228 
fees and system costs, associated with providing such 
bonuses; 
‘‘(3) ensure that bonuses earned by households 
may be used only to purchase food eligible for pur-
chase under the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program; and 
‘‘(4) provide data and reports as requested by the 
Secretary for purposes of analyzing the impact of the 
pilot project established under subsection (a) on 
household access, ease of bonus use, and program in-
tegrity. 
‘‘(e) LIMITATION.—A retail food store participating in 
a project under section 4405 of the Food, Conservation, and 
Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517) shall not be eligible 
to participate in the pilot project established under sub-
section (a). 
‘‘(f) IMPLEMENTATION.—Not later than 18 months 
after the date of the enactment of Agriculture and Nutrition 
Act of 2018, the Secretary shall solicit and approve plans 
submitted under subsection (c) that satisfy the requirements 
of such subsection. 
‘‘(g) REIMBURSEMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) RATE
OF
REIMBURSEMENT.—Subject to 
paragraphs (2) and (3), the Secretary shall reimburse 
retail food stores with plans approved under sub-
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section (f) in an amount not to exceed 25 percent of 
the dollar value of bonuses earned by households and 
used to purchase food eligible for purchase under the 
supplemental nutrition assistance program. 
‘‘(2) AGGREGATE
AMOUNT
OF
REIMBURSE-
MENTS.—The aggregate amount of reimbursements 
paid in a fiscal year to all retail food stores that par-
ticipate in the pilot project established under sub-
section (a) in such fiscal year shall not exceed 
$120,000,000. 
‘‘(3) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) TIMELINE.—Not later than 1 year 
after the date of the enactment of the Agriculture 
and Nutrition Act of 2018, the Secretary shall 
establish requirements to implement this section, 
including criteria for prioritizing reimburse-
ments to such stores within the limit established 
in paragraph (2) and subject to subparagraph 
(B). 
‘‘(B) 
DISTRIBUTION
OF
REIMBURSE-
MENTS.— 
‘‘(i) 
MONTHLY
PAYMENTS.—Reim-
bursements payable under this subsection 
shall be paid on a monthly basis. 
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‘‘(ii) PRORATED PAYMENTS.—If funds 
made available under subsection (h) are in-
sufficient to pay in full reimbursements 
payable for a month because of the oper-
ation of paragraph (2), such reimburse-
ments shall be paid on a pro rata basis to 
the extent funds remain available for pay-
ment. 
‘‘(h) FUNDING.—From funds made available under 
section 18(a)(1) for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall allo-
cate not to exceed $120,000,000 for reimbursements payable 
under this section for such fiscal year.’’. 
SEC. 4003. GUS SCHUMACHER FOOD INSECURITY NUTRI-
TION INCENTIVE PROGRAM. 
(a) AMENDMENTS.—Section 4405 of the Food, Con-
servation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 7517) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking the heading and inserting ‘‘GUS 
SCHUMACHER
FOOD
INSECURITY
NUTRITION 
INCENTIVE PROGRAM’’, 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— 
(I) in subclause (II) by inserting 
‘‘financial’’ after ‘‘providing’’, 
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231 
(II) by amending subclause (III) 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(III) has adequate plans to col-
lect data for reporting and agrees to 
participate in a program evaluation; 
and’’. 
(III) in subclause (IV) by striking 
‘‘; and’’ at the end and inserting a pe-
riod, and 
(IV) by striking subclause (V), 
and 
(ii) by amending subparagraph (B) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(B) PRIORITIES.—In awarding grants 
under this section— 
‘‘(i) the Secretary shall give priority to 
projects that— 
‘‘(I) maximize the share of funds 
used for direct incentives to partici-
pants; 
‘‘(II) include coordination with 
multiple stakeholders, such as farm or-
ganizations, nutrition education pro-
grams, cooperative extension service 
programs, public health departments, 
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health providers, private and public 
health insurance agencies, cooperative 
grocers, grocery associations, and com-
munity-based and non-governmental 
organizations; 
‘‘(III) have the capacity to gen-
erate sufficient data and analysis to 
demonstrate effectiveness of program 
incentives; and 
‘‘(ii) the Secretary may also give pri-
ority to projects that— 
‘‘(I) are located in underserved 
communities; 
‘‘(II) use direct-to-consumer sales 
marketing; 
‘‘(III) demonstrate a track record 
of designing and implementing success-
ful nutrition incentive programs that 
connect low-income consumers and ag-
ricultural producers; 
‘‘(IV) provide locally or regionally 
produced fruits and vegetables; 
‘‘(V) offer supplemental services in 
high-need communities, including on-
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line ordering, transportation between 
home and store, and delivery services; 
‘‘(VI) provide year-round access to 
program incentives; and 
‘‘(VII) address other criteria as 
established by the Secretary.’’, 
(B) by amending paragraph (4) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(4) TRAINING, EVALUATION, AND INFORMATION 
CENTER.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in con-
sultation with the Director of the National Insti-
tute of Food and Agriculture, shall establish a 
Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive Program 
Training, Evaluation, and Information Center 
capable of providing services related to grants 
under subsection (b), including— 
‘‘(i) offering incentive program train-
ing and technical assistance to applicants 
and grantees to the extent practicable; 
‘‘(ii) collecting, evaluating, and shar-
ing information on best practices on com-
mon incentive activities; 
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‘‘(iii) 
assisting 
with 
collaboration 
among grantee projects, State agencies, and 
nutrition education programs; 
‘‘(iv) facilitating communication be-
tween grantees and the Department of Agri-
culture; and 
‘‘(v) compiling program data from 
grantees and generating an annual report 
to Congress on grant outcomes. 
‘‘(B) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—To carry 
out subparagraph (A), the Secretary may enter 
into a cooperative agreement with an organiza-
tion with expertise in the supplemental nutrition 
assistance program incentive programs, includ-
ing— 
‘‘(i) nongovernmental organizations; 
‘‘(ii) State cooperative extension serv-
ices; 
‘‘(iii) regional food system centers; 
‘‘(iv) Federal and State agencies; 
‘‘(v) public, private, and land-grant 
colleges and universities; and 
‘‘(vi) other appropriate entities as de-
termined by the Secretary. 
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‘‘(C) FUNDING LIMITATION.—Of the funds 
made available under subsection (c), the Sec-
retary may use to carry out this paragraph not 
more than— 
‘‘(i) $2,000,000 for each of the fiscal 
years 2019 and 2020, and 
‘‘(ii) $1,000,000 for each fiscal year 
thereafter.’’, and 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2014 
through 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2019 through 
2023’’, and 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (B) by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end; 
(ii) in subparagraph (C) by striking 
the period at the end and inserting ‘‘;’’, and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) $45,000,000 for fiscal year 2019; 
‘‘(E) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; 
‘‘(F) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2021; 
‘‘(G) $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2022; and 
‘‘(H) $65,000,000 for fiscal year 2023 and 
each fiscal year thereafter.’’. 
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(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—The table of contents 
of Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 is amended 
by striking the item relating to section 4405 by inserting 
the following: 
‘‘Sec. 4405. Gus Schumacher food insecurity nutrition incentive program.’’. 
SEC. 4004. RE-EVALUATION OF THRIFTY FOOD PLAN. 
Section 3(u) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2012(u)) is amended by inserting after the 1st 
sentence the following: 
‘‘By 2022 and at 5-year intervals thereafter, the Secretary 
shall re-evaluate and publish the market baskets of the 
thrifty food plan based on current food prices, food composi-
tion data, and consumption patterns.’’. 
SEC. 4005. FOOD DISTRIBUTION PROGRAMS ON INDIAN 
RESERVATIONS. 
Section 4(b) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2013(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (6)— 
(A) in the heading by striking ‘‘LOCALLY- 
GROWN’’ and inserting ‘‘LOCALLY- AND REGION-
ALLY-GROWN’’, 
(B) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘lo-
cally-grown’’ and inserting ‘‘locally- and region-
ally-grown’’, 
(C) in subparagraph (C)— 
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(i) by striking ‘‘LOCALLY GROWN’’ and 
inserting 
‘‘LOCALLY- 
AND
REGIONALLY- 
GROWN’’, and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘locally-grown’’ and 
inserting ‘‘locally- and regionally-grown’’, 
(D) by amending subparagraph (D) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(D) PURCHASE OF FOODS.—In carrying 
out this paragraph, the Secretary shall purchase 
or offer to purchase those traditional foods that 
may be procured cost-effectively.’’; 
(E) by striking subparagraph (E), and 
(F) in subparagraph (F)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘(F)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(E)’’, and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘2023’’, and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) FUNDS AVAILABILITY.—Funds made avail-
able for a fiscal year to carry out this subsection shall 
remain available for obligation for a period of 2 fiscal 
years.’’. 
SEC. 4006. UPDATE TO CATEGORICAL ELIGIBILITY. 
Section 5 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2014) is amended— 
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(1) in the 2d sentence of subsection (a)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘receives benefits’’ and in-
serting ‘‘(1) receives cash assistance or ongoing 
and substantial services’’, 
(B) by striking ‘‘supplemental security’’ 
and inserting ‘‘with an income eligibility limit 
of not more than 130 percent of the poverty line 
as defined in section 5(c)(1), (2) is elderly or 
disabled and receives cash assistance or ongoing 
and substantial services under a State program 
funded under part A of title IV of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 601 et seq.) with an in-
come eligibility limit of not more than 200 per-
cent of the poverty line as defined in section 
5(c)(1), (3) receives supplemental security’’, and 
(C) by striking ‘‘or aid’’ and inserting ‘‘or 
(4) receives aid’’, and 
(2) in subsection (j)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or who receives benefits’’ 
and inserting ‘‘cash assistance or ongoing and 
substantial services’’ and 
(B) by striking ‘‘to have’’ and inserting 
‘‘with an income eligibility limit of not more 
than 130 percent of the poverty line as defined 
in section 5(c)(1), or who is elderly or disabled 
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and receives cash assistance or ongoing and sub-
stantial services under a State program funded 
under part A of title IV of the Act (42 U.S.C. 
601 et seq.) with an income eligibility limit of 
not more than 200 percent of the poverty line as 
defined in section 5(c)(1), to have’’. 
SEC. 4007. BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUSING. 
(a) EXCLUSION OF BASIC ALLOWANCE FOR HOUS-
ING.—Section 5(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2014(d)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (18) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end, 
(2) in paragraph (19)(B) by striking the period 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(20) the value of an allowance received under 
section 403 of title 37 of the United States Code that 
does not exceed $500 monthly.’’. 
(b) UPDATE TO EXCESS SHELTER EXPENSE DEDUC-
TION.—Section 5(e)(6)(A) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)(A)) is amended by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: 
‘‘, except that for a household that receives the al-
lowance under section 403 of title 37, United 
States Code, only the expenses in excess of that 
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allowance shall be counted towards a household’s 
expenses for the calculation of the excess shelter 
deduction’’. 
SEC. 4008. EARNED INCOME DEDUCTION. 
Section 5(e)(2)(B) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(2)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘20’’ 
and inserting ‘‘22’’. 
SEC. 4009. SIMPLIFIED HOMELESS HOUSING COSTS. 
Section 5(e)(6)(D) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)(D)) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause (iii), 
and 
(2) by striking clause (i) and inserting the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(i) ALTERNATIVE
DEDUCTION.—The 
State agency shall allow a deduction of 
$143 a month for households— 
‘‘(I) in which all members are 
homeless individuals; 
‘‘(II) that are not receiving free 
shelter throughout the month; and 
‘‘(III) that do not opt to claim an 
excess shelter expense deduction under 
subparagraph (A). 
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‘‘(ii) ADJUSTMENT.—For fiscal year 
2019 and each subsequent fiscal year the 
amount of the homeless shelter deduction 
specified in clause (i) shall be adjusted to 
reflect changes for the 12-month period end-
ing the preceding November 30 in the Con-
sumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers 
published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
of the Department of Labor.’’. 
SEC. 4010. AVAILABILITY OF STANDARD UTILITY ALLOW-
ANCES BASED ON RECEIPT OF ENERGY AS-
SISTANCE. 
