II 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2712 

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 

Act of 1977 to establish a farm and ranch stress assistance network, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 19, 2018 

Ms. BALDWIN (for herself, Mrs. ERNST, Mr. MORAN, Ms. HEITKAMP, Mr. 

GARDNER, Mr. BENNET, Mr. HOEVEN, and Ms. SMITH) introduced the 

following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, 

and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to establish a farm 

and ranch stress assistance network, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Facilitating Accessible 

5 Resources for Mental health and Encouraging Rural Solu6 tions For Immediate Response to Stressful Times Act’’ 

7 or the ‘‘FARMERS FIRST Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE NETWORKS. 

2 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 

3 (1) agricultural work continues to be— 

4 (A) highly stressful; 

5 (B) characterized by uncertainty; and 

6 (C) subject to— 

7 (i) changing market conditions; 

8 (ii) the unpredictable nature of weath9 er; and 

10 (iii) other factors beyond the control 

11 of agricultural producers; 

12 (2) individuals working in agriculture have the 

13 highest overall suicide rate among all occupations; 

14 (3) access to behavioral health care is often lim15 ited among individuals working in agriculture due to 

16 time and geographical constraints; and 

17 (4) agricultural workers are in need of special18 ized behavioral health programs that are— 

19 (A) affordable; 

20 (B) available as needed; and 

21 (C) carried out with understanding of con22 cerns specific to agricultural work. 

23 (b) FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE.—The 

24 National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 

25 Policy Act of 1977 is amended by inserting after subtitle 

26 I (7 U.S.C. 3291 et seq.) the following: 


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1 ‘‘Subtitle J—Farm and Ranch 

2 Stress Assistance 

3 ‘‘SEC. 1460. DEFINITIONS. 

4 ‘‘In this subtitle: 

5 ‘‘(1) AFFECTED INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘af6 fected individual’ means any individual engaged, as 

7 determined by the Secretary, in— 

8 ‘‘(A) farming; 

9 ‘‘(B) ranching; or 

10 ‘‘(C) another agriculture-related occupa11 tion. 

12 ‘‘(2) COMMITTEE.—The term ‘Committee’ 

13 means the Farm and Ranch Stress Assessment 

14 Committee established under section 1461A(a). 

15 ‘‘(3) NATIONAL NETWORK.—The term ‘national 

16 network’ means the National Farm and Ranch 

17 Stress Assistance Network established under section 

18 1461(b)(1). 

19 ‘‘(4) STATE NETWORK.—The term ‘State net20 work’ means a State farm and ranch stress assist21 ance network established under section 1461(a)(1). 

22 ‘‘SEC. 1461. FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE NET23 WORKS. 

24 ‘‘(a) STATE NETWORKS.— 


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1 ‘‘(1) GRANTS.—The Secretary, in coordination 

2 with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

3 shall establish a program under which the Secretary 

4 shall provide competitive grants to State depart5 ments of agriculture, State cooperative extension 

6 services, and nonprofit organizations to carry out eli7 gible cooperative programs described in paragraph 

8 (2). 

9 ‘‘(2) DESCRIPTION OF ELIGIBLE COOPERATIVE

10 PROGRAMS.—An eligible cooperative program re11 ferred to in paragraph (1) is a program— 

12 ‘‘(A) established and carried out by a part13 nership between— 

14 ‘‘(i) one or more State departments of 

15 agriculture, one or more State cooperative 

16 extension services, or one or more non17 profit organizations, as applicable; and 

18 ‘‘(ii) entities providing appropriate 

19 services in the one or more States; and 

20 ‘‘(B) the purpose of which is to establish 

21 a farm and ranch stress assistance network to 

22 provide stress assistance programs to affected 

23 individuals, including counseling and support 

24 (including behavioral health counseling and reVerDate Sep 11 2014 01:39 Apr 25, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S2712.IS S2712

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1 ferral for other forms of assistance, as nec2 essary) through— 

3 ‘‘(i) farm telephone helplines and 

4 internet websites; 

5 ‘‘(ii) training for advocates for af6 fected individuals and other individuals or 

7 entities that may assist affected individuals 

8 in crises, including training programs and 

9 workshops; 

10 ‘‘(iii) support groups; 

11 ‘‘(iv) outreach services and activities, 

12 including the dissemination of information 

13 and materials; and 

14 ‘‘(v) home delivery of assistance, in 

15 any case in which a farm resident is home16 bound. 

