21 March 2018

Algae Agriculture Act of 2018 This bill modifies several Department of Agriculture research, commodity, and energy programs to authorize assistance for activities related to algae production.

Appalachia Opportunity Grants Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2018

Appalachia Opportunity Grants Act of 2018 This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Department of Agriculture to award grants for units of local government in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States to convene groups of public and private entities to collaborate in carrying out regional projects to accomplish positive economic and community impacts in the region. A regional project carried out by a collaborative group must: (1) involve at least two municipalities that share a border; and (2) complete a specific activity that has a goal of job creation, expansion of the capacity of post-secondary education, growth of tourism, improving public health, or upgrading regional infrastructure.

Stop Needless Award Payments Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2018

Stop Needless Award Payments Act of 2018 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to repeal the authority of the Department of Agriculture to award bonus payment to states that demonstrate high or improved performance in administering the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program).

Veteran and Beginning Farmers Technical Assistance Act

United States · United States Congress · 20 March 2018

Veteran and Beginning Farmers Technical Assistance Act This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to extend the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas program through FY2023. (The program provides technical information and educational resources about sustainable agriculture to farmers, information providers, agriculture-related businesses, and community food organizations across the United States. It is operated by a nonprofit organization and is primarily funded through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Agriculture.)

Appalachia Opportunity Grants Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 19 March 2018

Appalachia Opportunity Grants Act of 2018 This bill amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Department of Agriculture to award grants for units of local government in the Appalachian region of the eastern United States to convene groups of public and private entities to collaborate in carrying out regional projects to accomplish positive economic and community impacts in the region. A regional project carried out by a collaborative group must: (1) involve at least two municipalities that share a border; and (2) complete a specific activity that has a goal of job creation, expansion of the capacity of post-secondary education, growth of tourism, improving public health, or upgrading regional infrastructure.

Municipal Infrastructure Savings and Transparency Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018

Municipal Infrastructure Savings and Transparency Act This bill grants an engineer for a public agency 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), in accordance with state and local procurement requirements, maximum flexibility to select appropriate construction materials that meet the performance requirements of a public contract and that allows open and free competition among suppliers of construction materials, notwithstanding federal procurement requirements. A state or local government may not prohibit or restrict any such engineer from using a particular construction material. The Department of Transportation, the EPA, the Corps of Engineers, and USDA shall establish an interagency task force which shall issue a comprehensive report on federally-funded infrastructure projects.

To authorize appropriations for the seniors farmers' market nutrition program for fiscal years 2019 through 2023.

United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018

This bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to reauthorize the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program through FY2023. (The program is administered by the Department of Agriculture and awards grants to states, U.S. territories, and Indian tribal governments to provide low-income seniors with coupons that can be exchanged for eligible foods at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and community supported agriculture programs.)

Okhissa Lake Rural Economic Development Land Conveyance Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018

Okhissa Lake Rural Economic Development Land Conveyance Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, upon request by the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, to convey to the alliance approximately 150 acres of specified National Forest System lands in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Okhissa Lake Rural Economic Development Land Conveyance Act

United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018

Okhissa Lake Rural Economic Development Land Conveyance Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture, upon a written request from the Scenic Rivers Development Alliance, to convey to it without consideration and by quitclaim deed all right, title, and interest of the United States in and to approximately 150 acres of specified National Forest System lands in Franklin County, Mississippi.

Give Our Resources the Opportunity to Work Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 15 March 2018

Give Our Resources the Opportunity to Work Act of 2018 This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to reauthorize and modify several Department of Agriculture conservation programs, including the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The bill includes provisions related to: payment rates and enrollment levels; the CRP eligibility requirements for land; the ranking of CSP applications; CSP payments for cover crop activities, comprehensive conservation planning, and management-intensive rotational grazing; coordination between EQIP and CSP, and set asides under EQIP for beginning and social disadvantaged farmers.

HEARING TO EXAMINE S.2663, THE AGRICULTURE CREATES REAL EMPLOYMENT (ACRE) ACT

United States · United States Senate · 14 March 2018

Food for Peace Modernization Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018

Food for Peace Modernization Act This bill amends the Food for Peace Act to revise the Food for Peace program under the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides assistance, including agricultural commodities, overseas. The bill expands food security assistance authorities. The bill recognizes that American farmers play an integral role in U.S. food assistance and agricultural development programs overseas. Assistance shall be directed toward areas of greatest need, coordinated with indigenous organizations and beneficiary groups. The bill extends authorities under the Act for (1) prepositioning agricultural commodities, (2) the micronutrient fortification program, and (3) the farmer-to-farmer training program. It removes provisions setting minimum levels for purchase of U.S. agricultural commodities and for nonemergency assistance.

To make technical amendments to update statutory references to certain provisions classified to title 7, title 20, and title 43, United States Code.

United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018

This bill makes technical amendments to the U.S. Code to revise references to statutory provisions classified to the following titles: Title 7 (Agriculture), Title 11 (Bankruptcy), Title 16 (Conservation), Title 20 (Education), Title 21 (Food and Drugs), Title 26 (Internal Revenue Code), Title 42 (The Public Health and Welfare), Title 43 (Public Lands), and Title 48 (Territories And Insular Possessions).

Dairy Farm Sustainability Act of 2018

United States · United States Congress · 14 March 2018

Dairy Farm Sustainability Act of 2018 This bill amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to establish a Dairy Farm Sustainability Price Loss Coverage Program. Dairy operations that enter into contracts under the program are eligible to receive payments from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) when milk prices fall below the minimum milk price. The bill specifies that the minimum milk price is $23.34 per hundredweight of milk and requires USDA to adjust the limit for inflation for each half of each calendar year. The bill also reauthorizes the existing Dairy Margin Protection Program through 2023. (The program is a voluntary program that makes payments to participating dairy operations when a formula-based national margin [the difference between the national all milk price and the national average feed cost] falls below a producer-selected insured margin.)