814 
† HR 2 EAS 
(b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may lease an ad-
ministrative site that is under the jurisdiction of the Sec-
retary in accordance with this section. 
(c) IDENTIFICATION OF ELIGIBLE SITES.—A regional 
forester, in consultation with forest supervisors in the re-
gion, may submit to the Secretary a recommendation for 
administrative sites in the region that the regional forester 
considers eligible for leasing under this section. 
(d) CONSULTATION WITH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND 
PUBLIC NOTICE.—Before making an administrative site 
available for lease under this section, the Secretary shall— 
(1) consult with government officials of the com-
munity and of the State in which the administrative 
site is located; and 
(2) provide public notice of the proposed lease. 
(e) LEASE REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) SIZE.—An administrative site or compound 
of administrative sites under a single lease under this 
section may not exceed 40 acres. 
(2) 
CONFIGURATION
OF
ADMINISTRATIVE 
SITES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—To facilitate the lease of 
an administrative site under this section, the 
Secretary may configure the administrative 
site—
815 
† HR 2 EAS 
(i) to maximize the marketability of 
the administrative site; and 
(ii) to achieve management objectives. 
(B) SEPARATE TREATMENT OF FACILITY OR 
IMPROVEMENT.—A facility or improvement on 
an administrative site to be leased under this 
section may be severed from the land and leased 
under a separate lease under this section. 
(3) CONSIDERATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—A person to which a 
lease of an administrative site is made under 
this section shall provide to the Secretary consid-
eration described in subparagraph (B) in an 
amount that is not less than the market value of 
the administrative site, as determined in accord-
ance with subparagraph (C). 
(B) FORM OF CONSIDERATION.—The consid-
eration referred to in subparagraph (A) may 
be— 
(i) cash; 
(ii) in-kind, including— 
(I) the construction of new facili-
ties or improvements, the title to which 
shall be transferred by the lessee to the 
Secretary;
816 
† HR 2 EAS 
(II) the maintenance, repair, im-
provement, or restoration of existing 
facilities or improvements; and 
(III) other services relating to ac-
tivities that occur on the administra-
tive site, as determined by the Sec-
retary; or 
(iii) any combination of the consider-
ation described in clauses (i) and (ii). 
(C) DETERMINATION OF MARKET VALUE.— 
(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
determine the market value of an adminis-
trative site to be leased under this section— 
(I) by conducting an appraisal in 
accordance with— 
(aa) the Uniform Appraisal 
Standards for Federal Land Ac-
quisitions established in accord-
ance with the Uniform Relocation 
Assistance and Real Property Ac-
quisition Policies Act of 1970 (42 
U.S.C. 4601 et seq.); and 
(bb) the Uniform Standards 
of Professional Appraisal Prac-
tice; or
817 
† HR 2 EAS 
(II) by competitive lease. 
(ii) 
IN-KIND
CONSIDERATION.—The 
Secretary shall determine the market value 
of any in-kind consideration under sub-
paragraph (B)(ii). 
(4) CONDITIONS.—The lease of an administrative 
site under this section shall be subject to such condi-
tions, including bonding, as the Secretary determines 
to be appropriate. 
(5) RIGHT OF FIRST REFUSAL.—Subject to terms 
and conditions that the Secretary determines to be 
necessary, the Secretary shall offer to lease an admin-
istrative site to the municipality or county in which 
the administrative site is located before seeking to 
lease the administrative site to any other person. 
(f) RELATION TO OTHER LAWS.— 
(1) FEDERAL PROPERTY DISPOSAL.—Chapter 5 
of title 40, United States Code, shall not apply to the 
lease of an administrative site under this section. 
(2) LEAD-BASED PAINT AND ASBESTOS ABATE-
MENT.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any 
provision of law relating to the mitigation or 
abatement of lead-based paint or asbestos-con-
taining building materials, the Secretary shall
818 
† HR 2 EAS 
not be required to mitigate or abate lead-based 
paint or asbestos-containing building materials 
with respect to an administrative site to be 
leased under this section. 
(B) PROCEDURES.—With respect to an ad-
ministrative site to be leased under this section 
that has lead-based paint or asbestos-containing 
building materials, the Secretary shall— 
(i) provide notice to the person to 
which the administrative site will be leased 
of the presence of the lead-based paint or as-
bestos-containing building material; and 
(ii) obtain written assurance from that 
person that the person will comply with ap-
plicable Federal, State, and local laws relat-
ing to the management of lead-based paint 
and asbestos-containing building materials. 
(3) ENVIRONMENTAL
REVIEW.—The National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et 
seq.) shall apply to the lease of an administrative site 
under this section, except that, in any environmental 
review or analysis required under that Act for the 
lease of an administrative site under this section, the 
Secretary shall be required only—
819 
† HR 2 EAS 
(A) to analyze the most reasonably foresee-
able use of the administrative site, as determined 
through a market analysis; 
(B) to determine whether to include any 
conditions under subsection (e)(4); and 
(C) to evaluate the alternative of not leasing 
the administrative site in accordance with the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.). 
(4) COMPLIANCE WITH LOCAL LAWS.—A person 
that leases an administrative site under this section 
shall comply with all applicable State and local zon-
ing laws, building codes, and permit requirements for 
any construction activities that occur on the adminis-
trative site. 
(g) USE OF CONSIDERATION.—Cash consideration for 
a lease of an administrative site under this section shall 
be available to the Secretary, until expended and without 
further appropriation, to pay— 
(1) any necessary and incidental costs incurred 
by the Secretary in connection with— 
(A) the acquisition, improvement, mainte-
nance, reconstruction, or construction of a facil-
ity or improvement for the National Forest Sys-
tem; and
820 
† HR 2 EAS 
(B) the lease of an administrative site 
under this section; and 
(2) reasonable commissions or fees for brokerage 
services obtained in connection with the lease, subject 
to the conditions that the Secretary— 
(A) determines that the services are in the 
public interest; and 
(B) shall provide public notice of any bro-
kerage services contract entered into in connec-
tion with a lease under this section. 
(h) CONGRESSIONAL NOTIFICATIONS.— 
(1) ANTICIPATED USE OF AUTHORITY.—As part 
of the annual budget justification documents provided 
to the Committee on Appropriations of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Appropriations 
of the Senate, the Secretary shall include— 
(A) a list of the anticipated leases to be 
made, including the anticipated revenue that 
may be obtained, under this section; 
(B) a description of the intended use of any 
revenue obtained under a lease under this sec-
tion, including a list of any projects that cost 
more than $500,000; and
821 
† HR 2 EAS 
(C) a description of accomplishments dur-
ing previous years using the authority of the 
Secretary under this section. 
(2) CHANGES TO LEASE LIST.—If the Secretary 
desires to lease an administrative site under this sec-
tion that is not included on a list provided under 
paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall submit to the 
congressional committees described in paragraph (3) 
a notice of the proposed lease, including the antici-
pated revenue that may be obtained from the lease. 
(3) USE
OF
AUTHORITY.—Not less frequently 
than once each year, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Agriculture, the Committee on Appro-
priations, and the Committee on Natural Resources of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, the Committee 
on Appropriations, and the Committee on Energy 
and Natural Resources of the Senate a report describ-
ing each lease made by the Secretary under this sec-
tion during the period covered by the report. 
(i) EXPIRATION OF AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The authority of the Secretary 
to make a lease of an administrative site under this 
section expires on October 1, 2023.
822 
† HR 2 EAS 
(2) EFFECT ON LEASE AGREEMENT.—Paragraph 
(1) shall not affect the authority of the Secretary to 
carry out this section in the case of any lease agree-
ment that was entered into by the Secretary before 
October 1, 2023. 
SEC. 8624. GOOD NEIGHBOR AUTHORITY. 
(a) INCLUSION OF INDIAN TRIBES.—Section 8206(a) 
of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a(a)) is 
amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘land and 
non-Federal land’’ and inserting ‘‘land, non-Federal 
land, and land owned by an Indian tribe’’; 
(2) in paragraph (5), by inserting ‘‘or Indian 
tribe’’ after ‘‘affected State’’; 
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (6) and (7) as 
paragraphs (7) and (8), respectively; and 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (5) (as so redes-
ignated) the following: 
‘‘(6) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304).’’. 
(b) INCLUSION OF COUNTIES.—Section 8206 of the Ag-
ricultural Act of 2014 (16 U.S.C. 2113a) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)—
823 
† HR 2 EAS 
(A) in paragraph (1)(B), by inserting ‘‘or 
county, as applicable,’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; 
(B) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(2) 
through (9) (as amended by subsection (a)) as 
paragraphs (3) through (10), respectively; 
(C) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) COUNTY.—The term ‘county’ means— 
‘‘(A) the appropriate executive official of an 
affected county; or 
‘‘(B) in any case in which multiple counties 
are affected, the appropriate executive official of 
a compact of the affected counties.’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (5) (as so redesignated), 
by inserting ‘‘or county, as applicable,’’ after 
‘‘Governor’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(A), by inserting ‘‘or 
county’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘coop-
erative agreement or contract entered into under 
subsection (a)’’ and inserting ‘‘good neighbor 
agreement’’; 
(C) in paragraph (3), by inserting ‘‘or 
county’’ after ‘‘Governor’’; and
824 
† HR 2 EAS 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) RECEIPTS.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, any payment made by a county to 
the Secretary under a project conducted under a good 
neighbor agreement shall not be considered to be mon-
ies received from National Forest System land or Bu-
reau of Land Management land, as applicable.’’. 
SEC. 8625. WILDLAND-URBAN INTERFACE. 
To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary 
shall prioritize the expenditure of hazardous fuels funding 
for projects within the wildland-urban interface (as defined 
in section 101 of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 
2003 (16 U.S.C. 6511)). 
SEC. 8626. CHATTAHOOCHEE-OCONEE NATIONAL FOREST 
LAND ADJUSTMENT. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
(1) certain National Forest System land in the 
State of Georgia consists of isolated tracts that are in-
efficient to manage or have lost their principal value 
for National Forest purposes; 
(2) the disposal of that National Forest System 
land would be in the public interest; and 
(3) proceeds from the sale of National Forest 
System land under subsection (b)(1) would be used
825 
† HR 2 EAS 
best by the Forest Service to purchase land for Na-
tional Forest purposes in the State of Georgia. 
(b) LAND CONVEYANCE AUTHORITY.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Under such terms and condi-
tions as the Secretary may prescribe, the Secretary 
may sell or exchange any or all rights, title, and in-
terest of the United States in and to the National 
Forest System land described in paragraph (2)(A). 
(2) LAND AUTHORIZED FOR DISPOSAL.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The National Forest 
System land referred to in paragraph (1) is the 
30 tracts of land totaling approximately 3,841 
acres that are generally depicted on the 2 maps 
entitled ‘‘Priority Land Adjustments, State of 
Georgia, U.S. Forest Service–Southern Region, 
Oconee and Chattahoochee National Forests, U.S. 
Congressional Districts–8, 9, 10 & 14’’ and 
dated September 24, 2013. 
(B) MAPS.—The maps described in sub-
paragraph (A) shall be on file and available for 
public inspection in the Office of the Forest Su-
pervisor, Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, 
until such time as the land is sold or exchanged. 
(C) MODIFICATION
OF
BOUNDARIES.—The 
Secretary may modify the boundaries of the Na-
826 
† HR 2 EAS 
tional Forest System land described in subpara-
graph (A) based on land management consider-
ations. 
(3) FORM OF CONVEYANCE.— 
(A) QUITCLAIM DEED.—The Secretary shall 
convey National Forest System land sold or ex-
changed under paragraph (1) by quitclaim deed. 
(B) RESERVATIONS.—The Secretary may 
reserve any rights-of-way or other rights or in-
terests in National Forest System land sold or 
exchanged under paragraph (1) that the Sec-
retary considers necessary for management pur-
poses or to protect the public interest. 
(4) VALUATION.— 
(A) MARKET VALUE.—The Secretary may 
not sell or exchange National Forest System land 
under paragraph (1) for less than market value, 
as determined by appraisal or through competi-
tive bid. 
(B) APPRAISAL REQUIREMENTS.—Any ap-
praisal under subparagraph (A) shall be— 
(i) consistent with the Uniform Ap-
praisal Standards for Federal Land Acqui-
sitions or the Uniform Standards of Profes-
sional Appraisal Practice; and
827 
† HR 2 EAS 
(ii) subject to the approval of the Sec-
retary. 
(5) CONSIDERATION.— 
(A) CASH.—Consideration for a sale of Na-
tional Forest System land or equalization of an 
exchange under paragraph (1) shall be paid in 
cash. 
(B) EXCHANGE.—Notwithstanding section 
206(b) of the Federal Land Policy and Manage-
ment Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1716(b)), the Sec-
retary may accept a cash equalization payment 
in excess of 25 percent of the value of any Na-
tional Forest System land exchanged under 
paragraph (1). 
(6) METHOD OF SALE.— 
(A) OPTIONS.—The Secretary may sell Na-
tional Forest System land under paragraph (1) 
at public or private sale, including competitive 
sale by auction, bid, or otherwise, in accordance 
with such terms, conditions, and procedures as 
the Secretary determines are in the best interest 
of the United States. 
(B) SOLICITATIONS.—The Secretary may—
828 
† HR 2 EAS 
(i) make public or private solicitations 
for the sale or exchange of National Forest 
System land under paragraph (1); and 
(ii) reject any offer that the Secretary 
determines is not adequate or not in the 
public interest. 
(7) BROKERS.—The Secretary may— 
(A) use brokers or other third parties in the 
sale or exchange of National Forest System land 
under paragraph (1); and 
(B) from the proceeds of a sale, pay reason-
able commissions or fees. 
(c) TREATMENT OF PROCEEDS.— 
(1) DEPOSIT.—Subject to subsection (b)(7)(B), 
the Secretary shall deposit the proceeds of a sale or 
a cash equalization payment received from the sale or 
exchange of National Forest System land under sub-
section (b)(1) in the fund established under Public 
Law 90–171 (commonly known as the ‘‘Sisk Act’’) 
(16 U.S.C. 484a). 
(2) AVAILABILITY.—Subject to paragraph (3), 
amounts deposited under paragraph (1) shall be 
available to the Secretary until expended, without 
further appropriation, for the acquisition of land for 
National Forest purposes in the State of Georgia.
829 
† HR 2 EAS 
(3) PRIVATE PROPERTY PROTECTION.—Nothing 
in this section authorizes the use of funds deposited 
under paragraph (1) to be used to acquire land with-
out the written consent of the owner of the land. 
SEC. 8627. TENNESSEE WILDERNESS. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) MAP.—The term ‘‘Map’’ means the map enti-
tled ‘‘Proposed Wilderness Areas and Additions-Cher-
okee National Forest’’ and dated January 20, 2010. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Tennessee. 
(b) ADDITIONS TO CHEROKEE NATIONAL FOREST.— 
(1) DESIGNATION OF WILDERNESS.—In accord-
ance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), 
the following parcels of Federal land in the Cherokee 
National Forest in the State are designated as wilder-
ness and as additions to the National Wilderness 
Preservation System: 
(A) Certain land comprising approximately 
9,038 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Upper 
Bald River Wilderness’’ on the Map and which 
shall be known as the ‘‘Upper Bald River Wil-
derness’’. 
(B) Certain land comprising approximately 
348 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Big Frog
830 
† HR 2 EAS 
Addition’’ on the Map and which shall be incor-
porated in, and shall be considered to be a part 
of, the Big Frog Wilderness. 
(C) Certain land comprising approximately 
630 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Little 
Frog Mountain Addition NW’’ on the Map and 
which shall be incorporated in, and shall be con-
sidered to be a part of, the Little Frog Mountain 
Wilderness. 
(D) Certain land comprising approximately 
336 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Little 
Frog Mountain Addition NE’’ on the Map and 
which shall be incorporated in, and shall be con-
sidered to be a part of, the Little Frog Mountain 
Wilderness. 
(E) Certain land comprising approximately 
2,922 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Samp-
son Mountain Addition’’ on the Map and which 
shall be incorporated in, and shall be considered 
to be a part of, the Sampson Mountain Wilder-
ness. 
(F) Certain land comprising approximately 
4,446 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Big 
Laurel Branch Addition’’ on the Map and which 
shall be incorporated in, and shall be considered
831 
† HR 2 EAS 
to be a part of, the Big Laurel Branch Wilder-
ness. 
(G) Certain land comprising approximately 
1,836 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Joyce 
Kilmer-Slickrock Addition’’ on the Map and 
which shall be incorporated in, and shall be con-
sidered to be a part of, the Joyce Kilmer- 
Slickrock Wilderness. 
(2) MAPS AND LEGAL DESCRIPTIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable 
after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall file maps and legal descriptions of 
the wilderness areas designated by paragraph (1) 
with the appropriate committees of Congress. 
(B) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The maps and 
legal descriptions filed under subparagraph (A) 
shall be on file and available for public inspec-
tion in the office of the Chief of the Forest Serv-
ice and the office of the Supervisor of the Cher-
okee National Forest. 
(C) FORCE OF LAW.—The maps and legal 
descriptions filed under subparagraph (A) shall 
have the same force and effect as if included in 
this Act, except that the Secretary may correct
832 
† HR 2 EAS 
typographical errors in the maps and descrip-
tions. 
(3) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 
rights, the Federal land designated as wilderness 
by paragraph (1) shall be administered by the 
Secretary in accordance with the Wilderness Act 
(16 U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), except that any ref-
erence in that Act to the effective date of that Act 
shall be deemed to be a reference to the date of 
enactment of this Act. 
(B) FISH AND WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT.—In 
accordance with section 4(d)(7) of the Wilderness 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1133(d)(7)), nothing in this sec-
tion affects the jurisdiction of the State with re-
spect to fish and wildlife management, including 
the regulation of hunting, fishing, and trapping, 
in the wilderness areas designated by paragraph 
(1). 
SEC. 8628. ADDITIONS TO ROUGH MOUNTAIN AND RICH 
HOLE WILDERNESSES. 
(a) ROUGH MOUNTAIN ADDITION.—Section 1 of Public 
Law 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 584; 114 
Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) is amended by adding at the 
end the following:
833 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(21) ROUGH
MOUNTAIN
ADDITION.—Certain 
land in the George Washington National Forest com-
prising approximately 1,000 acres, as generally de-
picted as the ‘Rough Mountain Addition’ on the map 
entitled 
‘GEORGE 
WASHINGTON 
NATIONAL 
FOREST – South half – Alternative I – Selected Al-
ternative Management Prescriptions – Land and Re-
sources Management Plan Final Environmental Im-
pact Statement’ and dated March 4, 2014, which is 
incorporated in the Rough Mountain Wilderness Area 
designated by paragraph (1).’’. 
(b) RICH HOLE ADDITION.— 
(1) POTENTIAL WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.—In 
furtherance of the purposes of the Wilderness Act (16 
U.S.C. 1131 et seq.), certain land in the George 
Washington National Forest comprising approxi-
mately 4,600 acres, as generally depicted as the ‘‘Rich 
Hole Addition’’ on the map entitled ‘‘GEORGE 
WASHINGTON NATIONAL FOREST – South half 
– Alternative I – Selected Alternative Management 
Prescriptions – Land and Resources Management 
Plan Final Environmental Impact Statement’’ and 
dated March 4, 2014, is designated as a potential wil-
derness area for incorporation in the Rich Hole Wil-
derness Area designated by section 1(2) of Public Law
834 
† HR 2 EAS 
100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 584; 114 
Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002). 
(2) WILDERNESS DESIGNATION.—The potential 
wilderness area designated by paragraph (1) shall be 
designated as wilderness and incorporated in the Rich 
Hole Wilderness Area designated by section 1(2) of 
Public Law 100–326 (16 U.S.C. 1132 note; 102 Stat. 
584; 114 Stat. 2057; 123 Stat. 1002) on the earlier 
of— 
(A) the date on which the Secretary pub-
lishes in the Federal Register notice that the ac-
tivities permitted under paragraph (4) have been 
completed; or 
(B) the date that is 5 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(3) MANAGEMENT.—Except as provided in para-
graph (4), the Secretary shall manage the potential 
wilderness area designated by paragraph (1) in ac-
cordance with the Wilderness Act (16 U.S.C. 1131 et 
seq.). 
(4) WATER
QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT
ACTIVI-
TIES.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—To enhance natural eco-
systems within the potential wilderness area des-
ignated by paragraph (1) by implementing cer-
835 
† HR 2 EAS 
tain activities to improve water quality and 
aquatic passage, as set forth in the Forest Serv-
ice document entitled ‘‘Decision Notice for the 
Lower Cowpasture Restoration and Management 
Project’’ and dated December 2015, the Secretary 
may use motorized equipment and mechanized 
transport in the potential wilderness area until 
the date on which the potential wilderness area 
is incorporated into the Rich Hole Wilderness 
Area under paragraph (2). 
(B) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), the Secretary, to the maximum 
extent practicable, shall use the minimum tool or 
administrative practice necessary to carry out 
that subparagraph with the least amount of ad-
verse impact on wilderness character and re-
sources. 
SEC. 8629. KISATCHIE NATIONAL FOREST LAND CONVEY-
ANCE. 
(a) FINDING.—Congress finds that it is in the public 
interest to authorize the conveyance of certain Federal land 
in the Kisatchie National Forest in the State of Louisiana 
for market value consideration. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
836 
† HR 2 EAS 
(1) COLLINS
CAMP
PROPERTIES.—The term 
‘‘Collins Camp Properties’’ means Collins Camp 
Properties, Inc., a corporation incorporated under the 
laws of the State. 
(2) STATE.—The term ‘‘State’’ means the State 
of Louisiana. 
(c) AUTHORIZATION
OF CONVEYANCES, KISATCHIE 
NATIONAL FOREST, LOUISIANA.— 
(1) AUTHORIZATION.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—Subject to valid existing 
rights and paragraph (2), the Secretary may 
convey the Federal land described in subpara-
graph (B) by quitclaim deed at public or private 
sale, including competitive sale by auction, bid, 
or other methods. 
