Agriculture

Chugach Region Lands Study Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 December 2016

Chugach Region Lands Study Act This bill requires the Department of the Interior, in coordination with the Department of Agriculture, to identify at least 500,000 acres of economically viable federal land that may be exchanged with the Chugach Alaska Corporation. Acre-for-acre exchange of identified federal land for certain Chugach Alaska Corporation land is deemed to be in the public interest.

Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act

United States · United States Congress · 12 December 2016

Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act This bill amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to prohibit any additional consultation from being required with respect to: (1) the listing of a species as threatened or endangered, or a designation of a critical habitat, if a land management plan has been adopted by the Department of Agriculture as of the designation date; or (2) any provision of such an adopted plan. The bill amends the Federal land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to prohibit any additional consultation from being required with respect to: (1) the listing of a species as threatened or endangered, or a designation of critical habitat, if a land use plan has been adopted by the Department of the Interior as of the designation date; or (2) any provision of such an adopted plan.

Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016

Litigation Relief for Forest Management Projects Act This bill amends the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974 to prohibit any additional consultation from being required with respect to: (1) the listing of a species as threatened or endangered, or a designation of a critical habitat, if a land management plan has been adopted by the Department of Agriculture as of the designation date; or (2) any provision of such an adopted plan. The bill amends the Federal land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to prohibit any additional consultation from being required with respect to: (1) the listing of a species as threatened or endangered, or a designation of critical habitat, if a land use plan has been adopted by the Department of the Interior as of the designation date; or (2) any provision of such an adopted plan.

Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016

Scotchman Peaks Wilderness Act of 2016 This bill designates approximately 13,961 acres of National Forest System land in Idaho, to be known as the Scotchman Peaks Wilderness, as wilderness and a component of the National Wilderness Preservation System. The wilderness area is withdrawn from specified public land, mining, mineral leasing, mineral materials, and geothermal leasing laws. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) may carry out management activities to maintain or restore fish and wildlife populations and habitats within the wilderness area if they would: promote healthy, viable, and more naturally distributed populations that would enhance wilderness values; and accomplish the purpose of the management activity with the minimum impact necessary. USDA may take measures within the wilderness area necessary for the control of fire, insects, and disease. Nothing in this bill creates a protective perimeter or buffer zone around the wilderness area. USDA shall ensure that Indian tribes have access to the wilderness area for: traditional and cultural purposes, and the exercise of any right reserved by treaty.

SWINE Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016

Swine Waste Infrastructure and Natural Environment Act or the SWINE Act This bill establishes a program to certify environmentally sustainable swine waste disposal technologies and authorizes related tax credits and grants. The Department of Agriculture (USDA) must certify technologies that: eliminate animal discharge into surface waters and groundwater through direct discharge, seepage, or runoff; substantially eliminate atmospheric emissions of ammonia from swine waste; substantially eliminate the emission of odor from swine waste that is detectable beyond the boundaries of the parcel or tract of land on which the swine farm is located; substantially eliminate the release of disease-transmitting vectors and airborne pathogens from swine waste; substantially eliminate nutrient and heavy metal contamination of soil and groundwater from swine waste; and are cost-effective. States may not issue permits, pursuant to any federal law, to a swine farm that is a concentrated animal feeding operation unless the farm disposes of swine waste using a certified technology. The bill amends several agricultural laws to: require USDA to make competitive grants for activities to identify, evaluate, and demonstrate environmentally superior swine waste management technologies; permit the Pork Promotion Board to use its funding for activities related to the grants; and make the installation and maintenance of a certified technology on a swine farm eligible for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow tax credits for: (1) the installation of a certified swine waste disposal technology, and (2) the disposal of swine waste using certified technology.

Urban Agriculture Production Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 8 December 2016

Urban Agriculture Production Act of 2016 This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an urban agriculture outreach program to award grants to support outreach activities for: (1) infrastructure, (2) land acquisition and conversion, (3) education and training, (4) technical and financial assistance to farmers or ranchers in urban areas, and (5) other activities that support urban agriculture. USDA must give preference to grants for activities in historically underserved communities. The bill amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to expand the purpose and duties of USDA's Office of Advocacy and Outreach to include activities on behalf of urban farmers or ranchers. USDA must award grants, on a competitive basis, for scientific and community-based participatory research related to urban agriculture. The bill provides specified funds for the grants and requires USDA to give priority to outreach activities to be carried out in historically underserved communities. The bill amends the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to: (1) establish a program to provide loans and loan guarantees for projects or activities to establish, expand, and promote direct producer-to-consumer marketing and assist in the development of local food business enterprises; and (2) extend and provide additional funding for the Farmers' Market Promotion Program. The bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the Seniors Farmers' Market Nutrition Program and provide additional funding. The bill amends the Census of Agriculture Act of 1997 to require additional USDA reporting on farmers' markets and agricultural production in urban areas.

Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 December 2016

Wildlife Corridors Conservation Act of 2016 This bill establishes a National Wildlife Corridors System for: conserving and restoring habitats that support native fish, wildlife, and plant species that have experienced or may experience habitat loss, degradation, fragmentation, or obstructions of connectivity; providing long-term habitat connectivity for the native species for migration, dispersal, adaptation to environmental change, and genetic exchange; and facilitating coordinated landscape- and seascape-scale connectivity planning and management across departmental jurisdictions. The Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Defense, the Interior, and Transportation must: (1) each create a process for designating lands and waters under their respective administration and control as national wildlife corridors; and (2) manage corridors in a manner that contributes to the long-term connectivity, persistence, resilience, and adaptability of native species. The bill establishes safety and mitigation requirements for corridors that intersect, adjoin, or cross local, state, or federal roads or highways. The departments may acquire land to establish and enhance corridors and the land may be purchased with amounts from the Land and Water Conservation Fund or the Wildlife Corridors Stewardship and Protection Fund. The U.S. Geological Survey must establish and make available to the public a comprehensive National Native Species Habitats and Corridors Geographic Information System Database. The bill establishes a Wildlife Corridors Stewardship and Protection Fund, which may be used by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation for enhancing the management and the protection of corridors and other lands and waters identified as important to further the purposes of the corridor.

Safeguard Aquaculture Farmers Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2016

Safeguard Aquaculture Farmers Act This bill provides the force and effect of law for certain regulations that allow for the taking of double- crested cormorants (birds) that eat fish at aquaculture facilities.

100 Years of Women in Congress Act

United States · United States Congress · 5 December 2016

100 Years of Women in Congress Act This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to designate certain Department of Agriculture research and extension grants to increase participation by women and underrepresented minorities from rural areas in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics as "Jeannette Rankin Women and Minorities in STEM Fields Grants."

Safeguard Aquaculture Farmers Act

United States · United States Congress · 2 December 2016

Safeguard Aquaculture Farmers Act This bill provides the force and effect of law for certain regulations that allow for the taking of double-crested cormorants (birds) that eat fish at aquaculture facilities.

EXAMINING SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND GENDER DISCRIMINATION AT THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

United States · United States House of Representatives · 1 December 2016

DHS Reform and Improvement Act

United States · United States Congress · 18 November 2016

DHS Reform and Improvement Act This bill amends the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to revise or expand protections against terrorism in Department of Homeland Security (DHS) requirements for visas, border and maritime security, aviation, surface transportation, food and agriculture, emergency communications, medical preparedness, agency management, flood insurance, cybersecurity, chemical and biological defense, immigration and customs, and the prevention of trafficking in cultural property. The bill establishes: an Office of Biometric Identity Management to share biometric data with agencies, foreign governments, and private entities; a National Computer Forensics Institute to be operated by the U.S. Secret Service; a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosives Office; an Office of Policy to coordinate strategic planning and relationships with outside stakeholders; an Acquisition Review Board; and DHS positions of chief financial officer, chief procurement officer, chief acquisition officer, and chief security officer. DHS must: (1) disseminate information to prevent drone attacks; (2) establish task forces and cooperate with foreign governments on border enforcement and security at airports and ports; (3) authorize the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to provide employees and services to ports in exchange for a fee; and (4) defend food, agriculture, and veterinary systems from terrorism and other high-consequence events. Visa security requirements are provided for: (1) the Department of State to assign employees to visa-issuing diplomatic and consular posts to screen applications against criminal, national security, and terrorism databases; (2) a visa security advisory opinion unit within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); and (3) the CBP to screen electronic passports though an embedded chip and utilize facial recognition technology. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must enter into memoranda of understanding with other DHS offices to award grants to: public transportation agencies to improve security under the Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007; high-risk urban areas and state, local, and tribal governments to protect against terrorism under the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP); and port authorities, facility operators, and state and local governments to implement security plans and train law enforcement personnel. State planning committees or urban working groups that assist in the determination of funding priorities under the UASI and the SHSGP must include: (1) public health officials and medical practitioners, (2) educational institutions, (3) state and regional interoperable communications coordinators, and (4) state and major urban area fusion centers that share threat-related information. FEMA must permit grants to be used for medical preparedness to terrorism. The bill codifies: (1) Operation Stonegarden for FEMA to enhance border security by making grants to law enforcement agencies involved in CBP operations in states that border Canada or Mexico or that have a maritime border; and (2) Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers that train government, international, and private agencies. The bill sets forth requirements concerning: medical response to anthrax, pandemics, emerging infectious diseases, and chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear attacks; flood insurance claims processing; the reorganization of cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, emergency communications, and protective services under a Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Agency headed by a Director of National Cybersecurity; maritime cybersecurity information sharing; allowable uses of public transportation security assistance grant funds; research and development for cybersecurity technologies; and oversight of DHS vehicle fleets. The bill expands responsibilities of DHS's chief information and human capital officers. The Domestic Nuclear Detection Office must document how research investments align with gaps in the enhanced global nuclear detection architecture. The CBP and ICE must coordinate enforcement against illegal imports and trafficking in cultural property. DHS may enter agreements with other countries and nongovernmental organizations to achieve its missions. DHS must prepare: (1) quadrennial reviews of the homeland security of the United States, (2) a three-year strategy for international programs in which DHS personnel and resources are deployed abroad for vetting and screening persons seeking to enter the United States, and (3) a strategic plan for southwest border threats. Notice must be provided within DHS and to Congress if a major acquisition program fails to meet baseline costs, schedules, or performance parameters. DHS must: (1) conduct terrorist and foreign fighter travel exercises; (2) coordinate resources of the national cybersecurity and communications integration center with state, local, and regional fusion centers; (3) carry out a grant program for emergency response providers to prevent or respond to active shooters in major metropolitan areas and other terrorist attack scenarios; and (4) build relationships with technology-based small businesses and startup ventures. The Transportation Security Administration must: (1) update aviation and airport security strategies, and (2) operate a "precheck" program that expedites screening for low-risk passengers. FEMA must implement a uniform review process for grant applications to purchase equipment that does not meet or exceed national voluntary consensus standards. DHS and the State Department must prioritize assistance to combat terrorist travel among the highest-risk countries. The Directorate of Science and Technology is designated as the primary research, development, testing, and evaluation arm of DHS. The President must provide a national strategy to combat terrorism travel. The Government Accountability Office must recommend improvements to the university-based centers for homeland security program.  

