Agriculture

HOPE Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 12 March 2020

Health, Opportunity, and Personal Empowerment Act of 2020 or the HOPE Act of 2020 This bill establishes several Health, Opportunity, and Personal Empowerment (HOPE) pilot projects to improve economic security for individuals who meet income or other requirements. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development must collaborate on the projects and report to Congress on project implementation and outcomes. The HOPE Accounts Pilots provide awards to certain nonprofits to assist eligible individuals in establishing HOPE accounts through banks, credit unions, or governmental agencies. Through technology platforms and other means, HOPE accounts must (1) provide access to specified financial services and information related to public benefits, health insurance, and other topics; and (2) facilitate activities such as applying for government benefits and filing taxes. HHS, in consultation with the other departments, must also hold a merit-based competition to award contracts to private businesses and nonprofits to develop technology applications and other tools for HOPE accounts. Grants for the HOPE Action Plans Pilot Projects allow nonprofits to enter voluntary agreements with eligible individuals to carry out long-term plans related to improving economic security and upward mobility.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020

Families First Coronavirus Response Act This bill responds to the coronavirus outbreak by providing paid sick leave and free coronavirus testing, expanding food assistance and unemployment benefits, and requiring employers to provide additional protections for health care workers. Specifically, the bill provides FY2020 supplemental appropriations to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for nutrition and food assistance programs, including the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP); and nutrition assistance grants for U.S. territories. The bill also provides FY2020 appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for nutrition programs that assist the elderly. The supplemental appropriations provided by the bill are designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits. The bill modifies USDA food assistance and nutrition programs to allow certain waivers to requirements for the school meal programs, suspend the work requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program), and allow states to request waivers to provide certain emergency SNAP benefits. In addition, the bill requires the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to issue an emergency temporary standard that requires certain employers to develop and implement a comprehensive infectious disease exposure control plan to protect health care workers. The bill also includes provisions that establish a federal emergency paid leave benefits program to provide payments to employees taking unpaid leave due to the coronavirus outbreak, expand unemployment benefits and provide grants to states for processing and paying claims, require employers to provide paid sick leave to employees, establish requirements for providing coronavirus diagnostic testing at no cost to consumers, treat personal respiratory protective devices as covered countermeasures that are eligible for certain liability protections, and temporarily increase the Medicaid federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP).

PREP Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020

Pandemic Response and Emergency Preparedness Act of 2020 or the PREP Act of 2020 This bill authorizes the President to provide additional federal assistance following a major disaster emergency declaration related to a public health emergency, including a pandemic or virus threat, that occurs between the date of this bill's enactment and September 30, 2021. Such additional assistance includes unemployment assistance and lost wages, food assistance for low-income people from Department of Agriculture surplus commodities, legal services, crisis counseling assistance and training, and case management services.

COVID–19 Child Nutrition Response Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020

COVID-19 Child Nutrition Response Act This bill modifies food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow certain waivers of program requirements with respect to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, through July 31, 2020, USDA may establish a single waiver of child nutrition program requirements for all states under the National School Lunch Program for purposes of providing meals and snacks with appropriate safety measures due to COVID-19 (States may elect to be subject to a waiver without USDA's approval.), issue a waiver of requirements to allow non-congregate feeding in the Child and Adult Care Food Program, and grant a waiver of requirements related to the nutritional content of meals served in child nutrition programs if it determines the waiver is necessary to provide meals and snacks and there is a food supply chain disruption due to COVID-19.

Pandemic EBT Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020

Pandemic EBT Act of 2020 This bill expands authority in FY2020 for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide assistance under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) during a public health emergency based on COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Specifically, the bill authorizes USDA to approve state agency plans to provide SNAP benefits to households that include at least one eligible child and may or may not be participating in SNAP. An eligible child is a child who would be receiving free or reduced-price school meals if the child's school had not been closed for at least five consecutive days due to the public health emergency based on COVID-19. SNAP benefits provided must be no less than the value of school meals at the federal free rate over the course of five school days for each eligible child in the household. A state agency may provide SNAP benefits in accordance with the bill through the electronic benefits transfer card system.