(B) DESCRIPTION OF LAND.—The Federal 
land referred to in subparagraph (A) consists 
of— 
(i) all Federal land within sec. 9, T. 
10 N., R. 5 W., Winn Parish, Louisiana; 
and 
(ii) a 2.16-acre parcel of Federal land 
located in the SW1⁄4 of sec. 4, T. 10 N., R. 
5 W., Winn Parish, Louisiana, as depicted
837 
† HR 2 EAS 
on a certificate of survey dated March 7, 
2007, by Glen L. Cannon, P.L.S. 4436. 
(2) FIRST
RIGHT
OF
PURCHASE.—Subject to 
valid existing rights and subsection (e), during the 1- 
year period beginning on the date of enactment of this 
Act, on the provision of consideration by the Collins 
Camp Properties to the Secretary, the Secretary shall 
convey, by quitclaim deed, to Collins Camp Properties 
all right, title, and interest of the United States in 
and to— 
(A) the not more than 47.92 acres of Fed-
eral land comprising the Collins Campsites with-
in sec. 9, T. 10 N., R. 5 W., in Winn Parish, 
Louisiana, as generally depicted on a certificate 
of survey dated February 28, 2007, by Glen L. 
Cannon, P.L.S. 4436; and 
(B) the parcel of Federal land described in 
paragraph (1)(B)(ii). 
(3) TERMS
AND
CONDITIONS.—The Secretary 
may— 
(A) configure the Federal land to be con-
veyed under this section— 
(i) to maximize the marketability of 
the conveyance; or
838 
† HR 2 EAS 
(ii) to achieve management objectives; 
and 
(B) establish any terms and conditions for 
the conveyances under this section that the Sec-
retary determines to be in the public interest. 
(4) CONSIDERATION.—Consideration for a con-
veyance of Federal land under this section shall be— 
(A) in the form of cash; and 
(B) in an amount equal to the market value 
of the Federal land being conveyed, as deter-
mined under paragraph (5). 
(5) MARKET VALUE.—The market value of the 
Federal land conveyed under this section shall be de-
termined— 
(A) in the case of Federal land conveyed 
under paragraph (2), by an appraisal that is— 
(i) conducted in accordance with the 
Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal 
Land Acquisitions; and 
(ii) approved by the Secretary; or 
(B) if conveyed by a method other than the 
methods described in paragraph (2), by competi-
tive sale. 
(6) HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES.—
839 
† HR 2 EAS 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—In any conveyance of 
Federal land under this section, the Secretary 
shall meet disclosure requirements for hazardous 
substances, but shall otherwise not be required to 
remediate or abate the substances. 
(B) EFFECT.—Except as provided in sub-
paragraph (A), nothing in this subsection affects 
the application of the Comprehensive Environ-
mental Response, Compensation, and Liability 
Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C. 9601 et seq.) to the con-
veyances of Federal land. 
(d) PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF LAND.—The Sec-
retary shall deposit the proceeds of a conveyance of Federal 
land under subsection (c) in the fund established under 
Public Law 90–171 (commonly known as the ‘‘Sisk Act’’) 
(16 U.S.C. 484a). 
(e) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) COSTS.—As a condition of a conveyance of 
Federal land to Collins Camp Properties under sub-
section (c), the Secretary shall require Collins Camp 
Properties to pay at closing— 
(A) reasonable appraisal costs; and 
(B) the cost of any administrative and en-
vironmental analyses required by law (including 
regulations).
840 
† HR 2 EAS 
(2) PERMITS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—An offer by Collins 
Camp Properties for the acquisition of the Fed-
eral land under subsection (c) shall be accom-
panied by a written statement from each holder 
of a Forest Service special use authorization 
with respect to the Federal land that specifies 
that the holder agrees to relinquish the special 
use authorization on the conveyance of the Fed-
eral land to Collins Camp Properties. 
(B) SPECIAL
USE
AUTHORIZATIONS.—If 
any holder of a special use authorization de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) fails to provide a 
written authorization in accordance with that 
subparagraph, the Secretary shall require, as a 
condition of the conveyance, that Collins Camp 
Properties administer the special use authoriza-
tion according to the terms of the special use au-
thorization until the date on which the special 
use authorization expires. 
SEC. 8630. PURCHASE OF NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVA-
TION SERVICE PROPERTY, RIVERSIDE COUN-
TY, CALIFORNIA. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds as follows:
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† HR 2 EAS 
(1) Since 1935, the United States has owned a 
parcel of land in Riverside, California, consisting of 
approximately 8.75 acres, more specifically described 
in subsection (b)(1) (in this section referred to as the 
‘‘property’’). 
(2) The property is under the jurisdiction of the 
Department of Agriculture and has been variously 
used for research and plant materials purposes. 
(3) Since 1998, the property has been adminis-
tered by the Natural Resources Conservation Service 
of the Department of Agriculture. 
(4) Since 2002, the property has been co-man-
aged under a cooperative agreement between the Nat-
ural Resources Conservation Service and the River-
side Corona Resource Conservation District, which is 
a legal subdivision of the State of California under 
section 9003 of the California Public Resources Code. 
(5) The Conservation District wishes to purchase 
the property and use it for conservation, environ-
mental, and related educational purposes. 
(6) As provided in subsection (b), the purchase 
of the property by the Conservation District would 
promote the conservation education and related ac-
tivities of the Conservation District and result in sav-
ings to the Federal Government.
842 
† HR 2 EAS 
(b) LAND PURCHASE, NATURAL RESOURCES CON-
SERVATION SERVICE PROPERTY, RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CALI-
FORNIA.— 
(1) PURCHASE
AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary 
shall sell and quitclaim to the Riverside Corona Re-
source Conservation District (in this section referred 
to as the ‘‘Conservation District’’) all right, title, and 
interest of the United States in and to a parcel of real 
property, including improvements thereon, that is lo-
cated at 4500 Glenwood Drive in Riverside, Cali-
fornia, consists of approximately 8.75 acres, and is 
administered by the Natural Resources Conservation 
Service of the Department of Agriculture. As nec-
essary or desirable to facilitate the purchase of the 
property under this subsection, the Secretary or the 
Conservation District may survey all or portions of 
the property. 
(2) CONSIDERATION.—As consideration for the 
purchase of the property under this subsection, the 
Conservation District shall pay to the Secretary an 
amount equal to the appraised value of the property. 
(3) PROHIBITION ON RESERVATION OF INTER-
EST.—The Secretary shall not reserve any future in-
terest in the property to be conveyed under this sub-
843 
† HR 2 EAS 
section, except such interest as may be acceptable to 
the Conservation District. 
(4) HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCES.—Notwithstanding 
section 120(h) of the Comprehensive Environmental 
Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 
(42 U.S.C. 9620(h)) or the Solid Waste Disposal Act 
(42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.), in the case of the property 
purchased by the Conservation District under this 
subsection, the Secretary shall be only required to 
meet the disclosure requirements for hazardous sub-
stances, pollutants, or contaminants, but shall other-
wise not be required to remediate or abate any such 
releases of hazardous substances, pollutants, or con-
taminants, including petroleum and petroleum de-
rivatives. 
(5) COOPERATIVE AUTHORITY.— 
(A) LEASES, CONTRACTS, AND COOPERATIVE 
AGREEMENTS
AUTHORIZED.—In 
conjunction 
with, or in addition to, the purchase of the prop-
erty by the Conservation District under this sub-
section, the Secretary may enter into leases, con-
tracts and cooperative agreements with the Con-
servation District. 
(B) SOLE
SOURCE.—Notwithstanding sec-
tions 3105, 3301, and 3303 to 3305 of title 41,
844 
† HR 2 EAS 
United States Code, or any other provision of 
law, the Secretary may lease real property from 
the Conservation District on a noncompetitive 
basis. 
(C) NON-EXCLUSIVE AUTHORITY.—The au-
thority provided by this subsection is in addition 
to any other authority of the Secretary. 
SEC. 8631. COLLABORATIVE FOREST LANDSCAPE RESTORA-
TION PROGRAM. 
(a) REAUTHORIZATION.—Section 4003(f)(6) of the 
Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 U.S.C. 
7303(f)(6)) is amended by striking ‘‘$40,000,000 for each 
of fiscal years 2009 through 2019’’ and inserting 
‘‘$80,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’. 
(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 4003(h) of 
the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 (16 
U.S.C. 7303(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘and’’ after the 
semicolon; 
(2) in paragraph (4), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; 
(3) by redesignating paragraphs (3) and (4) as 
paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively; 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing:
845 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(3) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry of the Senate;’’; and 
(5) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
of Representatives.’’. 
SEC. 
8632. 
UTILITY 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
RIGHTS-OF-WAY 
VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PILOT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM LAND.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘National For-
est System land’’ means land within the Na-
tional Forest System, as defined in section 11(a) 
of the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Re-
sources Planning Act of 1974 (16 U.S.C. 
1609(a)). 
(B) EXCLUSIONS.—The term ‘‘National 
Forest System land’’ does not include— 
(i) a National Grassland; or 
(ii) a land utilization project on land 
designated as a National Grassland and ad-
ministered pursuant to sections 31, 32, and 
33 of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1010, 1011, 1012).
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† HR 2 EAS 
(2) PASSING
WILDFIRE.—The term ‘‘passing 
wildfire’’ means a wildfire that originates outside of 
a right-of-way. 
(3) PILOT PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘pilot program’’ 
means the pilot program established by the Secretary 
under subsection (b). 
(4) RIGHT-OF-WAY.—The term ‘‘right-of-way’’ 
means a special use authorization issued by the For-
est Service allowing the placement of utility infra-
structure. 
(5) UTILITY INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term ‘‘util-
ity infrastructure’’ means electric transmission lines, 
natural gas infrastructure, or related structures. 
(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—To encourage owners or opera-
tors of rights-of-way on National Forest System land to 
partner with the Forest Service to voluntarily conduct vege-
tation management projects on a proactive basis to better 
protect utility infrastructure from potential passing 
wildfires, the Secretary may establish a limited, voluntary 
pilot program, in the manner described in this section, to 
conduct vegetation management projects on National Forest 
System land adjacent to or near those rights-of-way. 
(c) ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS.—
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† HR 2 EAS 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A participant in the pilot 
program shall be the owner or operator of a right-of- 
way on National Forest System land. 
(2) SELECTION PRIORITY.—In selecting partici-
pants for the pilot program, the Secretary shall give 
priority to an owner or operator of a right-of-way 
that has worked with Forest Service fire scientists 
and used technologies, such as light detection and 
ranging surveys, to improve utility infrastructure 
protection prescriptions. 
(d) VEGETATION MANAGEMENT PROJECTS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—A vegetation management 
project conducted under the pilot program shall in-
volve only limited and selective vegetation manage-
ment activities that— 
(A) shall create the least disturbance reason-
ably necessary to protect utility infrastructure 
from passing wildfires based on applicable mod-
els, including Forest Service fuel models; 
(B) may include thinning, fuel reduction, 
creation and treatment of shaded fuel breaks, 
and other appropriate measures; 
(C) shall only be conducted on National 
Forest System land—
848 
† HR 2 EAS 
(i) adjacent to the right-of-way of a 
participant; or 
(ii) within 75 feet of the right-of-way 
of a participant; and 
(D) shall not be conducted on— 
(i) a component of the National Wil-
derness Preservation System; 
(ii) a designated wilderness study area; 
or 
(iii) an inventoried roadless area. 
(2) APPROVAL.—Each vegetation management 
project described in paragraph (1) (including each 
vegetation management activity described in subpara-
graphs (A) through (D) of that paragraph) shall be 
subject to approval by the Forest Service in accord-
ance with this section. 
(e) PROJECT COSTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), a participant in the pilot program shall 
be responsible for all costs, as determined by the Sec-
retary, incurred in participating in the pilot pro-
gram. 
(2) FEDERAL
FUNDING.—The Secretary may 
contribute funds for a vegetation management project 
conducted under the pilot program if the Secretary
849 
† HR 2 EAS 
determines that the contribution is in the public in-
terest. 
(f) LIABILITY.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Participation in the pilot 
program shall not affect any legal obligations or li-
ability standards that— 
(A) arise under the right-of-way for activi-
ties in the right-of-way; or 
(B) apply to fires resulting from causes 
other than activities conducted pursuant to an 
approved vegetation management project con-
ducted under the pilot program. 
(2) PROJECT WORK.—If the Secretary approves 
a supplement to an approved plan under subsection 
(c) of section 512 of the Federal Land Policy and 
Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1772) or an 
agreement entered into under subsection (d)(1) of that 
section that covers a vegetation management project 
under the pilot program, the liability provisions of 
subsection (g) of that section shall apply to the vegeta-
tion management project. 
(g) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in para-
graph (2), the Secretary shall use the authority of the
850 
† HR 2 EAS 
Secretary under other laws (including regulations) to 
carry out the pilot program. 
(2) MODIFICATION OF REGULATIONS.—In order 
to implement the pilot program in an efficient and 
expeditious manner, the Secretary may waive or mod-
ify specific provisions of the Federal Acquisition Reg-
ulation, including waivers or modifications to allow 
for the formation of contracts or agreements on a non-
competitive basis. 
(h) TREATMENT
OF
PROCEEDS.—Notwithstanding 
any other provision of law, the Secretary may— 
(1) retain any funds provided to the Forest Serv-
ice by a participant in the pilot program; and 
(2) use funds retained under paragraph (1), in 
such amounts as may be appropriated, to carry out 
the pilot program. 
(i) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than December 
31, 2020, and 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit 
a report describing the status of the pilot program and vege-
tation management projects conducted under the pilot pro-
gram to— 
(1) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
Forestry of the Senate; and 
(2) the Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives.
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† HR 2 EAS 
(j) DURATION.—The authority to carry out the pilot 
program, including any vegetation management project 
conducted under the pilot program, expires on October 1, 
2023. 
SEC. 8633. OKHISSA LAKE RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOP-
MENT LAND CONVEYANCE. 
(a) DEFINITION OF ALLIANCE.—In this section, the 
term ‘‘Alliance’’ means the Scenic Rivers Development Alli-
ance. 
(b) REQUEST.—Subject to the requirements of this sec-
tion, if the Alliance submits a written request for convey-
ance by not later than 180 days after the date of enactment 
of this Act and the Secretary determines that it is in the 
public interest to convey the National Forest System Land 
described in subsection (c), the Secretary shall convey to 
the Alliance all right, title, and interest of the United States 
in and to the National Forest System land described in sub-
section (c) by quitclaim deed through a public or private 
sale, including a competitive sale by auction or bid. 
(c) DESCRIPTION
OF NATIONAL FOREST SYSTEM 
LAND.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), the 
National Forest System land referred to in subsection 
(b) is the approximately 150 acres of real property lo-
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† HR 2 EAS 
cated in sec. 6, T. 5 N. R. 4 E., Franklin County, 
Mississippi, and further described as— 
(A) the portion of the NW1⁄4 NW1⁄4 lying 
south of the south boundary of Berrytown Road; 
(B) the portion of the W1⁄2 NE1⁄4 NW1⁄4 
lying south of the south boundary of Berrytown 
Road; 
(C) the portion of the SW1⁄4 NW1⁄4 lying 
east of the east boundary of U.S. Highway 98; 
(D) the W1⁄2 SE1⁄4 NW1⁄4; 
(E) the portion of the NW1⁄4 SW1⁄4 lying 
east of the east boundary of U.S. Highway 98; 
(F) the portion of the NE1⁄4 SW1⁄4 com-
mencing at the southwest corner of the NE1⁄4 
SW1⁄4, said point being the point of beginning, 
thence running east 330 feet along the south 
boundary of the NE1⁄4 SW1⁄4 to a point in Lake 
Okhissa, thence running northeasterly to a point 
in Lake Okhissa on the east boundary of the 
NE1⁄4 SW1⁄4 330 feet south of the northeast cor-
ner thereof, thence running north 330 feet along 
the east boundary of the NE1⁄4 SW1⁄4 to the 
northeast corner thereof, thence running west 
along the north boundary of the NE1⁄4 SW1⁄4 to 
the NW corner thereof; thence running south
853 
† HR 2 EAS 
along the west boundary of the NE1⁄4 SW1⁄4 to 
the point of beginning; and 
(G) the portion of the SE1⁄4 SE1⁄4 NW1⁄4 
commencing at the southeast corner of the SE1⁄4 
NW1⁄4, said point being the point of beginning, 
and running northwesterly to the northwest cor-
ner of the SE1⁄4 SE1⁄4 NW1⁄4, thence running 
south along the west boundary of the SE1⁄4 SE1⁄4 
NW1⁄4 to the southwest corner thereof, thence 
running east along the south boundary of the 
SE1⁄4 SE1⁄4 NW1⁄4 to the point of beginning. 
(2) SURVEY.—The exact acreage and legal de-
scription of the National Forest System land to be 
conveyed under this section shall be determined by a 
survey satisfactory to the Secretary. 
(d) CONSIDERATION.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The consideration for the con-
veyance of any National Forest System land under 
this section shall be— 
(A) provided in the form of cash; and 
(B) in an amount equal to the fair market 
value of the National Forest System land being 
conveyed, as determined under paragraph (2).
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† HR 2 EAS 
(2) FAIR MARKET VALUE DETERMINATION.—The 
fair market value of the National Forest System land 
conveyed under this section shall be determined— 
(A) in the case of a method of conveyance 
described in subsection (b), by an appraisal that 
is— 
(i) conducted in accordance with the 
Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal 
Land Acquisitions; and 
(ii) approved by the Secretary; or 
(B) in the case of a conveyance by a method 
other than a method described in subsection (b), 
by competitive sale. 
(e) TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The conveyance under 
this section shall be subject to— 
(1) valid existing rights; and 
(2) such other terms and conditions as the Sec-
retary considers to be appropriate to protect the inter-
ests of the United States. 
(f) PROCEEDS FROM SALE.—The Secretary shall de-
posit the proceeds of the conveyance of any National Forest 
System land under this section in the fund established 
under Public Law 90–171 (commonly known as the ‘‘Sisk 
Act’’) (16 U.S.C. 484a).
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† HR 2 EAS 
(g) COSTS.—As a condition for the conveyance under 
this section, the Secretary shall require the Alliance to pay 
at closing— 
(1) any reasonable appraisal costs; and 
(2) the costs of any administrative or environ-
mental analysis required by applicable law (includ-
ing regulations). 
SEC. 8634. PRAIRIE DOGS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—With respect to the grasslands plan 
guidance of the Forest Service relating to prairie dogs, the 
Chief of the Forest Service shall base policies of the Forest 
Service on sound ecological and livestock management prin-
ciples. 
(b) GRAZING ALLOTMENTS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (3), not 
later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this 
Act, the Chief of the Forest Service shall complete a 
report on the percentage of prairie dogs occupying 
each total grazing allotment acreage. 
(2) ACTION REQUIRED.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date on which the report under paragraph 
(1) is completed and subject to paragraph (3), the 
Chief of the Forest Service shall take appropriate ac-
tion based on the results of that report.
856 
† HR 2 EAS 
(3) REQUIREMENT.—This section, including any 
actions taken under paragraph (2), shall apply only 
to grazing allotments where prairie dogs are present 
as of the date of enactment of this Act. 
PART III—TIMBER INNOVATION 
SEC. 8641. DEFINITIONS. 
In this part: 
(1) INNOVATIVE WOOD PRODUCT.—The term ‘‘in-
novative wood product’’ means a type of building 
component or system that uses large panelized wood 
construction, including mass timber. 
(2) MASS TIMBER.—The term ‘‘mass timber’’ in-
cludes— 
(A) cross-laminated timber; 
(B) nail laminated timber; 
(C) glue laminated timber; 
(D) laminated strand lumber; and 
(E) laminated veneer lumber. 
(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary, acting through the Research and Devel-
opment deputy area and the State and Private For-
estry deputy area of the Forest Service. 
(4) TALL WOOD BUILDING.—The term ‘‘tall wood 
building’’ means a building designed to be— 
(A) constructed with mass timber; and
857 
† HR 2 EAS 
(B) more than 85 feet in height. 
SEC. 8642. CLARIFICATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOP-
MENT PROGRAM FOR WOOD BUILDING CON-
STRUCTION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct per-
formance-driven research and development, education, and 
technical assistance for the purpose of facilitating the use 
of innovative wood products in wood building construction 
in the United States. 
(b) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary shall— 
(1) after receipt of input and guidance from, 
and collaboration with, the wood products industry, 
conservation organizations, and institutions of higher 
education, conduct research and development, edu-
cation, and technical assistance at the Forest Prod-
ucts Laboratory or through the State and Private 
Forestry deputy area that meets measurable perform-
ance goals for the achievement of the priorities de-
scribed in subsection (c); and 
(2) after coordination and collaboration with the 
wood products industry and conservation organiza-
tions, make competitive grants to institutions of high-
er education to conduct research and development, 
education, and technical assistance that meets meas-
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† HR 2 EAS 
urable performance goals for the achievement of the 
priorities described in subsection (c). 
(c) PRIORITIES.—The research and development, edu-
cation, and technical assistance conducted under subsection 
(a) shall give priority to— 
(1) ways to improve the commercialization of in-
novative wood products; 
(2) analyzing the safety of tall wood building 
materials; 
(3) calculations by the Forest Products Labora-
tory of the lifecycle environmental footprint, from ex-
traction of raw materials through the manufacturing 
process, of tall wood building construction; 
(4) analyzing methods to reduce the lifecycle en-
vironmental footprint of tall wood building construc-
tion; 
(5) analyzing the potential implications of the 
use of innovative wood products in building construc-
tion on wildlife; and 
(6) 1 or more other research areas identified by 
the Secretary, in consultation with conservation orga-
nizations, institutions of higher education, and the 
wood products industry. 
(d) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent practicable, 
the measurable performance goals for the research and de-
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† HR 2 EAS 
velopment, education, and technical assistance conducted 
under subsection (a) shall be achievable within a 5-year 
timeframe. 
