I 
118TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 5203 
To establish in the Department of Agriculture an Office of Agritourism, 
and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
AUGUST 11, 2023 
Ms. WEXTON (for herself, Mr. NEWHOUSE, Ms. BLUNT ROCHESTER, Mr. PA-
NETTA, Mr. VALADAO, Mr. HARDER of California, and Mr. ROUZER) in-
troduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agri-
culture 
A BILL 
To establish in the Department of Agriculture an Office 
of Agritourism, and for other purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Accelerating the 
Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities 
to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces 
Act’’ or the ‘‘AGRITOURISM Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF CONGRESS. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that— 
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(1) agritourism provides a range of unique ex-
periences to the public, including— 
(A) education, such as school tours, garden 
and nursery tours, winery tours, historical agri-
cultural exhibits, hops and microbrewery tours, 
and distillery tours; 
(B) outdoor recreation, such as river ac-
tivities, mountain biking, horseback riding, 
wildlife viewing and photography, fee fishing 
and hunting, wagon and sleigh rides, cross- 
country skiing, game preserves, and clay bird 
shooting; 
(C) entertainment, such as concerts and 
special events, culinary experiences, festivals, 
fairs, interaction with farm animals, and wed-
dings; 
(D) direct sales, such as on-farm sales, 
farm stands, agriculture-related crafts and 
gifts, u-pick operations, u-cut tree farms, 
wineries, breweries, cideries, distilleries, and cut 
flowers; 
(E) accommodations, such as bed-and- 
breakfast inns, farm and ranch vacations, yurts, 
sheep wagons, and guest ranches; and 
(F) dining on a farm; 
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(2) agritourism has financial, educational, and 
social benefits to communities; and 
(3) agritourism continues— 
(A) to offer educational opportunities for 
children and families; 
(B) to generate supplemental income for 
owners of agricultural enterprises, which are 
often small or family-run businesses; 
(C) to spur economic development in rural 
communities; 
(D) to preserve agricultural heritage; and 
(E) to help farms diversify. 
(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Con-
gress that, to further realize the benefits of agritourism 
to communities, the Secretary of Agriculture should incor-
porate agritourism into the Department of Agriculture 
comprehensively. 
SEC. 3. OFFICE OF AGRITOURISM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Department of Agriculture 
Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by inserting after 
section 216 (7 U.S.C. 6916) the following: 
‘‘SEC. 217. OFFICE OF AGRITOURISM. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
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‘‘(1) coordinate with the agencies and officials 
of the Department; 
‘‘(2) advise the Secretary on issues relating to 
agritourism; 
‘‘(3) ensure that the programs of the Depart-
ment are updated to address best agritourism prac-
tices; 
‘‘(4) conduct outreach to stakeholders and co-
ordinate external partnerships to share best prac-
tices, provide mentorship, and offer technical assist-
ance to agritourism businesses; 
‘‘(5) facilitate interagency program coordination 
and develop interagency tools for the promotion of 
agritourism programs and resources; 
‘‘(6) review and improve farm enterprise devel-
opment programs that provide information about fi-
nancial literacy, business planning, and marketing 
for agritourism; 
‘‘(7) coordinate networks of agritourism busi-
nesses; and 
‘‘(8) collaborate with other Federal agencies, as 
needed.’’. 
(b) TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.—The Department of 
Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended by re-
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designating the first section 225 (7 U.S.C. 6925) (relating 
to the Food Access Liaison) as section 224A. 
(c) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 296(b) of 
the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 
1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry 
out section 217.’’. 
Æ 
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