I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8138 

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a disaster response training 

program to train certain Farm Service Agency employees to provide 

outreach and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers affected by 

a natural disaster, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 26, 2024 

Mr. SOTO (for himself and Mr. SCOTT FRANKLIN of Florida) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a disaster 

response training program to train certain Farm Service 

Agency employees to provide outreach and technical assistance to farmers and ranchers affected by a natural 

disaster, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. DISASTER RESPONSE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR 

2 CERTAIN FARM SERVICE AGENCY EMPLOY3 EES. 

4 (a) IN GENERAL.—Subtitle E of title I of the Agricul5 tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 9081 et seq.) is amended by 

6 adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘SEC. 1502. DISASTER RESPONSE TRAINING PROGRAM FOR 

8 CERTAIN FARM SERVICE AGENCY EMPLOY9 EES. 

10 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture, 

11 acting through the Administrator of the Farm Service 

12 Agency, shall— 

13 ‘‘(1) not later than 180 days after the date of 

14 the enactment of this section, establish a disaster re15 sponse training program— 

16 ‘‘(A) to train covered employees— 

17 ‘‘(i) to provide outreach and technical 

18 assistance to farmers and ranchers af19 fected by a natural disaster, including by 

20 providing information on available disaster 

21 relief assistance; and 

22 ‘‘(ii) with respect to the appropriate 

23 protocols for assisting such farmers and 

24 ranchers; and 

25 ‘‘(B) that, with respect to a natural dis26 aster, provides on-demand trainings on— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the conditions and effects of each 

2 such natural disaster; 

3 ‘‘(ii) the needs of farmers and ranch4 ers in responding to each such natural dis5 aster; and 

6 ‘‘(iii) the disaster relief assistance 

7 that may be available with respect to ad8 dressing each such natural disaster; and 

9 ‘‘(2) not later than 1 year after the date of the 

10 enactment of this Act and at least annually there11 after— 

12 ‘‘(A) provide the training required by sub13 paragraph (A) of paragraph (1) to each covered 

14 employee; and 

15 ‘‘(B) make the on-demand trainings re16 quired by subparagraph (B) of paragraph (1) 

17 available to covered employees. 

18 ‘‘(b) FORMAT OF TRAINING.—Training sessions re19 quired by subsection (a)(1)(A) may be conducted in-per20 son or through teleconference or other virtual means. 

21 ‘‘(c) SURVEY REQUIRED.—The Secretary shall estab22 lish and offer a completion survey to each covered em23 ployee who completes a training session or on-demand 

24 training provided under the training program established 


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1 under subsection (a)(1) to solicit feedback with respect to 

2 such session or on-demand training. 

3 ‘‘(d) EXIT SURVEY FOR FARMERS AND RANCHERS.— 

4 The Secretary shall offer an exit survey to each farmer 

5 and rancher provided outreach and technical assistance 

6 pursuant to subsection (a)(1)(A)(i) that allows the farmer 

7 or rancher to— 

8 ‘‘(1) evaluate the appropriateness and effective9 ness of such outreach and technical assistance; and 

10 ‘‘(2) summarize the outcome of such farmer or 

11 rancher with respect to receiving disaster relief as12 sistance. 

13 ‘‘(e) REPORT REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year 

14 after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually 

15 thereafter, the Secretary of Agriculture shall submit to 

16 Congress a report describing— 

17 ‘‘(1) the training program established under 

18 subsection (a)(1); 

19 ‘‘(2) with respect to the year preceding the re20 port— 

21 ‘‘(A) the number of trainings carried out 

22 pursuant to each of subparagraphs (A) and (B) 

23 of subsection (a)(2); 

24 ‘‘(B) the number of covered employees who 

25 received each such training; and 


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1 ‘‘(C) the level of the General Schedule and 

2 the position of each such employee; 

3 ‘‘(3) the results of the completion surveys of4 fered under subsection (c); and 

5 ‘‘(4) the results of the exit surveys offered 

6 under subsection (d). 

7 ‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 ‘‘(1) COVERED EMPLOYEE.—The term ‘covered 

9 employee’ means any employee of the Farm Service 

10 Agency who could be deployed to carry out disaster 

11 relief assistance with respect to farmers and ranch12 ers. 

13 ‘‘(2) DISASTER RELIEF ASSISTANCE.—The term 

14 ‘disaster relief assistance’ means assistance under 

15 any program— 

16 ‘‘(A) to address natural disasters; and 

17 ‘‘(B) that is administered by the Adminis18 trator of the Farm Service Agency. 

19 ‘‘(3) NATURAL DISASTER.—The term ‘natural 

20 disaster’ includes— 

21 ‘‘(A) any hurricane, tornado, storm, high 

22 water, wind driven water, tidal wave, tsunami, 

23 earthquake, volcanic eruption, landslide, 

24 mudslide, snowstorm, or drought; and 


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1 ‘‘(B) such other natural disaster as may be 

2 determined appropriate by the Administrator.’’. 

3 (b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 

4 for the Agricultural Act of 2014 is amended by inserting 

5 after the item relating to section 1501 the following: 

‘‘1502. Disaster response training program for certain Farm Service Agency employees.’’. 

Æ 


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