SEC. 8643. WOOD INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti-
ty’’ means— 
(A) an individual; 
(B) a public or private entity (including a 
center of excellence that consists of 1 or more 
partnerships between forestry, engineering, archi-
tecture, or business schools at 1 or more institu-
tions of higher education); or 
(C) a State, local, or Tribal government. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary, acting through the Chief of the Forest 
Service. 
(b) GRANT PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in carrying 
out the wood innovation grant program of the Sec-
retary described in the notice of the Secretary entitled 
‘‘Request for Proposals: 2016 Wood Innovations 
Funding Opportunity’’ (80 Fed. Reg. 63498 (October 
20, 2015)), may make a wood innovation grant to 1
860 
† HR 2 EAS 
or more eligible entities each year for the purpose of 
advancing the use of innovative wood products. 
(2) PROPOSALS.—To be eligible to receive a 
grant under this subsection, an eligible entity shall 
submit to the Secretary a proposal at such time, in 
such manner, and containing such information as the 
Secretary may require. 
(c) INCENTIVIZING USE OF EXISTING MILLING CAPAC-
ITY.—In selecting among proposals of eligible entities under 
subsection (b)(2), the Secretary shall give priority to pro-
posals that include the use or retrofitting (or both) of exist-
ing sawmill facilities located in counties in which the aver-
age annual unemployment rate exceeded the national aver-
age unemployment rate by more than 1 percent in the pre-
vious calendar year. 
(d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condition of re-
ceiving a grant under subsection (b), an eligible entity shall 
provide funds equal to the amount received by the eligible 
entity under the grant, to be derived from non-Federal 
sources. 
TITLE IX—ENERGY 
SEC. 9101. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 9001 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101) is amended—
861 
† HR 2 EAS 
(1) in paragraph (4)(A), by striking ‘‘agricul-
tural materials’’ and inserting ‘‘agricultural mate-
rials, renewable chemicals,’’; 
(2) in paragraph (7)(A), by striking ‘‘into 
biofuels and biobased products’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘or an intermediate ingredient or feedstock of 
renewable biomass into any 1 or more, or a combina-
tion, of— 
‘‘(i) biofuels; 
‘‘(ii) renewable chemicals; or 
‘‘(iii) biobased products’’; and 
(3) in paragraph (16)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) in the matter preceding clause (i), 
by striking ‘‘(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘(C)’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘that—’’ in the matter 
preceding clause (i) and all that follows 
through the period at the end of clause (ii) 
and inserting ‘‘that produces usable energy 
from a renewable energy source.’’; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraph (B) as 
subparagraph (C); and 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
following:
862 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The term ‘renewable en-
ergy system’ includes— 
‘‘(i) distribution components necessary 
to move energy produced by a system de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) to the initial 
point of sale; and 
‘‘(ii) other components and ancillary 
infrastructure of a system described in sub-
paragraph (A), such as a storage system.’’. 
SEC. 9102. BIOBASED MARKETS PROGRAM. 
Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2)(A)(i)(III), by inserting 
‘‘, acting through the rural development mission area 
(referred to in this section as the ‘Secretary’)’’ before 
the period at the end; 
(2) in subsection (b)(2)(A), by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(iii) RENEWABLE
CHEMICALS.—Not 
later than 90 days after the date of enact-
ment of this clause, the Secretary shall up-
date the criteria issued under clause (i) to 
provide criteria for determining which re-
newable chemicals may qualify to receive 
the label under paragraph (1).’’;
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† HR 2 EAS 
(3) in subsection (f), by striking the subsection 
designation and all that follows through ‘‘The Sec-
retary’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(f) MANUFACTURERS
OF RENEWABLE CHEMICALS 
AND BIOBASED PRODUCTS.— 
‘‘(1) NAICS CODES.—The Secretary and the Sec-
retary of Commerce shall jointly develop North Amer-
ican Industry Classification System codes for— 
‘‘(A) renewable chemicals manufacturers; 
and 
‘‘(B) biobased products manufacturers. 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL
TESTING
CENTER
REGISTRY.— 
The Secretary’’; 
(4) by redesignating subsections (h) through (j) 
as subsections (k) through (m), respectively; 
(5) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(h) EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.—The Secretary, in 
consultation with the Administrator, shall provide to ap-
propriate stakeholders education and outreach relating to— 
‘‘(1) the Federal procurement of biobased prod-
ucts under subsection (a); and 
‘‘(2) the voluntary labeling program under sub-
section (b). 
‘‘(i) STREAMLINING.—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary 
shall establish guidelines for an integrated process 
under which biobased products may be, in 1 expedited 
approval process— 
‘‘(A) determined to be eligible for a Federal 
procurement preference under subsection (a); and 
‘‘(B) approved to use the ‘USDA Certified 
Biobased Product’ label under subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) INITIATION.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that a review of a biobased product under the inte-
grated qualification process established pursuant to 
paragraph (1) may be initiated on receipt of a rec-
ommendation or petition from a manufacturer, ven-
dor, or other interested party. 
‘‘(3) PRODUCT
DESIGNATIONS.—The Secretary 
may issue a product designation pursuant to sub-
section (a)(3)(B), or approve the use of the ‘USDA 
Certified Biobased Product’ label under subsection (b), 
through streamlined procedures, which shall not be 
subject to chapter 7 of title 5, United States Code. 
‘‘(j) REQUIREMENT
OF PROCURING AGENCIES.—A 
procuring agency (as defined in subsection (a)(1)) shall not 
establish regulations, guidance, or criteria regarding the 
procurement of biobased products, pursuant to this section
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† HR 2 EAS 
or any other law, that impose limitations on that procure-
ment that are more restrictive than the limitations estab-
lished by the Secretary under the regulations to implement 
this section.’’; and 
(6) in subsection (l) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2023’’; and 
(B) 
in 
paragraph 
(2), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 
2018’’ and inserting ‘‘$3,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2019 through 2023’’. 
SEC. 9103. BIOREFINERY ASSISTANCE. 
Section 9003 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8103) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (b)(3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘pro-
duces an advanced biofuel; and’’ and inserting 
the following: ‘‘produces any 1 or more, or a 
combination, of— 
‘‘(i) an advanced biofuel; 
‘‘(ii) a renewable chemical; or 
‘‘(iii) a biobased product; and’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘pro-
duces an advanced biofuel.’’ and inserting the
866 
† HR 2 EAS 
following: ‘‘produces any 1 or more, or a com-
bination, of— 
‘‘(i) an advanced biofuel; 
‘‘(ii) a renewable chemical; or 
‘‘(iii) a biobased product.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (g)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 
(i) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end; 
(ii) in clause (ii), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting a semicolon; 
and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 
2019; and 
‘‘(iv) 
$50,000,000 
for 
fiscal 
year 
2020.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 9104. REPOWERING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
Section 9004 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8104) is repealed.
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† HR 2 EAS 
SEC. 9105. BIOENERGY PROGRAM FOR ADVANCED BIOFUEL. 
Section 9005(g) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8105(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (D), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(B) in subparagraph (E), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(F) $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2019 through 2023.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$20,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023’’. 
SEC. 9106. BIODIESEL FUEL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
Section 9006(d)(2) of the Farm Security and Rural 
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106(d)(2)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 9107. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 
Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end;
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† HR 2 EAS 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(C) to purchase and install efficient energy 
equipment or systems.’’; 
(2) in subsection (e), by striking ‘‘(g)’’ each place 
it appears and inserting ‘‘(f)’’; 
(3) by striking subsection (f); 
(4) by redesignating subsection (g) as subsection 
(f); and 
(5) in subsection (f) (as so redesignated), in 
paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘$20,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2014 through 2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
2023’’. 
SEC. 9108. RURAL ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENCY INITIATIVE. 
Section 9009 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8109) is repealed. 
SEC. 9109. FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY PROGRAM FOR BIO-
ENERGY PRODUCERS. 
Section 9010(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110(b)) is amended, in 
paragraphs (1)(A) and (2)(A), by striking ‘‘2018’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘2023’’.
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† HR 2 EAS 
SEC. 9110. BIOMASS CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
Section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8111) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(6)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) in clause (ii)(II), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end; 
(ii) in clause (iii), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iv) algae.’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (C)— 
(i) by striking clause (iv); and 
(ii) 
by 
redesignating 
clauses 
(v) 
through (vii) as clauses (iv) through (vi), 
respectively; 
(2) in subsection (b)(2), by inserting ‘‘(including 
eligible material harvested for the purpose of haz-
ardous woody fuel reduction)’’ after ‘‘material’’; and 
(3) in subsection (f)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘Of the funds’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds’’;
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† HR 2 EAS 
(ii) in subparagraph (A) (as so des-
ignated), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘2023’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(B) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this section $20,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2019 through 2023.’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) by striking the paragraph designa-
tion and heading and all that follows 
through ‘‘Effective’’ in subparagraph (A) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(3) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Effective’’; and 
(ii) by striking subparagraph (B). 
SEC. 9111. BIOGAS RESEARCH AND ADOPTION OF BIOGAS 
SYSTEMS. 
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 
Act of 2002 is amended by inserting after section 9011 (7 
U.S.C. 8111) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9012. BIOGAS RESEARCH AND ADOPTION OF BIOGAS 
SYSTEMS. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section:
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(1) ANAEROBIC DIGESTION.—The term ‘anaer-
obic digestion’ means a biological process or series of 
biological processes— 
‘‘(A) through which microorganisms break 
down biodegradable material in the absence of 
oxygen; and 
‘‘(B) the end products of which are biogas 
and digested materials. 
‘‘(2) BIOGAS.—The term ‘biogas’ means a mix-
ture of primarily methane and carbon dioxide pro-
duced by the bacterial decomposition of organic mate-
rials in the absence of oxygen. 
‘‘(3) BIOGAS
PROCESSING.—The term ‘biogas 
processing’ means the process by which water, carbon 
dioxide, and other trace compounds are removed from 
biogas, as determined by the end user. 
‘‘(4) BIOGAS SYSTEM.—The term ‘biogas system’ 
means a system— 
‘‘(A) with the potential to capture and use 
biogas, including biogas from organic waste, in-
cluding animal manure, food waste, waste from 
landfills, and wastewater; and 
‘‘(B) that includes—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(i) the infrastructure necessary to 
manage the organic waste referred to in 
subparagraph (A); 
‘‘(ii) the equipment necessary to gen-
erate— 
‘‘(I) electricity, heat, or fuel; and 
‘‘(II) biogas system co-products; 
and 
‘‘(iii) the equipment necessary for 
biogas processing. 
‘‘(5) BIOGAS
SYSTEM
CO-PRODUCT.—The term 
‘biogas system co-product’ means a nonenergy biogas 
system product produced from digested material, in-
cluding soil amendments, fertilizers, compost, animal 
bedding, and feedstock for plastics and chemicals. 
‘‘(6) DIGESTED MATERIAL.—The term ‘digested 
material’ means solid or liquid digested material— 
‘‘(A) produced by digesters; and 
‘‘(B) that contains nutrients and organic 
carbon. 
‘‘(b) INTERAGENCY BIOGAS OPPORTUNITIES TASK 
FORCE.— 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days 
after the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Secretary, acting jointly
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† HR 2 EAS 
with the Secretary of Energy and the Administrator, 
shall establish an Interagency Biogas Opportunities 
Task Force (referred to in this subsection as the ‘Task 
Force’) that shall coordinate policies, programs, and 
research to accelerate— 
‘‘(A) biogas research; and 
‘‘(B) investment in cost-effective biogas sys-
tems. 
‘‘(2) MEMBERSHIP.—The Task Force shall be 
composed of— 
‘‘(A) the head of each Federal office respon-
sible for biogas research or biogas system financ-
ing (or a designee), including a representative 
from the Department of Agriculture, the Depart-
ment of Energy, and the Environmental Protec-
tion Agency; 
‘‘(B) 1 or more representatives of State or 
local governments, as determined by the Sec-
retary, the Secretary of Energy, and the Admin-
istrator; 
‘‘(C) 1 or more nongovernmental or indus-
try stakeholders, including 1 or more stake-
holders from relevant industries, as determined 
by the Secretary, the Secretary of Energy, and 
the Administrator; and
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(D) 1 or more community stakeholders. 
‘‘(3) DUTIES OF THE TASK FORCE.—In carrying 
out paragraph (1), the Task Force shall— 
‘‘(A) evaluate and improve the coordination 
of loan and grant programs of the Federal agen-
cies represented on the Task Force— 
‘‘(i) to broaden the financing options 
available for biogas systems; and 
‘‘(ii) to enhance opportunities for pri-
vate financing of biogas systems; 
‘‘(B) review Federal procurement guidelines 
to ensure that products of biogas systems are eli-
gible for and promoted by applicable procure-
ment programs of the Federal Government; 
‘‘(C) in coordination with the Secretary of 
Commerce, evaluate the development of North 
American Industry Classification System and 
North American Product Classification System 
codes for biogas and biogas system products; 
‘‘(D) review opportunities and develop 
strategies to overcome barriers to integrating 
biogas into electricity and renewable natural gas 
markets;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(E) develop tools to broaden the market for 
nonenergy biogas system products, including by 
developing best management practices for— 
‘‘(i) the use and land application of 
digestate to maximize recovery of waste re-
sources and minimize environmental and 
public health risks; and 
‘‘(ii) the use of carbon dioxide from 
biogas processing; 
‘‘(F) provide information on the ability of 
biogas system products to participate in markets 
that provide environmental benefits; 
‘‘(G) identify and investigate research gaps 
in biogas and anaerobic digestion technology, in-
cluding research gaps in environmental benefits, 
market assessment, and performance standards; 
‘‘(H) assess the most cost-effective voluntary 
investments in biogas to reduce waste and meth-
ane emissions; and 
‘‘(I) identify and advance additional prior-
ities, as determined by the Task Force. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months after 
the date of the establishment of the Task Force, the 
Task Force shall submit to Congress a report that—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(A) describes the steps taken by the Task 
Force to carry out the duties of the Task Force 
under paragraph (3); and 
‘‘(B) identifies and prioritizes policies and 
technology opportunities— 
‘‘(i) to expand the biogas industry; 
‘‘(ii) to eliminate barriers to invest-
ment in biogas systems in the landfill, live-
stock, wastewater, and other relevant sec-
tors; and 
‘‘(iii) to enhance opportunities for pri-
vate and public sector partnerships to fi-
nance biogas systems. 
‘‘(c) ADVANCEMENT OF BIOGAS RESEARCH.— 
‘‘(1) STUDY ON BIOGAS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in co-
ordination with the Secretary of Energy and the 
Administrator, shall enter into an agreement 
with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory 
to conduct a study relating to biogas. 
‘‘(B) STUDY.—Under the agreement de-
scribed in subparagraph (A), the study con-
ducted by the National Renewable Energy Lab-
oratory shall include an analysis of—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(i) barriers to injecting biogas into 
existing natural gas pipelines; 
‘‘(ii) methods for optimizing biogas 
systems, including methods to obtain the 
highest energy output from biogas, includ-
ing through the use of co-digestion; 
‘‘(iii) opportunities for, and barriers 
to, the productive use of biogas system co- 
products, carbon dioxide from biogas proc-
essing, and recovered nutrients; 
‘‘(iv) the optimal configuration of 
local, State, or regional infrastructure for 
the production of electricity, heat, or fuel 
from biogas, including infrastructure for the 
aggregation, cleaning, and pipeline injec-
tion of biogas; and 
‘‘(v) any other subject relating to 
biogas, as determined by the Interagency 
Biogas Opportunities Task Force established 
under subsection (b)(1). 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Secretary shall sub-
mit to Congress a report on the study conducted 
under this paragraph.
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(2) COLLECTION OF DATA FOR BIOGAS MAR-
KETS.—The Secretary, in coordination with the Sec-
retary of Energy and the Administrator, shall iden-
tify, collect, and analyze environmental, technical, 
and economic performance data relating to biogas 
systems, including the production of energy of biogas 
systems, co-products, greenhouse gas and other emis-
sions, water quality benefits, and other data necessary 
to develop markets for biogas and biogas system co- 
products.’’. 
SEC. 9112. COMMUNITY WOOD ENERGY PROGRAM. 
Section 9013(e) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8113(e)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 9113. CARBON UTILIZATION EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 
Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 9014. CARBON UTILIZATION EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CARBON DIOXIDE.—The term ‘carbon diox-
ide’ means carbon dioxide that is produced as a by-
product of the production of a biobased product. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible enti-
ty’ means an entity that—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(A) is— 
‘‘(i) an organization described in sec-
tion 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code 
of 1986 and exempt from taxation under 
501(a) of that Code; or 
‘‘(ii) an institution of higher education 
(as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher 
Education 
Act 
of 
1965 
(20 
U.S.C. 
1001(a))); 
‘‘(B) has demonstrated knowledge about— 
‘‘(i) sequestration and utilization of 
carbon dioxide; or 
‘‘(ii) aggregation of organic waste from 
multiple sources into a single biogas system; 
and 
‘‘(C) has a demonstrated ability to conduct 
educational and technical support programs. 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary, in consulta-
tion with the Secretary of Energy, shall make competitive 
grants to eligible entities— 
‘‘(1) to provide education to the public about the 
economic and emissions benefits of permanent seques-
tration or utilization of carbon dioxide; or
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(2) to provide education to biogas producers 
about opportunities for aggregation of organic waste 
from multiple sources into a single biogas system. 
‘‘(c) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the 
Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 
use for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023— 
‘‘(A) $1,000,000 to carry out subsection 
(b)(1); and 
‘‘(B) $1,000,000 to carry out subsection 
(b)(2). 
‘‘(2) DISCRETIONARY FUNDING.—There are au-
thorized to be appropriated for each of fiscal years 
2019 through 2023— 
‘‘(A) $1,000,000 to carry out subsection 
(b)(1); and 
‘‘(B) $1,000,000 to carry out subsection 
(b)(2).’’. 
TITLE X—HORTICULTURE 
SEC. 10101. SPECIALTY CROPS MARKET NEWS ALLOCATION. 
Section 10107(b) of the Food, Conservation, and En-
ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 1622b(b)) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’.
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† HR 2 EAS 
SEC. 10102. LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM. 
(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to com-
bine the purposes and coordinate the functions, as in effect 
on the day before the date of enactment of this Act, of— 
(1) the Farmers’ Market and Local Food Pro-
motion Program established under section 6 of the 
Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 (7 
U.S.C. 3005); and 
(2) the value-added agricultural product market 
development grants under section 231(b) of the Agri-
cultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 
1632a(b)). 
(b) LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM.—Sub-
title A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 
1621 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 210A. LOCAL AGRICULTURE MARKET PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) BEGINNING
FARMER
OR
RANCHER.—The 
term ‘beginning farmer or rancher’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 343(a) of the Consolidated 
Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1991(a)). 
‘‘(2) DIRECT
PRODUCER-TO-CONSUMER
MAR-
KETING.—The term ‘direct producer-to-consumer mar-
keting’ has the meaning given the term ‘direct mar-
keting from farmers to consumers’ in section 3 of the
882 
† HR 2 EAS 
Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 (7 
U.S.C. 3002). 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITY.—The term ‘eligible ac-
tivity’ means an activity described in subsection 
(d)(2) that is carried out using a grant provided 
under subsection (d)(1). 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible enti-
ty’ means— 
‘‘(A) a producer; 
‘‘(B) a producer network or association; 
‘‘(C) a farmer or rancher cooperative; 
‘‘(D) an agricultural business entity or ma-
jority-controlled producer-based business venture; 
‘‘(E) a food council; 
‘‘(F) a local or Tribal government; 
‘‘(G) a nonprofit corporation; 
‘‘(H) an economic development corporation; 
‘‘(I) a public benefit corporation; 
‘‘(J) a community supported agriculture 
network or association; and 
‘‘(K) a regional farmers’ market authority. 
‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE
PARTNER.—The term ‘eligible 
partner’ means— 
‘‘(A) a State agency or regional authority; 
‘‘(B) a philanthropic organization;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(C) a private corporation; 
‘‘(D) an institution of higher education; 
‘‘(E) a commercial, Federal, or Farm Cred-
it System lending institution; and 
‘‘(F) another entity, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(6) FAMILY FARM.—The term ‘family farm’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 231(a) of the 
Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 
1632a(a)). 
‘‘(7) FOOD COUNCIL.—The term ‘food council’ 
means a food policy council or food and farm system 
network, as determined by the Secretary, that— 
‘‘(A) represents— 
‘‘(i) multiple organizations involved in 
the production, processing, and consump-
tion of food; and 
‘‘(ii) local, Tribal, and State govern-
ments; and 
‘‘(B) addresses food and farm-related issues 
and needs within city, county, State, Tribal re-
gion, multicounty region, or other region des-
ignated by the food council or food system net-
work.
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(8) MAJORITY-CONTROLLED
PRODUCER-BASED 
BUSINESS VENTURE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘majority- 
controlled 
producer-based 
business 
venture’ 
means a venture greater than 50 percent of the 
ownership and control of which is held by— 
‘‘(i) 1 or more producers; or 
‘‘(ii) 1 or more entities, 100 percent of 
the ownership and control of which is held 
by 1 or more producers. 
‘‘(B) ENTITY DESCRIBED.—For purposes of 
subparagraph (A), the term ‘entity’ means— 
‘‘(i) a partnership; 
‘‘(ii) a limited liability corporation; 
‘‘(iii) a limited liability partnership; 
and 
‘‘(iv) a corporation. 
‘‘(9) MID-TIER VALUE CHAIN.—The term ‘mid- 
tier value chain’ means a local or regional supply 
network that links independent producers with busi-
nesses and cooperatives that market value-added agri-
cultural products in a manner that— 
‘‘(A) targets and strengthens the profit-
ability and competitiveness of small and me-
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† HR 2 EAS 
dium-sized farms and ranches that are struc-
tured as a family farm; and 
‘‘(B) obtains agreement from an eligible ag-
ricultural producer group, farmer or rancher co-
operative, or majority-controlled producer-based 
business venture that is engaged in the value 
chain on a marketing strategy. 
‘‘(10) PARTNERSHIP.—The term ‘partnership’ 
means a partnership entered into under an agreement 
between— 
‘‘(A) 1 or more eligible partners; and 
‘‘(B) 1 or more eligible entities. 