17 ‘‘(3) USE OF FUNDS.—A competitive grant pro18 vided under this subsection may be used to enter 

19 into a contract, on a multiyear basis, with a commu20 nity-based, direct-service organization to initiate, ex21 pand, or maintain an eligible cooperative program in 

22 the State. 

23 ‘‘(b) NATIONAL NETWORK.— 

24 ‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in co25 ordination with the Secretary of Health and Human 


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1 Services, shall establish a National Farm and Ranch 

2 Stress Assistance Network to coordinate stress as3 sistance programs on a national scale for affected in4 dividuals, including through programs and activities 

5 described in subsection (a)(2)(B). 

6 ‘‘(2) DIRECTOR.—The Secretary, in coordina7 tion with the Secretary of Health and Human Serv8 ices, shall appoint an individual in the Department 

9 of Agriculture to be the Director of the national net10 work. 

11 ‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Not12 withstanding any other provision of law, there is author13 ized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out ac14 tivities through the national network and State networks 

15 $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023. 

16 ‘‘SEC. 1461A. FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSESSMENT COM17 MITTEE. 

18 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 90 days after 

19 the date of enactment of the FARMERS FIRST Act, the 

20 Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Serv21 ices shall establish an advisory committee, to be known 

22 as the ‘Farm and Ranch Stress Assessment Committee’. 

23 ‘‘(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Committee shall consist 

24 of— 

25 ‘‘(1) the Secretary (or a designee); 


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1 ‘‘(2) the Secretary of Health and Human Serv2 ices (or a designee); 

3 ‘‘(3) the Assistant Secretary of Health and 

4 Human Services for Mental Health and Substance 

5 Abuse (or a designee); 

6 ‘‘(4) the Administrator of the Health Resources 

7 and Services Administration (or a designee); 

8 ‘‘(5) the Director of the Centers for Disease 

9 Control and Prevention (or a designee); 

10 ‘‘(6) the Director of the National Institutes of 

11 Health; 

12 ‘‘(7) the Under Secretary for Rural Develop13 ment (or a designee); and 

14 ‘‘(8) 4 members, to be appointed by the Sec15 retary, one of which shall be a representative of each 

16 of— 

17 ‘‘(A) affected individuals; 

18 ‘‘(B) behavioral health professionals; 

19 ‘‘(C) advocates for affected individuals; 

20 and 

21 ‘‘(D) as appropriate, other experts in occu22 pational stress and behavioral health among af23 fected individuals. 

24 ‘‘(c) MEETINGS.—The Committee shall meet not 

25 fewer than 2 times each year. 


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1 ‘‘(d) REPORT.— 

2 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 

3 the date of enactment of the FARMERS FIRST 

4 Act, the Committee shall submit to Congress and 

5 any other relevant Federal department or agency, 

6 and make publicly available, a report describing the 

7 state of behavioral and mental health in farmers and 

8 ranchers. 

9 ‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The report under paragraph 

10 (1) shall include— 

11 ‘‘(A) an inventory and assessment of ef12 forts to support the behavioral and mental 

13 health of farmers and ranchers by— 

14 ‘‘(i) the Federal Government, States, 

15 and units of local government; 

16 ‘‘(ii) communities that are comprised 

17 of farmers and ranchers; 

18 ‘‘(iii) healthcare providers; 

19 ‘‘(iv) State cooperative extension serv20 ices; and 

21 ‘‘(v) other entities, as determined by 

22 the Secretary; 

23 ‘‘(B) a description of the challenges faced 

24 by farmers and ranchers (including financial, 

25 medical, and other challenges) that may impact 


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1 the behavioral and mental health of farmers 

2 and ranchers; 

3 ‘‘(C) an evaluation of the impact of farmer 

4 and rancher suicides on— 

5 ‘‘(i) the agricultural workforce; 

6 ‘‘(ii) agricultural production; 

7 ‘‘(iii) rural families and communities; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(iv) succession planning; and 

10 ‘‘(D) an outline of a long-term strategy 

11 and recommendations based on best practices to 

12 appropriate Federal departments or agencies 

13 for addressing the challenges identified under 

14 subparagraph (B).’’. 

Æ 


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