I 

115TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 5259 

To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to reauthorize 

the farm and ranch stress assistance network, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 13, 2018 

Mr. EMMER (for himself, Mr. KATKO, Mr. YOUNG of Iowa, Mr. O’HALLERAN, 

Mr. RODNEY DAVIS of Illinois, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PINGREE, Ms. MICHELLE

LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico, Mr. FASO, and Mr. NOLAN) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 

to reauthorize the 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 ‘‘Stemming the Tide 

5 of Rural Economic Stress and Suicide Act’’ or the 

6 ‘‘STRESS Act’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE FARM AND RANCH 

2 STRESS ASSISTANCE NETWORK. 

3 Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 

4 Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936) is amended— 

5 (1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘coordination 

6 with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

7 shall make competitive grants to support cooperative 

8 programs between State cooperative extension serv9 ices and nonprofit organizations’’ and inserting 

10 ‘‘consultation with the Secretary of Health and 

11 Human Services, shall make competitive grants to 

12 State cooperative extension services and Indian 

13 Tribes to support programs with nonprofit organiza14 tions in order’’; 

15 (2) in subsection (b)— 

16 (A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘Inter17 net’’ before ‘‘websites’’; 

18 (B) by striking paragraph (2) and insert19 ing the following: 

20 ‘‘(2) training for individuals who may assist 

21 farmers in crisis, including programs and work22 shops;’’; and 

23 (C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, in24 cluding the dissemination of information and 

25 materials’’ before the semicolon at the end; 


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1 (3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘to enable the 

2 State cooperative extension services’’ and inserting 

3 ‘‘or Indian tribes, as applicable, to’’; 

4 (4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘fiscal years’’ 

5 and all that follows and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2019 

6 through 2023’’; and 

7 (5) by redesignating subsection (d) as sub8 section (e) and inserting after subsection (c) the fol9 lowing: 

10 ‘‘(d) OVERSIGHT AND EVALUATION.—The Secretary, 

11 in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 

12 Services, shall review and evaluate the stress assistance 

13 programs carried out pursuant to this section. 

14 ‘‘(1) PROGRAM REVIEW.—Not later than 2 

15 years after the date on which grants are first pro16 vided under this section, and annually thereafter, the 

17 Secretary shall— 

18 ‘‘(A) review the programs funded under a 

19 grant made under this section to evaluate the 

20 effectiveness of the services offered through 

21 such a program and suggest alternative services 

22 not offered by a grant recipient that would be 

23 appropriate for behavioral health services; and 

24 ‘‘(B) submit to Congress, and make avail25 able on the public Internet website of the DeVerDate Sep 11 2014 23:15 Mar 20, 2018 Jkt 079200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H5259.IH H5259

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1 partment of Agriculture, a report containing 

2 the results of the review conducted under sub3 paragraph (A) and a description of the services 

4 provided through programs funded under such 

5 a grant. 

6 ‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—In making the re7 port under paragraph (1) publicly available, the Sec8 retary shall take such steps as may be necessary to 

9 ensure that such report does not contain any infor10 mation that would identify any person who received 

11 services under a program funded under a grant 

12 made under this section.’’. 

Æ 


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