‘‘(11) PROGRAM.—The term ‘Program’ means the 
Local Agriculture Market Program established under 
subsection (b). 
‘‘(12) REGIONAL FOOD CHAIN COORDINATION.— 
The term ‘regional food chain coordination’ means co-
ordination and collaboration along the supply chain 
to increase connections between producers and mar-
kets. 
‘‘(13) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
‘‘(14) SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED
FARMER
OR 
RANCHER.—The term ‘socially disadvantaged farmer 
or rancher’ has the meaning given the term in section
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† HR 2 EAS 
355(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop-
ment Act (7 U.S.C. 2003(e)). 
‘‘(15) VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT.— 
The term ‘value-added agricultural product’ means 
any agricultural commodity or product that— 
‘‘(A)(i) has undergone a change in physical 
state; 
‘‘(ii) was produced in a manner that en-
hances the value of the agricultural commodity 
or product, as demonstrated through a business 
plan that shows the enhanced value, as deter-
mined by the Secretary; 
‘‘(iii) is physically segregated in a manner 
that results in the enhancement of the value of 
the agricultural commodity or product; 
‘‘(iv) is a source of farm- or ranch-based re-
newable energy, including E–85 fuel; or 
‘‘(v) is aggregated and marketed as a locally 
produced agricultural food product; and 
‘‘(B) as a result of the change in physical 
state or the manner in which the agricultural 
commodity or product was produced, marketed, 
or segregated—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(i) the customer base for the agricul-
tural commodity or product is expanded; 
and 
‘‘(ii) a greater portion of the revenue 
derived from the marketing, processing, or 
physical segregation of the agricultural 
commodity or product is available to the 
producer of the commodity or product. 
‘‘(16) VETERAN
FARMER
OR
RANCHER.—The 
term ‘veteran farmer or rancher’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 2501(a) of the Food, Agri-
culture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 
U.S.C. 2279(a)). 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT AND PURPOSE.—The Secretary 
shall establish a program, to be known as the ‘Local Agri-
culture Market Program’, that— 
‘‘(1) supports the development, coordination, and 
expansion of— 
‘‘(A) 
direct 
producer-to-consumer 
mar-
keting; 
‘‘(B) local and regional food markets and 
enterprises; and 
‘‘(C) value-added agricultural products; 
‘‘(2) connects and cultivates regional food econo-
mies through public-private partnerships;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(3) supports the development of business plans, 
feasibility studies, and strategies for local and re-
gional marketing opportunities; 
‘‘(4) strengthens capacity and regional food sys-
tem development through community collaboration 
and expansion of mid-tier value chains; 
‘‘(5) improves income and economic opportuni-
ties for producers and food businesses through job cre-
ation and improved regional food system infrastruc-
ture; and 
‘‘(6) simplifies the application processes and the 
reporting processes for the Program. 
‘‘(c) REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS.— 
‘‘(1) GRANTS TO SUPPORT PARTNERSHIPS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting 
through the Administrator of the Agricultural 
Marketing Service, in accordance with the pur-
poses of the Program described in subsection (b), 
shall provide grants to support partnerships to 
plan and develop a local or regional food system. 
‘‘(B) GEOGRAPHICAL
DIVERSITY.—To the 
maximum extent practicable, the Secretary shall 
ensure geographical diversity in selecting part-
nerships to receive grants under subparagraph 
(A).
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(2) AUTHORITIES OF PARTNERSHIPS.—A part-
nership receiving a grant under paragraph (1) 
may— 
‘‘(A) determine the scope of the regional 
food system to be developed, including goals, out-
reach objectives, and eligible activities to be car-
ried out; 
‘‘(B) determine the local, regional, State, 
multi-State, or other geographic area covered; 
‘‘(C) create and conduct a feasibility study, 
implementation plan, and assessment of eligible 
activities under the partnership agreement; 
‘‘(D) conduct outreach and education to 
other eligible entities and eligible partners for 
potential participation in the partnership agree-
ment and eligible activities; 
‘‘(E) describe measures to be taken through 
the partnership agreement to obtain funding for 
the eligible activities to be carried out under the 
partnership agreement; 
‘‘(F) at the request of a producer or eligible 
entity desiring to participate in eligible activi-
ties under the partnership agreement, act on be-
half of the producer or eligible entity in apply-
ing for a grant under subsection (d);
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(G) monitor, evaluate, and periodically re-
port to the Secretary on progress made toward 
achieving the objectives of eligible activities 
under the partnership agreement; or 
‘‘(H) at the conclusion of the partnership 
agreement, submit to the Secretary a report de-
scribing— 
‘‘(i) the results and effects of the part-
nership agreement; and 
‘‘(ii) funds provided under paragraph 
(3). 
‘‘(3) CONTRIBUTION.—A partnership receiving a 
grant under paragraph (1) shall provide funding in 
an amount equal to not less than 25 percent of the 
total amount of the Federal portion of the grant. 
‘‘(4) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to receive 
a grant under paragraph (1), a partnership 
shall submit to the Secretary an application at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such 
information as the Secretary considers necessary 
to evaluate and select applications. 
‘‘(B) COMPETITIVE
PROCESS.—The Sec-
retary—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(i) shall conduct a competitive process 
to select applications submitted under sub-
paragraph (A); 
‘‘(ii) may assess and rank applications 
with similar purposes as a group; and 
‘‘(iii) shall make public the criteria to 
be used in evaluating applications prior to 
accepting applications. 
‘‘(C) 
PRIORITY
TO
CERTAIN
APPLICA-
TIONS.—The Secretary may give priority to ap-
plications submitted under subparagraph (A) 
that— 
‘‘(i)(I) leverage significant non-Federal 
financial and technical resources; and 
‘‘(II) coordinate with other local, State, 
Tribal, or national efforts; and 
‘‘(ii) cover an area that includes dis-
tressed low-income rural or urban commu-
nities, including areas with persistent pov-
erty. 
‘‘(D) PRODUCER OR FOOD BUSINESS BENE-
FITS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clause (ii), an application submitted 
under subparagraph (A) shall include a de-
892 
† HR 2 EAS 
scription of the direct or indirect producer 
or food business benefits intended by the eli-
gible entity to result from the proposed 
project within a reasonable period of time 
after the receipt of a grant. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall not 
apply to a planning or feasibility project. 
‘‘(5) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—On request of an 
eligible entity, an eligible partner, or a partnership, 
the Secretary may provide technical assistance in 
carrying out a partnership agreement. 
‘‘(d) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Under the Program, the Sec-
retary may provide grants to eligible entities to carry 
out, in accordance with purposes of the Program de-
scribed in subsection (b), activities described in para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE ACTIVITIES.—An eligible entity 
may use a grant provided under paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) to support and promote— 
‘‘(i) domestic direct producer-to-con-
sumer marketing; 
‘‘(ii) farmers’ markets; 
‘‘(iii) roadside stands; 
‘‘(iv) agritourism activities,
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(v) community-supported agriculture 
programs; or 
‘‘(vi) online sales; 
‘‘(B) to support local and regional food 
business enterprises that engage as inter-
mediaries in indirect producer-to-consumer mar-
keting; 
‘‘(C) to support the processing, aggregation, 
distribution, and storage of local and regional 
food products that are marketed locally or re-
gionally; 
‘‘(D) to encourage the development of new 
food products and value-added agricultural prod-
ucts; 
‘‘(E) to assist with business development 
and feasibility studies; 
‘‘(F) to develop marketing strategies for pro-
ducers of local food products and value-added ag-
ricultural products in new and existing markets; 
‘‘(G) to facilitate regional food chain coordi-
nation and mid-tier value chain development; 
‘‘(H) to promote new business opportunities 
and marketing strategies to reduce on-farm food 
waste;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(I) to respond to changing technology 
needs in direct producer-to-consumer marketing; 
or 
‘‘(J) to cover expenses relating to costs in-
curred in— 
‘‘(i) obtaining food safety certification; 
and 
‘‘(ii) making changes and upgrades to 
practices and equipment to improve food 
safety. 
‘‘(3) CRITERIA AND GUIDELINES.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish criteria and guidelines for the submis-
sion, evaluation, and funding of proposed 
projects under paragraph (1) as the Secretary 
determines are appropriate. 
‘‘(B) PRODUCER OR FOOD BUSINESS BENE-
FITS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clause (ii), an application submitted for 
a grant under paragraph (1) shall include 
a description of the direct or indirect pro-
ducer or food business benefits intended by 
the eligible entity to result from the pro-
895 
† HR 2 EAS 
posed project within a reasonable period of 
time after the receipt of the grant. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall not 
apply to a planning or feasibility project. 
‘‘(4) AMOUNT.—Unless otherwise determined by 
the Secretary, the amount of a grant under this sub-
section shall be not more than $500,000. 
‘‘(5) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS AVAILABLE TO PRO-
DUCERS.—In the case of a grant provided under 
paragraph (1) to an eligible entity described in any 
of subparagraphs (A) through (D) of subsection 
(a)(4), the following shall apply: 
‘‘(A) 
ADMINISTRATION.—The 
Secretary 
shall carry out this subsection through the Ad-
ministrator of the Rural Business-Cooperative 
Service, in coordination with the Administrator 
of the Agricultural Marketing Service. 
‘‘(B) PRIORITIES.—The Secretary shall give 
priority to applications— 
‘‘(i) in the case of an application sub-
mitted by a producer, that are submitted 
by, or serve— 
‘‘(I) beginning farmers or ranch-
ers;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(II) socially disadvantaged farm-
ers or ranchers; 
‘‘(III) operators of small or me-
dium sized farms or ranches that are 
structured as family farms; or 
‘‘(IV) veteran farmers or ranchers; 
and 
‘‘(ii) in the case of an application sub-
mitted by an eligible entity described in 
any of subparagraphs (B) through (D) of 
subsection (a)(4), that provide the greatest 
contribution to creating or increasing mar-
keting opportunities for producers described 
in subclauses (I) through (IV) of clause (i). 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clause (ii), an eligible entity may not use 
a grant for the purchase or construction of 
a building, general purpose equipment, or 
structure. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—An eligible entity 
may use not more than $6,500 of the 
amount of a grant for an eligible activity 
described in paragraph (2)(J) to purchase
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† HR 2 EAS 
or upgrade equipment to improve food safe-
ty. 
‘‘(D) MATCHING FUNDS.—An eligible entity 
receiving a grant shall provide matching funds 
in the form of cash or an in-kind contribution 
in an amount that is equal to 50 percent of the 
total amount of the grant. 
‘‘(6) DEVELOPMENT GRANTS FOR OTHER ELIGI-
BLE
ENTITIES.—In the case of a grant provided 
under paragraph (1) to an eligible entity described in 
any of subparagraphs (E) through (K) of subsection 
(a)(4), the following shall apply: 
‘‘(A) 
ADMINISTRATION.—The 
Secretary 
shall carry out this subsection through the Ad-
ministrator of the Agricultural Marketing Serv-
ice, in coordination with the Administrator of 
the Rural Business-Cooperative Service. 
‘‘(B) PRIORITIES.—The Secretary shall give 
priority to applications that— 
‘‘(i) benefit underserved communities, 
including communities that are located in 
areas of concentrated poverty with limited 
access to fresh locally or regionally grown 
food; or
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(ii) are used to carry out eligible ac-
tivities under a partnership agreement 
under subsection (c). 
‘‘(C) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clause (ii), an eligible entity may not use 
a grant for the purchase or construction of 
a building, general purpose equipment, or 
structure. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—An eligible entity 
may use not more than $6,500 of the 
amount of a grant for an eligible activity 
described in paragraph (2)(J) to purchase 
or upgrade equipment to improve food safe-
ty. 
‘‘(D) MATCHING FUNDS.—An eligible entity 
receiving a grant shall provide matching funds 
in the form of cash or an in-kind contribution 
in an amount that is equal to 25 percent of the 
total amount of the Federal portion of the grant. 
‘‘(e) SIMPLIFICATION OF APPLICATION AND REPORT-
ING PROCESSES.— 
‘‘(1) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall estab-
lish a simplified application form for eligible entities 
that—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(A) request less than $50,000 under sub-
section (d); or 
‘‘(B) apply for grants under subsection (d) 
through partnership agreements under subsection 
(c). 
‘‘(2) REPORTING.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) streamline and simplify the reporting 
process for eligible entities; and 
‘‘(B) obtain from eligible entities and main-
tain such information as the Secretary deter-
mines is necessary to administer and evaluate 
the Program. 
‘‘(f) COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE.—In carrying 
out the Program, the Secretary, acting through the Admin-
istrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service or the Ad-
ministrator of the Rural Business Cooperative Service, may 
coordinate with a cooperative extension service to provide 
Program technical assistance and outreach to eligible enti-
ties and eligible partners. 
‘‘(g) INTERDEPARTMENTAL COORDINATION.—In car-
rying out the Program, to the maximum extent practicable, 
the Secretary shall ensure coordination among Federal 
agencies. 
‘‘(h) EVALUATION.—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Using amounts made avail-
able under subsection (i)(3)(E), the Secretary shall 
conduct an evaluation of the Program that— 
‘‘(A) measures the economic impact of the 
Program on new and existing market outcomes; 
‘‘(B) measures the effectiveness of the Pro-
gram in improving and expanding— 
‘‘(i) the regional food economy through 
public and private partnerships; 
‘‘(ii) the production of value-added ag-
ricultural products; 
‘‘(iii) producer-to-consumer marketing, 
including direct producer-to-consumer mar-
keting; 
‘‘(iv) local and regional food systems, 
including regional food chain coordination 
and business development; 
‘‘(v) new business opportunities and 
marketing strategies to reduce on-farm food 
waste; 
‘‘(vi) the use of new technologies in 
producer-to-consumer marketing, including 
direct producer-to-consumer marketing; and 
‘‘(vii) the workforce and capacity of re-
gional food systems; and
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(C) provides a description of— 
‘‘(i) each partnership agreement; and 
‘‘(ii) each grant provided under sub-
section (d). 
‘‘(2) REPORT.—Not later than 3 years after the 
date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House 
of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report de-
scribing the evaluation conducted under paragraph 
(1), including a thorough analysis of the outcomes of 
the evaluation. 
‘‘(i) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the 
Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 
use to carry out this section $60,000,000 for fiscal 
year 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter, to remain 
available until expended. 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2019 and each 
fiscal year thereafter, to remain available until ex-
pended. 
‘‘(3) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(A) REGIONAL
PARTNERSHIPS.—Of the 
funds made available to carry out this section for 
a fiscal year, 10 percent shall be used to provide 
grants to support partnerships under subsection 
(c). 
‘‘(B) DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS
FOR
PRO-
DUCERS.— 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to clause 
(ii), of the funds made available to carry 
out this section for a fiscal year, 35 percent 
shall be used for grants under subsection 
(d)(5). 
‘‘(ii) RESERVATION OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(I) MAJORITY-CONTROLLED PRO-
DUCER-BASED BUSINESS VENTURES.— 
The total amount of grants under sub-
section (d)(5) provided to majority- 
controlled producer-based business ven-
tures for a fiscal year shall not exceed 
10 percent of the amount allocated 
under clause (i). 
‘‘(II) BEGINNING, VETERAN, AND 
SOCIALLY
DISADVANTAGED
FARMERS 
AND RANCHERS.—Of the funds made 
available for grants under subsection
903 
† HR 2 EAS 
(d)(5), 10 percent shall be reserved for 
grants provided to beginning, veteran, 
and socially disadvantaged farmers or 
ranchers. 
‘‘(III) 
MID-TIER
VALUE 
CHAINS.—Of the funds made available 
for grants under subsection (d)(5), 10 
percent shall be reserved for grants to 
develop mid-tier value chains. 
‘‘(IV) 
FOOD
SAFETY
ASSIST-
ANCE.—Of the funds made available 
for grants under subsection (d)(5), not 
more than 25 percent shall be reserved 
for grants for eligible activities de-
scribed in subsection (d)(2)(J). 
‘‘(C) DEVELOPMENT
GRANTS
FOR
OTHER 
ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—Of the funds made avail-
able to carry out this section for a fiscal year, 
47 percent shall be used for grants under sub-
section (d)(6). 
‘‘(D) UNOBLIGATED
FUNDS.—Any funds 
under subparagraph (A), (B), or (C) that are not 
obligated for the uses described in that subpara-
graph, as applicable, by September 30 of the fis-
904 
† HR 2 EAS 
cal year for which the funds were made avail-
able— 
‘‘(i) shall be available to the agency 
carrying out the Program with the unobli-
gated funds to carry out any function of the 
Program, as determined by the Secretary; 
and 
‘‘(ii) may carry over to the next fiscal 
year. 
‘‘(E) 
ADMINISTRATIVE
EXPENSES.—Not 
greater than 8 percent of amounts made avail-
able to provide grants under subsections (c) and 
(d)(6) for a fiscal year may be used for adminis-
trative expenses.’’. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) AGRICULTURAL MARKETING RESOURCE CEN-
TER PILOT PROJECT.—Section 231 of the Agricultural 
Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 1632a) is 
amended— 
(A) by striking the section heading and in-
serting ‘‘AGRICULTURAL
MARKETING
RE-
SOURCE CENTER PILOT PROJECT.’’; 
(B) by striking subsections (a), (b), (d), and 
(e); 
(C) in subsection (c)—
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† HR 2 EAS 
(i) by redesignating paragraphs (1) 
and (2) as subsections (a) and (b), respec-
tively, and indenting appropriately; and 
(ii) by striking the subsection designa-
tion and heading; 
(D) in subsection (a) (as so redesignated)— 
(i) in the matter preceding subpara-
graph (A), by striking ‘‘Notwithstanding’’ 
and all that follows through ‘‘paragraph 
(2)’’ and inserting the following: ‘‘The Sec-
retary shall not use more than 2.5 percent 
of the funds made available to carry out the 
Local Agriculture Market Program estab-
lished under section 210A of the Agricul-
tural Marketing Act of 1946 to establish a 
pilot project (to be known as the ‘Agricul-
tural Marketing Resource Center’) at an eli-
gible institution described in subsection 
(b)’’; and 
(ii) by redesignating subparagraphs 
(A) and (B) as paragraphs (1) and (2), re-
spectively, and indenting appropriately; 
and 
(E) in subsection (b) (as so redesignated)—
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† HR 2 EAS 
(i) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) 
through (C) as paragraphs (1) through (3), 
respectively, and indenting appropriately; 
and 
(ii) in paragraph (1) (as so redesig-
nated), by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)(A)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘subsection (a)(1)’’. 
(2) AGRICULTURE
INNOVATION
CENTER
DEM-
ONSTRATION PROGRAM.—Section 6402(f) of the Farm 
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 
1632b(f)) is amended in the matter preceding para-
graph (1) by striking ‘‘section 231(d) of the Agricul-
tural Risk Protection Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 1621 
note; Public Law 106–224))’’ and inserting ‘‘section 
210A(d)(2) of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 
1946’’. 
(3) LOCAL
FOOD
PRODUCTION
AND
PROGRAM 
EVALUATION.—Section 10016(b)(3)(B) of the Agricul-
tural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 2204h(b)(2)(B)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘Farmers’ Market and Local 
Food Promotion Program established under section 6 
of the Farmer-to-Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 
1976 (7 U.S.C. 3005)’’ and inserting ‘‘Local Agri-
culture Market Program established under section 
210A of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946’’.
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† HR 2 EAS 
(4) PROGRAM METRICS.—Section 6209(a) of the 
Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 U.S.C. 2207b(a)) is 
amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(1) section 210A of the Agricultural Marketing 
Act of 1946;’’. 
(5) FARMER-TO-CONSUMER DIRECT MARKETING 
ACT OF 1976.— 
(A) Section 4 of the Farmer-to-Consumer 
Direct Marketing Act of 1976 (7 U.S.C. 3003) is 
amended— 
(i) by striking ‘‘The Secretary’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary’’; and 
(ii) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this section.’’. 
(B) Sections 6, 7, and 8 of the Farmer-to- 
Consumer Direct Marketing Act of 1976 (7 
U.S.C. 3005, 3006; 90 Stat. 1983) are repealed. 
SEC. 10103. ORGANIC PRODUCTION AND MARKET DATA INI-
TIATIVES. 
Section 7407(d) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5925c(d)) is amended—
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† HR 2 EAS 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) in the paragraph heading, by striking 
‘‘THROUGH FISCAL YEAR 2012’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘$5,000,000, to remain 
available until expended.’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: ‘‘, to remain available until expended— 
‘‘(A) $5,000,000 for each of the periods of 
fiscal years 2008 through 2012 and 2014 through 
2018; and 
‘‘(B) $5,000,000 for the period of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2023.’’; 
(2) by striking paragraph (2); 
(3) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
graph (2); and 
(4) in paragraph (2) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘paragraphs (1) and (2)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 10104. ORGANIC CERTIFICATION. 
(a) EXCLUSIONS FROM CERTIFICATION.—Not later 
than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary shall issue regulations to limit the type of organic 
operations that are excluded from certification under sec-
tion 205.101 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations, and
909 
† HR 2 EAS 
from certification under any other related sections under 
part 205 of title 7, Code of Federal Regulations. 
(b) DEFINITIONS.—Section 2103 of the Organic Foods 
Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The term’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The term’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) FOREIGN OPERATIONS.—When used in 
the context of a certifying agent operating in a 
foreign country, the term ‘certifying agent’ in-
cludes a certifying agent— 
‘‘(i) accredited in accordance with sec-
tion 2106(b)(1); or 
‘‘(ii) accredited by a foreign govern-
ment that acted under an equivalency ar-
rangement negotiated between the United 
States and the foreign government.’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (13) through 
(21) as paragraphs (14) through (22), respectively; 
and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (12) the fol-
lowing:
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(13) NATIONAL
ORGANIC
PROGRAM
IMPORT 
CERTIFICATE.—The term ‘national organic program 
import certificate’ means a form developed for pur-
poses of the program under this title— 
‘‘(A) to provide documentation sufficient to 
verify that an agricultural product imported for 
sale in the United States satisfies the require-
ment under section 2106(b)(1); and 
‘‘(B) which shall include, at a minimum, 
information sufficient to indicate, with respect to 
the agricultural product— 
‘‘(i) the origin; 
‘‘(ii) the destination; 
‘‘(iii) the certifying agent issuing the 
national organic program import certifi-
cate; 
‘‘(iv) the harmonized tariff code, if a 
harmonized tariff code exists for the agricul-
tural product; 
‘‘(v) the total weight; and 
‘‘(vi) the organic standard to which the 
agricultural product is certified.’’. 