(a) ALLOWANCE TO RECIPIENTS OF ENERGY ASSIST-
ANCE.— 
(1) STANDARD
UTILITY
ALLOWANCE.—Section 
5(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I) of the of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I)) is amended by 
inserting ‘‘with an elderly member’’ after ‘‘house-
holds’’. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 
2605(f)(2)(A) of the Low-Income Home Energy As-
sistance Act is amended by inserting ‘‘received by a 
household with an elderly member’’ before ‘‘, con-
sistent with section 5(e)(6)(C)(iv)(I)’’. 
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(b) THIRD-PARTY ENERGY ASSISTANCE PAYMENTS.— 
Section 5(k)(4) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2014(k)(4)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘without 
an elderly member’’ after ‘‘household’’ the 1st place it 
appears; and 
(2) in subparagraph (B) by inserting ‘‘with an 
elderly member’’ after ‘‘household’’ the 1st place it ap-
pears. 
SEC. 4011. CHILD SUPPORT; COOPERATION WITH CHILD 
SUPPORT AGENCIES. 
(a) DEDUCTIONS FOR CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS.— 
(1) AMENDMENTS.—Section 5(e) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(e)) is amend-
ed— 
(A) by striking paragraph (4), and 
(B) by redesignating paragraphs (5) and 
(6) as paragraphs (4) and (5), respectively. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 5 of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014) is 
amended— 
(A) in subsection (k)(4)(B) by striking 
‘‘(e)(6)’’ and inserting ‘‘(e)(5)’’, and 
(B) in subsection (n) by striking ‘‘Regard-
less of whether a State agency elects to provide 
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a deduction under subsection (e)(4), the’’ and in-
serting ‘‘The’’. 
(b) COOPERATION
WITH
CHILD
SUPPORT
AGEN-
CIES.— 
(1) AMENDMENTS.—Section 6 of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is amended— 
(A) in subsection (l)(1) by striking ‘‘At the 
option of a State agency, subject’’ and inserting 
‘‘Subject’’, 
(B) in subsection (m)(1) by striking ‘‘At the 
option of a State agency, subject’’ and inserting 
‘‘Subject’’, and 
(C) by striking subsection (n). 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 5(a) of 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2014(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘and (r)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘and (p)’’. 
SEC. 4012. ADJUSTMENT TO ASSET LIMITATIONS. 
Section 5(g)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2014(g)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘$2,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$7,000’’, and 
(B) by striking ‘‘$3,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$12,000’’, and— 
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(2) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘2008’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2019’’. 
SEC. 4013. UPDATED VEHICLE ALLOWANCE. 
Section 5(g) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2014(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Begin-
ning’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(I) Beginning’’, and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(II) Beginning on October 1, 
2019, and each October 1 thereafter, 
the amount specified in paragraph 
(2)(B)(iv) shall be adjusted in the 
manner described in subclause (I).’’, 
and 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by amending subparagraph (B)(iv) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(iv) subject to subparagraph (C), with 
respect to any licensed vehicle that is used 
for household transportation or to obtain or 
continue employment— 
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‘‘(I) 1 vehicle for each licensed 
driver who is a member of such house-
hold to the extent that the fair market 
value of the vehicle exceeds $12,000; 
and 
‘‘(II) 
each 
additional 
vehicle; 
and’’, and 
(B) by striking subparagraph (D). 
SEC. 4014. SAVINGS EXCLUDED FROM ASSETS. 
Section 5(g) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2014(g)), as amended by section 4013, is amend-
ed— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(B)(i) by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(III) Beginning on October 1, 
2019, and each October 1 thereafter, 
the amount specified in paragraph 
(2)(B)(v) shall be adjusted in the man-
ner described in subclause (I).’’, and 
(2) in paragraph (2)(B)(v) by inserting ‘‘to the 
extent that the value exceeds $2,000’’ after ‘‘account’’. 
SEC. 4015. WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS. 
(a) CONDITIONS OF PARTICIPATION.—Section 6(d) of 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015(d)) is 
amended— 
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(F) by inserting before subparagraph (B), 
as so redesignated, the following: 
‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF WORK PROGRAM.—In 
this 
subsection, 
the 
term 
‘work 
program’ 
means— 
‘‘(i) a program under title I of the 
Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act; 
‘‘(ii) a program under section 236 of 
the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2296); 
and 
‘‘(iii) a program of employment and 
training operated or supervised by a State 
or political subdivision of a State that 
meets standards approved by the chief exec-
utive officer of the State and the Secretary, 
other than a program under paragraph 
(4).’’, and 
(G) by inserting after subparagraph (C) the 
following: 
‘‘(D) TRANSITION PERIOD.—During each of 
the fiscal years 2019 and 2020, States shall con-
tinue to implement and enforce the work and 
employment and training program requirements 
consistent with this subsection, subsection (e), 
subsection (o) excluding paragraph (6)(F), sec-
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tion 7(i), section 11(e)(19), and section 16 (ex-
cluding subparagraphs (A), (B), (D), and (C) of 
subsection (h)(1)) as those provisions were in ef-
fect on the day before the effective date of this 
subparagraph. 
‘‘(E) INELIGIBILITY.— 
‘‘(i) NOTIFICATION
OF
FAILURE
TO 
MEET
WORK
REQUIREMENTS.—The State 
agency shall issue a notice of adverse action 
to an individual not later than 10 days 
after the State agency determines that the 
individual has failed to meet the require-
ments applicable under subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(ii) FIRST VIOLATION.—The 1st time 
an individual receives a notice of adverse 
action issued under clause (i), the indi-
vidual shall remain ineligible to participate 
in the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program until— 
‘‘(I) the date that is 12 months 
after the date the individual became 
ineligible; 
‘‘(II) the date the individual ob-
tains employment sufficient to meet the 
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hourly requirements applicable under 
subparagraph (B)(i); or 
‘‘(III) the date that the individual 
is no longer subject to the requirements 
of subparagraph (B); 
whichever is earliest. 
‘‘(iii) SECOND OR SUBSEQUENT VIOLA-
TION.—The 2d or subsequent time an indi-
vidual receives a notice of adverse action 
issued under clause (i), the individual shall 
remain ineligible to participate in the sup-
plemental nutrition assistance program 
until— 
‘‘(I) the date that is 36 months 
after the date the individual became 
ineligible; 
‘‘(II) the date the individual ob-
tains employment sufficient to meet the 
hourly requirements applicable under 
subparagraph (B)(i); or 
‘‘(III) the date the individual is 
no longer subject to the requirements of 
subparagraph (B); 
whichever is earliest. 
‘‘(F) WAIVER.— 
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‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—On the request of a 
State agency, the Secretary may waive the 
applicability of subparagraph (B) to indi-
viduals in the State if the Secretary makes 
a determination that the area in which the 
individuals reside— 
‘‘(I) has an unemployment rate of 
over 10 percent; 
‘‘(II) is designated as a Labor 
Surplus Area by the Employment and 
Training Administration of the De-
partment of Labor for the current fis-
cal year based on the criteria for excep-
tional circumstances as described in 
section 654.5 of title 20 of the Code of 
Federal Regulations; 
‘‘(III) has a 24-month average 
unemployment rate 20 percent or high-
er than the national average for the 
same 24-month period unless the 24- 
month average unemployment rate of 
the area is less than 6 percent, except 
that the 24-month period shall begin 
no earlier than the 24-month period 
the Employment and Training Admin-
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istration of the Department of Labor 
uses to designate Labor Surplus Areas 
for the current fiscal year; or 
‘‘(IV) is in a State— 
‘‘(aa) that is in an extended 
benefit period (within the mean-
ing of section 203 of the Federal- 
State 
Extended 
Unemployment 
Compensation Act of 1970); or 
‘‘(bb) in which temporary or 
emergency unemployment com-
pensation is being provided under 
any Federal law. 
‘‘(ii) JURISDICTIONS
WITH
LIMITED 
DATA.—In carrying out clause (i), in the 
case of a jurisdiction for which Bureau of 
Labor Statistics unemployment data is lim-
ited or unavailable, such as an Indian Res-
ervation or a territory of the United States, 
a State may support its request based on 
other economic indicators as determined by 
the Secretary. 
‘‘(iii) LIMIT ON COMBINING JURISDIC-
TIONS.—In carrying out clause (i), the Sec-
retary may waive the applicability of sub-
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paragraph (B) only to a State or indi-
vidual jurisdictions within a State, except 
in the case of combined jurisdictions that 
are designated as Labor Market Areas by 
the Department of Labor. 
‘‘(iv) REPORT.—The Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of 
the House of Representatives and the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and For-
estry of the Senate, and shall make avail-
able to the public, an annual report on the 
basis for granting a waiver under clause 
(i). 
‘‘(G) 15-PERCENT EXEMPTION.— 
‘‘(i) DEFINITIONS.—In this subpara-
graph: 
‘‘(I) CASELOAD.—The term ‘case-
load’ means the average monthly num-
ber of individuals receiving supple-
mental nutrition assistance program 
benefits during the 12-month period 
ending the preceding June 30. 
‘‘(II) COVERED INDIVIDUAL.—The 
term ‘covered individual’ means a 
member of a household that receives 
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254 
supplemental nutrition assistance pro-
gram benefits, or an individual denied 
eligibility for supplemental nutrition 
assistance program benefits solely due 
to the applicability of subparagraph 
(B), who— 
‘‘(aa) is not eligible for an 
exception under paragraph (2); 
‘‘(bb) does not reside in an 
area covered by a waiver granted 
under subparagraph (F); and 
‘‘(cc) is not complying with 
subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(ii) 
GENERAL
RULE.—Subject 
to 
clauses (iii) through (v), a State agency 
may provide an exemption from the re-
quirements of subparagraph (B) for covered 
individuals. 
‘‘(iii) FISCAL YEAR 2021 AND THERE-
AFTER.—Subject to clauses (iv) and (v), for 
fiscal year 2021 and each subsequent fiscal 
year, a State agency may provide a number 
of exemptions such that the average monthly 
number of the exemptions in effect during 
the fiscal year does not exceed 15 percent of 
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255 
the number of covered individuals in the 
State in fiscal year 2019, as estimated by 
the Secretary, based on the survey conducted 
to carry out section 16(c) for the most re-
cent fiscal year and such other factors as 
the Secretary considers appropriate due to 
the timing and limitations of the survey. 
‘‘(iv) CASELOAD
ADJUSTMENTS.—The 
Secretary shall adjust the number of indi-
viduals estimated for a State under clause 
(iii) during a fiscal year if the number of 
members of households that receive supple-
mental nutrition assistance program bene-
fits in the State varies from the State’s 
caseload by more than 10 percent, as deter-
mined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(v) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(I) REPORTS
BY
STATE
AGEN-
CIES.—A State agency shall submit 
such reports to the Secretary as the 
Secretary determines are necessary to 
ensure compliance with this para-
graph. 
‘‘(II) ANNUAL
REPORT
BY
THE 
SECRETARY.—The Secretary shall an-
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256 
nually compile and submit to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of 
the Senate, and shall make available to 
the public, an annual report that con-
tains the reports submitted under sub-
clause (I) by State agencies. 