Farmers Markets for Food Deserts Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016

Farmers Markets for Food Deserts Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income amounts received by the taxpayer from the sale of locally and regionally produced agricultural products to members of the general public at a fixed location (other than a retail store) in an underserved community. (Underserved communities are located in areas of concentrated poverty with limited access to fresh locally or regionally grown foods.) The bill also amends the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 to specify that grants or other assistance provided under the Farmers' Market and Local Food Promotion Program may be used to pay any fees associated with obtaining a permit to sell locally and regionally produced agricultural products at a farmers' market located in an underserved community.

B-CROP Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 17 November 2016

Broadband Connections for Rural Opportunities Program Act of 2016 or the B-CROP Act of 2016 This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to include grants in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides loans and loan guarantees for broadband telecommunications services in rural areas. In making grants, loans, or loan guarantees under the program, USDA must give the highest priority to applicants that offer to provide broadband service to the greatest proportion of unserved rural households or rural households that do not have the minimum acceptable level of residential broadband service. USDA must then give priority to projects to serve rural communities that: have a population of less than 10,000 permanent residents, are experiencing out-migration, have a high percentage of low-income residents, and are isolated from other significant population centers. A grant may not exceed 50% of the development cost of the project. USDA may increase the limit to 75% for projects that serve a remote or low-income area that does not have access to broadband service from any provider. The bill sets forth reporting requirements for recipients of the grants, loans, or loan guarantees.

American Food for American Schools Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 November 2016

American Food for American Schools Act of 2016 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). (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 non-domestic 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 or manufactured 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 meet other specified notification requirements.

Local Community and Sportsmen Input in Monuments Act

United States · United States Congress · 29 September 2016

Local Community and Sportsmen Input in Monuments Act This bill makes the designation of a national monument by the President subject to the following consultation and approval requirements. No national monuments may be designated by the President unless: each county, borough, parish, or equivalent unit of local government within and adjacent to the boundaries of which the proposed monument is to be located has been consulted respecting the designation and has approved it; and the governor and the legislature of each state within the boundaries of which such monument is to be located has approved it. Any national monument that is designated subject to such requirements shall be open to hunting, fishing, other forms of recreation, grazing, and historic or traditional uses, unless the Department of the Interior, the Department of Agriculture (USDA), or the Department of the Army closes all or a portion of the monument to one or more of such uses in accordance with the purposes of federal law relating to monuments, ruins, sites, and objects of antiquity. Interior shall not impose any restrictions on hunting, fishing, grazing, wildlife management, or other historic or traditional uses at a national monument that is designated subject to this bill until the end of an appropriate review period which provides for, respecting the proposed restriction, concurrence by the applicable state wildlife management agencies, public input, and approval by Congress.

Macadamia Tree Health Initiative

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016

Macadamia Tree Health Initiative This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to authorize the Department of Agriculture to make competitive research and extension grants available for a macadamia tree health initiative to: develop and disseminate science-based tools and treatments to combat the insect macadamia felted coccid (Eriococcus ironsidei), and establish an areawide integrated pest management program in areas affected by, or areas at risk of being affected by, it.

Supporting a Federal, publically-funded universal school meal and nutrition program.

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016

Expresses support for a federal, publicly-funded universal school meal and nutrition program.

Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016

Paperwork Reduction for Farmers Act This bill amends the Immigration and Nationality Act to permit multiple employers to submit a joint petition to import nonimmigrant H-2A visa temporary agricultural workers. Upon approval of such petition, each joint employer shall be subject to the Act's H-2A provisions with respect to each alien listed in the petition. The period of authorized H-2A admission may not exceed the shorter of three years or the contract period. An employer seeking to rehire H-2A workers who previously worked for the employer as H-2A workers at any time during the most recent 12-month period may submit a simplified petition, to be developed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), which shall include a certification that the employer maintains compliance with all applicable employment requirements. Such petitions shall be approved upon completion of applicable security screenings. An employer may apply for workers with staggered start and end dates in the same application. An employer that has received a request for evidence from the CIS may request that such evidence request be delivered in an online format. The CIS, within three days of the employer's submission of evidence, shall: (1) provide an online response indicating whether the evidence is sufficient; and (2) if the evidence is insufficient, shall provide evidence thereof and an opportunity for the employer to address the deficiencies.

Urban Agriculture Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016

Urban Agriculture Act of 2016 This bill amends several agricultural laws to establish an Office of Urban Agriculture within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) and make urban agricultural activities eligible to receive funding from various USDA programs. The Office of Urban Agriculture must: manage programs, coordinate agencies, and advise USDA on urban agriculture and urban food systems; continue a community garden program; and establish a rooftop agriculture and outdoor vertical production program. The bill includes urban agricultural activities in several existing and new grant, loan, risk management, and research programs. It also authorizes and provides funding for several of the programs. USDA must conduct various studies and collect specified data related to urban agriculture. USDA must also establish a voluntary farmer-to-farmer assistance and mentorship program. USDA must take several actions related to soil assessment and remediation, including: establishing a coordinated soil testing protocol, coordinating and conducting research to inform the protocol and soil remediation practices with respect to soil contaminated with high levels of heavy metals or other contaminants, and establishing a national soil testing and remediation program to provide related technical and financial assistance to agricultural producers. The bill establishes pilot programs for USDA to: (1) increase municipal compost and food waste reduction activities; and (2) make grants for projects that strengthen marketplace links between healthy food consumption, good environmental practices, and direct public health outcomes.

B-CROP Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 28 September 2016

Broadband Connections for Rural Opportunities Program Act of 2016 or the B-CROP Act of 2016 This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to include grants in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) program that provides loans and loan guarantees for broadband telecommunications services in rural areas. In making grants, loans, or loan guarantees under the program, USDA must give the highest priority to applicants that offer to provide broadband service to the greatest proportion of unserved rural households or rural households that do not have the minimum acceptable level of residential broadband service. USDA must then give priority to projects to serve rural communities that: have a population of less than 10,000 permanent residents, are experiencing out-migration, have a high percentage of low-income residents, and are isolated from other significant population centers. A grant may not exceed 50% of the development cost of the project. USDA may increase the limit to 75% for projects that serve a remote or low-income area that does not have access to broadband service from any provider. USDA must: (1) provide technical assistance and training to entities that are eligible for the loans, loan guarantees, or grants; and (2) use a specified portion of the appropriations provided for the program for this purpose. The bill sets forth reporting requirements for recipients of the grants, loans, or loan guarantees.

To amend the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to eliminate the authority of the Secretary of Agriculture to grant a waiver from the work requirements for participation in the supplemental nutrition assistance program on account of an area's high unemployment rate or limited employment availability for individuals who reside in the area.

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2016

This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to eliminate the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to waive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) work requirements for individuals who reside in areas with an unemployment rate above 10% or an insufficient number of jobs.

FRAME Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 26 September 2016

Farm Risk Abatement and Mitigation Election Act of 2016 or the FRAME Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish tax-exempt farm risk management accounts (FRAME Accounts) and allow taxpayers actively engaged in the business of farming or ranching to use distributions from such accounts to protect the solvency of the farm to which the FRAME Account relates and to procure revenue or crop insurance; (2) allow a deduction from gross income for cash contributions to such accounts; (3) specify minimum levels of contributions to, and maximum levels of distributions from, such accounts; (4) set forth tax rules relating to account distributions, excess contributions, and prohibited transactions; and (5) allow a variable business-related tax credit for contributions made to a FRAME Account in the first nine years after such account is established.

Local Wilderness Management Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016

Local Wilderness Management Act This bill amends the Wilderness Act to require certain National Forest System lands, including those which have been designated, officially or defacto, by the Forest Service as wilderness study areas, to be managed by the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for multiple use purposes, including mining, grazing, conservation, recreation, and other uses until Congress enacts a law that designates such an area as wilderness or specifies an alternative management approach for it. The bill amends the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 to require certain public lands, including those which have been designated, officially or defacto, as wilderness study areas by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), to be managed by the Department of the Interior to promote multiple use purposes, including the continuation of existing mining and grazing uses and mineral leasing, until Congress enacts a law that designates such an area as wilderness or specifies an alternative management approach for it. USDA (with respect to National Forest System land) and Interior (for public lands managed by the BLM) may not designate, officially or defacto, land as a wilderness study area without first obtaining the written consent of the governing body of the county in which such land is located.