(c) DOCUMENTATION AND TRACEABILITY ENHANCE-
MENT; DATA COLLECTION.—Section 2106(b) of the Organic
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† HR 2 EAS 
Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6505(b)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Imported’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(1) ACCREDITATION OF FOREIGN ORGANIC CER-
TIFICATION PROGRAM.—Imported’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) IMPORT CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(A) IMPORT CERTIFICATES.—For an agri-
cultural product being imported into the United 
States to be represented as organically produced, 
the Secretary shall require the agricultural prod-
uct to be accompanied by a complete and valid 
national organic program import certificate, 
which shall be available as an electronic record. 
‘‘(B) TRACKING SYSTEM.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
establish a system to track national organic 
program import certificates. 
‘‘(ii) INTEGRATION.—In establishing 
the system under clause (i), the Secretary 
may integrate the system into any existing 
information tracking systems for imports of 
agricultural products.
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(3) MODERNIZATION OF TRADE TRACKING AND 
DATA COLLECTION SYSTEMS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 
modernize international trade tracking and data 
collection systems of the national organic pro-
gram established under this title. 
‘‘(B) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out sub-
paragraph (A), the Secretary shall modernize 
trade and transaction certificates to ensure full 
traceability to the port of entry without unduly 
hindering trade, such as through an electronic 
trade document exchange system. 
‘‘(4) REPORTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—On an annual basis, 
the Secretary shall submit to Congress and make 
publically available on the website of the Depart-
ment of Agriculture a report providing detailed 
quantitative data on imports of organically pro-
duced agricultural products accepted into the 
United States during the year covered by the re-
port. 
‘‘(B) REQUIREMENTS.—The data described 
in subparagraph (A) shall be broken down by ag-
ricultural product type, quantity, value, and 
month.
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(C) EXCEPTION.—Any data that is specific 
enough to be protected as confidential business 
information shall not be provided in the report 
under subparagraph (A).’’. 
(d) ACCREDITATION PROGRAM.—Section 2115 of the 
Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6514) is 
amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (c) as subsection 
(d); 
(2) by inserting after subsection (b) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(c) OVERSIGHT OF SATELLITE OFFICES AND FOR-
EIGN OPERATIONS.—As part of the accreditation of certi-
fying agents under this section, the Secretary shall oversee 
any certifying agent operating in a foreign country.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (d) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘section shall’’ and insert-
ing the following: ‘‘section— 
‘‘(1) subject to paragraph (2), shall’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘of’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘Secretary, and may’’ 
and inserting the following: ‘‘Secretary; 
‘‘(2) in the case of a certifying agent operating 
in a foreign country, shall be for a period of time that
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† HR 2 EAS 
is consistent with the certification of a domestic certi-
fying agent, as determined appropriate by the Sec-
retary; and 
‘‘(3) may’’. 
(e) NATIONAL ORGANIC STANDARDS BOARD.—Section 
2119(i) of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 
U.S.C. 6518(i)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Two-thirds’’ and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—2⁄3’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(2) NATIONAL
LIST.—Any vote on a motion 
proposing to amend the national list shall be consid-
ered to be a decisive vote that requires 2⁄3 of the votes 
cast at a meeting of the Board at which a quorum is 
present to prevail.’’. 
(f) INVESTIGATIONS.—Section 2120(b) of the Organic 
Foods Production Act (7 U.S.C. 6519(b)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) INFORMATION SHARING DURING ACTIVE IN-
VESTIGATION.—In carrying out this title, all parties 
conducting an active investigation under this sub-
section (including certifying agents, State organic 
certification programs, and the national organic pro-
gram) shall share confidential business information
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† HR 2 EAS 
with Federal and State government officers and em-
ployees and certifying agents involved in the inves-
tigation as necessary to fully investigate and enforce 
potential violations of this title. 
‘‘(4) EXPEDITED PROCEDURES FOR FOREIGN OP-
ERATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary shall 
establish 
expedited 
investigative 
procedures 
under this subsection to review the accreditation 
of a certifying agent operating in a foreign coun-
try under any of the circumstances described in 
subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) EXPEDITED PROCEDURES.—The Sec-
retary shall promptly carry out expedited inves-
tigative procedures established under subpara-
graph (A) to review the accreditation of a certi-
fying agent operating in a foreign country if— 
‘‘(i) the accreditation of the certifying 
agent is revoked by a foreign government— 
‘‘(I) operating an organic certifi-
cation program described in section 
2106(b)(1); or 
‘‘(II) that acted under an equiva-
lency arrangement negotiated between
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† HR 2 EAS 
the United States and the foreign gov-
ernment; or 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary determines that 
there is a sudden and substantial increase 
in the rate and quantity of imports of an 
individual organically produced agricul-
tural product from the foreign country, in 
which case the expedited investigative proce-
dures shall be carried out with respect to 
each certifying agent of that agricultural 
product in that foreign country.’’. 
(g) DATA ORGANIZATION AND ACCESS.—Section 2122 
of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 
6521) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(c) DATA RELATING TO IMPORTS OF ORGANICALLY 
PRODUCED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS.— 
‘‘(1) ACCESS
TO
DATA
DOCUMENTATION
SYS-
TEMS.—The head of each Federal agency that admin-
isters a cross-border documentation system shall pro-
vide to the head of each other Federal agency that ad-
ministers such a system access to available data from 
the system, including— 
‘‘(A) the Automated Commercial Environ-
ment system of U.S. Customs and Border Protec-
tion; and
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(B) the Phytosanitary Certificate Issuance 
and Tracking System of the Animal and Plant 
Health Inspection Service. 
‘‘(2) DATA COLLECTION AND ORGANIZATION SYS-
TEM.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish a new system or modify an existing data 
collection and organization system to collect and 
organize in a single system quantitative data on 
imports of each organically produced agricul-
tural product accepted into the United States. 
‘‘(B) ACCESS.—The single system under 
subparagraph (A) shall be accessible by any 
agency with the authority to engage in— 
‘‘(i) inspection of imports of agricul-
tural products; 
‘‘(ii) trade data collection and organi-
zation; or 
‘‘(iii) enforcement of trade require-
ments for organically produced agricultural 
products.’’. 
(h) ORGANIC
AGRICULTURAL
PRODUCT
IMPORTS 
INTERAGENCY WORKING GROUP.—The Organic Foods Pro-
duction Act of 1990 is amended by inserting after section 
2122 (7 U.S.C. 6521) the following:
919 
† HR 2 EAS 
mentation, such as national organic program 
import certificates; 
‘‘(C) ensuring imported agricultural prod-
ucts represented as organically produced meet 
the requirements under this title; 
‘‘(D) collecting and organizing quantitative 
data on imports of organically produced agricul-
tural products; and 
‘‘(E) reporting to Congress on— 
‘‘(i) enforcement activity carried out 
by the Department of Agriculture or U.S. 
Customs and Border Protection in the 
United States or abroad; and 
‘‘(ii) barriers to preventing agricul-
tural products fraudulently represented as 
organically produced from entry into the 
United States. 
‘‘(4) DESIGNATED EMPLOYEES AND OFFICIALS.— 
An employee or official designated to carry out the 
duties of the Secretary or the Secretary of Homeland 
Security on the working group under subparagraph 
(A) or (B) of paragraph (2) shall be an employee or 
official compensated at a rate of pay not less than the 
minimum annual rate of basic pay for GS–12 under 
section 5332 of title 5, United States Code.
920 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(b) REPORTS.—On an annual basis, the working 
group shall submit to Congress and make publically avail-
able on the websites of the Department of Agriculture and 
U.S. Customs and Border Protection the following reports: 
‘‘(1) ORGANIC
TRADE
ENFORCEMENT
INTER-
AGENCY COORDINATION REPORT.—A report— 
‘‘(A) identifying existing barriers to co-
operation between the agencies involved in agri-
cultural product import inspection, trade data 
collection and organization, and organically pro-
duced agricultural product trade enforcement, 
including— 
‘‘(i) U.S. Customs and Border Protec-
tion; 
‘‘(ii) the Agricultural Marketing Serv-
ice; and 
‘‘(iii) the Animal and Plant Health 
Inspection Service; 
‘‘(B) assessing progress toward integrating 
organic trade enforcement into import inspection 
procedures of U.S. Customs and Border Protec-
tion and the Animal and Plant Health Inspec-
tion Service, including an assessment of— 
‘‘(i) the status of the development of 
systems for—
921 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(I) tracking the fumigation of 
imports of organically produced agri-
cultural products into the United 
States; and 
‘‘(II) electronically verifying na-
tional organic program import certifi-
cate authenticity; and 
‘‘(ii) training of U.S. Customs and 
Border Protection personnel on— 
‘‘(I) the use of the systems de-
scribed in clause (i); and 
‘‘(II) requirements and protocols 
under this title; 
‘‘(C) establishing outcome-based goals for 
ensuring imports of agricultural products rep-
resented as organically produced meet the re-
quirements under this title; 
‘‘(D) recommending steps to improve the 
documentation and traceability of imported or-
ganically produced agricultural products; 
‘‘(E) recommending and describing steps to-
ward the goals of— 
‘‘(i) achieving complete compliance 
with the requirements of this title for all ag-
ricultural 
products 
imported 
into 
the
922 
† HR 2 EAS 
United States and represented as organi-
cally produced; and 
‘‘(ii) ensuring accurate labeling and 
marketing of imported agricultural products 
represented as organically produced by the 
exporter; 
‘‘(F) providing a timeline for implementing 
the steps described in subparagraph (E); 
‘‘(G) identifying additional resources needed 
to achieve any unmet goals; and 
‘‘(H) describing staffing needs at U.S. Cus-
toms and Border Protection and the Department 
of Agriculture to achieve the goals for ensuring 
organic integrity described in the report. 
‘‘(2) REPORT ON ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS TAKEN 
ON ORGANIC IMPORTS.—A report— 
‘‘(A) providing detailed quantitative data 
(broken down by commodity type, quantity, 
value, month, and origin) on imports of agricul-
tural products represented as organically pro-
duced found to be fraudulent or lacking any doc-
umentation required under this title at the port 
of entry during the report year; 
‘‘(B) providing data on domestic enforce-
ment actions taken on imported agricultural
923 
† HR 2 EAS 
products represented as organically produced, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(i) the number and type of actions 
taken by United States officials at ports of 
entry in response to violations of this title; 
and 
‘‘(ii) the total quantity and value of 
the agricultural products that were the sub-
ject of the actions, broken down by product 
variety and country of origin; 
‘‘(C) providing data on fumigation of agri-
cultural products represented as organically pro-
duced at ports of entry and notifications of fu-
migation actions to shipment owners, broken 
down by product variety and country of origin; 
and 
‘‘(D) providing information on enforcement 
activities under this title involving overseas in-
vestigations and compliance actions taken within 
that year, including— 
‘‘(i) the number of investigations by 
country; and 
‘‘(ii) a descriptive summary of compli-
ance actions taken by certifying agents in 
each country.’’.
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† HR 2 EAS 
(j) TRADE SAVINGS PROVISION.—The amendments 
made by subsections (c), (d), and (f) shall be carried out 
in a manner consistent with United States obligations 
under international agreements. 
SEC. 10105. NATIONAL ORGANIC CERTIFICATION COST- 
SHARE PROGRAM. 
(a) ELIMINATION OF DIRECTED DELEGATION.—Sec-
tion 10606(a) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 
Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523(a)) is amended by striking 
‘‘(acting through the Agricultural Marketing Service)’’. 
(b) FUNDING.—Section 10606 of the Farm Security 
and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 6523) is 
amended by striking subsection (d) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(d) MANDATORY FUNDING.—Of the funds of the Com-
modity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make avail-
able to carry out this section $11,500,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2023, to remain available until ex-
pended.’’. 
SEC. 10106. FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION INITIATIVES. 
Section 10105(c) of the Food, Conservation, and En-
ergy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7655a(c)) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’.
926 
† HR 2 EAS 
SEC. 10107. SPECIALTY CROP BLOCK GRANTS. 
Section 101 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act 
of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108–465) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’; 
(2) in subsection (e)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘shall identify’’ and insert-
ing the following: ‘‘shall— 
‘‘(1) identify’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘plan and indicate’’ and inserting the 
following: ‘‘plan; 
‘‘(2) indicate’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘crops.’’ and inserting ‘‘crops at the na-
tional, regional, and local levels;’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) include performance measures developed by 
the State department of agriculture, in consultation 
with specialty crop stakeholders, to be used as the pri-
mary means for performing an evaluation; and 
‘‘(4) provide best practices for methods used to 
enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops across 
multiple commodities, types of production, and geo-
graphic locations.’’;
927 
† HR 2 EAS 
(3) in subsection (f)— 
(A) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘The 
Secretary’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) ACCEPTANCE
OR
REJECTION.—The Sec-
retary’’; 
(B) in the matter preceding paragraph (2) 
(as so designated), by striking ‘‘In reviewing’’ 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In reviewing’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘would carry’’ and in-
serting the following: ‘‘would— 
‘‘(A) carry’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (A) (as so des-
ignated), by striking ‘‘(a).’’ and inserting 
the following: ‘‘(a); and 
‘‘(B) meet the requirements described in 
subsection (e).’’; 
(4) in subsection (h)— 
(A) in the paragraph heading, by inserting 
‘‘AND EVALUATION’’ after ‘‘AUDIT’’; 
(B) in the second sentence, by striking ‘‘Not 
later than 30 days after the completion of the 
audit,’’ and inserting the following:
928 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(2) SUBMISSION OF AUDIT.—Not later than 30 
days after the completion of the audit under para-
graph (1)(A),’’; 
(C) in the matter preceding paragraph (2) 
(as so designated), by striking ‘‘For each’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For each’’; and 
(D) in paragraph (1) (as so designated)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘conduct an audit’’ and 
inserting the following: ‘‘conduct— 
‘‘(A) an audit’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (A) (as so des-
ignated), by striking ‘‘State.’’ and inserting 
the following: ‘‘State; and 
‘‘(B) an evaluation of performance measures 
developed under subsection (e)(3).’’; 
(5) in subsection (k)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘3’’ and 
inserting ‘‘4’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘8’’ and 
inserting ‘‘9’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) GUIDANCE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Each year, prior to the 
submission of State plans under subsection (d),
929 
† HR 2 EAS 
the Secretary shall provide guidance to States re-
garding best practices and national and regional 
priorities. 
‘‘(B) NATIONAL
AND
REGIONAL
PRIOR-
ITIES.—National and regional priorities de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) shall be— 
‘‘(i) based on formal stakeholder input; 
and 
‘‘(ii) considered by the Secretary as 
States develop State plans under subsection 
(d). 
‘‘(4) MULTISTATE PROJECTS.—Notwithstanding 
subsection (a) and paragraph (1), the Administrator 
of the Agricultural Marketing Service shall admin-
ister the funds of approved multistate projects under 
subsection (j).’’; and 
(6) in subsection (l)(2)(E), by inserting ‘‘and 
each fiscal year thereafter’’ before the period at the 
end. 
SEC. 10108. PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION. 
Section 42(a) of the Plant Variety Protection Act (7 
U.S.C. 2402(a)) is amended in the matter preceding para-
graph (1) by striking ‘‘or tuber propagated’’ and inserting 
‘‘tuber propagated or asexually propagated’’.
930 
† HR 2 EAS 
SEC. 10109. MULTIPLE CROP AND PESTICIDE USE SURVEY. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, acting through the 
Director of the Office of Pest Management Policy, shall con-
duct a multiple crop and pesticide use survey of farmers 
to collect data for risk assessment modeling and mitigation 
for an active ingredient. 
(b) SUBMISSION.—The Secretary shall submit to the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and 
make publically available the survey described in subsection 
(a). 
(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$2,500,000, to remain available until expended. 
(d) CONFIDENTIALITY
OF
INFORMATION.—Section 
1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(a) In the case’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘sub-
section (d)(12)’’ and inserting ‘‘paragraph (12) 
or (13) of subsection (d)’’; and 
(2) in subsection (d)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(d) For purposes’’ and in-
serting the following:
931 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(d) PROVISIONS OF LAW REFERENCES.—For pur-
poses’’; 
(B) in paragraph (11), by striking ‘‘or’’ at 
the end; 
(C) in paragraph (12), by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; or’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(13) section 10109 of the Agriculture Improve-
ment Act of 2018.’’. 
SEC. 10110. CLARIFICATION OF USE OF FUNDS FOR TECH-
NICAL ASSISTANCE. 
Section 11 of the Commodity Credit Corporation 
Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714i) is amended in the last sen-
tence by inserting after ‘‘activities’’ the following: ‘‘but ex-
cluding any amounts used to provide technical assistance 
under title X of the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 
or an amendment made by that title.’’. 
SEC. 10111. HEMP PRODUCTION. 
The Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 (7 U.S.C. 
1621 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘Subtitle G—Hemp Production 
‘‘SEC. 297A. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this subtitle: 
‘‘(1) HEMP.—The term ‘hemp’ means the plant 
Cannabis sativa L. and any part of that plant, in-
932 
† HR 2 EAS 
cluding the seeds thereof and all derivatives, extracts, 
cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts, and salts of iso-
mers, whether growing or not, with a delta-9 
tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 
0.3 percent on a dry weight basis. 
‘‘(2) INDIAN TRIBE.—The term ‘Indian tribe’ has 
the meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian 
Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 
U.S.C. 5304). 
‘‘(3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘Secretary’ means 
the Secretary of Agriculture. 
‘‘(4) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means— 
‘‘(A) a State; 
‘‘(B) the District of Columbia; 
‘‘(C) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and 
‘‘(D) any other territory or possession of the 
United States. 
‘‘(5) STATE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.— 
The term ‘State department of agriculture’ means the 
agency, commission, or department of a State govern-
ment responsible for agriculture in the State. 
‘‘(6) TRIBAL
GOVERNMENT.—The term ‘Tribal 
government’ means the governing body of an Indian 
tribe.
933 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘SEC. 297B. STATE AND TRIBAL PLANS. 
‘‘(a) SUBMISSION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A State or Indian tribe de-
siring to have primary regulatory authority over the 
production of hemp in the State or territory of the In-
dian tribe shall submit to the Secretary, through the 
State department of agriculture (in consultation with 
the Governor and chief law enforcement officer of the 
State) or the Tribal government, as applicable, a plan 
under which the State or Indian tribe monitors and 
regulates that production as described in paragraph 
(2). 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—A State or Tribal plan re-
ferred to in paragraph (1)— 
‘‘(A) shall only be required to include— 
‘‘(i) a practice to maintain relevant 
information regarding land on which hemp 
is produced in the State or territory of the 
Indian tribe, including a legal description 
of the land, for a period of not less than 3 
calendar years; 
‘‘(ii) a procedure for testing, using 
post-decarboxylation or other similarly reli-
able methods, delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol 
concentration levels of hemp produced in the 
State or territory of the Indian tribe;
934 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(iii) a procedure for the effective dis-
posal of products that are produced in vio-
lation of this subtitle; 
‘‘(iv) a procedure to comply with the 
enforcement procedures under subsection 
(d); 
‘‘(v) a procedure for conducting annual 
inspections of a random sample of hemp 
producers— 
‘‘(I) to verify that hemp is not 
produced in violation of this subtitle; 
and 
‘‘(II) in a manner that ensures 
that a hemp producer is subject to not 
more than 1 inspection each year; and 
‘‘(vi) a certification that the State or 
Indian tribe has the resources and personnel 
to carry out the practices and procedures 
described in clauses (i) through (v); and 
‘‘(B) may include any other practice or 
procedure established by a State or Indian tribe, 
as applicable, to the extent that the practice or 
procedure is consistent with this subtitle. 
‘‘(3) RELATION TO STATE AND TRIBAL LAW.—
935 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(A) NO
PREEMPTION.—Nothing in this 
subsection preempts or limits any law of a State 
or Indian tribe regulating the production of 
hemp, to the extent that law is consistent with 
this subtitle. 
‘‘(B) REFERENCES IN PLANS.—A State or 
Tribal plan referred to in paragraph (1) may 
include a reference to a law of the State or In-
dian tribe regulating the production of hemp, to 
the extent that law is consistent with this sub-
title. 
‘‘(b) APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 60 days after 
receipt of a State or Tribal plan under subsection (a), 
the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) approve the State or Tribal plan if the 
State or Tribal plan complies with subsection 
(a); or 
‘‘(B) disapprove the State or Tribal plan 
only if the State or Tribal plan does not comply 
with subsection (a). 
‘‘(2) AMENDED
PLANS.—If the Secretary dis-
approves a State or Tribal plan under paragraph 
(1)(B), the State, through the State department of ag-
riculture (in consultation with the Governor and chief
936 
† HR 2 EAS 
law enforcement officer of the State) or the Tribal 
government, as applicable, may submit to the Sec-
retary an amended State or Tribal plan that complies 
with subsection (a). 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary may con-
sult with the Attorney General in carrying out this 
subsection. 
‘‘(c) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 
provide technical assistance to a State or Indian tribe in 
the development of a State or Tribal plan under subsection 
(a). 
‘‘(d) VIOLATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—A violation of a State or 
Tribal plan approved under subsection (b) shall be 
subject to enforcement solely in accordance with this 
subsection. 