‘‘(H) OTHER PROGRAM RULES.—Nothing in 
this subsection shall make an individual eligible 
for benefits under this Act if the individual is 
not otherwise eligible for benefits under the other 
provisions of this Act.’’, 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in the 1st sentence— 
(i) by striking ‘‘paragraph (1)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘paragraph (1)(B)’’, and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘(E)’’ and all that fol-
lows through the period at the end, and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(E) receiving weekly earnings which equal the minimum 
hourly rate under section 6(a)(1) of the Fair Labor Stand-
ards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. 206(a)(1)), multiplied by the 
hourly requirement as specified in subparagraph (B); (F) 
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257 
medically certified as mentally or physically unfit for em-
ployment; or (G) a pregnant woman.’’, and 
(B) by striking the last sentence, 
(3) in paragraph (3) by striking ‘‘registration 
requirements’’ and inserting ‘‘requirement’’, 
(4) in paragraph (4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)— 
(i) by redesignating clause (ii) as 
clause (iii), and 
(ii) by inserting after clause (i) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(ii) 
MANDATORY
MINIMUM
SERV-
ICES.—Each State agency shall offer em-
ployment and training program services 
sufficient for all individuals subject to the 
requirements of paragraph (1)(B)(i) who 
are not currently ineligible pursuant to 
paragraph (1)(E), exempt pursuant to sub-
paragraphs (F) and (G) or paragraph (2) 
of subsection (d), and for all individuals 
covered by paragraph (1)(C), to meet the 
hourly requirements specified in paragraph 
(1)(B)(i) to the extent that such require-
ments will not be satisfied by hours of work 
or participation in a work program.’’, and 
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258 
(B) in subparagraph (B)— 
(i) by inserting after ‘‘contains’’ the 
following: 
‘‘case management services consisting of comprehensive in-
take assessments, individualized service plans, progress 
monitoring, and coordination with service providers, and’’, 
(ii) by amending clause (i) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(i) Supervised job search programs that occur 
at State-approved locations in which the activities of 
participants shall be directly supervised and the tim-
ing and activities of participants tracked in accord-
ance with guidelines set forth by the State.’’, 
(iii) in clause (ii) by striking ‘‘jobs 
skills assessments, job finding clubs, train-
ing in techniques for’’ and inserting ‘‘em-
ployability assessments, training in tech-
niques to increase’’, 
(iv) by striking clause (iii), 
(v) in clause (iv) in the 1st sentence by 
inserting ‘‘, including subsidized employ-
ment, apprenticeships, and unpaid or vol-
unteer work that is limited to 6 months out 
of a 12-month period’’ before the period at 
the end, 
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259 
(vi) in clause (v) by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding family literacy and financial lit-
eracy,’’ after ‘‘literacy’’, 
(vii) in clause (vii) by striking ‘‘not 
more than’’, and 
(viii) by redesignating clauses (iv) 
through (viii) as clauses (iii) through (vii), 
respectively, 
(C) by striking subparagraphs (D), (E), 
and (F), and inserting the following: 
‘‘(D) Each State agency shall establish requirements 
for participation by non-exempt individuals in the employ-
ment and training program components listed in clauses 
(i) through (vii) of subparagraph (B). Such requirements 
may vary among participants.’’, 
(D) in subparagraph (H) by striking 
‘‘(B)(v)’’ and inserting ‘‘(B)(iv)’’, and 
(E) by redesignating subparagraphs (G) 
through (M) as subparagraphs (E) through (K), 
respectively. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) AMENDMENTS TO THE FOOD AND NUTRITION 
ACT OF 2008.—Section 5(d)(14) of the Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014(d)(14)) is amend-
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260 
ed 
by 
striking 
‘‘6(d)(4)(I)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘6(d)(4)(G)’’. 
(2) AMENDMENT TO OTHER LAWS.— 
(A) INTERNAL REVENUE CODE OF 1986.— 
Section 51(d)(8)(A)(ii) of the Internal Revenue 
Code of 1986 (26 U.S.C. 51(d)(8)(A)(ii)) is 
amended— 
(i) in subclause (I) by striking ‘‘, or’’ 
and inserting a period, 
(ii) by striking ‘‘family—’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘(I) receiving’’ and in-
serting ‘‘family receiving’’, and 
(iii) by striking subclause (II). 
(B) WORKFORCE INNOVATION AND OPPOR-
TUNITY
ACT.—The Workforce Innovation and 
Opportunity Act (Public Law 113–128; 128 
Stat. 1425) is amended— 
(i) in section 103(a)(2) by striking 
subparagraph (D), and 
(ii) in section 121(b)(2)(B) by striking 
clause (iv). 
(c) RELATED REQUIREMENTS.—Section 6 of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2015) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (e)(5)(A) by inserting ‘‘or of an 
incapacitated person’’ after ‘‘6’’, and 
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261 
(2) by striking subsection (o). 
(d) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 6, as amended by section 4011 and 
subsection (c), by redesignating subsections (p) 
through (s) as subparagraphs (n) through (q), respec-
tively, and 
(2) in section 7(i)(1) by striking ‘‘6(o)(2)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘6(d)(1)(B)’’. 
(e) STATE PLAN.—Section 11(e)(19) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(e)(19)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘geographic areas and households to be covered 
under such program, and the basis, including any cost in-
formation,’’ and inserting ‘‘extent to which such programs 
will be carried out in coordination with the activities car-
ried out under title I of the Workforce Innovation and Op-
portunity Act, the plan for meeting the minimum services 
requirement under section 6(d)(4)(A)(ii) including any cost 
information, and the basis’’. 
(f) FUNDING OF EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING PRO-
GRAMS.—Section 16(h) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 
2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025(h)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)— 
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(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking 
‘‘$90,000,000’’ and all that follows through the 
period at the end and inserting the following: 
‘‘under section 18(a)(1)— 
‘‘(i) $90,000,000 for fiscal year 2019; 
‘‘(ii) $250,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; 
and 
‘‘(iii) $1,000,000,000 for each fiscal 
year thereafter.’’, 
(B) by amending subparagraph (B)(ii) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(ii) takes into account— 
‘‘(I) for fiscal years 2019 and 
2020, the number of individuals who 
are not exempt from the work require-
ment under section 6(o) as that section 
existed on the day before the date of the 
enactment of the Agriculture and Nu-
trition Act of 2018; and 
‘‘(II) for fiscal years 2021 and 
each fiscal year thereafter, the number 
of individuals who are not exempt 
from the requirements under section 
6(d)(1)(B).’’, 
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263 
(C) in subparagraph (D) by striking 
‘‘$50,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$100,000’’, and 
(D) by amending subparagraph (E) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(E) RESERVATION
OF
FUNDS.—Of the 
funds made available under this paragraph for 
fiscal year 2021 and for each fiscal year there-
after, not more than $150,000,000 shall be re-
served for allocation to States to provide train-
ing services by eligible providers identified under 
section 122 of the Workforce Innovation and Op-
portunity Act for participants in the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program to meet the 
hourly requirements under section 6(d)(1)(B) of 
this Act.’’, and 
(2) in paragraph (5)(C)— 
(A) in clause (ii) by adding ‘‘and’’ at the 
end, 
(B) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘; and’’ and 
inserting a period, and 
(C) by striking clause (iv). 
(g) WORK SUPPLEMENTATION
OR WORK SUPPORT 
PROGRAM.— 
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264 
(1) REPEALER.—Subsection (b) of section 16 of 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2025(b)) is repealed. 
(2) 
CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Section 
5(e)(2)(A) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2014(e)(2)(A)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(A) DEFINITION OF EARNED INCOME.—In 
this paragraph, the term ‘‘earned income’’ does 
not include income excluded by subsection (d).’’. 
(h) WORKFARE.— 
(1) REPEALER.—Section 20 of the Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2029) is repealed. 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.—The Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.) is 
amended— 
(A) in section 16(h)— 
(i) in paragraph (1)(F)— 
(I) in clause (i)— 
(aa) in subclause (I) by in-
serting ‘‘(as in effect on the day 
before the date of the enactment of 
the Agriculture and Nutrition Act 
of 2018)’’ after ‘‘this Act’’, and 
(bb) in subclause (II)(bb) by 
inserting ‘‘(as in effect on the day 
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265 
before the date of the enactment of 
the Agriculture and Nutrition Act 
of 2018)’’ before the period at the 
end, 
(II) in clause (ii)— 
(aa) in subclause (II)(cc) by 
inserting ‘‘(as in effect on the day 
before the date of the enactment of 
the Agriculture and Nutrition Act 
of 2018)’’ after ‘‘20’’, and 
(bb) 
in 
subclause 
(III)(ee)(AA) by inserting ‘‘as in 
effect on the day before the date of 
the enactment of the Agriculture 
and Nutrition Act of 2018’’ after 
‘‘6(o)’’, and 
(III) in clause (vi)(I) by inserting 
‘‘as in effect on the day before the date 
of the enactment of the Agriculture and 
Nutrition Act of 2018’’ after ‘‘6(d)’’, 
and 
(ii) in paragraph (3) by striking 
‘‘under section 6(d)(4)(I)(i)(II)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘for dependent care expenses under sec-
tion 6(d)(4)’’, and 
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266 
(B) in section 17(b)— 
(i) in paragraph (1)(B)(iv)(III)(jj) by 
inserting ‘‘as in effect on the day before the 
date of the enactment of the Agriculture and 
Nutrition Act of 2018’’ after ‘‘20’’, and 
(ii) by striking paragraph (2). 
SEC. 4016. MODERNIZATION OF ELECTRONIC BENEFIT 
TRANSFER REGULATIONS. 
Section 7(h)(2) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(2)) is amended— 
(1) in the 1st sentence by inserting ‘‘and shall 
periodically review such regulations and modify such 
regulations to take into account evolving technology 
and comparable industry standards’’ before the period 
at the end, and 
(2) in subparagraph (C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(C)(i)’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘abuse; and’’, by inserting the following: 
‘‘(C)(i) risk-based measures to maximize the se-
curity of a system using the most effective technology 
available that the State agency considers appropriate 
and cost effective including consideration of recipient 
access and ease of use and which may include per-
sonal identification numbers, photographic identifica-
tion on electronic benefit transfer cards, alternatives 
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267 
for securing transactions, and other measures to pro-
tect against fraud and abuse; and’’, and 
(B) by moving the left margin of clause (ii) 
4 ems to the left. 
SEC. 4017. MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES. 
Section 7(h)(14) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(14) is amended— 
(1) by amending subparagraph (A) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Subject to subpara-
graph (B), the Secretary shall authorize the use 
of mobile technologies for the purpose of accessing 
supplemental nutrition assistance program bene-
fits.’’, 
(2) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) by striking the heading and inserting 
‘‘DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS ON ACCESS OF BEN-
EFITS THROUGH MOBILE TECHNOLOGIES’’, 
(B) by amending clause (i) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(i) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—Be-
fore authorizing implementation of sub-
paragraph (A) in all States, the Secretary 
shall approve not more than 5 demonstra-
tion project proposals submitted by State 
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268 
agencies that will pilot the use of mobile 
technologies for supplemental nutrition as-
sistance program benefits access.’’, 
(C) in clause (ii)— 
(i) in the heading by striking ‘‘DEM-
ONSTRATION
PROJECTS’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘PROJECT REQUIREMENTS’’, 
(ii) by striking ‘‘retail food store’’ the 
first place it appears and inserting ‘‘State 
agency’’, 
(iii) by striking ‘‘includes’’, 
(iv) by striking subclauses (I), (II), 
(III), and (IV), and inserting the following: 
‘‘(I) provides recipient protections 
regarding privacy, ease of use, house-
hold access to benefits, and support 
similar to the protections provided 
under existing methods; 
‘‘(II) ensures that all recipients, 
including those without access to mo-
bile payment technology and those who 
shop across State borders, have a 
means of benefit access; 
‘‘(III) requires retail food stores, 
unless exempt under section 7(f)(2)(B), 
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to bear the costs of acquiring and ar-
ranging for the implementation of 
point-of-sale equipment and supplies 
for the redemption of benefits that are 
accessed through mobile technologies, 
including any fees not described in 
paragraph (13); 
‘‘(IV) requires that foods pur-
chased with benefits issued under this 
section through mobile technologies are 
purchased at a price not higher than 
the price of the same food purchased by 
other methods used by the retail food 
store, as determined by the Secretary; 
‘‘(V) ensures adequate documenta-
tion for each authorized transaction, 
adequate security measures to deter 
fraud, and adequate access to retail 
food stores that accept benefits accessed 
through mobile technologies, as deter-
mined by the Secretary; 
‘‘(VI) provides for an evaluation 
of the demonstration project, including, 
but not limited to, an evaluation of 
household access to benefits; and 
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270 
‘‘(VII) meets other criteria as es-
tablished by the Secretary.’’, 
(D) by amending clause (iii) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(iv) DATE OF PROJECT APPROVAL.— 
The Secretary shall solicit and approve the 
qualifying demonstration projects required 
under subparagraph (B)(i) not later than 
January 1, 2020.’’, and 
(E) by inserting after clause (ii) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(iii) PRIORITY.—The Secretary may 
prioritize demonstration project proposals 
that would— 
‘‘(I) reduce fraud; 
‘‘(II) encourage positive nutri-
tional outcomes; and 
‘‘(III) meet such other criteria as 
determined by the Secretary.’’, and 
(3) in subparagraph (C)(i)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 
‘‘2022’’, and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘requires further study by 
way of an extended pilot period or’’ after 
‘‘States’’ the 2d place it appears . 