Ensuring Safety of Federal Wilderness Areas Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 22 September 2016

Ensuring Safety of Federal Wilderness Areas Act of 2016 This bill amends the Wilderness Act to prohibit the Department of Agriculture (for wilderness areas under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service) and the Department of the Interior (for wilderness areas under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Land Management) from adopting, amending, or enforcing, any regulations, policies, or guidance that would delay federal, state, or local emergency response personnel from entering into a wilderness area or wilderness study area to respond to an emergency. Any entrance by federal, state, or local emergency response personnel into a wilderness area or wilderness study area in response to an emergency shall be reported to the appropriate Department within 24 hours of the time at which such personnel first entered such area.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND THE CURRENT STATE OF THE FARM ECONOMY

United States · United States Senate · 21 September 2016

Public Lands Telecommunications Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016

Public Lands Telecommunications Act This bill directs the Department of the Treasury to establish separate special accounts for the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Forest Service (the federal land management agencies) for the deposit of rental fees received by such agencies for communications use authorizations on federal lands that are granted, issued, or executed by them. A "communication use authorization" is defined as a right-of-way, permit, or lease granted, issued, or executed by a federal land management agency for the primary purpose of authorizing the occupancy and use of federal lands for communications use. The rental fees received by each federal land management agency shall: be deposited in its special account, and remain available for expenditure for agency activities related to communications sites (those areas of federal lands designated for telecommunications uses). The Departments of the Interior and Agriculture may enter into cooperative agreements for the administration of communications sites.

Export Promotion Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 September 2016

Export Promotion Act This bill establishes the Export Promotion Agency in the Department of Commerce, to be headed by an Under Secretary of Commerce for Export Promotion. There are transferred to the Agency the functions of each of the following: the International Trade Administration, the Office of International Trade of the Small Business Administration, the Trade and Development Agency, the Export Credit Guarantee Program and the Facilities Guarantee Program of the Department of Agriculture, and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs of the Department of State. The Under Secretary shall develop: an organizational structure for the Agency that consolidates programs and eliminates duplicative programs; and metrics to measure performance with respect to the total U.S. exports and number of U.S. businesses exporting (including exports assisted by the Agency), as well as number of businesses present in key foreign markets.

Clarification of Treatment of Electronic Sales of Livestock Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2016

Clarification of Treatment of Electronic Sales of Livestock Act of 2016 This bill amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to expand the definition of "marketing agency" to include any person who engages in the business of buying or selling livestock, on a commission or other fee basis, through the use of online, video, or other electronic methods. The term "marketing agency" does not include a person whose annual average of online, video, or electronic sales of livestock, on a commission or other fee basis, is less than $250,000. The bill also permits electronic funds transfers and other expeditious payment methods that the Department of Agriculture determines to be appropriate to be used as options for meeting prompt payment requirements for livestock purchases.

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

United States · United States Congress · 15 September 2016

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

Funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890s Land-Grant African-American Colleges and Universities Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 September 2016

Funding for Student Scholarships for the 1890s Land-Grant African-American Colleges and Universities Act This bill amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to establish and provide funding for a grant program within the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for scholarships for students at 1890 land-grant colleges and universities (historically black colleges and universities established under the Second Morrill Act of 1890). USDA may award the scholarships to students who: (1) are seeking to attend such a college or university, and (2) intend to pursue a career in the food and agricultural sciences.

Advancing Conservation and Education Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 13 September 2016

Advancing Conservation and Education Act of 2016 This bill allows the states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, or Wyoming (western states) to relinquish state land grant parcels wholly or primarily within eligible areas and select, in exchange, public land within the state. The bill defines "eligible areas" as lands within the outer boundaries of units or components of the National Park, National Wilderness Preservation, National Wildlife Refuge, or National Landscape Conservation Systems, areas identified by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) of the Department of the Interior as having wilderness characteristics, certain designated lands within the National Forest System or administered by the BLM, and sentinel landscapes designated by the Department of Agriculture, Department of Defense, or Interior. Interior shall create a process for the relinquishment of such parcels. A western state may select, and Interior may convey, lands that are mineral in character. The overall value of the state land grant parcels and the public land to be conveyed shall be equal. The bill sets forth requirements regarding hazardous materials on land conveyed, water rights, and grazing permits.