MEALS Act

United States · United States Congress · 11 March 2020

Maintaining Essential Access to Lunch for Students Act or the MEALS Act This bill modifies food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture to allow certain waivers to requirements for the school meal programs, including waivers that increase federal costs during a school closure related to COVID-19 (i.e., coronavirus disease 2019). Such waivers must be requested by a state or service provider and be for purposes of providing meals and snacks during such a closure.

Ensuring Emergency Food Security Act

United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2020

Ensuring Emergency Food Security Act This bill expands benefits and eligibility under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) which is administered by the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Specifically, the bill prohibits any federal funding (including fees) from being used to decrease program benefits or impact program eligibility under SNAP; temporarily increases the value of SNAP benefits through FY2020; prohibits USDA from reducing the value of the maximum allotments, minimum allotments or consolidated block grants for Puerto Rico and American Samoa below the level in effect for FY2020 as a result of such increase; temporarily suspends work requirements through FY2022 under SNAP, allowing participants who would have lost eligibility due to such requirements to continue to receive SNAP benefits; directs state agencies, beginning on October 1, 2022, to disregard any period during which an individual received SNAP benefits prior to FY2022, for purposes of referring such individual to an employment and training program; and expands the food distribution program on Indian reservations for costs relating to facility improvements and equipment upgrades.

Farmer-Driven Conservation Outcomes Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2020

Farmer-Driven Conservation Outcomes Act of 2020 The bill authorizes the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a conservation effects assessment project to quantify the environmental and economic effects of conservation practices, develop the science base for managing the agricultural landscape for environmental quality and sustainable productive capacity, and improve the efficacy of conservation practices and programs by evaluating conservation effects. USDA must establish a goals and assessment process for conservation programs that includes the identification of natural resource and environmental objectives, outcomes, and results for the programs; assessments of the resulting changes in the status and conditions of natural resources and the environment; and a monitoring and evaluation process for the programs and initiatives. In implementing the monitoring and evaluation process, USDA must use certain funds provided for conservation programs and establish a National Technical Committee. USDA may enter into cooperative agreements with government agencies, universities and colleges, and nongovernmental organizations to assist in implementing the monitoring and evaluation process. The bill also sets forth reporting requirements regarding the progress conservation programs have made in achieving the objectives and outcomes.

Farmer Driven Conservation Outcomes Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 10 March 2020

Farmer Driven Conservation Outcomes Act of 2020 This bill modifies the authority of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) with respect to strategic assessment and planning for the conservation, protection, and enhancement of soil, water, and related natural resources. USDA may establish a conservation effects assessment project to quantify the environmental and economic effects of conservation practices, develop the science base for managing the agricultural landscape for environmental quality and sustainable productive capacity, and improve the efficacy of conservation practices and programs by evaluating conservation effects. USDA must establish a goals and assessment process for conservation programs that includes (1) the identification of natural resource and environmental objectives, outcomes, and results for the programs; (2) assessments of the resulting changes in the status and conditions of natural resources and the environment; and (3) a monitoring and evaluation process for the programs and initiatives. In implementing the monitoring and evaluation process, USDA must use certain funds provided for conservation programs and establish a National Technical Committee. The bill also sets forth reporting requirements regarding the progress conservation programs have made in achieving the objectives and outcomes.