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271 
SEC. 4018. PROCESSING FEES. 
(a) LIMITATION.—Section 7(h)(13) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(13)) is amended 
to read as follows: 
‘‘(13) FEES.—No interchange fees shall apply to 
electronic benefit transfer transactions under this sub-
section. Neither a State, nor any agent, contractor, or 
subcontractor of a State who facilitates the provision 
of supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits 
in such State may impose a fee for switching or rout-
ing such benefits.’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 7(j)(1)(H) of 
the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2014) is 
amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(H) SWITCHING.—The term ‘’switching’’ 
means the routing of an intrastate or interstate 
transaction that consists of transmitting the de-
tails of a transaction electronically recorded 
through the use of an electronic benefit transfer 
card in one State to the issuer of the card that 
may be in the same or different State.’’. 
SEC. 4019. REPLACEMENT OF EBT CARDS. 
Section 7(h)(8)(B)(ii) of the Food and Nutrition Act 
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(8)(B)(ii)) is amended by striking 
‘‘an excessive number of lost cards’’ and inserting ‘‘2 lost 
cards in a 12-month period’’. 
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272 
SEC. 4020. BENEFIT RECOVERY. 
Section 7(h)(12) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2016(h)(12)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A) by inserting ‘‘, or due 
to the death of all members of the household’’ after 
‘‘inactivity’’, 
(2) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘6’’ and in-
serting ‘‘3’’, and 
(3) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘12 
months’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘6 
months, 
or 
upon 
verification that all members of the household are de-
ceased’’. 
SEC. 4021. REQUIREMENTS FOR ONLINE ACCEPTANCE OF 
BENEFITS. 
(a) DEFINITION.—Section 3(o)(1) of the Food and Nu-
trition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2012(o)(1)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘or house-to-house trade route’’ and inserting ‘‘, 
house-to-house trade route, or online entity’’. 
(b) ACCEPTANCE OF BENEFITS.—Section 7(k) of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016(k)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking the heading and inserting ‘‘AC-
CEPTANCE OF PROGRAM BENEFITS THROUGH ONLINE 
TRANSACTIONS’’, 
(2) in paragraph (4) by striking subparagraph 
(C), and 
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(3) by striking paragraph (5). 
SEC. 4022. NATIONAL GATEWAY. 
(a) ISSUANCE OF BENEFITS.—Section 7 of the Food 
and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2016) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (d) by striking ‘‘benefits by 
benefit issuers’’ and inserting ‘‘benefit issuers and 
other independent sales organizations, third-party 
processors, and web service providers that provide 
electronic benefit transfer services or equipment to re-
tail food stores and wholesale food concerns,’’, and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(l) REQUIREMENT TO ROUTE ALL SUPPLEMENTAL 
NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM BENEFIT TRANSFER 
TRANSACTIONS THROUGH A NATIONAL GATEWAY.— 
‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—For purposes of this section: 
‘‘(A) The term ‘independent sales organiza-
tion ’ means a person or entity that— 
‘‘(i) is not a third-party processor; and 
‘‘(ii) engages in sales or service to re-
tail food stores with respect to point-of-sale 
equipment necessary for electronic benefit 
transfer transaction processing. 
‘‘(B) The term ‘third-party processor’ means 
an entity, including a retail food store operating 
its own point-of-sale terminals, that is capable of 
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routing electronic transfer benefit transactions 
for authorization. 
‘‘(C) The term ‘web service provider’ means 
an entity that operates a generic online pur-
chasing website that can be customized for online 
electronic benefit transfer transactions for au-
thorized retail food stores. 
‘‘(2) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (5), the 
Secretary shall establish a national gateway for the 
purpose of routing all supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program benefit transfer transactions (in this 
subsection referred to as ‘transactions’ unless the con-
text specifies otherwise) to the appropriate benefit 
issuers for purposes of transaction validation and set-
tlement. 
‘‘(3) 
REQUIREMENTS
TO
ROUTE
TRANS-
ACTIONS.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) ensure that protections regarding pri-
vacy, security, ease of use, and access relating to 
supplemental nutrition assistance benefits are 
maintained for benefit recipients and retail food 
stores; 
‘‘(B) ensure redundancy for processing of 
transactions; 
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‘‘(C) ensure real-time monitoring of trans-
actions; 
‘‘(D) ensure that all entities that connect to 
such gateway, and all others that connect to such 
entities, meet and follow transaction messaging 
standards, and other requirements, established by 
the Secretary; 
‘‘(E) ensure the security of transactions by 
using the most effective technology available that 
the Secretary considers to be appropriate and 
cost-effective; and 
‘‘(F) ensure that all transactions are routed 
through such gateway. 
‘‘(4) STATE AGENCY ACTION.—Each State agency 
shall ensure that all of its benefit issuers connect to 
such gateway. A State agency may opt to require its 
benefit issuer to route cash transactions through such 
gateway, subject to terms established by the Secretary. 
‘‘(5) ROUTING
OF
TRANSACTIONS
THROUGH
A 
NATIONAL GATEWAY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Before the Secretary 
implements in all the States a national gateway 
established under paragraph (2), the Secretary 
shall conduct a feasibility study to assess the fea-
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sibility of routing transactions through such 
gateway. 
‘‘(B) FEASIBILITY STUDY.—The feasibility 
study conducted under subparagraph (A) shall 
provide, at a minimum, all of the following: 
‘‘(i) A comprehensive analysis of op-
portunities and challenges presented by im-
plementation of such gateway. 
‘‘(ii) One or more options for carrying 
forward each of such opportunities and for 
mitigating each of such challenges. 
‘‘(iii) Data for purposes of analyzing 
the implementation of, and on-going cost of 
managing, such gateway. 
‘‘(iv) One or more models for cost-neu-
tral on-going operation of a national gate-
way. 
‘‘(v) Other criteria, including security 
criteria, established by the Secretary. 
‘‘(C) DATE OF COMPLETION OF STUDY.— 
The Secretary shall complete the feasibility study 
required by subparagraph (B) not later than 1 
year after the date of the enactment of the Agri-
culture and Nutrition Act of 2018. 
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‘‘(D) IMPLEMENTATION
OF
A
NATIONAL 
GATEWAY.—Not later than 1 year after the date 
of the completion of such study, the Secretary 
shall complete the nationwide implementation of 
a national gateway established under paragraph 
(2) unless the Secretary determines, based on 
such study, that more time is needed to imple-
ment such gateway nationwide or that nation-
wide implementation of such gateway is not in 
the best interest of the operation of the supple-
mental nutrition assistance program. 
‘‘(E) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—If the Sec-
retary makes a determination described in sub-
paragraph (D), the Secretary shall submit to the 
Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report 
that includes the basis of such determination. 
‘‘(F) NONDISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.— 
Any information collected through such gateway 
about a specific retail food store, wholesale food 
concern, person, or other entity, and any inves-
tigative methodology or criteria used for pro-
gram integrity purposes that operates at or in 
conjunction with such gateway, shall be exempt 
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from the disclosure requirements of section 
552(a) of title 5 of the United States Code pursu-
ant to section 552(b)(3)(B) of title 5 of the 
United States Code. The Secretary shall limit the 
use or disclosure of information obtained under 
this subsection in a manner consistent with sec-
tion 9(c). 
‘‘(6) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There are authorized to be appropriated $10,500,000 
for fiscal year 2019, and $9,500,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2020 through 2023, to carry out this sub-
section. Not more than $1,000,000 of the funds appro-
priated under this paragraph may be used for the fea-
sibility study under paragraph (5)(B). 
‘‘(7) GATEWAY SUSTAINABILITY.—Benefit issuers 
and third-party processors shall pay fees to the gate-
way operator, in a manner prescribed by the Sec-
retary, to directly access and route transactions 
through the national gateway. 
‘‘(A) PURPOSE.—The Secretary shall ensure 
that fees are collected and used solely for the op-
eration of the gateway. 
‘‘(B) AMOUNT.—Fees shall be established by 
the Secretary in amounts proportionate to the 
number of transactions routed through the gate-
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way by each benefit issuer and third-party proc-
essor, and based on the cost of operating the gate-
way in a fiscal year. 
‘‘(C) ADJUSTMENT.—The Secretary shall 
evaluate annually the cost of operating such 
gateway and shall adjust the fee in effect for a 
fiscal year to reflect the cost of operating such 
gateway, except that an adjustment under this 
subparagraph for any fiscal year may not exceed 
10 percent of the fee charged under this para-
graph in the preceding fiscal year.’’. 
(b) APPROVAL OF RETAIL FOOD STORES AND WHOLE-
SALE FOOD CONCERNS.—The 1st sentence of section 9(c) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2018(c)) 
is amended by inserting ‘‘contracts for electronic benefit 
transfer services and equipment, records necessary to vali-
date the FNS authorization number to accept and redeem 
benefits,’’ after ‘‘invoices,’’. 
SEC. 4023. ACCESS TO STATE SYSTEMS. 
(a) RECORDS.—Section 11(a)(3)(B) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2020(a)(3)(B)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Records described’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘All records, and the entire information systems 
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in which records are contained, that are covered’’, 
and 
(2) by amending clause (i) to read as follows: 
‘‘(i) be made available for inspection 
and audit by the Secretary, subject to data 
and security protocols agreed to by the 
State agency and Secretary;’’. 
(b) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—Section 16 of the 
Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2025) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in the last sentence of subsection (c)(4) by in-
serting ‘‘including providing access to applicable 
State records and the entire information systems in 
which the records are contained,’’ after ‘‘Secretary,’’, 
and 
(2) in subsection (g)(1)— 
(A) in subparagraph (E) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end, 
(B) in subparagraph (F) by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(G) would be accessible by the Secretary 
for the purposes of program oversight and would 
be used by the State agency to make available all 
records required by the Secretary.’’. 
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SEC. 4024. TRANSITIONAL BENEFITS. 
Section 11(s) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2020(s)) is amended— 
(1) by striking the heading and inserting ‘‘TRAN-
SITIONAL BENEFITS’’, 
(2) in paragraph (1)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 
‘‘shall’’, and 
(B) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘at the 
option of the State,’’, and 
(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘may’’ and inserting 
‘‘shall’’, and 
(B) by striking ‘‘not more than’’. 
SEC. 4025. INCENTIVIZING TECHNOLOGY MODERNIZATION. 
Section 11(t) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2020(t)) is amended— 
(1) by striking the heading and inserting 
‘‘GRANTS
FOR SIMPLIFIED SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRI-
TION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM APPLICATION AND ELIGI-
BILITY DETERMINATION SYSTEMS’’, 
(2) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘implement— 
’’ and all that follows through the period at the end, 
and inserting ‘‘implement simplified supplemental 
nutrition assistance program application and eligi-
bility determination systems.’’, and 
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(3) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(B) establishing enhanced technological 
methods for applying for benefits and deter-
mining eligibility that improve the administra-
tive infrastructure used in processing applica-
tions and determining eligibility; or’’, 
(B) by striking subparagraphs (C) and (D), 
and 
(C) by redesignating subparagraph (E) as 
subparagraph (C). 
SEC. 4026. SUPPLEMENTAL NUTRITION ASSISTANCE PRO-
GRAM 
BENEFIT 
TRANSFER 
TRANSACTION 
DATA REPORT. 