Environmental and Economic Benefits Restoration Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 12 September 2016

Environmental and Economic Benefits Restoration Act of 2016 This bill amends the Cooperative Forestry Assistance Act of 1978 to direct the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a landscape-scale restoration program to provide financial and technical assistance for landscape-scale restoration projects on state, political subdivision, and private forest lands that maintain or improve benefits from trees and forests on such lands. The program shall: address the national private forest conservation priorities specified under the Act; and enhance public benefits from trees and forests, as identified in a state-wide assessment and a long-term state-wide forest resource strategy under the Act. The program shall also have one or more objectives, including to: protect or improve water quality or quantity; reduce wildfire risk; protect or enhance wildlife habitat, consistent with wildlife objectives established by the applicable state fish and wildlife agency; improve forest health, including addressing native, nonnative, and invasive pests; or enhance opportunities for new and existing markets in which the production and use of wood products strengthens local and regional economies. USDA shall establish a measurement system to measure the results of landscape-scale restoration projects assisted under this bill. USDA shall allocate from the amounts made available under this bill: 50% for the competitive process for distributing funds for landscape-scale restoration projects; and 50% proportionally to states to maximize the achievement of the restoration program's objectives and to address the highest national priorities, as identified in state-wide assessments and long-term state-wide forest resource strategies. The bill amends the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 to allocate funds and use specified authorities of the USDA or of the Department of the Interior, as appropriate, to assist cross-boundary hazardous fuel reduction and wildfire mitigation programs.

Agriculture Conservation Stamp Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2016

Agriculture Conservation Stamp Act This bill requires the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to issue for a four-year period a semipostal to benefit certain Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation programs. (A semipostal is a postage stamp that is issued and sold by the USPS at a premium, in order to help provide funding for a cause that the USPS considers to be in the national public interest and appropriate.) USDA is the sole agency to which the USPS may transfer funds received from the sale of the semipostal. USDA must use the transferred funds exclusively for programs authorized under title XII (Conservation) of the Food Security Act of 1985.

Limiting Inhumane Federal Trapping for Public Safety Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 September 2016

Limiting Inhumane Federal Trapping for Public Safety Act This bill prohibits any personnel of the Department of the Interior or the Department of Agriculture (USDA), in performing their duties, from using, recommending, training in the use of, or planning for the use of, any body-gripping trap used to kill or capture an animal. This prohibition does not apply to training in the dismantling of body-gripping traps that have been illegally placed. No person shall use or possess any body-gripping trap on property under the administrative jurisdiction of Interior or USDA, except in Indian country, regardless of whether the person is employed by, or is working under a contract with, Interior or USDA. Such prohibitions shall not apply to the use of a body-gripping trap to: control documented, invasive species to achieve resource management objectives where alternative methods have failed; or protect a species that is listed as an endangered or threatened species or treated by the Forest Service as a sensitive species. Such exceptions shall not apply unless: such use of a body-gripping trap is in accordance with state and federal law; prior to using such a trap, all available and viable nonlethal methods for such control or protection have been attempted; and such attempts have been documented in writing, and the documentation is maintained at the headquarters of the department that employs the individual engaging in such attempt. The bill imposes criminal penalties for violating the prohibitions in this bill.

Improving Access to Farm Conservation Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 6 September 2016

Improving Access to Farm Conservation Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to exempt certain recipients of Department of Agriculture (USDA) conservation assistance from specified reporting requirements. The bill exempts producers or landowners eligible to participate in any USDA conservation program from reporting requirements related to subawards, executive compensation, the Universal Identifier, and the System for Award Management.

FROM CROP TO CRAFT BEER: FEDERAL REGULATION'S IMPACT ON AMERICA'S FOOD AND AGRICULTURE

United States · United States Senate · 17 August 2016

Food Stamp Integrity Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2016

Food Stamp Integrity Act of 2016 This bill amends the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 to revise the rules for disqualifying individuals from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program). The bill permanently disqualifies individuals who have been found guilty of offenses or misconduct, including: fraud or misrepresentation with respect to SNAP; the trading of a controlled substance, firearms, ammunition, or explosives for benefits; terrorism; defrauding the federal government, a state, or a unit of local government; obtaining cash by destroying food purchased with benefits and collecting deposits for containers; or selling food purchased with benefits. An individual who is delinquent in paying child support may not receive benefits unless a court allowed a payment delay or the individual is complying with a payment plan. If a household requests a third replacement Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) card in a one-year period, a state may: (1) require the head of the household to appear in person for an interview before issuing an additional card, and (2) terminate participation of the household for one year if a fifth card is requested in a one-year period. The bill modifies the work requirements and eliminates certain exemptions and waivers from the requirements. If an able-bodied adult without dependents fails to meet the work requirements for three months in a 48-month period (36 months under current law), they are ineligible for SNAP for the remainder of the 48-month period, or until they comply.

Encouraging the people of the United States to observe "National Lobster Day".

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2016

Encourages the United States to observe September 25, 2016, as National Lobster Day.

Clarification of Treatment of Electronic Sales of Livestock Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Technical and Clarifying Amendments to the Packers and Stockyards Act of 2016 This bill amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to expand the definition of "marketing agency" to include any person engaged in the business of buying or selling livestock in commerce through online, video, or other electronic methods on a commission or other fee basis when handling or providing a means to handle receivables or proceeds from the sale of that livestock. The bill also specifies that funds for purchasing livestock may be transferred to the account of the seller by electronic funds transfer or any other expeditious method that the Department of Agriculture determines to be appropriate.