Social Determinants for Moms Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2020

Social Determinants for Moms Act of 2020 This bill provides for a task force, grant programs, studies, and other activities concerning social determinants of health (SDOH) and their impact on maternal health outcomes, with a particular focus on areas with high rates of maternal mortality and severe maternal morbidity and racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health outcomes. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) must convene a task force to develop strategies to coordinate federal efforts to address SDOH for women in prenatal and postpartum periods, as well as provide guidance related to the use of certain Medicaid payments to address SDOH for high-risk mothers. HHS must also award grants to (1) expand access to free child care during prenatal and postpartum medical appointments, and (2) help public health departments reduce or eliminate certain disparities and improve maternal health outcomes by addressing SDOH. The bill also extends the postpartum and breastfeeding periods for purposes of eligibility for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children and directs the Department of Agriculture to establish a grant program to deliver healthy food to pregnant or postpartum women who live in food deserts.

SALE Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 9 March 2020

Securing All Livestock Equitably Act of 2020 or the SALE Act of 2020 This bill requires all livestock purchased by a dealer in cash sales and all inventories of, or receivables or proceeds from, such livestock to be held by the dealer in a trust until all unpaid cash sellers of the livestock have been paid. The bill exempts from the requirement any dealer whose average annual purchases of livestock do not exceed $100,000. The bill also specifies requirements regarding enforcement, preserving a trust, notifying lien holders, and purchasing or transferring livestock that is subject to a trust.

To amend the Agricultural Act of 2014 to allow certain dairy operations to make a 1-time election to recalculate production history for purposes of dairy margin coverage.

United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2020

This bill revises the Dairy Margin Coverage program of the Department of Agriculture to allow certain dairy operations to make a one-time election to recalculate their production history to be equal to the annual milk marketings of their dairy operation during the full calendar year before the enactment of this bill.

AIR Safety Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 5 March 2020

Aerial Incursion Repercussion Safety Act of 2020 or the AIR Safety Act of 2020 This bill directs the Forest Service to study the effects of drone incursions on wildfire suppression concerning lands managed by the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture.

THE STATE OF THE RURAL ECONOMY WITH AGRICULTURE SECRETARY SONNY PERDUE

United States · United States House of Representatives · 4 March 2020

A resolution recognizing the importance of the blueberry industry to the United States and designating July 2020 as "National Blueberry Month".

United States · United States Congress · 4 March 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.

SALE Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 3 March 2020

Securing All Livestock Equitably Act of 2020 or the SALE Act of 2020 This bill requires all livestock purchased by a dealer in cash sales and all inventories of, or receivables or proceeds from, such livestock to be held by the dealer in a trust until all unpaid cash sellers of the livestock have been paid. The bill exempts from the requirement any dealer whose average annual purchases of livestock do not exceed $100,000. The bill also specifies requirements regarding enforcement, preserving a trust, notifying lien holders, and purchasing or transferring livestock that is subject to a trust.

Recognizing the importance of the blueberry industry to the United States of America and supporting the designation of July 2020 as "National Blueberry Month".

United States · United States Congress · 2 March 2020

This resolution (1) supports the designation of National Blueberry Month; and (2) recognizes the contributions of American growers and their families, and that purchasing American grown blueberries supports farmers, jobs, and the economy.

COMPOST Act

United States · United States Congress · 28 February 2020

Cultivating Organic Matter through the Promotion Of Sustainable Techniques Act or the COMPOST Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue regulations that designate composting as a conservation practice and a conservation activity . USDA must also issue regulations for determining whether a community is nearby for purposes of ensuring that bringing organic waste from the community to the farm to produce compost results in a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

Gold Star Families Parks Pass Act

United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2020

Gold Star Families Parks Pass Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at no cost to members of Gold Star Families.

Gold Star Families Parks Pass Act

United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2020

Gold Star Families Parks Pass Act This bill directs the Department of the Interior and the Department of Agriculture to make the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass available at no cost to members of Gold Star Families.

Electing a Member to a certain standing committee of the House of Representatives and ranking a Member on certain standing committees of the House of Representatives.

United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2020

This resolution elects specified Members to the following House Committees: (1) Agriculture, (2) the Budget, and (3) Oversight and Reform.