Section 9 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2018) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)(2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and’’ 
at the end, 
(B) in subparagraph (B) by striking the pe-
riod at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(C) parameters for retail food store cooperation 
with the Secretary sufficient to carry out subsection 
(i).’’. 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(i) DATA COLLECTION FOR RETAIL FOOD STORE 
TRANSACTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) COLLECTION OF DATA.—To assist in mak-
ing improvements to supplemental nutrition assist-
ance program design, for each interval not greater 
than a 2-year period, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) collect a statistically significant sam-
ple of retail food store transaction data, includ-
ing the cost and description of items purchased 
with supplemental nutrition assistance program 
benefits, to the extent practicable and without af-
fecting retail food store document retention prac-
tices; and 
‘‘(B) make a summarized report of aggre-
gated data collected under subparagraph (A) 
available to the public in a manner that prevents 
identification of individual retail food stores, in-
dividual retail food store chains, and individual 
members of households that use such benefits. 
‘‘(2) NONDISCLOSURE.—Any transaction data 
that contains information specific to a retail food 
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store, a retail food store location, a person, or other 
entity shall be exempt from the disclosure require-
ments of Section 552(a) of title 5 of the United States 
Code pursuant to section 552(b)(3)(B) of title 5 of the 
United States Code. The Secretary shall limit the use 
or disclosure of information obtained under this sub-
section in a manner consistent with sections 9(c) and 
11(e)(8).’’. 
SEC. 4027. ADJUSTMENT TO PERCENTAGE OF RECOVERED 
FUNDS RETAINED BY STATES. 
Section 16(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2025(a) is amended— 
(1) in the 1st sentence by striking ‘‘35 percent’’ 
and inserting ‘‘50 percent’’, and 
(2) by inserting after the 1st sentence the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘A State agency may use such funds retained only to carry 
out the supplemental nutrition assistance program, includ-
ing investments in technology, improvements in adminis-
tration and distribution, and actions to prevent fraud.’’. 
SEC. 4028. TOLERANCE LEVEL FOR PAYMENT ERRORS. 
Section 16(c)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2025(c)(1)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (A)(ii)— 
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(A) in subclause (I) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end, 
(B) in subclause (II)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘fiscal year thereafter’’ 
and inserting ‘‘of the fiscal years 2015 
through 2017’’, and 
(ii) by striking the period at the end 
and inserting ‘‘; and’’, and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(III) for each fiscal year there-
after, $0.’’, and 
(2) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘fiscal year 
2004’’ and all that follows through ‘‘second’’, and in-
serting ‘‘any of the fiscal years 2004 through 2018 for 
which the Secretary determines that for the second or 
subsequent consecutive fiscal year, and with respect to 
fiscal year 2019 and any fiscal year thereafter for 
which the Secretary determines that for the third’’. 
SEC. 4029. STATE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS. 
Section 16(d) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2025(d)) is amended— 
(1) by striking the heading and inserting 
‘‘STATE PERFORMANCE INDICATORS’’, 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
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(A) in the heading by striking ‘‘AND 
THEREAFTER’’ and inserting ‘‘THROUGH 2017’’, 
(B) in subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘and 
each fiscal year thereafter’’ and inserting 
‘‘through fiscal year 2017’’, and 
(C) in subparagraph (B) by striking ‘‘and 
each fiscal year thereafter’’ and inserting 
‘‘through fiscal year 2017’’, and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(6) FISCAL
YEAR
2018
AND
FISCAL
YEARS 
THEREAFTER.—With respect to fiscal year 2018 and 
each fiscal year thereafter, the Secretary shall estab-
lish, by regulation, performance criteria relating to— 
‘‘(A) actions taken to correct errors, reduce 
rates of error, and improve eligibility determina-
tions; and 
‘‘(B) other indicators of effective adminis-
tration determined by the Secretary.’’. 
SEC. 4030. PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS. 
Section 17 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 
U.S.C. 2026) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(m) PILOT PROJECTS TO ENCOURAGE THE USE OF 
PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS COMMITTED TO ADDRESS-
ING FOOD INSECURITY.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may, on ap-
plication, permit not more than 10 eligible entities to 
carry out pilot projects to support public-private 
partnerships that address food insecurity and poverty. 
‘‘(2) DEFINITION.—For purposes of this sub-
section, an ‘eligible entity’ means— 
‘‘(A) a State; 
‘‘(B) a unit of local government; 
‘‘(C) a nonprofit organization; 
‘‘(D) a community-based organization; and 
‘‘(E) an institution of higher education. 
‘‘(3) PROJECT
REQUIREMENTS.—Projects ap-
proved under this subsection shall be limited to 2 
years in length and evaluate the impact of the ability 
of eligible entities to— 
‘‘(A) improve the effectiveness and impact of 
the supplemental nutrition assistance program; 
‘‘(B) develop food security solutions that are 
contextualized to the needs of a community or re-
gion; and 
‘‘(C) strengthen the capacity of communities 
to address food insecurity and poverty. 
‘‘(4) REPORTING.—Participating entities shall 
report annually to the Secretary who shall submit a 
final report to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
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House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate. Such 
report shall include— 
‘‘(A) a summary of the activities conducted 
under the pilot projects; 
‘‘(B) an assessment of the effectiveness of the 
pilot projects; and 
‘‘(C) best practices regarding the use of pub-
lic-private partnerships to improve the effective-
ness of public benefit programs to address food 
insecurity and poverty. 
‘‘(5) AUTHORIZATION
AND
ADVANCE
AVAIL-
ABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this subsection $5,000,000 to remain 
available until expended. 
‘‘(B) APPROPRIATION
IN
ADVANCE.—Only 
funds appropriated under subparagraph (A) in 
advance specifically to carry out this subsection 
shall be available to carry out this subsection.’’. 
SEC. 4031. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
The 1st sentence of section 18(a)(1) of the Food and 
Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)(1)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
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SEC. 4032. EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE. 
Section 27(a) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2036(a)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’, 
(2) in paragraph (2)— 
(A) in subparagraph (C) by striking ‘‘2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2023’’, 
(B) in subparagraph (D)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘2018’’ the 1st place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘2019’’, 
(ii) in clause (iii) by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end, and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(v) for fiscal year 2019, $60,000,000; 
and’’, and 
(C) in subparagraph (E)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘2019’’ and inserting 
‘‘2020’’, 
(ii) by striking ‘‘(D)(iv)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘(D)(v)’’, and 
(iii) by striking ‘‘2017’’ and inserting 
‘‘2018’’, and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(4) 
FARM-TO-FOOD-BANK
FUND.—From 
amounts made available under subparagraphs (D) 
and (E) of paragraph (2), the Secretary shall dis-
tribute $20,000,000 in accordance with section 214 of 
the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 (7 U.S.C. 
7515) that States shall use to procure or enter into 
agreements with a food bank to procure excess fresh 
fruits and vegetables grown in the State, or sur-
rounding regions in the United States, to be provided 
to eligible recipient agencies as defined in section 
201A(3) of the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 
1983 (7 U.S.C. 7501(3)).’’. 
SEC. 4033. NUTRITION EDUCATION. 
(a) NUTRITION EDUCATION AND OBESITY PREVENTION 
GRANT PROGRAM.—Section 28 of the Food and Nutrition 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2036a) is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (a) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—As used in this section: 
‘‘(1) ELIGIBLE INDIVIDUAL.—The term ‘eligible 
individual’ means an individual who is eligible to re-
ceive benefits under a nutrition education and obesity 
prevention program under this section as a result of 
being— 
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‘‘(A) an individual eligible for benefits 
under— 
‘‘(i) this Act; 
‘‘(ii) sections 9(b)(1)(A) and 17(c)(4) 
of the Richard B Russell National School 
Lunch 
Act 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1758(b)(1)(A), 
1766(c)(4)); or 
‘‘(iii) section 4(e)(1)(A) of the Child 
Nutrition 
Act 
of 
1966 
(42 
U.S.C. 
1773(e)(1)(A)); 
‘‘(B) an individual who resides in a com-
munity with a significant low-income popu-
lation, as determined by the Secretary; or 
‘‘(C) such other low-income individual as is 
determined to be eligible by the Secretary. 
‘‘(2) ELIGIBLE INSTITUTION.—The term ‘eligible 
institution’ includes any ‘1862 Institution’ or ‘1890 
Institution’, as defined in section 2 of the Research, 
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 
U.S.C. 7601).’’, 
(2) in subsection (b) by striking ‘‘Consistent with 
the terms and conditions of grants awarded under 
this section, State agencies may’’ and inserting ‘‘The 
Secretary, acting through the Director of the National 
Institute of Food and Agriculture, in consultation 
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with the Administrator of the Food and Nutrition 
Service, shall’’, 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Consistent with the terms 
and conditions of grants awarded under this section, 
eligible institutions shall deliver nutrition education 
and obesity prevention services under a program de-
scribed in subsection (b) that— 
‘‘(A) to the extent practicable, provide for 
the employment and training of professional and 
paraprofessional aides from the target popu-
lation to engage in direct nutrition education; 
and 
‘‘(B) partner with other public and private 
entities as appropriate to optimize program de-
livery.’’, 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) by amending subparagraph (A) to 
read as follows: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—A State agency, in con-
sultation with eligible institutions that provide 
nutrition education and obesity prevention serv-
ices under this subsection, shall submit to the 
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Secretary for approval a nutrition education 
State plan.’’, 
(ii) in subparagraph (B) by striking 
‘‘Except as provided in subparagraph (C), 
a’’ and inserting ‘‘A’’, and 
(iii) by striking subparagraph (C), 
(C) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘A State agency’’ 
and inserting ‘‘An eligible institution’’, 
and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘the Director of 
the National Institute of Food and Ag-
riculture and’’ after ‘‘by’’, and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B) by inserting 
‘‘the Director of the National Institute of 
Food and Agriculture and’’ after ‘‘edu-
cation,’’, and 
(D) in paragraph (4) by inserting ‘‘and eli-
gible institutions’’ after ‘‘agencies’’, and 
(E) in paragraph (5) by striking ‘‘State 
agency’’ and inserting ‘‘eligible institutions’’, 
(4) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)— 
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(i) in the heading by striking ‘‘IN GEN-
ERAL’’ and inserting ‘‘BASIC FUNDING’’, 
(ii) by striking ‘‘to State agencies’’, 
(iii) in subparagraph (E) by striking 
‘‘and’’ at the end, 
(iv) in subparagraph (F)— 
(I) by striking ‘‘year 2016 and 
each subsequent fiscal year’’ and in-
serting ‘‘years 2016 through 2018’’, 
and 
(II) by striking the period at the 
end and inserting a semicolon, and 
(v) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(G) for fiscal year 2019, $485,000,000; 
and 
‘‘(H) for fiscal year 2020 and each subse-
quent fiscal year, the applicable amount during 
the preceding fiscal year, as adjusted to reflect 
any increases for the 12-month period ending the 
preceding June 30 in the Consumer Price Index 
for All Urban Consumers published by the Bu-
reau of Labor Statistics of the Department of 
Labor.’’, 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A)— 
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(I) by inserting ‘‘and appropriated 
under the authority of paragraph (2)’’ after 
‘‘paragraph (1)’’, and 
(II) in clause (ii)— 
(aa) by inserting ‘‘(as that section 
existed on the day before the date of the 
enactment of the Agriculture and Nu-
trition Act of 2018)’’ after ‘‘(B)’’ and 
(bb) in subclause (V) by striking 
‘‘and each fiscal year thereafter’’, and 
(ii) by amending subparagraph (B) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(C) REALLOCATION.—If the Secretary de-
termines that an eligible institution will not ex-
pend all of the funds allocated to the eligible in-
stitution for a fiscal year under paragraph (1) 
or in the case of an eligible institution that elects 
not to receive the entire amount of funds allo-
cated to the eligible institution for a fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall reallocate the unexpended 
funds to other eligible institutions during the fis-
cal year or the subsequent fiscal year (as deter-
mined by the Secretary) that have approved 
State plans under which the eligible institutions 
may expend the reallocated funds.’’, and 
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(iii) by inserting after subparagraph (A) 
the following: 
‘‘(B) SUBSEQUENT
ALLOCATION.—Of the 
funds set aside under paragraph (1) and appro-
priated under the authority of paragraph (2) for 
fiscal year 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter, 
100 percent shall be allocated to eligible institu-
tions pro rata based on the respective share of 
each State of the number of individuals partici-
pating in the supplemental nutrition assistance 
program during the 12-month period ending the 
preceding January 31, as determined by the Sec-
retary.’’, 
(C) by redesignating paragraphs (2) and 
(3) as paragraphs (3) and (4), respectively, 
(D) by inserting after paragraph (1) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(2) AUTHORIZATION
AND
ADVANCE
AVAIL-
ABILITY OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) 
AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIA-
TIONS.—There is authorized to be appropriated 
to carry out this section $65,000,000 for each of 
the fiscal years 2019 through 2023. 