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Improvement Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Alaska Native Claims Settlement Improvement Act of 2016 This bill amends the Barrow Gas Field Transfer Act of 1984 to require the Department of the Interior to convey to the Ukpeagvik Inupiat Corporation, an Alaska Native village corporation, sand and gravel deposits underlying a surface estate owned by the corporation. Interior must grant the Shishmaref Native Corporation, a village corporation, an easement between Shishmaref, Alaska, and the area of Ear Mountain, Alaska. Shee Atika Incorporated, an urban Native corporation, may opt to receive credits from the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the sale of Cube Cove in Admiralty Island, Alaska, that may be used to acquire federal property sold at public sales. The bill authorizes a land exchange between the USDA and the Sealaska Corporation, an Alaska Native regional corporation. Cook Inlet Region, Inc., a regional corporation, may satisfy its claim land under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA). The bill amends ANCSA to require Interior to convey: (1) a surface estate to Kian Tr'ee Corporation, a village corporation, for the Native village of Canyon Village; and (2) a subsurface estate to Doyon Limited, a regional corporation. Upon application by the village of Kaktovik or Nagamut, Interior must convey land within the National Wildlife Refuge System to the village. The bill makes land held by Alaska Native corporations subject to the National Historic Preservation Act, the Tribal Forest Protection Act, and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. Native residents of the villages of Haines, Ketchikan, Petersburg, Tenakee, and Wrangell, Alaska, may organize as urban corporations. Upon incorporation, Interior must offer each corporation 23,040 acres of land. Alaska Native veterans who served during the Vietnam War may receive an allotment of federal land.

Spearfish Canyon and Bismarck Lake Land Exchange Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Spearfish Canyon and Bismarck Lake Land Exchange Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), if South Dakota conveys to it four parcels of specified nonfederal lands, comprising 1,954 acres, to convey to South Dakota in exchange 1,468 acres known as the "Spearfish Canyon Area" and 524 acres known as the "Bismarck Lake Area" in the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. The values of the federal and nonfederal lands to be exchanged shall be equal. USDA shall complete any environmental analyses required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 regarding the land exchange carried out under this bill. The nonfederal lands acquired by USDA shall be added to and administered as part of the forest. The federal lands acquired by South Dakota shall be managed by it for public recreation uses and the conservation of natural resources.

Precision Farming Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Precision Farming Act of 2016 This bill amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to require the Department of Agriculture to give priority to loan applicants that offer to provide broadband service, at better than the minimum acceptable level of broadband service, to agricultural producers in the proposed service territory to improve their ability to conduct precision farming or ranching. (Precision farming is a strategy that uses various technologies to manage production through data analysis and automation.) The bill also amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide universal service support for the installation of broadband services to improve the ability of an agricultural producer to conduct precision farming or ranching. The bill requires broadband providers to install the services at a discount and makes the providers eligible for a reimbursement of the discount. Agricultural producers are limited to one discount that is the lesser of: (1) the amount that the provider would charge other parties for a similar installation, or (2) $15,000.

Emergency Forest Restoration Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Emergency Forest Restoration Act This bill allows the Department of Agriculture (USDA), regarding National Forest System lands, or the Department of the Interior, regarding public lands, to develop and carry out a forest management activity on lands of the department concerned in a state when the activity's primary purpose is to address an insect or disease infestation that has been declared an emergency by the state governor. With specified exceptions, a categorical exclusion shall be available to USDA or Interior for these purposes. A "categorical exclusion" is an exception to the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 for a project or activity relating to the management of National Forest System lands or public lands that would otherwise be considered a major federal action. Beginning in FY2018, USDA shall identify the amount of funds, if any, appropriated in the previous fiscal year pursuant to the authorization of appropriations specified in this bill. Within five years of the end of the fiscal year in which an identification is made, USDA shall sell an amount of timber the sale of which is sufficient to recoup the identified amount and any associated costs. The bill prescribes requirements for the deposit of sales proceeds.

Beginning Farmers Agenda Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Beginning Farmers Agenda Act of 2016 This bill amends various agricultural laws to modify and establish programs to assist beginning farmers. The bill makes land trusts eligible for certain assistance under the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Conservation Easement Program. In administering the program, USDA may prioritize an application for purchasing an easement that maintains agricultural viability, requires subsequent purchases to be at agricultural value, or both. The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income up to $250,000 in gains from the sale or exchange of certain agricultural property to a beginning, socially disadvantaged, or veteran farmer or rancher, subject to specified conditions. The bill modifies several agricultural programs to: require the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to prequalify loan applicants, increase and index for inflation the limit on the amount of USDA farm ownership loans per borrower, establish minimum funding requirements for agriculture land easements and wetland reserve easements, transfer jurisdiction of the Advisory Committee on Beginning Farmers and Ranchers to the FSA, establish an online customer self-service portal, reauthorize the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, and authorize grants for farm viability programs. The FSA must assign state coordinators to promote communication with beginning farmers or ranchers and increase their access to USDA programs. The General Services Administration may sell surplus farm equipment or property to socially disadvantaged, veteran, or beginning farmers and ranchers. The bill provides funding for: (1) the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Individual Development Accounts Pilot Program, and (2) the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program.