WIC Enrollment Collaboration Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 27 February 2020

WIC Enrollment Collaboration Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to report on the extent to which pregnant women, postpartum women (not more than one year postpartum), infants, and young children receiving benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) or Medicaid benefits are certified to participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, Children (WIC). The report must include for each state (1) the monthly average of participants that received benefits under SNAP or Medicaid in the preceding year and for Medicaid purposes are a member of a family whose income was less than maximum income limit for free and reduced price meals, and (2) the percentage of participants that received benefits under SNAP or Medicaid who were certified to receive WIC. Additionally, each state must implement an annual cross-enrollment plan that includes (1) goals for increasing the percentage of participants that received benefits under SNAP or Medicaid who were certified to receive WIC in the preceding year; (2) measures the state will carry out to achieve those goals, including by making improvements or modifications to information systems, data matching, or enhancing referrals; and (3) a time line for the state to implement such measures. USDA must award competitive grants to states to implement a cross-enrollment plan in the state or to increase the percentage of such participants who were certified to receive WIC. Additionally, USDA must provide technical or training assistance to the states to increase the percentage.

FAS School Meals Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 February 2020

FAS School Meals Improvement Act This bill revises food and nutrition programs of the Department of Agriculture to grant eligibility to the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau for the school meal programs.

MONARCH Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 14 February 2020

Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat Act of 2020 or the MONARCH Act of 2020 This bill provides support for the conservation of western monarch butterflies (the monarch butterfly population that overwinters along the coast of California and breeds across California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah). Specifically, the bill establishes the Western Monarch Butterfly Rescue Fund. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use amounts in the fund to provide grants for the conservation of such butterflies. In addition, USDA must transfer amounts from the fund to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to implement the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Nutrition Education Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2020

Nutrition Education Act This bill requires a local educational agency that participates in a school lunch or breakfast program to require each student to receive 50 hours of nutrition education per school year. Such instruction must be consistent with applicable school meal program requirements as well as meet certain other standards with respect to content and delivery.

AFFIRM Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2020

Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act of 2020 or the AFFIRM Act of 2020 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reduce federal crop insurance payments and to disclose details regarding subsidies. Specifically, the bill requires USDA to annually disclose to the public specified details regarding the recipients and amounts of federal crop insurance subsidies; prohibits certain premium subsidies, including for additional coverage for any person or legal entity that has an average adjusted gross income that is greater than $250,000, and for policies that are based on the actual market price of an agricultural commodity at the time of harvest; establishes an annual cap on total reimbursements for administrative and operating costs of crop insurance providers that begins at $900 million for 2020 and is adjusted for inflation in each subsequent year; and eliminates a requirement that any renegotiated Standard Reinsurance Agreement (SRA) be budget-neutral. (The SRA is an agreement between USDA and the private companies that administer the federal crop insurance program that specifies details such as administrative and operating expense reimbursements and risk sharing. Eliminating the budget neutrality requirement permits USDA to use the renegotiation of the SRA to achieve savings.)

Food and Nutrition Education in Schools Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 13 February 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.

MONARCH Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 13 February 2020

Monarch Action, Recovery, and Conservation of Habitat Act of 2020 or the MONARCH Act of 2020 This bill provides support for the conservation of western monarch butterflies (the monarch butterfly population that overwinters along the coast of California and breeds across California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Utah). Specifically, the bill establishes the Western Monarch Butterfly Rescue Fund. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must use amounts in the fund to provide grants for the conservation of such butterflies. In addition, USDA must transfer amounts from the fund to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to implement the Western Monarch Butterfly Conservation Plan, which was prepared by the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.