‘‘(2) NEGLIGENT VIOLATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A hemp producer in a 
State or the territory of an Indian tribe for 
which a State or Tribal plan is approved under 
subsection (b) shall be subject to subparagraph 
(B) of this paragraph if the State department of 
agriculture or Tribal government, as applicable, 
determines that the hemp producer has neg-
937 
† HR 2 EAS 
ligently violated the State or Tribal plan, in-
cluding by negligently— 
‘‘(i) failing to provide a legal descrip-
tion of land on which the producer produces 
hemp; 
‘‘(ii) failing to obtain a license or other 
required authorization from the State de-
partment of agriculture or Tribal govern-
ment, as applicable; or 
‘‘(iii) producing Cannabis sativa L. 
with a delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol con-
centration of more than 0.3 percent on a 
dry weight basis. 
‘‘(B) CORRECTIVE ACTION PLAN.—A hemp 
producer described in subparagraph (A) shall 
comply with a plan established by the State de-
partment of agriculture or Tribal government, as 
applicable, to correct the negligent violation, in-
cluding— 
‘‘(i) a reasonable date by which the 
hemp producer shall correct the negligent 
violation; and 
‘‘(ii) a requirement that the hemp pro-
ducer shall periodically report to the State 
department of agriculture or Tribal govern-
938 
† HR 2 EAS 
ment, as applicable, on the compliance of 
the hemp producer with the State or Tribal 
plan for a period of not less than the next 
2 calendar years. 
‘‘(C) RESULT OF NEGLIGENT VIOLATION.— 
Except as provided in subparagraph (D), a 
hemp producer that negligently violates a State 
or Tribal plan under subparagraph (A) shall not 
as a result of that violation be subject to any 
criminal or civil enforcement action by the Fed-
eral Government or any State government, Trib-
al government, or local government other than 
the enforcement action authorized under sub-
paragraph (B). 
‘‘(D) REPEAT VIOLATIONS.—A hemp pro-
ducer that negligently violates a State or Tribal 
plan under subparagraph (A) 3 times in a 5- 
year period shall be ineligible to produce hemp 
for a period of 5 years beginning on the date of 
the third violation. 
‘‘(3) OTHER VIOLATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—If the State department 
of agriculture or Tribal government in a State 
or the territory of an Indian tribe for which a 
State or Tribal plan is approved under sub-
939 
† HR 2 EAS 
section (b), as applicable, determines that a 
hemp producer in the State or territory has vio-
lated the State or Tribal plan with a culpable 
mental state greater than negligence— 
‘‘(i) the State department of agri-
culture or Tribal government, as applicable, 
shall immediately report the hemp producer 
to— 
‘‘(I) the Attorney General; and 
‘‘(II) in the case of a State de-
partment of agriculture, the chief law 
enforcement officer of the State; and 
‘‘(ii) paragraph (1) of this subsection 
shall not apply to the violation. 
‘‘(B) FELONY.—Any person convicted of a 
felony relating to a controlled substance under 
State or Federal law shall be ineligible— 
‘‘(i) to participate in the program es-
tablished under this section; and 
‘‘(ii) to produce hemp under any regu-
lations or guidelines issued under section 
297D(a). 
‘‘(C) FALSE STATEMENT.—Any person who 
materially falsifies any information contained in 
an application to participate in the program es-
940 
† HR 2 EAS 
tablished under this section shall be ineligible to 
participate in that program. 
‘‘(e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary 
to carry out this section. 
‘‘(f) EFFECT.—Nothing in this section prohibits the 
production of hemp in a State or the territory of an Indian 
tribe for which a State or Tribal plan is not approved 
under this section in accordance with section 297C or other 
Federal laws (including regulations). 
‘‘SEC. 297C. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
‘‘(a) DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a State or In-
dian tribe for which a State or Tribal plan is not ap-
proved under section 297B, the production of hemp in 
that State or the territory of that Indian tribe shall 
be subject to a plan established by the Secretary to 
monitor and regulate that production in accordance 
with paragraph (2). 
‘‘(2) CONTENT.—A plan established by the Sec-
retary under paragraph (1) shall include— 
‘‘(A) a practice to maintain relevant infor-
mation regarding land on which hemp is pro-
duced in the State or territory of the Indian
942 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(b) LICENSING.—The Secretary shall establish a pro-
cedure to issue licenses to hemp producers in accordance 
with a plan established under subsection (a). 
‘‘(c) VIOLATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—In the case of a State or In-
dian tribe for which a State or Tribal plan is not ap-
proved under section 297B, it shall be unlawful to 
produce hemp in that State or the territory of that 
Indian tribe without a license issued by the Secretary 
under subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) NEGLIGENT
AND
OTHER
VIOLATIONS.—A 
violation of a plan established under subsection (a) 
shall be subject to enforcement in accordance with 
paragraphs (2) and (3) of section 297B(d), except 
that the Secretary shall carry out that enforcement 
instead of a State department of agriculture or Tribal 
government. 
‘‘(3) REPORTING
TO
ATTORNEY
GENERAL.—In 
the case of a State or Indian tribe covered by para-
graph (1), the Secretary shall report the production 
of hemp without a license issued by the Secretary 
under subsection (b) to the Attorney General. 
‘‘SEC. 297D. AUTHORITY TO ISSUE REGULATIONS AND 
GUIDELINES; EFFECT ON OTHER LAW. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY.—
943 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall have sole 
authority to issue Federal regulations and guidelines 
that relate to the production of hemp, including Fed-
eral regulations and guidelines that relate to the im-
plementation of sections 297B and 279C. 
‘‘(2) CONSULTATION
WITH
ATTORNEY
GEN-
ERAL.—The Secretary may consult with the Attorney 
General before issuing regulations and guidelines 
under paragraph (1). 
‘‘(b) EFFECT ON OTHER LAW.—Nothing in this sub-
title shall affect or modify— 
‘‘(1) the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act 
(21 U.S.C. 301 et seq.); or 
‘‘(2) the authority of the Commissioner of Food 
and Drugs and the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services under that Act.’’. 
SEC. 10112. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 
Nothing in this title authorizes interference with the 
interstate commerce of hemp (as defined in section 297A 
of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946, as added by sec-
tion 10111). 
TITLE XI—CROP INSURANCE 
SEC. 11101. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 502(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1502(b)) is amended—
944 
† HR 2 EAS 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (6), (7), (8), 
(9), (10), and (11) as paragraphs (7), (8), (10), (11), 
(12), and (13) respectively; 
(2) by inserting after paragraph (5) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(6) COVER
CROP
TERMINATION.—The term 
‘cover crop termination’ means a practice that his-
torically and under reasonable circumstances results 
in the termination of the growth of a cover crop.’’; 
and 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (8) (as so redes-
ignated) the following: 
‘‘(9) HEMP.—The term ‘hemp’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 297A of the Agricultural 
Marketing Act of 1946.’’. 
SEC. 11102. DATA COLLECTION. 
Section 506(h)(2) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1506(h)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Corporation’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 
SERVICE.—Data collected by the National Agri-
945 
† HR 2 EAS 
cultural Statistics Service, whether published or 
unpublished, shall be— 
‘‘(i) provided in an aggregate form to 
the Corporation for the purpose of pro-
viding insurance under this subtitle; and 
‘‘(ii) kept confidential by the Corpora-
tion in the same manner and to the same 
extent as is required under— 
‘‘(I) section 1770 of the Food Se-
curity Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 2276); 
and 
‘‘(II) the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency 
Act of 2002 (44 U.S.C. 3501 note; Pub-
lic Law 107–347). 
‘‘(C) NONINSURED CROP DISASTER ASSIST-
ANCE PROGRAM.—In collecting data under this 
subsection, the Secretary shall ensure that— 
‘‘(i) appropriate data are collected 
through the noninsured crop disaster assist-
ance program established by section 196 of 
the Federal Agriculture Improvement and 
Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333); and 
‘‘(ii) not less frequently than annually, 
the Farm Service Agency shares, and the
946 
† HR 2 EAS 
Corporation considers, the data described in 
clause (i).’’. 
SEC. 11103. SHARING OF RECORDS. 
Section 506(h)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1506(h)(3)) is amended by inserting ‘‘applicants 
who have received payment under section 522(b)(2)(E),’’ 
after ‘‘divisions,’’. 
SEC. 11104. USE OF RESOURCES. 
Section 507(f) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1507(f)) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraphs (3) and (4) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(3) the Farm Service Agency, in assisting the 
Board in— 
‘‘(A) the determination of individual pro-
ducer yields; 
‘‘(B) sharing information on beginning 
farmers and ranchers and veteran farmers and 
ranchers; 
‘‘(C) investigating potential waste, fraud, or 
abuse; 
‘‘(D) sharing information to support the 
transition of crops and counties from the non-
insured crop disaster assistance program estab-
lished by section 196 of the Federal Agriculture
947 
† HR 2 EAS 
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 
7333) to insurance under this subtitle; and 
‘‘(E) serving as a local point of contact for 
the dissemination of information on risk man-
agement options available to farmers and ranch-
ers; and 
‘‘(4) other Federal agencies, in assisting the 
Board in any way the Board determines is necessary 
in carrying out this subtitle.’’; 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘(2) the’’ and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) the’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘(f) The Board’’ in the matter 
preceding paragraph (1) and all that follows through 
the semicolon at the end of paragraph (1) and insert-
ing the following: 
‘‘(f) USE OF RESOURCES, DATA, BOARDS, AND COM-
MITTEES OF FEDERAL AGENCIES.—The Board shall use, to 
the maximum extent practicable, the resources, data, 
boards, and the committees of— 
‘‘(1) the Natural Resources Conservation Service, 
in assisting the board in— 
‘‘(A) the classification of land as to risk and 
production capability; 
‘‘(B) the assessment of—
948 
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‘‘(i) long-term trends in, and impacts 
from, weather variability; and 
‘‘(ii) opportunities to ameliorate the 
impacts described in clause (i); and 
‘‘(C) the consideration of acceptable con-
servation practices, including good farming 
practices with respect to conservation (such as 
cover crop termination);’’. 
SEC. 11105. SPECIALTY CROPS. 
(a) SPECIALTY CROPS COORDINATOR.—Section 507(g) 
of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1507(g)) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) SPECIALTY CROP LIAISONS.—The Specialty 
Crops Coordinator shall— 
‘‘(A) designate a Specialty Crops Liaison in 
each regional field office; and 
‘‘(B) share the contact information of the 
Specialty Crops Liaisons with specialty crop 
producers. 
‘‘(5) WEBSITE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Specialty Crops 
Coordinator shall establish a website focused on 
the efforts of the Corporation to provide and ex-
pand crop insurance for specialty crop pro-
ducers.
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(B) INCLUSIONS.—The website established 
under subparagraph (A) shall include— 
‘‘(i) an online mechanism to provide 
comments or feedback relating to specialty 
crops; 
‘‘(ii) a calendar of opportunities to 
provide comments or feedback at specialty 
crop events or in other public forums; and 
‘‘(iii) a plan, with projected comple-
tion dates, for examining— 
‘‘(I) potential new crops to be 
added to existing policies or plans of 
insurance for specialty crops; 
‘‘(II) opportunities to expand ex-
isting policies or plans of insurance for 
specialty crops to new areas; and 
‘‘(III) the potential for providing 
additional policies or plans of insur-
ance for specialty crops, such as add-
ing a revenue option or endorsement.’’. 
(b) ADDITION
OF SPECIALTY CROPS
AND OTHER 
VALUE-ADDED CROPS.—Section 508(a)(6) of the Federal 
Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(6)) is amended—
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(1) in the paragraph heading, by adding at the 
end 
the 
following: 
‘‘(INCLUDING
VALUE-ADDED 
CROPS)’’; 
(2) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(A) ANNUAL REVIEW.—Not later than 1 
year after the date of enactment of the Agri-
culture Improvement Act of 2018, and annually 
thereafter, the manager of the Corporation shall 
prepare, to the maximum extent practicable, 
based on data shared from the noninsured crop 
disaster assistance program established by sec-
tion 196 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement 
and Reform Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333), written 
agreements, or other data, and present to the 
Board not less than 2 of each of the following: 
‘‘(i) Research and development for a 
policy or plan of insurance for a new crop. 
‘‘(ii) Expansion of an existing policy 
or plan of insurance to additional counties 
or States, including malting barley endorse-
ments or contract options. 
‘‘(iii) Research and development for a 
new policy or plan of insurance, or endorse-
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† HR 2 EAS 
ment, for crops with existing policies or 
plans of insurance, such as dollar plans.’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (B), in the subparagraph 
heading, by striking ‘‘ADDITION OF NEW CROPS’’ and 
inserting ‘‘REPORT’’; and 
(4) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D). 
SEC. 11106. INSURANCE PERIOD. 
Section 508(a)(2) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘and sweet 
potatoes’’ and inserting ‘‘sweet potatoes, and hemp’’. 
SEC. 11107. COVER CROPS. 
Section 508(a) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1508(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)(iii), by striking 
‘‘practices’’ the first place it appears and all that 
follows through the period at the end and insert-
ing ‘‘practices.’’; 
(B) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) 
and (C) as subparagraphs (C) and (D), respec-
tively; 
(C) by inserting after subparagraph (A) the 
following: 
‘‘(B) VOLUNTARY
GOOD
FARMING
PRAC-
TICES.—
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‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to clause 
(ii), the following voluntary practices shall 
be considered good farming practices under 
subparagraph (A)(iii): 
‘‘(I) A scientifically sound, sus-
tainable, and organic farming prac-
tice, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(II) A conservation activity or 
enhancement (including cover crops) 
that is approved by the Natural Re-
sources Conservation Service or an ag-
ricultural expert, as determined by the 
Secretary. 
‘‘(ii) EXPECTED GROWTH.—A practice 
described in subclause (I) or (II) of clause 
(i) shall be considered a good farming prac-
tice only if under that practice the insured 
crop may be expected to make normal 
progress toward maturity under typical 
growing conditions, as determined by the 
Secretary.’’; and 
(D) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesig-
nated), in the subparagraph heading, by insert-
ing ‘‘DETERMINATION
REVIEW’’ after ‘‘PRAC-
TICES’’; and
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† HR 2 EAS 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(11) COVER CROP TERMINATION.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Cover crop termination 
shall not affect the insurability of a subsequently 
planted insurable crop if the cover crop termi-
nation is carried out according to guidelines— 
‘‘(i) established by the Secretary; or 
‘‘(ii) approved by— 
‘‘(I) the Natural Resources Con-
servation Service; or 
‘‘(II) an agricultural expert, as 
determined by the Corporation. 
‘‘(B) SUMMER
FALLOW.—In a county in 
which summer fallow is an insurable practice, a 
cover crop in that county that is terminated ac-
cording to guidelines established by the Secretary 
shall be considered as summer fallow for the pur-
pose of insurability.’’. 
SEC. 11108. UNDERSERVED PRODUCERS. 
Section 508(a)(7) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1508(a)(7)) is amended— 
(1) in the paragraph heading, by inserting ‘‘AND 
UNDERSERVED PRODUCERS’’ after ‘‘STATES’’; 
(2) in subparagraph (A)—
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(A) by striking the designation and heading 
and all that follows through ‘‘the term’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) DEFINITIONS.—In this paragraph: 
‘‘(i) 
ADEQUATELY
SERVED.—The 
term’’; 
(B) in clause (i) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘participation rate’’ and inserting 
‘‘participation rate, by crop,’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) UNDERSERVED PRODUCER.—The 
term ‘underserved producer’ means a begin-
ning farmer or rancher, a veteran farmer or 
rancher, or a socially disadvantaged farmer 
or rancher.’’; 
(3) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The Board’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Board’’; 
(B) in clause (i) (as so designated), by 
striking ‘‘subtitle’’ and inserting ‘‘subtitle, in-
cluding policies and plans of insurance for un-
derserved producers,’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following:
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‘‘(ii) TYPES OF PRODUCTION.—In con-
ducting the review under clause (i), the 
Board shall examine the types of production 
common among underserved producers, such 
as diversified production for local mar-
kets.’’; and 
(4) by striking subparagraph (C) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(C) REPORT.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 30 
days after completion of the review under 
subparagraph (B)(i), and not less frequently 
than once every 3 years thereafter, the 
Board shall make publically available and 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of 
the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For-
estry of the Senate a report describing the 
results of the review. 
‘‘(ii) RECOMMENDATIONS.—The report 
under clause (i) shall include recommenda-
tions to increase participation in States 
and among underserved producers that are 
not adequately served by the policies and 
plans of insurance, including any plans for
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† HR 2 EAS 
administrative action or recommendations 
for Congressional action.’’. 
SEC. 11109. EXPANSION OF PERFORMANCE-BASED DIS-
COUNT. 
Section 508(d)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1508(d)(3)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘The Corporation’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(A) 
RISK-REDUCING
PRACTICE
DIS-
COUNT.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the 
2020 reinsurance year, the Corporation 
may offer discounts under subparagraph 
(A) for practices that can be demonstrated 
to reduce risk relative to other practices. 
‘‘(ii) REVIEW.—In determining prac-
tices for which to offer discounts under 
clause (i), the Corporation shall— 
‘‘(I) for the 2020 reinsurance 
year, consider precision irrigation or 
fertilization, 
crop 
rotations, 
cover 
crops, and any other practices deter-
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† HR 2 EAS 
mined appropriate by the Corporation; 
and 
‘‘(II) on an annual basis, seek ex-
pert opinion and consider additional 
practices based on new evidence.’’. 
SEC. 11110. ENTERPRISE UNITS. 
Section 508(e)(5) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1508(e)(5)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(E) ENTERPRISE UNITS ACROSS COUNTY 
LINES.—The Corporation may allow a producer 
to establish a single enterprise unit by com-
bining an enterprise unit with— 
‘‘(i) 1 or more other enterprise units in 
1 or more other counties; or 
‘‘(ii) all basic units and all optional 
units in 1 or more other counties.’’. 
SEC. 11111. PASTURE, RANGELAND, AND FORAGE POLICY 
FOR MEMBERS OF INDIAN TRIBES. 
Section 508(e)(7) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1508(e)(7)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(D) PASTURE, RANGELAND, AND FORAGE 
POLICY FOR MEMBERS OF INDIAN TRIBES.—With 
respect to a policy or plan of insurance estab-
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lished under this subtitle for producers of live-
stock commodities the source of feedstock of which 
is pasture, rangeland, and forage, the premium 
subsidy for a member of an Indian tribe (as de-
fined in section 4 of the Indian Self-Determina-
tion and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 
5304)), as certified to the Secretary by the 
Chairperson of that Indian tribe (or a designee), 
shall be 90 percent for the first purchase of that 
policy or plan of insurance by that member of 
an Indian tribe.’’. 
SEC. 11112. SUBMISSION OF POLICIES AND MATERIALS TO 
BOARD. 
Section 508(h) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1508(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)— 
(A) by redesignating clauses (i) through 
(iii) as subclauses (I) through (III), respectively, 
and indenting appropriately; 
(B) in the matter preceding subclause (I) 
(as so redesignated), by striking ‘‘The Corpora-
tion shall’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) IN
GENERAL.—The Corporation 
shall’’;
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† HR 2 EAS 
(C) in clause (i)(I) (as so redesignated), by 
inserting ‘‘subject to clause (ii),’’ before ‘‘will 
likely’’; and 
(D) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(ii) WAIVER
FOR
HEMP.—The Cor-
poration may waive the viability and mar-
ketability requirement under clause (i)(I) in 
the case of a policy or pilot program relat-
ing to the production of hemp.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)(C)— 
(A) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(B) in clause (iii), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iv) in the case of reviewing policies 
and other materials relating to the produc-
tion of hemp, may waive the viability and 
marketability requirement under subpara-
graph (A)(ii)(I).’’. 
SEC. 11113. WHOLE FARM REVENUE AGENT INCENTIVES. 
Section 508(k)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1508(k)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the 
following:
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‘‘(G) WHOLE FARM REVENUE AGENT INCEN-
TIVES.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Beginning with the 
2019 reinsurance year, in the case of an 
agent that sells a Whole Farm Revenue Pol-
icy, or a successor policy, the Corporation 
shall provide to the approved insurance pro-
vider, to pay to the agent, an additional re-
imbursement, determined in accordance 
with the following: 
‘‘(I) If the compensation of the 
agent authorized under the Standard 
Reinsurance Agreement for the policy 
is less than $1,000, the reimbursement 
shall be an amount equal to the dif-
ference between— 
‘‘(aa) $1,000; and 
‘‘(bb) the amount authorized 
under the Standard Reinsurance 
Agreement for the policy. 
‘‘(II) If the producer, or any enti-
ty in which the producer had an insur-
able interest, has never previously ob-
tained coverage under a Whole Farm 
Revenue Policy, or a successor policy,
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in addition to any amount authorized 
under subclause (I), the reimbursement 
shall be $300 for each Whole Farm 
Revenue Policy, or successor policy. 
‘‘(ii) LIMITATION ON USE.—Any addi-
tional 
reimbursement 
authorized 
under 
clause (i) shall not be included for the pur-
pose of establishing the limitation on the 
compensation for agents under the Stand-
ard Reinsurance Agreement.’’. 
SEC. 11114. CROP PRODUCTION ON NATIVE SOD. 
Section 508(o) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1508(o)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by striking subparagraph 
(A) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(i) AGRICULTURAL ACT OF 2014.—Na-
tive sod acreage that has been tilled for the 
production of an insurable crop during the 
period beginning on February 8, 2014, and 
ending on the date of enactment of the Agri-
culture Improvement Act of 2018 shall be 
subject to 4 cumulative years of a reduction 
in benefits under this subtitle as described 
in this paragraph.
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(ii) SUBSEQUENT YEARS.— 
‘‘(I) NON-HAY
AND
NON-FORAGE 
CROPS.—As determined by the Sec-
retary, native sod acreage that has 
been tilled for the production of an in-
surable crop other than a hay or forage 
crop after the date of enactment of the 
Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 
shall be subject to 4 cumulative years 
of a reduction in benefits under this 
subtitle as described in this paragraph. 