‘‘(B) APPROPRIATION IN ADVANCE.—Except 
as provided in subparagraph (C), only funds ap-
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propriated under subparagraph (A) in advance 
specifically to carry out this section shall be 
available to carry out this section. 
‘‘(C) OTHER FUNDS.—Funds appropriated 
under this paragraph shall be in addition to 
funds made available under paragraph (1).’’, 
and 
(E) by inserting after paragraph (4), as so 
redesignated, the following: 
‘‘(5) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—Not more than 10 
percent of the funds allocated to eligible institutions 
may be used by the eligible institutions for adminis-
trative costs.’’, and 
(5) in subsection (e) by striking ‘‘January 1, 
2012’’ and inserting ‘‘18 months after the date of the 
enactment of the Agriculture and Nutrition Act of 
2018’’. 
(b) RELATED AMENDMENT.—Section 18(a)(3)(A)(ii) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 
2027(a)(3)(A)(ii)) is amended by striking ‘‘, such as the ex-
panded food and nutrition education program’’. 
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298 
SEC. 4034. RETAIL FOOD STORE AND RECIPIENT TRAF-
FICKING. 
Section 29(c)(1) of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 
(7 U.S.C. 2036b(c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 4035. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS. 
The Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2011 
et seq.) is amended— 
(1) in section 3— 
(A) in subsections (d) and (i) by striking 
‘‘7(i)’’ and inserting ‘‘7(h)’’, and 
(B) in subsection (o)(1)(A) by striking 
‘‘(r)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(q)(1)’’, 
(2) in section 5(a) by striking ‘‘and section’’ 
each place it appears and all that follows through 
‘‘households’’ the respective next place it appears, and 
inserting ‘‘and section 3(m)(4), households’’, 
(3) in subsections (e)(1) and (f)(1)(A)(i) of sec-
tion 8 by striking ‘‘3(n)(5)’’ and inserting ‘‘3(m)(5)’’, 
(4) in the 1st sentence of section 10— 
(A) by striking ‘‘or the Federal Savings and 
Loan Insurance Corporation’’ each place it ap-
pears, and 
(B) by striking ‘‘3(p)(4)’’ and inserting 
‘‘3(o)(4)’’, 
(5) in section 11— 
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299 
(A) 
in 
subsection 
(a)(2) 
by 
striking 
‘‘3(t)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘3(s)(1)’’, and 
(B) in subsection (d)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘3(t)(1)’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘3(s)(1)’’, and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘3(t)(2)’’ each place it 
appears and inserting ‘‘3(s)(2)’’, 
(C) in subsection (e)— 
(i) in paragraph (17) by striking 
‘‘3(t)(1)’’ inserting ‘‘3(s)(1)’’, and 
(ii) in paragraph (23) by striking 
‘‘Simplified Supplemental Nutrition Assist-
ance Program’’ and inserting ‘‘simplified 
supplemental 
nutrition 
assistance 
pro-
gram’’, 
(6) in section 15(e) by striking ‘‘exchange’’ and 
all that follows through ‘‘anything’’, and inserting 
‘‘exchange for benefits, or anything’’, 
(7) in section 17(b)(1)(B)(iv)— 
(A) in subclause (III)(aa) by striking 
‘‘3(n)’’ and inserting ‘‘3(m)’’, and 
(B) in subclause (VII) by striking ‘‘7(i)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘7(h)’’, 
(8) in section 25(a)(1)(B)(i)(I) by striking the 
2d semicolon at the end, and 
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300 
(9) in section 26(b) by striking ‘‘out’’ and all 
that follows through ‘‘(referred’’, and inserting ‘‘out a 
simplified supplemental nutrition assistance program 
(referred’’. 
SEC. 4036. IMPLEMENTATION FUNDS. 
Out of any funds made available under section 18(a) 
of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 2027(a)) 
for fiscal year 2019, the Secretary shall use to carry out 
the amendments made by this subtitle $150,000,000, to re-
main available until expended. 
Subtitle B—Commodity Distribution 
Programs 
SEC. 4101. COMMODITY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM. 
The 1st sentence of section 4(a) of the Agriculture and 
Consumer Protection Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note) is 
amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 4102. COMMODITY SUPPLEMENTAL FOOD PROGRAM. 
Section 5 of the Agriculture and Consumer Protection 
Act of 1973 (7 U.S.C. 612c note) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) in paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2023’’, and 
(B) in paragraph (2) by striking ‘‘2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2023’’, and 
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301 
(2) in subsection (d)(2) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 4103. DISTRIBUTION OF SURPLUS COMMODITIES TO 
SPECIAL NUTRITION PROJECTS. 
Section 1114(a)(2)(A) of the Agriculture and Food Act 
of 1981 (7 U.S.C. 1431e(a)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
Subtitle C—Miscellaneous 
SEC. 4201. PURCHASE OF FRESH FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 
FOR DISTRIBUTION TO SCHOOLS AND SERV-
ICE INSTITUTIONS. 
Section 10603(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 612c-4(b)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 4202. SENIORS FARMERS’ MARKET NUTRITION PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 4402(a) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 3007(a)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 4203. HEALTHY FOOD FINANCING INITIATIVE. 
Section 243(d) of the Department of Agriculture Reor-
ganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6953) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘until expended’’ and inserting ‘‘until October 1, 2023’’. 
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302 
SEC. 4204. AMENDMENTS TO THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE 
PROGRAM. 
Section 19 of the Richard B. Russell National School 
Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1769a) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘FRESH’’ 
; 
(2) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘, canned, 
dried, frozen, or pureed’’ after ‘‘fresh’’; 
(3) in subsection (b), by inserting ‘‘, canned, 
dried, frozen, or pureed’’ after ‘‘fresh’’; and 
(4) in subsection (e), by inserting ‘‘, canned, 
dried, frozen, or pureed’’ after ‘‘fresh’’. 
TITLE V—CREDIT 
Subtitle A—Farm Ownership Loans 
SEC. 5101. MODIFICATION OF THE 3-YEAR EXPERIENCE ELI-
GIBILITY REQUIREMENT FOR FARM OWNER-
SHIP LOANS. 
Section 302(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1922(b)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) WAIVER
AUTHORITY.—In the case of a 
qualified beginning farmer or rancher, the Secretary 
may— 
‘‘(A) reduce the 3-year requirement in para-
graph (1) to— 
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‘‘(i) 2 years, if the farmer or rancher 
has— 
‘‘(I) 16 credit hours of post-sec-
ondary education in a field related to 
agriculture; 
‘‘(II) at least 1 year of direct sub-
stantive management experience in a 
business; 
‘‘(III) been honorably discharged 
from the armed forces of the United 
States; 
‘‘(IV) successfully repaid a youth 
loan made under section 311(b); or 
‘‘(V) an established relationship 
with an individual participating as a 
counselor in a Service Corps of Retired 
Executives program authorized under 
section 8(b)(1)(B) of the Small Busi-
ness Act (15 U.S.C. 637(b)(1)(B)), or 
with a local farm or ranch operator or 
organization, approved by the Sec-
retary, that is committed to mentoring 
the farmer or rancher; or 
‘‘(ii) 1 year, if the farmer or rancher 
has military leadership or management ex-
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304 
perience from having completed an accept-
able military leadership course; or 
‘‘(B) waive the 3-year requirement in para-
graph (1) if the farmer or rancher— 
‘‘(i) meets a requirement of subpara-
graph (A)(i) (other than subclause (V) 
thereof) and meets the requirement of sub-
paragraph (A)(ii); and 
‘‘(ii) meets the requirement of subpara-
graph (A)(i)(V).’’. 
SEC. 5102. CONSERVATION LOAN AND LOAN GUARANTEE 
PROGRAM. 
Section 304(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1924(h)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘$150,000,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$75,000,000’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 5103. FARM OWNERSHIP LOAN LIMITS. 
Section 305(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1925(a)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘$700,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$1,750,000’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘2000’’ and inserting ‘‘2019’’. 
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305 
Subtitle B—Operating Loans 
SEC. 5201. LIMITATIONS ON AMOUNT OF OPERATING 
LOANS. 
Section 313(a)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘$700,000’’ and inserting 
‘‘$1,750,000’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘2000’’ and inserting ‘‘2019’’. 
SEC. 5202. MICROLOANS. 
Section 313(c)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1943(c)(2)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘title’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection’’. 
Subtitle C—Administrative 
Provisions 
SEC. 5301. BEGINNING FARMER AND RANCHER INDIVIDUAL 
DEVELOPMENT ACCOUNTS PILOT PROGRAM. 
Section 333B(h) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983b(h)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 5302. LOAN AUTHORIZATION LEVELS. 
Section 346(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(1)) is amended in the 
matter preceding subparagraph (A) by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
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306 
SEC. 5303. LOAN FUND SET-ASIDES. 
Section 346(b)(2)(A)(ii)(III) of the Consolidated Farm 
and 
Rural 
Development 
Act 
(7 
U.S.C. 
1994(b)(2)(A)(ii)(III)) is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
Subtitle D—Technical Corrections 
to the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act 
SEC. 5401. TECHNICAL CORRECTIONS TO THE CONSOLI-
DATED FARM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 
ACT. 
(a)(1) Section 310E(d)(3) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1935(d)(3)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘and socially disadvantaged farmers 
or ranchers’’ after ‘‘ranchers’’ the second place it appears. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 
5004(4)(A)(i) of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act 
of 2008 (Public Law 110–246) in lieu of the amendment 
made by such section. 
(b)(1) Section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1961(a)) is amended in 
the second sentence by striking ‘‘and limited liability com-
panies’’ and inserting ‘‘limited liability companies, and 
such other legal entities’’. 
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307 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 5201 of the 
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–79) in lieu of 
the amendment made by such section. 
(c)(1) Section 331D(e) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981d(e)) is amended by 
inserting after ‘‘within 60 days after receipt of the notice 
required in this section’’ the following: ‘‘or, in extraor-
dinary circumstances as determined by the applicable State 
director, after the 60-day period’’. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 10 of the 
Agricultural Credit Improvement Act of 1992 (Public Law 
102–554). 
(d)(1) Section 333A(f)(1)(A) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a(f)(1)(A)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘114’’ and inserting ‘‘339’’. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 14 of the 
Agricultural Credit Improvement Act of 1992 (Public Law 
102–554). 
(e) Section 339(d)(3) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.1989(d)(3)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘preferred certified lender’’ and inserting ‘‘Pre-
ferred Certified Lender’’. 
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308 
(f)(1) Section 343(a)(11)(C) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(11)(C)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘or joint operators’’ and inserting 
‘‘joint operator, or owners’’. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as of the effective date of section 5303(a)(2) of the Ag-
ricultural Act of 2014. 
(g)(1) Section 343(b) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(b)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘307(e)’’ and inserting ‘‘307(d)’’. 
(2) The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 5004 of the 
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–79). 
(h) Section 346(a) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.1994(a)) is amended by 
striking the last comma. 
Subtitle E—Amendments to the 
Farm Credit Act of 1971 
SEC. 5501. ELIMINATION OF OBSOLETE REFERENCES. 
(a) Section 1.2(a) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 
U.S.C. 2002(a)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(a) COMPOSITION.—The Farm Credit System shall 
include the Farm Credit Banks, banks for cooperatives, Ag-
ricultural Credit Banks, the Federal land bank associations, 
the Federal land credit associations, the production credit 
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associations, the Agricultural Credit Associations, the Fed-
eral Farm Credit Banks Funding Corporation, the Federal 
Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, service corporations es-
tablished pursuant to section 4.25 of this Act, and such 
other institutions as may be made a part of the System, 
all of which shall be chartered by and subject to regulation 
by the Farm Credit Administration.’’. 