Agriculture Resilience Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 February 2020

Agriculture Resilience Act This bill addresses national greenhouse gas emission reduction efforts in the U.S. agriculture sector, including a national goal to achieve net-zero emissions by the year 2040. Among other things, the bill expands the purposes of federally supported agricultural research, extension, and education to include accelerating the ability of agriculture and the food system of the United States to first achieve net zero carbon emissions and then go further to be carbon positive by removing additional carbon dioxide from the atmosphere; requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a national network of regional hubs for risk adaptation and mitigation to climate change; creates a soil health grant program for state and tribal governments; revises the agricultural conservation easement program to require owners that receive cost-share assistance to have a conservation plan in place that addresses applicable resource concerns for the land subject to the easement, including soil health and greenhouse gas emissions reduction; establishes an alternative manure management program to support non-digester dairy and livestock methane management strategies to effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to maximize environmental benefits; directs USDA to study dual-use renewable energy systems, including an assessment on the compatibility of different species of livestock and crop types with dual-use renewable energy system designs; and provides competitive grants and technical assistance for local educational agencies to implement food waste measurement and reporting, prevention, education, and reduction projects.

AGRICULTURE, RURAL DEVELOPMENT, FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS FOR 2021

United States · United States House of Representatives · 11 February 2020

Food Recovery Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020

Food Recovery Act of 2020 This bill provides funding and establishes requirements to reduce food waste and standardize date labeling on food.

A concurrent resolution supporting the Farmers Bill of Rights.

United States · United States Congress · 11 February 2020

This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that (1) it recognizes the many contributions that family farmers and ranchers, including historically underserved farmers and ranchers, have made to America's agricultural industry, local food production, food sovereignty, rich variety of the country's abundant food supply, and traditional and cultural agricultural practices; and (2) the federal government should encourage support for family farmers and ranchers, in rural communities and on indigenous lands, and ensure access to open and fair agricultural markets in the United States, by introducing the Farmers Bill of Rights.

Moving H–2A to United States Department of Agriculture Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020

Moving H-2A to United States Department of Agriculture Act of 2020 This bill moves administration of the H-2A (temporary agricultural workers) program from the Department of Labor to the Department of Agriculture.

Supporting the Farmers Bill of Rights.

United States · United States Congress · 6 February 2020

This concurrent resolution expresses the sense of Congress that (1) it recognizes the many contributions that family farmers and ranchers, including historically underserved farmers and ranchers, have made to America's agricultural industry, local food production, food sovereignty, rich variety of the country's abundant food supply, and traditional and cultural agricultural practices; and (2) the federal government should encourage support for family farmers and ranchers, in rural communities and on indigenous lands, and ensure access to open and fair agricultural markets in the United States, by introducing the Farmers Bill of Rights.

Transforming Hiring in Rural Industries and Vital Economies Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 5 February 2020

Transforming Hiring in Rural Industries and Vital Economies Act of 2020 This bill establishes the White House Rural Council within the Executive Office of the President to make recommendations and coordinate the efforts of the executive branch regarding economic development in rural areas.

Protecting the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area Act

United States · United States Congress · 3 February 2020

This bill redesignates the America's Agricultural Heritage Partnership in Iowa as the Silos & Smokestacks National Heritage Area. The bill extends indefinitely the authority of the Department of Agriculture to provide grants or other assistance for the heritage area. The bill eliminates the limitation on the total amount that may be appropriated for the heritage area.

CLOSE Act

United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020

Closing Loopholes On SafetyNet Exploitation Act or the CLOSE Act This bill revises eligibility requirements for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) to require each state to implement a financial asset verification program for purposes of determining or redetermining the eligibility of an individual to participate in SNAP. (The financial asset program requires each applicant for or recipient of SNAP benefits to provide authorization for the state to obtain from a financial institution any financial record held by the institution with respect to such applicant or recipient.) The bill only applies to the 50 States and the District of Columbia. The Department of Agriculture must provide states with technical assistance to aid in implementation of a financial asset verification program.

Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act

United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020

Voluntary Grazing Permit Retirement Act This bill authorizes the voluntary waiver of permits or leases for grazing on federal lands in the 16 western states (i.e., Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming) managed by the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior. If a permit or lease is waived by a permittee or lessee with the intention of permanently ending livestock grazing, the appropriate department must accept and terminate, on a first-come, first-served basis, the permit or lease; refrain from issuing any new grazing permit or lease within the grazing allotment covered by the permit or lease; and ensure a permanent end to livestock grazing on the allotment covered by the permit or lease. If an allotment covered by a waiver is also covered by another permit or lease that is not waived, the department must reduce the level of commercial livestock grazing on the allotment to reflect the waiver. The departments must not accept more than (1) 100 grazing permits and leases per year, in the aggregate for all of the 16 western states; and (2) 25 grazing permits for land located in whole or in part in any individual state.

Food Safety Modernization for Innovative Technologies Act

United States · United States Congress · 30 January 2020

Food Safety Modernization for Innovative Technologies Act This bill provides statutory authority for joint agency jurisdiction over food intended for humans that is produced using animal cell culture technology. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shall oversee tissue collection, cell lines, and cell banks. The FDA shall regulate food derived from cell lines of animals other than livestock or poultry, and the Department of Agriculture shall regulate food derived from cell lines of livestock and poultry.

Increasing Access and Multiple Use Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2020

Increasing Access and Multiple Use Act of 2020 This bill revises permit requirements under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA). It prohibits the Department of the Interior from requiring a permit holder, without the consent of the holder, to adopt any new minimization, mitigation, or other measure for any species adequately covered by the permit during its term, except to meet circumstances that have changed subsequent to the issuance of the permit. The bill provides that (1) a critical habitat designation or listing of a species under the ESA shall not result in a net loss of acreage, permits, or leases within grazing allotments or other multiple use activities; and (2) the presence of a critical habitat or a species listed under the ESA shall not result in the denial of any federal permit, lease, or expansion of multiple use activities based on the presence of the species or habitat. This bill requires federal public land management officials to facilitate the use of, and access to, federal public lands for fishing, sport hunting, and recreational shooting with specified exceptions. The bill prohibits Interior and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) from establishing policies or regulations that (1) restrict hunting or recreational fishing on lands within the National Forest System or Wildlife Refuge System that are otherwise open to those activities; or (2) restrict public access to public lands under certain conditions. Interior and USDA must make vacant grazing allotments available to a holder of a grazing permit or lease if it is determined that the land covered by such permit or lease are unusable because of a natural disaster, court-issued injunction, or a conflict with wildlife.

Voluntary Checkoff Program Participation Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 January 2020

Voluntary Checkoff Program Participation Act This bill prohibits mandatory or compulsory checkoff programs and requires producer participation in the programs to be voluntary at the point of sale. (A checkoff program is a program to promote and provide research and information for a particular agricultural commodity without reference to specific producers or brands. The Department of Agriculture oversees the programs, which are requested and funded by industry.)

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act, 2020

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act, 2020 This bill provides FY2020 supplemental appropriations and expands tax credits to respond to recent natural disasters and emergencies that affected Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. The funding provided by this bill is designated as emergency spending, which is exempt from discretionary spending limits. The bill provides $4.67 billion in FY2020 supplemental appropriations for programs within the Department of Energy, the Department of Education, the Federal Highway Administration, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Department of Agriculture. The programs address issues such as cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response; the electric grid; the educational needs of individuals affected by natural disasters and emergencies; repairs to roads affected by natural disasters and emergencies; community development; and disaster nutrition assistance. The bill also expands tax credits and modifies related requirements that affect the residents of Puerto Rico and other U.S. territories. The bill includes provisions regarding the child tax credit, the earned income tax credit, the low-income housing tax credit, the new markets tax credit, the amount of distilled spirits excise taxes covered over (paid) to the treasuries of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, and an employee retention tax credit.

To amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require that only a school food authority that had a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account on June 30th of the year preceding the previous school year shall be required to establish a price for paid lunches.