‘‘(II) HAY AND FORAGE CROPS.— 
During each crop year of planting, as 
determined by the Secretary, native 
sod acreage that has been tilled for the 
production of an insurable hay or for-
age crop after the date of enactment of 
the Agriculture Improvement Act of 
2018 shall be subject to 4 cumulative 
years of a reduction in benefits under 
this subtitle as described in this para-
graph.’’; 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as para-
graph (4);
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† HR 2 EAS 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(3) NATIVE SOD CONVERSION CERTIFICATION.— 
‘‘(A) CERTIFICATION.—As a condition on 
the receipt of benefits under this subtitle, a pro-
ducer that has tilled native sod acreage for the 
production of an insurable crop as described in 
paragraph (2)(A) shall certify to the Secretary 
that acreage using— 
‘‘(i) an acreage report form of the 
Farm Service Agency (FSA–578 or any 
successor form); and 
‘‘(ii) 1 or more maps. 
‘‘(B) CORRECTIONS.—Beginning on the 
date on which a producer submits a certification 
under subparagraph (A), as soon as practicable 
after the producer discovers a change in tilled 
native sod acreage described in that subpara-
graph, the producer shall submit to the Secretary 
any appropriate corrections to a form or map 
described in clause (i) or (ii) of that subpara-
graph. 
‘‘(C) ANNUAL
REPORTS.—Not later than 
January 1, 2019, and each January 1 thereafter 
through January 1, 2023, the Secretary shall
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submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes the tilled native sod 
acreage that has been certified under subpara-
graph (A) in each county and State as of the 
date of submission of the report.’’; and 
(4) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘This subsection’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), this subsection’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) ELECTION.—A governor of a State 
other than a State described in subparagraph 
(A) may elect to have this paragraph apply to 
the State.’’. 
SEC. 11115. USE OF NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS 
SERVICE DATA TO COMBAT WASTE, FRAUD, 
AND ABUSE. 
Section 515 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1515) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end;
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† HR 2 EAS 
(B) in subparagraph (C), by striking the 
period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) using published aggregate data from 
the National Agricultural Statistics Service or 
any other data source to— 
‘‘(i) detect yield disparities or other 
data anomalies that indicate potential 
fraud; and 
‘‘(ii) target the relevant counties, crops, 
regions, companies, or agents associated 
with that potential fraud for audits and 
other enforcement actions.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (f)(2)(A), by striking ‘‘pursuant 
to’’ each place it appears and inserting ‘‘under’’. 
SEC. 11116. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION TO CORPORA-
TION. 
Section 515(g) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1515(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by adding at the end the 
following: 
‘‘(D) The actual production history to be 
used to establish insurable yields.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2)—
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(A) by striking ‘‘The information required 
by paragraph (1)’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The information re-
quired to be submitted under subparagraphs (A) 
through (C) of paragraph (1)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) ACTUAL PRODUCTION HISTORY.—The 
information required to be submitted under 
paragraph (1)(D) with respect to an applicable 
policy or plan of insurance shall be submitted so 
as to ensure receipt by the Corporation not later 
than the Saturday of the week containing the 
calendar day that is 30 days after the applicable 
production reporting date for the crop to be in-
sured.’’. 
SEC. 11117. ACREAGE REPORT STREAMLINING INITIATIVE. 
Section 515(j)(1)(B)(ii) of the Federal Crop Insurance 
Act (7 U.S.C. 1515(j)(1)(B)(ii)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘As soon’’ and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—As soon’’; 
(2) in subclause (I) (as so designated), by strik-
ing ‘‘information’’ and inserting ‘‘information, elec-
tronically (including in the form of geospatial data) 
or conventionally,’’ and
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(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(II) METHOD FOR DETERMINING 
COMMON
INFORMATION
REQUIRE-
MENTS.—Not later than September 30, 
2020, the Administrator of the Risk 
Management Agency and the Adminis-
trator of the Farm Service Agency 
shall implement a consistent method 
for determining crop acreage, acreage 
yields, farm acreage, property descrip-
tions, and other common informational 
requirements, including measures of 
common land units. 
‘‘(III) ACCEPTANCE
OF
DATA.— 
The Corporation shall require each ap-
proved insurance provider to accept 
from a producer or an authorized 
agent of a producer reports of crop 
acreage, acreage yields, and other in-
formation electronically (including in 
the form of geospatial data) or conven-
tionally, at the option of the producer 
or the agent of the producer, as appli-
cable.’’.
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SEC. 11118. CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR LOSS ADJUST-
ERS AND AGENTS. 
Section 515 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1515) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating subsection (k) as subsection 
(l); and 
(2) by inserting after subsection (j) the following: 
‘‘(k) CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR LOSS ADJUSTERS 
AND AGENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall estab-
lish requirements for continuing education for loss 
adjusters and agents of approved insurance providers. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The requirements for 
continuing education described in paragraph (1) shall 
ensure that loss adjusters and agents of approved in-
surance providers are familiar with appropriate con-
servation activities and agronomic practices that— 
‘‘(A) are common and appropriate to the 
area in which the insured crop being inspected 
is produced; and 
‘‘(B) include organic and sustainable prac-
tices.’’. 
SEC. 11119. FUNDING FOR INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY. 
Section 515 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1515) is amended in subsection (l)(1)(A) (as redesig-
nated by section 11118(1))—
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† HR 2 EAS 
(1) by striking clause (ii); 
(2) in clause (i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(i)(I) for’’ and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(i) for’’; 
(B) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end; and 
(C) by redesignating subclause (II) as 
clause (ii); 
(3) in clause (ii) (as so redesignated), by striking 
‘‘or’’ at the end and inserting ‘‘and’’; and 
(4) by inserting after clause (ii) (as so redesig-
nated) the following: 
‘‘(iii) for each of fiscal years 2019 and 
2020, $1,000,000.’’. 
SEC. 11120. AGRICULTURAL COMMODITY. 
Section 518 of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1518) is amended by inserting ‘‘hemp,’’ before 
‘‘aquacultural species’’. 
SEC. 11121. REIMBURSEMENT OF RESEARCH, DEVELOP-
MENT, AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. 
Section 522(b) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1522(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (2), by adding at the end the 
following:
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(K) WAIVER FOR HEMP.—The Board may 
waive the viability and marketability require-
ments under this paragraph in the case of re-
search and development relating to a policy to 
insure the production of hemp.’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (3)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The Corporation’’ and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the Corporation’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(B) WAIVER FOR HEMP.—The Corporation 
may waive the marketability requirement under 
subparagraph (A) in the case of research and de-
velopment relating to a policy to insure the pro-
duction of hemp.’’. 
SEC. 11122. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. 
Section 522(c) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 
U.S.C. 1522(c)) is amended— 
(1) by striking paragraphs (7) through (18) and 
(20) through (23); 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (19) and (24) 
as paragraphs (7) and (8), respectively;
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† HR 2 EAS 
(3) in paragraph (7) (as so redesignated) (enti-
tled ‘‘Whole farm diversified risk management insur-
ance plan’’), by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(E) REVIEW
OF
MODIFICATIONS
TO
IM-
PROVE EFFECTIVENESS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 
years after the date of enactment of the Ag-
riculture Improvement Act of 2018, the Cor-
poration shall— 
‘‘(I) hold stakeholder meetings to 
solicit producer and agent feedback; 
‘‘(II) review procedures and pa-
perwork requirements on agents and 
producers; and 
‘‘(III) modify procedures and re-
quirements, as appropriate, to decrease 
burdens and increase flexibility and ef-
fectiveness. 
‘‘(ii) FACTORS.—In carrying out sub-
clauses (II) and (III) of clause (i), the Cor-
poration shall consider— 
‘‘(I) removing caps on nursery 
and livestock production;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(II) allowing a waiver to expand 
operations, especially for small and be-
ginning farmers; 
‘‘(III) minimizing paperwork for 
producers and agents; 
‘‘(IV) implementing an option for 
producers with less than $1,000,000 in 
gross revenue that requires signifi-
cantly less paperwork and record-
keeping; 
‘‘(V) developing and using alter-
native records such as time-stamped 
photographs or technology applications 
to document planting and production 
history; 
‘‘(VI) treating the different growth 
stages of aquaculture species as sepa-
rate crops to recognize the difference in 
perils at different phases of growth; 
‘‘(VII) moderating the impacts of 
disaster years on historic revenue, such 
as— 
‘‘(aa) using an average of the 
historic and projected revenue;
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† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(bb) counting indemnities 
as historic revenue for loss years; 
or 
‘‘(cc) using an assigned yield 
floor similar to a T-yield, as de-
termined by the Secretary; and 
‘‘(VIII) improving agent training 
and outreach to underserved regions 
and sectors such as small dairy 
farms.’’; and 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (8) (as so redes-
ignated) the following: 
‘‘(9) IRRIGATED GRAIN SORGHUM CROP INSUR-
ANCE POLICY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 
carry out research and development, or offer to 
enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 
qualified persons to carry out research and devel-
opment— 
‘‘(i) regarding improvements to 1 or 
more policies to insure irrigated grain sor-
ghum; and 
‘‘(ii) regarding alternative methods for 
producers with not more than 4 years of
974 
† HR 2 EAS 
production history to insure irrigated grain 
sorghum. 
‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes— 
‘‘(i) the results of the research and de-
velopment conducted under subparagraph 
(A); and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re-
spect to those results. 
‘‘(10) LIMITED IRRIGATION PRACTICES.— 
‘‘(A) AUTHORITY.—The Corporation shall— 
‘‘(i) expand the availability of the lim-
ited irrigation insurance program to not 
fewer than 2 neighboring and similarly sit-
uated States (such as the States of Colorado 
and Nebraska), as determined by the Sec-
retary; 
‘‘(ii) carry out research, or offer to 
enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or 
more qualified persons to carry out re-
975 
† HR 2 EAS 
search, on the marketability of the existing 
limited irrigation insurance program; and 
‘‘(iii) make recommendations on how 
to improve participation in that program. 
‘‘(B) RESEARCH.—In carrying out research 
under subparagraph (A), a qualified person 
shall— 
‘‘(i) collaborate with researchers on the 
subjects of— 
‘‘(I) reduced irrigation practices 
or limited irrigation practices; and 
‘‘(II) expected yield reductions fol-
lowing the application of reduced irri-
gation; 
‘‘(ii) collaborate with State and Fed-
eral officials responsible for the collection of 
water and the regulation of water use for 
the purpose of irrigation; 
‘‘(iii) provide recommendations to en-
courage producers to carry out limited irri-
gation practices or reduced irrigation and 
water conservation practices; and 
‘‘(iv) develop web-based applications 
that will streamline access to coverage for
976 
† HR 2 EAS 
producers electing to conserve water use on 
irrigated crops. 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of enactment of the Agriculture 
Improvement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes— 
‘‘(i) the results of the research carried 
out under subparagraphs (A) and (B); 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations to encour-
age producers to carry out limited irriga-
tion practices or reduced irrigation and 
water conservation practices; and 
‘‘(iii) the actions taken by the Corpora-
tion to carry out the recommendations de-
scribed in clause (ii). 
‘‘(11) QUALITY LOSS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 
carry out research and development, or offer to 
enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 
qualified persons to carry out research and devel-
opment, regarding the establishment of each of
977 
† HR 2 EAS 
the following alternative methods of adjusting for 
quality losses: 
‘‘(i) A method that does not impact the 
average production history of a producer. 
‘‘(ii) A method that is optional for a 
producer to elect to use. 
‘‘(iii) A method that provides that, in 
circumstances in which a producer has suf-
fered a quality loss to the insured crop of 
the producer that is insufficient to trigger 
an indemnity payment, the producer may 
elect to exclude that quality loss from the 
actual production history of the producer. 
‘‘(iv) 1 or more methods that combine 
2 or more of the methods described in 
clauses (i) through (iii). 
‘‘(B) 
REQUIREMENTS.—Notwithstanding 
subsections (g) and (m) of section 508, any meth-
od developed under subparagraph (A) that is 
used by the Corporation shall be— 
‘‘(i) optional for a producer to use; and 
‘‘(ii) offered at an actuarially sound 
premium rate. 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
978 
† HR 2 EAS 
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes the results of the re-
search and development carried out under sub-
paragraph (A). 
‘‘(12) CITRUS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 
carry out research and development, or offer to 
enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 
qualified persons to carry out research and devel-
opment, regarding the insurance of citrus fruit 
commodities and commodity types, including re-
search and development of— 
‘‘(i) improvements to 1 or more exist-
ing policies, including the whole-farm rev-
enue protection pilot policy; 
‘‘(ii) alternative methods of insuring 
revenue for citrus fruit commodities and 
commodity types; and 
‘‘(iii) the development of new, or ex-
pansion of existing, revenue policies for cit-
rus fruit commodities and commodity types.
979 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes— 
‘‘(i) the results of the research and de-
velopment carried out under subparagraph 
(A); and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re-
spect to those results. 
‘‘(13) GREENHOUSE POLICY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(i) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 
The Corporation shall carry out research 
and development, or offer to enter into 1 or 
more contracts with 1 or more qualified 
persons to carry out research and develop-
ment, regarding a policy to insure in a con-
trolled environment such as a greenhouse— 
‘‘(I) the production of floriculture, 
nursery, and bedding plants;
980 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(II) the establishment of cuttings 
or tissue culture in a growing medium; 
or 
‘‘(III) other similar production, 
as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(ii) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY OR PLAN 
OF
INSURANCE.—Notwithstanding the last 
sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 
508(a)(2), the Corporation shall make a 
policy or plan of insurance described in 
clause (i) available if the requirements of 
section 508(h) are met. 
‘‘(B) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
DE-
SCRIBED.—Research and development described 
in subparagraph (A)(i) shall evaluate the effec-
tiveness of policies and plans of insurance for the 
production of plants in a controlled environ-
ment, including policies and plans of insurance 
that— 
‘‘(i) are based on the risk of— 
‘‘(I) plant diseases introduced 
from the environment; 
‘‘(II) contaminated cuttings, seed-
lings, or tissue culture; or
981 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(III) Federal or State quar-
antine or destruction orders associated 
with the contaminated items described 
in subclause (II); 
‘‘(ii) consider other causes of loss ap-
plicable to a controlled environment, such 
as a loss of electricity due to weather; 
‘‘(iii) consider appropriate best prac-
tices to minimize the risk of loss; 
‘‘(iv) consider whether to provide cov-
erage for various types of plants under 1 
policy or plan of insurance or to provide 
coverage for 1 species or type of plant per 
policy or plan of insurance; 
‘‘(v) have streamlined reporting and 
paperwork requirements that take into ac-
count short propagation schedules, variable 
crop years, and the variety of plants that 
may be produced in a single facility; and 
‘‘(vi) provide protection for revenue 
losses. 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the
982 
† HR 2 EAS 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that— 
‘‘(i) describes the results of the research 
and development conducted under subpara-
graphs (A)(i) and (B); and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re-
spect to those results. 
‘‘(14) HOPS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 
carry out research and development, or offer to 
enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 
qualified persons to carry out research and devel-
opment, regarding a policy to insure the produc-
tion of hops or revenue derived from the produc-
tion of hops. 
‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes—
983 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(i) the results of the research and de-
velopment conducted under subparagraph 
(A); and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re-
spect to those results. 
‘‘(15) LOCAL FOODS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(i) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 
The Corporation shall carry out research 
and development, or offer to enter into 1 or 
more contracts with 1 or more qualified 
persons to carry out research and develop-
ment, regarding a policy to insure produc-
tion— 
‘‘(I) of floriculture, fruits, vegeta-
bles, poultry, livestock, or the products 
of floriculture, fruits, vegetables, poul-
try, or livestock; and 
‘‘(II) that is targeted toward local 
consumers and markets. 
‘‘(ii) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY OR PLAN 
OF
INSURANCE.—Notwithstanding the last 
sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 
508(a)(2), the Corporation shall make a 
policy or plan of insurance described in
984 
† HR 2 EAS 
clause (i) available if the requirements of 
section 508(h) are met. 
‘‘(B) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
DE-
SCRIBED.—Research and development described 
in subparagraph (A)(i) shall evaluate the effec-
tiveness of policies and plans of insurance for 
production targeted toward local consumers and 
markets, including policies and plans of insur-
ance that— 
‘‘(i) consider small-scale production in 
various areas, including urban, suburban, 
and rural areas; 
‘‘(ii) consider a variety of marketing 
strategies, including— 
‘‘(I) direct-to-consumer marketing; 
‘‘(II) farmers markets; 
‘‘(III) farm-to-institution mar-
keting; and 
‘‘(IV) marketing through commu-
nity-supported agriculture; 
‘‘(iii) allow for production in soil and 
in alternative systems such as vertical sys-
tems, greenhouses, rooftops, or hydroponic 
systems;
985 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(iv) consider the price premium when 
accounting for production or revenue losses; 
‘‘(v) consider whether to provide cov-
erage— 
‘‘(I) for various types of produc-
tion under 1 policy or plan of insur-
ance; and 
‘‘(II) for 1 species or type of plant 
per policy or plan of insurance; and 
‘‘(vi) have streamlined reporting and 
paperwork requirements. 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that— 
‘‘(i) examines whether a version of ex-
isting policies such as the whole-farm rev-
enue protection insurance plan may be tai-
lored to provide improved coverage for pro-
ducers of local foods;
986 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(ii) describes the results of the re-
search and development conducted under 
subparagraphs (A) and (B); and 
‘‘(iii) includes any recommendations 
with respect to those results. 
‘‘(16) INSURABLE
IRRIGATION
PRACTICES
FOR 
RICE.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Corporation shall 
carry out research and development, or offer to 
enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 
qualified persons to carry out research and devel-
opment, to include new and innovative irriga-
tion practices under the current rice policy or 
the development of a distinct plan of insurance 
or policy endorsement rated for rice produced 
using— 
‘‘(i) alternate wetting and drying 
practices (also referred to as ‘intermittent 
flooding’); and 
‘‘(ii) furrow irrigation practices. 
‘‘(B) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on
987 
† HR 2 EAS 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that describes— 
‘‘(i) the results of the research and de-
velopment carried out under paragraph (1); 
and 
‘‘(ii) any recommendations with re-
spect to those results. 
‘‘(17) 
HIGH-RISK, 
HIGHLY
PRODUCTIVE 
BATTURE LAND POLICY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(i) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 
The Corporation shall carry out research 
and development, or offer to enter into 1 or 
more contracts with 1 or more qualified 
persons to carry out research and develop-
ment, regarding a policy to insure pro-
ducers of corn, cotton, and soybeans— 
‘‘(I) with operations on highly 
productive batture land within the 
Lower Mississippi River Valley below 
Mississippi River mile 368.44; 
‘‘(II) that have a history of pro-
duction of not less than 5 years; and 
‘‘(III) that have been impacted by 
more frequent flooding over the past 10
988 
† HR 2 EAS 
years due to sedimentation and feder-
ally constructed engineering improve-
ments. 
‘‘(ii) AVAILABILITY OF POLICY OR PLAN 
OF
INSURANCE.—Notwithstanding the last 
sentence of section 508(a)(1), and section 
508(a)(2), the Corporation shall make a 
policy or plan of insurance described in 
clause (i) available if the requirements of 
section 508(h) are met. 
‘‘(B) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
DE-
SCRIBED.—Research and development described 
in subparagraph (A)(i) shall evaluate the feasi-
bility of less cost-prohibitive policies and plans 
of insurance for batture-land producers in high 
risk areas, including policies and plans of insur-
ance that— 
‘‘(i) consider premium rate adjust-
ments; 
‘‘(ii) consider automatic yield exclu-
sion for consecutive-year losses; and 
‘‘(iii) allow for flexibility of final plant 
dates and prevent plant regulations. 
‘‘(C) REPORT.—Not later than 1 year after 
the date of enactment of the Agriculture Im-
989 
† HR 2 EAS 
provement Act of 2018, the Corporation shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Sen-
ate a report that— 
‘‘(i) examines whether a version of ex-
isting policies may be tailored to provide 
improved coverage for batture-land pro-
ducers; 
‘‘(ii) describes the results of the re-
search and development conducted under 
subparagraphs (A) and (B); and 
‘‘(iii) includes any recommendations 
with respect to those results.’’. 
SEC. 11123. EDUCATION ASSISTANCE. 
Section 524(a)(3)(A) of the Federal Crop Insurance 
Act (7 U.S.C. 1524(a)(3)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘con-
servation activities,’’ after ‘‘benchmarking,’’. 
SEC. 11124. CROPLAND REPORT ANNUAL UPDATES. 
Section 11014(c)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 
(Public Law 113–79; 128 Stat. 963) is amended in the mat-
ter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’.
990 
† HR 2 EAS 
TITLE XII—MISCELLANEOUS 
Subtitle A—Livestock 
SEC. 12101. SHEEP PRODUCTION AND MARKETING GRANT 
PROGRAM. 
Section 209 of the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 
(7 U.S.C. 1627a) is amended by striking subsection (c) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out 
this section $1,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
2023.’’. 
SEC. 12102. NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH LABORATORY NET-
WORK. 
Section 10409A(d) of the Animal Health Protection 
Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a(d)) is amended by striking 
‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023’’. 
SEC. 12103. NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE PREPAREDNESS, 
RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY PROGRAM; NA-
TIONAL ANIMAL VACCINE AND VETERINARY 
COUNTERMEASURES BANK. 
The Animal Health Protection Act is amended by in-
serting after section 10409A (7 U.S.C. 8308a) the following:
991 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘SEC. 10409B. NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE PREPAREDNESS, 
RESPONSE, AND RECOVERY PROGRAM; NA-
TIONAL ANIMAL VACCINE AND VETERINARY 
COUNTERMEASURES BANK. 