(b) Section 2.4 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2075) is amend-
ed by striking subsection (d). 
(c) Section 3.0 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2121) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in the 3rd sentence, by striking ‘‘and a Cen-
tral Bank for Cooperatives’’; and 
(2) by striking the 5th sentence. 
(d) Section 3.2(a)(1) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2123(a)(1)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘not merged into the United 
Bank for Cooperatives or the National Bank for Co-
operatives’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: ‘‘Section 
7.12(c) shall apply to the board of directors of a 
merged bank for cooperatives.’’. 
(e) Section 3.2(a)(2)(A) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2123(a)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘(other than the Na-
tional Bank for Cooperatives)’’. 
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310 
(f) Section 3.2 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2123) is amend-
ed— 
(1) by striking subsection (b); 
(2) in subsection (a)(2)(B), by striking ‘‘para-
graph’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection’’; 
(3) by striking ‘‘(a)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(a)’’; 
(4) by striking ‘‘(2)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘(b)(1)’’; 
(5) by striking ‘‘(i)’’ and inserting ‘‘(A)’’; 
(6) by striking ‘‘(ii)’’ and inserting ‘‘(B)’’; and 
(7) by striking ‘‘(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘(2)’’. 
(g) Section 3.5 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2126) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘district’’. 
(h) Section 3.7(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2128(a)) is 
amended by striking the second sentence. 
(i) Section 3.8(b)(1)(A) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2129(b)(1)(A)) is amended by inserting ‘‘(or successor agen-
cy)’’ after ‘‘Rural Electrification Administration’’. 
(j) Section 3.9(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2130(a)) is 
amended by striking the 3rd sentence. 
(k) Section 3.10(c) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2131(c)) is 
amended by striking the second sentence. 
(l) Section 3.10(d) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2131(d)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘district’’ each place it appears; 
and 
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311 
(2) by inserting ‘‘for cooperatives or successor 
bank’’ before ‘‘on account of such indebtedness’’. 
(m) Section 3.11 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2132) is 
amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘subsections (b) 
and (c)’’ and inserting ‘‘subsection (b)’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘district’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘Except as provided in sub-
section (c) below, all’’ and inserting ‘‘All’’; and 
(3) by striking subsection (c) and redesignating 
subsections (d) through (f) as subsections (c) through 
(e), respectively. 
(n) The heading for part B of title III of such Act 
is amended by striking ‘‘UNITED AND’’. 
(o) Section 3.20(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2141(a)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘or the United Bank for Coopera-
tives, as the case may be’’. 
(p) Section 3.20(b) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2141(b)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘the district banks for cooperatives 
and the Central Bank for Cooperatives’’ and inserting ‘‘all 
constituent banks referred to in section 413 of the Agricul-
tural Credit Act of 1987’’. 
(q) Section 3.21 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2142) is re-
pealed. 
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312 
(r) Section 3.28 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2149) is 
amended by striking ‘‘a district bank for cooperatives and 
the Central Bank for Cooperatives’’ and inserting ‘‘its con-
stituent banks referred to in section 413 of the Agricultural 
Credit Act of 1987’’. 
(s) Section 3.29 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2150) is re-
pealed. 
(t)(1) Section 4.0 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2151) is re-
pealed. 
(2) Section 5.60(b) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2277a-9(b)) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(b) AMOUNTS IN FUND.—The Corporation shall de-
posit in the Insurance Fund all premium payments re-
ceived by the Corporation under this part.’’. 
(u)(1) Section 4.8 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2159) is 
amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘(a)’’; and 
(B) by striking subsection (b). 
(2) Section 1.1(c) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2001(c)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘including any costs of defeasance 
under section 4.8(b),’’. 
(v) Section 4.9(d)(2) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2160(d)(2)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) REPRESENTATION ON BOARD.—The Farm 
Credit System Insurance Corporation shall have no 
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313 
representation on the board of directors of the Cor-
poration.’’. 
(w) Section 4.9 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2160) is amend-
ed by striking subsection (e) and redesignating subsection 
(f) as subsection (e). 
(x) Section 4.9A(c) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2162(c)) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(c) INABILITY TO RETIRE STOCK AT PAR VALUE.— 
If an institution is unable to retire eligible borrower stock 
at par value due to the liquidation of the institution, the 
Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation, acting as re-
ceiver, shall retire such stock at par value as would have 
been retired in the ordinary course of business of the institu-
tion. The Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation shall 
make use of sufficient funds from the Farm Credit Insur-
ance Fund to carry out this section.’’. 
(y) Section 4.12A(a)(1) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2184(a)(1)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Every Farm Credit System 
bank or association shall provide a current list of its 
stockholders, within 7 calendar days after receipt of 
a written request by a stockholder, to the requesting 
stockholder.’’. 
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314 
(z) Section 4.14A(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2202a(a)) 
is amended by inserting ‘‘and section 4.36’’ after ‘‘As used 
in this part’’. 
(aa)(1) Section 4.14A of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2202a) 
is amended— 
(A) in subsection (l), by striking ‘‘production 
credit’’; and 
(B) by striking subsection (h) and redesignating 
subsections (i) through (l) as subsections (h) through 
(k), respectively. 
(2)(A) Section 5.31 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2267) is 
amended by striking ‘‘4.14A(i)’’ and inserting ‘‘4.14A(h)’’. 
(B) Section 5.32(h) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2268(h)) 
is 
amended 
by 
striking 
‘‘4.14A(i)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘4.14A(h)’’. 
(bb)(1) Section 4.14C of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2202c) 
is repealed. 
(2)(A) Section 4.14A(a)(5)(B)(ii)(I) of such Act (12 
U.S.C. 2202a(a)(5)(B)(ii)(I)) is amended by striking 
‘‘4.14C,’’. 
(B) Section 8.9 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa–9) is 
amended by striking ‘‘4.14C,’’ each place it appears. 
(cc) Section 4.17 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2205) is 
amended by striking ‘‘Federal intermediate credit banks 
and’’. 
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315 
(dd) Section 4.19(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2207(a)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘district’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘Federal land bank association 
and production credit’’; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘units’’ and inserting ‘‘institu-
tions’’. 
(ee) Section 4.38 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2219c) is 
amended by striking ‘‘The Assistance Board established 
under section 6.0 and all’’ and inserting ‘‘All’’. 
(ff) Section 5.17(a)(2) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2252(a)(2)) is amended by striking the second and 3rd sen-
tences. 
(gg) Section 5.18 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2253) is re-
pealed. 
(hh) Section 5.19(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2254(a)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘Except for Federal land bank 
associations, each’’ and inserting ‘‘Each’’; and 
(2) by striking the second sentence. 
(ii) Section 5.19(b) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2254(b)) 
is amended— 
(1) in the second sentence of paragraph (1), by 
striking ‘‘except with respect to any actions taken by 
any banks of the System under section 4.8(b),’’; 
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316 
(2) by striking the third sentence of paragraph 
(1); 
(3) by striking ‘‘(b)(1)’’ and inserting ‘‘(b)’’; and 
(4) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3). 
(jj) Section 5.35(4) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2271(4)) 
is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘after December 31, 1992,’’; 
and 
(B) by striking ‘‘by the Farm Credit Sys-
tem Assistance Board under section 6.6 or’’; and 
(2) by striking subparagraph (B) and redesig-
nating subparagraph (C) as subparagraph (B). 
(kk) Section 5.38 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2274) is 
amended by striking ‘‘a farm credit district board, bank 
board, or bank officer or employee shall not remove any di-
rector or officer of any production credit association or Fed-
eral land bank association’’ and inserting ‘‘a Farm Credit 
Bank board, officer, or employee shall not remove any direc-
tor or officer of any association’’. 
(ll) Section 5.44 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2275) is re-
pealed. 
(mm) Section 5.58(2) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2277a– 
7) is amended by striking the second sentence. 
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317 
(nn) Subtitle A of title VI of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2278a-2278a–11) is repealed. 
(oo) Title VI of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2278a-2278b–11) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 6.32. TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY. 
‘‘The authority provided in this subtitle shall termi-
nate on December 31, 2018.’’. 
(pp) Section 7.9 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279c–2) is 
amended by striking subsection (c). 
(qq) Section 7.10(a)(4) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2279d(a)(4)) is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(4) the institution pays to the Farm Credit In-
surance Fund the amount by which the total capital 
of the institution exceeds 6 percent of the assets;’’. 
(rr) Section 8.0(2) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa(2)) 
is amended to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) BOARD.—The term ‘Board’ means the board 
of directors established under section 8.2.’’. 
(ss)(1) Section 8.0 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa) is 
amended by striking paragraphs (6) and (8), and redesig-
nating paragraphs (7), (9), and (10) as paragraphs (6) 
through (8), respectively. 
(2)(A) Section 4.39 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2219d) is 
amended by striking ‘‘8.0(7)’’ and inserting ‘‘8.0(6)’’. 
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318 
(B) Section 8.6(e)(2) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa– 
6(e)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘8.0(9)’’ and inserting 
‘‘8.0(7)’’. 
(C) Section 8.11(e) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa– 
11(e)) is amended by striking ‘‘8.0(7)’’ and inserting 
‘‘8.0(6)’’. 
(D) Section 8.32(a)(1)(B) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2279bb–1(a)(1)(B)) is amended by striking ‘‘8.0(9)(C)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘8.0(7)(C)’’. 
(tt)(1) Section 8.2 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa-2) 
is amended— 
(A) in subsection (b)— 
(i) in the subsection heading, by striking 
‘‘PERMANENT BOARD’’ and inserting ‘‘BOARD OF 
DIRECTORS’’; 
(ii) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Corporation shall 
be under the management of the Board of Directors.’’; 
(iii) by striking paragraph (3) and redesig-
nating paragraphs (4) through (10) as para-
graphs (3) through (9), respectively; and 
(iv) by striking ‘‘permanent’’ each place it 
appears in paragraphs (2), and (3) through (9) 
(as so redesignated); and 
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319 
(B) by striking subsection (a) and redesignating 
subsections (b) and (c) as subsections (a) and (b), re-
spectively. 
(2) Section 8.4(a)(1) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa– 
4) is amended— 
(A) by striking the 3rd sentence; 
(B) by inserting after the 1st sentence the fol-
lowing: ‘‘Voting common stock shall be offered to 
banks, other financial entities, insurance companies, 
and System institutions under such terms and condi-
tions as the Board may adopt. The voting stock shall 
be fairly and broadly offered to ensure that no insti-
tution or institutions acquire a disproportionate 
amount of the total amount of voting common stock 
outstanding of a class and that capital contributions 
and issuances of voting common stock for the con-
tributions are fairly distributed between entities eligi-
ble to hold Class A and Class B stock, as provided 
under this paragraph.’’; 
(C) by striking ‘‘8.2(b)(2)(A)’’ and inserting 
‘‘8.2(a)(2)(A)’’; and 
(D) by striking ‘‘8.2(b)(2)(B)’’ and inserting 
‘‘8.2(a)(2)(B)’’. 
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320 
(uu)(1) Section 8.6 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279aa– 
6) is amended by striking subsection (d) and redesignating 
subsection (e) as subsection (d). 
(2)(A) Paragraph (7)(B)(i) of section 8.0 of such Act 
(12 U.S.C. 2279aa), as redesignated by subsection (ss)(1), 
is amended by striking ‘‘through (d)’’ and inserting ‘‘and 
(c)’’. 
(B) Section 8.33(b)(2)(A) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 
2279bb–2(b)(2)(A)) is amended by striking ‘‘8.6(e)’’ and in-
serting ‘‘8.6(d)’’. 
(vv) Section 8.32(a) of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279bb– 
1(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘Not sooner than the expira-
tion of the 3-year period beginning on the date of enactment 
of the Farm Credit System Reform Act of 1996, the’’ and 
inserting ‘‘The’’. 
(ww) Section 8.35 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279bb–4) 
is amended by striking subsection (e). 
(xx) Section 8.38 of such Act (12 U.S.C. 2279bb–7) 
is repealed. 
SEC. 5502. CONFORMING REPEALS. 