United States · United States Congress · 28 January 2020

This bill provides that only school food authorities with a negative balance in the nonprofit school food service account on June 30th of the year preceding the previous school year are required to establish a price for paid lunches using the formula specified under current law (known as Paid Lunch Equity requirements).

Farm System Reform Act of 2019

United States · United States Congress · 21 January 2020

Farm System Reform Act of 2019 This bill places a moratorium on large concentrated animal feeding operations; requires country-of-origin labeling for beef, pork, and dairy products; and otherwise revises provisions related to the marketing of livestock, poultry, and meat.

MATCH Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020

Making Access To Cleanup Happen Act of 2020 or the MATCH Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to (1) identify a list of emergency watershed protection measures the cost of which may be incurred by a state, local government, or Indian tribe prior to entering into an agreement with USDA under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program; and (2) develop procedures, including appropriate deadlines, to be implemented at the state level, through which such entities may request and incur the cost for additional emergency watershed protection measures. USDA must consider any applicable pre-agreement costs incurred by a state, local government, or Indian tribe for undertaking emergency watershed protection measures as meeting part of its contribution towards the project costs.

MATCH Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 16 January 2020

Making Access To Cleanup Happen Act of 2020 or the MATCH Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to (1) identify a list of emergency watershed protection measures the cost of which may be incurred by a state, local government, or Indian tribe prior to entering into an agreement with USDA under the Emergency Watershed Protection Program; and (2) develop procedures, including appropriate deadlines, to be implemented at the state level, through which such entities may request and incur the cost for additional emergency watershed protection measures. USDA must consider any applicable pre-agreement costs incurred by a state, local government, or Indian tribe for undertaking emergency watershed protection measures as meeting part of its contribution towards the project costs.

School Food Recovery Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 15 January 2020

School Food Recovery Act of 2020 This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide competitive grants and technical assistance for local educational agencies to implement food waste measurement and reporting, prevention, education, and reduction projects. In awarding grants, USDA must give priority to agencies that agree to use grant funds for carrying out specific projects, including (1) experiential education activities that encourage children enrolled in such agencies to participate in food waste measurement and education; and (2) the establishment of food waste measurement, prevention, and reduction projects with long-term sustainability. The federal share of project costs may not exceed 75% of the total cost of carrying out such projects.

Property Rights Protection Act of 2020

United States · United States Congress · 14 January 2020

Property Rights Protection Act of 2020 This bill specifies certain rights for private property owners or lessees. Specifically, the bill prohibits the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior from conditioning the issuance, renewal, amendment, or extension of any land use or occupancy agreement on the transfer of any water right to the United States, or on any impairment of title or interest granted or otherwise recognized under state law, by federal or state judgment, or pursuant to any interstate water compact; or requiring any water user to apply for or acquire a water right in the name of the United States under state law as a condition for the issuance, renewal, or extension of any land use or occupancy agreement. Non-federally owned land and water may not be designated as critical habitat without the written consent of the property owners unless a threatened or endangered species is at risk of extinction without such a designation. The department concerned must pay an owner or lessee 150% of the fair market value of real property and is responsible for all related costs. Interior shall issue a final rule that requires the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to follow rules substantially similar to the requirements for the U.S. Geological Survey to obtain permission for certain access to private lands. Furthermore, it shall not be a violation of law to take any animal if it poses a recurring threat to life and property.

To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to the regulation of hemp-derived cannabidiol and hemp-derived cannabidiol containing substances.

United States · United States Congress · 13 January 2020

This bill requires the Food and Drug Administration to regulate a hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) product as a dietary supplement instead of as a drug. The bill also allows the introduction into interstate commerce of a food with added hemp-derived CBD. The Department of Agriculture must report on market and regulatory barriers for producers operating under its domestic hemp production program.

FARMING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: THE IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURE TECHNOLOGY IN RURAL AMERICA

United States · United States House of Representatives · 9 January 2020