‘‘(a) NATIONAL ANIMAL DISEASE PREPAREDNESS, RE-
SPONSE, AND RECOVERY PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To prevent the introduction 
into or the dissemination within the United States of 
any pest or disease of animals affecting the economic 
interests of the livestock and related industries of the 
United States (including the maintenance and expan-
sion of export market potential), the Secretary shall 
establish a program to be known as the ‘National 
Animal Disease Preparedness, Response, and Recov-
ery Program’ (referred to in this subsection as the 
‘Program’). 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE
ACTIVITIES.—Under the Pro-
gram, the Secretary shall support activities to pre-
vent, detect, and rapidly respond to animal pests and 
diseases, including— 
‘‘(A) enhancing animal pest and disease 
analysis and surveillance; 
‘‘(B) expanding education and outreach; 
‘‘(C) targeting domestic inspection activities 
at vulnerable points in the safeguarding con-
tinuum;
992 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(D) enhancing and strengthening threat 
identification and technology; 
‘‘(E) improving biosecurity; 
‘‘(F) enhancing emergency preparedness 
and response capabilities, including training ad-
ditional emergency response personnel; 
‘‘(G) conducting technology development to 
enhance electronic sharing of animal health data 
for risk analysis between State and Federal ani-
mal health officials; 
‘‘(H) enhancing the development and effec-
tiveness of animal health technologies to treat 
and prevent disease, including veterinary bio-
logics, veterinary diagnostics, animal drugs for 
minor use and minor species, animal medical 
devices, 
and 
emerging 
veterinary 
counter-
measures; and 
‘‘(I) such other activities as determined ap-
propriate by the Secretary, in consultation with 
entities described in paragraph (3)(B). 
‘‘(3) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—In carrying out the 
Program, the Secretary shall offer to enter into 
cooperative agreements or other legal instruments
993 
† HR 2 EAS 
with entities described in subparagraph (B) to 
carry out activities described in paragraph (2). 
‘‘(B) ELIGIBLE
ENTITIES.—The Secretary 
may enter into a cooperative agreement or other 
legal instrument under subparagraph (A) with 1 
or more of the following entities: 
‘‘(i) A State department of agriculture. 
‘‘(ii) The State veterinarian or chief 
animal health official of a State. 
‘‘(iii) A land-grant college or univer-
sity (as defined in section 1404 of the Na-
tional Agricultural Research, Extension, 
and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 
3103)). 
‘‘(iv) A NLGCA Institution (as defined 
in section 1404 of the National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy 
Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)). 
‘‘(v) A college of veterinary medicine. 
‘‘(vi) A State or national livestock pro-
ducer organization with a direct and sig-
nificant economic interest in livestock pro-
duction. 
‘‘(vii) A State, national, allied, or re-
gional veterinary organization or specialty
994 
† HR 2 EAS 
board recognized by the American Veteri-
nary Medical Association. 
‘‘(viii) An Indian tribe. 
‘‘(ix) A State emergency management 
agency. 
‘‘(x) A Federal agency. 
‘‘(C) SPECIAL FUNDING CONSIDERATIONS.— 
In entering into cooperative agreements or other 
legal instruments under subparagraph (A), the 
Secretary shall give priority to— 
‘‘(i) a State department of agriculture; 
‘‘(ii) the State veterinarian or chief 
animal health official of a State; and 
‘‘(iii) an eligible entity that shall carry 
out Program activities in a State or region 
in which— 
‘‘(I) an animal disease or pest is 
a Federal concern, as determined by 
the Secretary; or 
‘‘(II) there is potential for the 
spread of an animal disease or pest, as 
determined by the Secretary, taking 
into consideration— 
‘‘(aa) the agricultural indus-
tries in that State or region;
995 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(bb) factors contributing to 
animal disease or pests in that 
State or region, such as climate, 
natural resources, geography, na-
tive or exotic wildlife species, and 
other disease vectors; and 
‘‘(cc) the movement of ani-
mals in that State or region. 
‘‘(D) APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—An entity described 
in subparagraph (B) desiring to enter into 
a cooperative agreement or other legal in-
strument under subparagraph (A) shall sub-
mit to the Secretary an application at such 
time and containing such information as 
the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(ii) NOTIFICATION.—The Secretary 
shall notify an entity that submits an ap-
plication under clause (i) of— 
‘‘(I) the requirements to be im-
posed on the entity for auditing of, and 
reporting on, the use of any funds pro-
vided by the Secretary under the coop-
erative agreement or other legal instru-
ment; and
996 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(II) the criteria to be used to en-
sure activities supported under the co-
operative agreement or other legal in-
strument are based on sound scientific 
data or thorough risk assessments. 
‘‘(E) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(i) 
SUBAGREEMENTS.—Nothing 
in 
this section prevents an entity from using 
funds received under a cooperative agree-
ment or other legal instrument under sub-
paragraph (A) to enter into a subagreement 
with another organization or a political 
subdivision of a State that has legal respon-
sibilities relating to animal disease preven-
tion, surveillance, or rapid response. 
‘‘(ii) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—In deter-
mining whether to enter into a cooperative 
agreement or other legal instrument with an 
entity under subparagraph (A), the Sec-
retary— 
‘‘(I) may consider the ability of 
the entity to provide non-Federal funds 
to carry out the cooperative agreement 
or other legal instrument; but
997 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(II) shall not require the provi-
sion of non-Federal funds by an entity 
as a condition to enter into a coopera-
tive agreement or other legal instru-
ment. 
‘‘(iii) ADMINISTRATION.—Of amounts 
made available to carry out the Program, 
not more than 10 percent may be retained 
by an entity that receives funds under a co-
operative agreement or other legal instru-
ment under subparagraph (A), including a 
subagreement under clause (i), to pay ad-
ministrative costs incurred by the entity in 
carrying out the cooperative agreement or 
other legal instrument. 
‘‘(4) CONSULTATION.—The Secretary shall con-
sult with entities described in paragraph (3)(B) in es-
tablishing priorities under the Program. 
‘‘(5) FEDERAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE ACT.—The 
Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) 
shall not apply to any consultation by the Secretary 
with an entity described in paragraph (3)(B) under 
the Program. 
‘‘(6) REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date on which an entity completes an activity pre-
998 
† HR 2 EAS 
scribed and funded by a cooperative agreement or 
other legal instrument under paragraph (3)(A), the 
entity shall submit to the Secretary a report that de-
scribes the purposes and results of the activity. 
‘‘(b) NATIONAL ANIMAL VACCINE AND VETERINARY 
COUNTERMEASURES BANK.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
a National Animal Vaccine and Veterinary Counter-
measures Bank to benefit the domestic interests of the 
United States. 
‘‘(2) REQUIREMENTS.—Under the National Ani-
mal Vaccine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank, 
the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) leverage, as appropriate, the mecha-
nisms and infrastructure that have been devel-
oped for the management, storage, and distribu-
tion of the National Veterinary Stockpile; and 
‘‘(B) maintain a sufficient quantity of ani-
mal vaccine, antiviral, therapeutic products, di-
agnostic products, and veterinary counter-
measures— 
‘‘(i) to appropriately respond to the 
most damaging animal diseases affecting 
human health or the economy; and
999 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(ii) that will be capable of rapid de-
ployment in the event of an outbreak of an 
animal disease described in clause (i). 
‘‘(3) FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE PRIORITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out para-
graph (2), the Secretary shall give priority to the 
maintenance of a sufficient quantity of foot-and- 
mouth disease vaccine, as determined by the Sec-
retary, and accompanying diagnostic products, 
covering, to the maximum extent practicable, an 
appropriate representation of foot-and-mouth 
disease serotypes and strains for which appro-
priate vaccine products are available. 
‘‘(B) CONTRACTS.—The Secretary may offer 
to enter into 1 or more contracts with 1 or more 
entities that produce foot-and-mouth disease vac-
cine— 
‘‘(i) to maintain a bank of viral anti-
gen concentrate or vaccine products for, to 
the maximum extent practicable, an appro-
priate representation of foot-and-mouth dis-
ease serotypes (as determined by the Sec-
retary) for which antigen concentrate is 
available; and
1000 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(ii) to maintain surge production ca-
pacity to produce, as quickly as practicable, 
foot-and-mouth disease vaccine to address a 
foot-and-mouth disease outbreak. 
‘‘(c) USE OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) FEDERAL
ADMINISTRATION.—Of amounts 
made available to carry out this section, not greater 
than 4 percent may be retained by the Secretary to 
pay administrative costs incurred by the Secretary in 
carrying out this section. 
‘‘(2) BUILDINGS AND FACILITIES.—None of the 
amounts made available to carry out this section 
shall be used for— 
‘‘(A) the construction of a new building or 
facility; 
‘‘(B) the acquisition or expansion of an ex-
isting building or facility; 
‘‘(C) site grading and improvement; or 
‘‘(D) architect fees. 
‘‘(3) PROCEEDS.—The proceeds from the sale of 
any vaccine or antigen by the National Animal Vac-
cine and Veterinary Countermeasures Bank shall— 
‘‘(A) be deposited in the Treasury;
1001 
† HR 2 EAS 
‘‘(B) be credited to an account for the oper-
ation of the National Animal Vaccine and Vet-
erinary Countermeasures Bank; 
‘‘(C) be available for expenditure without 
further appropriation; and 
‘‘(D) remain available until expended. 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are nec-
essary to carry out this section, to remain available until 
expended.’’. 
SEC. 12104. STUDY ON LIVESTOCK DEALER STATUTORY 
TRUST. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct a 
study to determine the feasibility of establishing a livestock 
dealer statutory trust. 
(b) CONTENTS.—The study conducted under subsection 
(a) shall— 
(1) analyze how the establishment of a livestock 
dealer statutory trust would affect buyer and seller be-
havior in markets for livestock (as defined in section 
2(a) of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 
U.S.C. 182)); 
(2) consider what potential effects a livestock 
dealer statutory trust would have on credit avail-
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ability, including impacts on lenders and lending be-
havior and other industry participants; 
(3) examine unique circumstances common to 
livestock dealers and how those circumstances could 
impact the functionality of a livestock dealer statu-
tory trust; 
(4) study the feasibility of the industry-wide 
adoption of electronic funds transfer or another expe-
ditious method of payment to provide sellers of live-
stock protection from nonsufficient funds payments; 
(5) assess the effectiveness of statutory trusts in 
other segments of agriculture and whether similar ef-
fects could be experienced under a livestock dealer 
statutory trust; and 
(6) consider the effects of exempting dealers with 
average annual purchases under a de minimis thresh-
old from being subject to the livestock dealer statutory 
trust. 
(c) REPORT.—Not later than 540 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives 
and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 
of the Senate a report describing the findings of the study 
conducted under subsection (a).
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SEC. 12105. DEFINITION OF LIVESTOCK. 
Section 602(2) of the Emergency Livestock Feed Assist-
ance Act of 1988 (7 U.S.C. 1471(2)) is amended in the mat-
ter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘fish’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘that—’’ and inserting ‘‘llamas, al-
pacas, live fish, crawfish, and other animals that—’’. 
Subtitle B—Agriculture and Food 
Defense 
SEC. 12201. REPEAL OF OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 
Section 14111 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8911) is repealed. 
SEC. 12202. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 
Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorga-
nization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6911 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 221. OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITION OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DE-
FENSE.—In this section, the term ‘agriculture and food de-
fense’ means any action to prevent, protect against, miti-
gate the effects of, respond to, or recover from a naturally 
occurring, unintentional, or intentional threat to the agri-
culture and food system. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary shall establish 
in the Department the Office of Homeland Security. 
‘‘(c) EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Office of Homeland 
Security shall be headed by an Executive Director, who
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shall be known as the ‘Executive Director of Homeland Se-
curity’. 
‘‘(d) DUTIES.—The Executive Director of Homeland 
Security shall— 
‘‘(1) serve as the principal advisor to the Sec-
retary on homeland security, including emergency 
management and agriculture and food defense; 
‘‘(2) coordinate activities of the Department, in-
cluding policies, processes, budget needs, and oversight 
relating to homeland security, including emergency 
management and agriculture and food defense; 
‘‘(3) act as the primary liaison on behalf of the 
Department with other Federal departments and 
agencies in activities relating to homeland security, 
including emergency management and agriculture 
and food defense, and provide for interagency coordi-
nation and data sharing; 
‘‘(4)(A) coordinate in the Department the gath-
ering of information relevant to early warning and 
awareness of threats and risks to the food and agri-
culture critical infrastructure sector; and 
‘‘(B) share that information with, and provide 
assistance with interpretation and risk characteriza-
tion of that information to, the intelligence commu-
nity (as defined in section 3 of the National Security
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† HR 2 EAS 
Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C 3003)), law enforcement agen-
cies, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Home-
land Security, the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, and State fusion centers (as defined in sec-
tion 210A(j) of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (6 
U.S.C. 124h(j)); 
‘‘(5) liaison with the Director of National Intel-
ligence to assist in the development of periodic assess-
ments and intelligence estimates, or other intelligence 
products, that support the defense of the food and ag-
riculture critical infrastructure sector; 
‘‘(6) coordinate the conduct, evaluation, and im-
provement of exercises to identify and eliminate gaps 
in preparedness and response; 
‘‘(7) produce a Department-wide centralized 
strategic coordination plan to provide a high-level 
perspective of the operations of the Department relat-
ing to homeland security, including emergency man-
agement and agriculture and food defense; and 
‘‘(8) carry out other appropriate duties, as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(e) AGRICULTURE AND FOOD THREAT AWARENESS 
PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM.— 
‘‘(1) INTERAGENCY
EXCHANGE
PROGRAM.—The 
Secretary, in partnership with the intelligence com-
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† HR 2 EAS 
munity (as defined in section 3 of the National Secu-
rity Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)) and fusion centers 
(as defined in section 210A(j) of the Homeland Secu-
rity Act of 2002 (6 U.S.C. 124h(j)) that have analysis 
and intelligence capabilities relating to the defense of 
the food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector, 
shall establish and carry out an interagency exchange 
program of personnel and information to improve 
communication and analysis for the defense of the 
food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector. 
‘‘(2) COLLABORATION
WITH
FEDERAL, STATE, 
AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.—To carry out the program 
established under paragraph (1), the Secretary may— 
‘‘(A) enter into 1 or more cooperative agree-
ments or contracts with Federal, State, or local 
authorities that have analysis and intelligence 
capabilities and expertise relating to the defense 
of the food and agriculture critical infrastructure 
sector; and 
‘‘(B) carry out any other activity under 
any other authority of the Secretary that is ap-
propriate to engage the authorities described in 
subparagraph (A) for the defense of the food and 
agriculture critical infrastructure sector, as de-
termined by the Secretary.’’.
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SEC. 12203. AGRICULTURE AND FOOD DEFENSE. 
(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ANIMAL.—The term ‘‘animal’’ has the mean-
ing given the term in section 10403 of the Animal 
Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8302). 
(2) DISEASE OR PEST OF CONCERN.—The term 
‘‘disease or pest of concern’’ means a plant or animal 
disease or pest that— 
(A) is— 
(i) a transboundary disease; or 
(ii) an established disease; and 
(B) is likely to pose a significant risk to the 
food and agriculture critical infrastructure sector 
that warrants efforts at prevention, protection, 
mitigation, response, and recovery. 
(3) ESTABLISHED DISEASE.—The term ‘‘estab-
lished disease’’ means a plant or animal disease or 
pest that— 
(A)(i) if it becomes established, poses an im-
minent threat to agriculture in the United 
States; or 
(ii) has become established, as defined by 
the Secretary, within the United States; and 
(B) requires management. 
(4) HIGH-CONSEQUENCE PLANT TRANSBOUNDARY 
DISEASE.—The term ‘‘high-consequence plant trans-
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† HR 2 EAS 
boundary disease’’ means a transboundary disease 
that is— 
(A)(i) a plant disease; or 
(ii) a plant pest; and 
(B) of high consequence, as determined by 
the Secretary. 
(5) PEST.—The term ‘‘pest’’— 
(A) with respect to a plant, has the mean-
ing given the term ‘‘plant pest’’ in section 403 
of the Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7702); and 
(B) with respect to an animal, has the 
meaning given the term in section 10403 of the 
Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8302). 
(6) PLANT.—The term ‘‘plant’’ has the meaning 
given the term in section 403 of the Plant Protection 
Act (7 U.S.C. 7702). 
(7) PLANT HEALTH MANAGEMENT STRATEGY.— 
The term ‘‘plant health management strategy’’ means 
a strategy to timely control and eradicate a plant dis-
ease or plant pest outbreak, including through mitiga-
tion (such as chemical control), surveillance, the use 
of diagnostic products and procedures, and the use of 
existing resistant seed stock. 
(8) TRANSBOUNDARY DISEASE.—
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(A) IN GENERAL.—The term ‘‘transbound-
ary disease’’ means a plant or animal disease or 
pest that is within 1 or more countries outside 
of the United States. 
(B) INCLUSION.—The term ‘‘transboundary 
disease’’ includes a plant or animal disease or 
pest described in subparagraph (A) that— 
(i) has emerged within the United 
States; or 
(ii) has been introduced within the 
United States. 
(9) VETERINARY COUNTERMEASURE.—The term 
‘‘veterinary countermeasure’’ means the use of any 
animal vaccine, antiviral, therapeutic product, or di-
agnostic product to respond to the most damaging 
animal diseases to animal and human health and the 
economy. 
(b) DISEASE OR PEST OF CONCERN RESPONSE PLAN-
NING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
(A) establish a list of diseases or pests of 
concern by— 
(i) developing a process to solicit and 
receive expert opinion and evidence relating
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to the diseases and pests of concern entered 
on the list; and 
(ii) reviewing all available evidence re-
lating to the diseases and pests of concern 
entered on the list, including classified in-
formation; and 
(B) periodically update the list established 
under subparagraph (A). 
(2) RESPONSE PLANS.— 
(A) COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIC RESPONSE 
PLAN OR PLANS.—The Secretary shall develop, in 
collaboration with appropriate Federal, State, 
regional, and local officials, a comprehensive 
strategic response plan or plans, as appropriate, 
for the diseases or pests of concern that are en-
tered on the list established under paragraph (1). 
(B) STATE OR REGION RESPONSE PLAN OR 
PLANS.—The Secretary shall provide informa-
tion to a State or regional authority to assist in 
developing a comprehensive strategic response 
plan or plans for that State or region that 
shall— 
(i) include— 
(I) a concept of operations for 
each disease or pest of concern; or
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† HR 2 EAS 
(II) a platform concept of oper-
ations for responses to similar diseases 
or pests, as determined by the Sec-
retary; 
(ii) describe the appropriate inter-
actions among, and roles of— 
(I) Federal, State, Tribal, and 
units of local government; and 
(II) plant or animal industry 
partners; 
(iii) include a decision matrix that 
shall, as appropriate, include— 
(I) information and timing re-
quirements necessary for the use of vet-
erinary countermeasures; 
(II) plant health management 
strategies; 
(III) deployment of other key ma-
terials and resources; and 
(IV) parameters for transitioning 
from outbreak response to disease man-
agement; 
(iv) identify key response performance 
metrics to establish— 
(I) benchmarking;
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(II) progressive exercise evalua-
tion; and 
(III) continuing improvement of a 
response plan, including by providing 
for— 
(aa) ongoing exercise evalua-
tions to improve a response plan 
over time; and 
(bb) strategic information to 
guide investment in any appro-
priate research to mitigate the 
risk of a disease or pest of con-
cern; and 
(v) be updated periodically, as deter-
mined to be appropriate by the Secretary, 
including in response to— 
(I) an exercise evaluation; or 
(II) new risk information becom-
ing available regarding a disease or 
pest of concern. 
(3) COORDINATION OF PLANS.—Pursuant to sec-
tion 221(d)(6) of the Department of Agriculture Reor-
ganization Act of 1994, the Secretary shall, as appro-
priate, assist in coordinating with other appropriate
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Federal, State, regional, or local officials in the exer-
cising of the plans developed under paragraph (2). 
(c) NATIONAL PLANT DIAGNOSTIC NETWORK.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 
in the Department of Agriculture a National Plant 
Diagnostic Network to monitor and surveil through 
diagnostics threats to plant health from diseases or 
pests of concern in the United States. 
(2) REQUIREMENTS.—The National Plant Diag-
nostic Network established under paragraph (1) 
shall— 
(A) provide for increased awareness, sur-
veillance, early identification, rapid communica-
tion, warning, and diagnosis of a threat to plant 
health from a disease or pest of concern to pro-
tect natural and agricultural plant resources; 
(B) coordinate and collaborate with agen-
cies of the Department of Agriculture and State 
agencies and authorities involved in plant 
health; 
(C) establish diagnostic laboratory stand-
ards; 
(D) establish regional hubs throughout the 
United States that provide expertise, leadership, 
and support to diagnostic labs relating to the ag-
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† HR 2 EAS 
ricultural crops and plants in the covered re-
gions of those hubs; and 
(E) establish a national repository for 
records of endemic or emergent diseases and pests 
of concern. 
(3) HEAD OF NETWORK.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Na-
tional Institute of Food and Agriculture shall 
serve as the head of the National Plant Diag-
nostic Network. 
(B) DUTIES.—The head of the National 
Plant Diagnostic Network shall— 
(i) coordinate and collaborate with 
land-grant colleges and universities (as de-
fined in section 1404 of the National Agri-
cultural Research, Extension, and Teaching 
Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) in car-
rying out the requirements under para-
graph (2), including through cooperative 
agreements described in paragraph (4); 
(ii) partner with the Administrator of 
the Animal and Plant Health Inspection 
Service for assistance with plant health reg-
ulation and inspection; and
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† HR 2 EAS 
(iii) coordinate with other Federal 
agencies, as appropriate, in carrying out 
activities relating to the National Plant Di-
agnostic Network, including the sharing of 
biosurveillance information. 
(4) COLLABORATION
WITH
LAND-GRANT
COL-
LEGES AND UNIVERSITIES.—The Secretary shall seek 
to establish cooperative agreements with land-grant 
colleges and universities (as defined in section 1404 
of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and 
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103)) that 
have the appropriate level of skill, experience, and 
competence with plant diseases or pests of concern. 
(5) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—In 
addition to the amount authorized to carry out this 
subtitle under section 12205, there is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this subsection $15,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023. 
(d) NATIONAL PLANT DISEASE RECOVERY SYSTEM.— 
(1) RECOVERY SYSTEM.—The Secretary shall es-
tablish in the Department of Agriculture a National 
Plant Disease Recovery System to engage in strategic 
long-range planning to recover from high-consequence 
plant transboundary diseases.