SALE Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Shee Atika Land Entitlement Act or the SALE Act This bill declares that consideration received by the urban Native corporation of Shee Atika under the agreement between Shee Atika and the United States must be treated as the receipt of land or interest in land pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act or as cash to equalize the values of properties exchanged pursuant to that Act. (Under the Act, these considerations are not taxed.) Shee Atika may elect to accept payment from the Department of Agriculture for Cube Cove lands into an account that may be used to purchase property sold at public sale by a federal agency. Purchases made through that account must be considered to be conveyances under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act.

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2016 This bill sets forth a regulatory process for preventing the introduction and establishment in the United States of certain injurious wildlife that is likely to cause harm to: (1) humans; (2) interests in agriculture, horticulture, or forestry; or (3) wildlife or wildlife resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) may: (1) designate certain wildlife as injurious, and (2) make immediate and temporary emergency designations if the injurious wildlife poses an imminent threat. Interested persons may petition the USFWS to designate wildlife as injurious. The bill: (1) gives the Department of the Interior the primary authority to prevent the importation and sale of wildlife pathogens and harmful parasites, and (2) establishes requirements that address those pathogens and parasites. The bill prohibits: (1) importing into the United States, or transporting between states, injurious wildlife or wildlife not in trade; and (2) possessing or releasing into the wild such wildlife. The USFWS may issue permits that authorize the importation or transport of injurious wildlife for scientific, zoological, medical research, or educational purposes. The USFWS must establish user fees for live wildlife imports. The bill establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations. Interior must establish a grant program for supporting states and Indian tribes in: (1) inspecting and monitoring interstate transport of wildlife, and (2) assessing risks associated with the intentional importation of wildlife. The bill establishes the Injurious Wildlife Prevention Fund to carry out this bill. Revenues generated by user fees and penalties must be deposited into the fund.

Spearfish Canyon and Bismarck Lake Land Exchange Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Spearfish Canyon and Bismarck Lake Land Exchange Act This bill directs the Department of Agriculture (USDA), if South Dakota conveys to it four parcels of specified nonfederal lands, comprising 1,954 acres, to convey to South Dakota in exchange 1,468 acres known as the "Spearfish Canyon Area" and 524 acres known as the "Bismarck Lake Area" in the Black Hills National Forest in South Dakota. The values of the federal and nonfederal lands to be exchanged shall be equal. USDA shall complete any environmental analyses required under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 regarding the land exchange carried out under this bill. The nonfederal lands acquired by USDA shall be added to and administered as part of the forest. The federal lands acquired by South Dakota shall be managed by it for public recreation uses and the conservation of natural resources.

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Invasive Fish and Wildlife Prevention Act of 2016 This bill sets forth a regulatory process for preventing the introduction and establishment in the United States of certain injurious wildlife that is likely to cause harm to: (1) humans; (2) interests in agriculture, horticulture, or forestry; or (3) wildlife or wildlife resources. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) may: (1) designate certain wildlife as injurious, and (2) make immediate and temporary emergency designations if the injurious wildlife poses an imminent threat. Interested persons may petition the USFWS to designate wildlife as injurious. The bill: (1) gives the Department of the Interior the primary authority to prevent the importation and sale of wildlife pathogens and harmful parasites, and (2) establishes requirements that address those pathogens and parasites. The bill prohibits: (1) importing into the United States, or transporting between states, injurious wildlife or wildlife not in trade; and (2) possessing or releasing into the wild such wildlife. USFWS may issue permits that authorize the importation or transport of injurious wildlife for scientific, zoological, medical research, or educational purposes. USFWS must establish user fees for live wildlife imports. The bill establishes civil and criminal penalties for violations. Interior must establish a grant program for supporting states and Indian tribes in: (1) inspecting and monitoring interstate transport of wildlife, and (2) assessing risks associated with the intentional importation of wildlife. The bill establishes the Injurious Wildlife Prevention Fund to carry out this bill. Revenues generated by user fees and penalties must be deposited into the fund.

Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2016

Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act of 2016 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow energy tax credits through 2020 for investments in: (1) qualified biogas property, or (2) qualified manure resource recovery property. The bill also permits new clean renewable energy bonds to be used for such properties. "Qualified biogas property" comprises a system that: (1) uses anaerobic digesters or other specified processes to convert biomass into a gas which is at least 52% methane, and (2) captures the gas for use as a fuel. The term includes property that cleans and conditions the gas for use as a fuel. "Qualified manure resource recovery property" comprises a system that uses specified processes to recover the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus from a non-treated digestate or animal manure by reducing or separating at least 50% of the nutrients, excluding any reductions during the incineration, storage, composting, or field application of the non-treated digestate or animal manure. The term also includes certain processing equipment. The Department of the Treasury must enter into an agreement with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for a study of biogas and report to Congress on the study.