(a) Sections 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14, and 15 of the Agricultural 
Marketing Act (12 U.S.C. 1141b, 1141c, 1141d, 1141e, 
1141f, 1141i, and 1141j) are repealed. 
(b) The Act of June 22, 1939, (Chapter 239; 53 Stat. 
853; 12 U.S.C. 1141d–1) is repealed. 
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321 
(c) Section 201 of the Emergency Relief and Construc-
tion Act of 1932 (12 U.S.C. 1148) is repealed. 
(d) Section 2 of the Act of July 14, 1953, (Chapter 
192; 67 Stat. 150; 12 U.S.C. 1148a–4) is repealed. 
(e) Sections 32 through 34 of the Farm Credit Act of 
1937 (12 U.S.C. 1148b, 1148c, and 1148d) are repealed. 
(f) Sections 1 through 4 of the Act of March 3, 1932, 
(12 U.S.C. 1401 through 1404) are repealed. 
SEC. 5503. FACILITY HEADQUARTERS. 
Section 5.16 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 
2251) is amended by striking all that precedes ‘‘to the rental 
of quarters’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘SEC. 5.16. QUARTERS AND FACILITIES FOR THE FARM 
CREDIT ADMINISTRATION. 
‘‘(a) The Farm Credit Administration shall maintain 
its principal office within the Washington D.C.-Maryland- 
Virginia standard metropolitan statistical area, and such 
other offices within the United States as in its judgment 
are necessary. 
‘‘(b) As an alternate’’. 
SEC. 5504. SHARING PRIVILEGED AND CONFIDENTIAL IN-
FORMATION. 
Section 5.19 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 
2254) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(e) A System institution shall not be considered to 
have waived the confidentiality of a privileged communica-
tion with an attorney or accountant if the institution pro-
vides the content of the communication to the Farm Credit 
Administration pursuant to the supervisory or regulatory 
authorities of the Farm Credit Administration.’’. 
SEC. 5505. SCOPE OF JURISDICTION. 
Part C of title V of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 
U.S.C. 2261–2274) is amended by inserting after section 
5.31 the following: 
‘‘SEC. 5.31A. SCOPE OF JURISDICTION. 
‘‘(a) For purposes of sections 5.25, 5.26, and 5.33, the 
jurisdiction of the Farm Credit Administration over par-
ties, and the authority of the Farm Credit Administration 
to initiate actions, shall include enforcement authority over 
institution-affiliated parties. 
‘‘(b) The resignation, termination of employment or 
participation, or separation of an institution-affiliated 
party (including a separation caused by the merger, con-
solidation, conservatorship, or receivership of a System in-
stitution) shall not affect the jurisdiction and authority of 
the Farm Credit Administration to issue any notice or 
order and proceed under this part against any such party, 
if the notice or order is served before the end of the 6-year 
period beginning on the date the party ceased to be such 
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323 
a party with respect to the System institution (whether the 
date occurs before, on, or after the date of the enactment 
of this section).’’. 
SEC. 5506. DEFINITION. 
Section 5.35 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 
2271) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(3); and 
(2) by redesignating paragraph (4) as para-
graph (5) and inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(4) 
the 
term 
‘institution-affiliated 
party’ 
means— 
‘‘(A) any director, officer, employee, share-
holder, or agent of a System institution; 
‘‘(B) any independent contractor (including 
any attorney, appraiser, or accountant) who 
knowingly or recklessly participates in— 
‘‘(i) any violation of law (including 
regulations) that is associated with the op-
erations and activities of 1 or more institu-
tions; 
‘‘(ii) any breach of fiduciary duty; or 
‘‘(iii) any unsafe or unsound practice, 
which caused or is likely to cause more than 
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324 
a minimal financial loss to, or a significant 
adverse effect on, a System institution; and 
‘‘(C) any other person, as determined by the 
Farm Credit Administration (by regulation or 
on a case-by-case basis) who participates in the 
conduct of the affairs of a System institution; 
and’’. 
SEC. 5507. EXPANSION OF ACREAGE EXCEPTION TO LOAN 
AMOUNT LIMITATION. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 8.8(c)(2) of the Farm Cred-
it Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2279aa–8(c)(2)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘1,000’’ and inserting ‘‘2,000’’. 
(b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by sub-
section (a) shall take effect 1 year after the date a report 
submitted in accordance with section 5602 of this Act indi-
cates that it is feasible to increase the acreage limitation 
in section 8.8(c)(2) of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 to 2,000 
acres. 
SEC. 5508. COMPENSATION OF BANK DIRECTORS. 
Section 4.21 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 
2209) is repealed. 
SEC. 5509. PROHIBITION ON USE OF FUNDS. 
Section 5.65 of the Farm Credit Act of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 
2277a–14) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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325 
‘‘(e) PROHIBITION ON USES OF FUNDS RELATED TO 
FEDERAL AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION.—No 
funds from administrative accounts or from the Farm Cred-
it System Insurance Fund may be used by the Corporation 
to provide assistance to the Federal Agricultural Mortgage 
Corporation or to support any activities related to the Fed-
eral Agricultural Mortgage Corporation.’’. 
Subtitle F—Miscellaneous 
SEC. 5601. STATE AGRICULTURAL MEDIATION PROGRAMS. 
Section 506 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 
U.S.C. 5106) is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’and inserting 
‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 5602. STUDY ON LOAN RISK. 
(a) STUDY.—The Farm Credit Administration shall 
conduct a study that— 
(1) analyzes and compares the financial risks in-
herent in loans made, held, securitized, or purchased 
by Farm Credit banks, associations, and the Federal 
Agricultural Mortgage Corporation and how such 
risks are required to be capitalized under statute and 
regulations in effect as of the date of the enactment 
of this Act; and 
(2) assesses the feasibility of increasing the acre-
age exception provided in section 8.8(c)(2) of the 
Farm Credit Act of 1971 to 2,000 acres. 
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(b) TIMELINE.—The Farm Credit Administration 
shall provide the results of the study required by subsection 
(a) to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Rep-
resentatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, 
and Forestry of the Senate no later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act. 
TITLE VI—RURAL INFRASTRUC-
TURE AND ECONOMIC DEVEL-
OPMENT 
Subtitle A—Improving Health 
Outcomes in Rural Communities 
SEC. 6001. PRIORITIZING PROJECTS TO MEET HEALTH CRI-
SES IN RURAL AMERICA. 
(a) TEMPORARY PRIORITIZATION OF RURAL HEALTH 
ASSISTANCE.—Title VI of the Rural Development Act of 
1972 (7 U.S.C. 2204a–2204b) is amended by adding at the 
end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 608. TEMPORARY PRIORITIZATION OF RURAL HEALTH 
ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY
TO PRIORITIZE CERTAIN RURAL 
HEALTH APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary, after consultation 
with such public health officials as may be necessary, may 
announce a temporary reprioritization for certain rural de-
velopment loan and grant applications to assist rural com-
munities in responding to a specific health emergency. 
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327 
‘‘(b) CONTENT OF ANNOUNCEMENT.—In the announce-
ment, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) specify the nature of the emergency affecting 
the heath of rural Americans; 
‘‘(2) describe the actual and potential effects of 
the emergency on the rural United States; 
‘‘(3) identify the services and treatments which 
can be used to reduce those effects; and 
‘‘(4) publish the specific temporary changes need-
ed to assist rural communities in responding to the 
emergency 
‘‘(c) NOTICE.—Not later than 48 hours after making 
or extending an announcement under this section, the Sec-
retary shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, and trans-
mit to the Secretary of Health and Human Services, a writ-
ten notice of the declaration or extension. 
‘‘(d) EXTENSION.—The Secretary may extend an an-
nouncement under subsection (a) if the Secretary deter-
mines that the emergency will continue after the declaration 
would otherwise expire. 
‘‘(e) EXPIRATION.—An announcement under sub-
section (a) shall expire on the earlier of— 
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‘‘(1) the date the Secretary determines that the 
emergency has ended; or 
‘‘(2) the end of the 360-day period beginning 
with the later of— 
‘‘(A) the date the announcement was made; 
or 
‘‘(B) the date the announcement was most 
recently extended.’’. 
(b) DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE.—Sec-
tion 2333(c) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and 
Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–2(c)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(5) 
PROCEDURE
DURING
TEMPORARY 
REPRIORITIZATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—While a temporary 
reprioritization announced under section 608 of 
the Rural Development Act of 1972 is in effect, 
the Secretary shall make available not less than 
10 percent of the amounts made available under 
section 2335A for financial assistance under this 
chapter, for telemedicine services to identify and 
treat individuals affected by the emergency, sub-
ject to subparagraph (B). 
‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—In the case of a fiscal 
year for which the Secretary determines that 
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329 
there are not sufficient qualified applicants to 
receive financial assistance to reach the 10-per-
cent requirement under subparagraph (A), the 
Secretary may make available less than 10 per-
cent of the amounts made available under section 
2335A for those services.’’. 
(c) COMMUNITY
FACILITIES
DIRECT
LOANS
AND 
GRANTS.—Section 306(a) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(27) 
PROCEDURE
DURING
TEMPORARY 
REPRIORITIZATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) SELECTION PRIORITY.—While a tem-
porary reprioritization announced under section 
608 of the Rural Development Act of 1972 is in 
effect, in selecting recipients of loans, loan guar-
antees, or grants for the development of essential 
community facilities under this section, the Sec-
retary shall give priority to entities eligible for 
those loans or grants— 
‘‘(i) to develop facilities to provide 
services related to reducing the effects of the 
health emergency, including— 
‘‘(I) prevention services; 
‘‘(II) treatment services; 
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‘‘(III) recovery services; or 
‘‘(IV) any combination of those 
services; and 
‘‘(ii) that employ staff that have ap-
propriate expertise and training in how to 
identify and treat individuals affected by 
the emergency. 
‘‘(B) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity de-
scribed in subparagraph (A) that receives a loan 
or grant described in that subparagraph may use 
the loan or grant funds for the development of 
telehealth facilities and systems to provide for 
treatment directly related to the emergency in-
volved.’’. 
(d) RURAL HEALTH AND SAFETY EDUCATION PRO-
GRAMS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Section 502(i) of the Rural 
Development Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2662(i)) is 
amended— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (5) as 
paragraph (6); and 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (4) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(5) 
PROCEDURE
DURING
TEMPORARY 
REPRIORITIZATIONS.—While 
a 
temporary 
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reprioritization announced under section 608 of the 
Rural Development Act of 1972 is in effect, in mak-
ing grants under this subsection, the Secretary shall 
give priority to an applicant that will use the grant 
to address the announced emergency.’’. 
(2) TECHNICAL
AMENDMENTS.—Title V of the 
Rural Development Act of 1972 (7 U.S.C. 2661 et 
seq.), as amended by paragraph (1) of this subsection, 
is amended— 
(A) in section 502, in the matter preceding 
subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘(referred to in this 
title as the ‘Secretary’)’’ after ‘‘Agriculture’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘Secretary of Agriculture’’ 
each place it appears (other than in section 502 
in the matter preceding subsection (a)) and in-
serting ‘‘Secretary’’. 
SEC. 6002. DISTANCE LEARNING AND TELEMEDICINE. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
2335A of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade 
Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa–5) is amended by striking 
‘‘$75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$82,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023’’. 
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(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 1(b) of Public 
Law 102–551 (7 U.S.C. 950aaa note) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6003. REAUTHORIZATION OF THE FARM AND RANCH 
STRESS ASSISTANCE NETWORK. 
Section 7522 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 5936) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘coordination 
with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
shall make competitive grants to support cooperative 
programs between State cooperative extension services 
and nonprofit organizations’’ and inserting ‘‘con-
sultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, shall make competitive grants to State coop-
erative extension services and Indian Tribes to sup-
port programs with nonprofit organizations in 
order’’; 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘Inter-
net’’ before ‘‘websites’’; 
(B) by striking paragraph (2) and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘(2) training for individuals who may assist 
farmers in crisis, including programs and work-
shops;’’; and 
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(C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, in-
cluding the dissemination of information and 
materials’’ before the semicolon at the end; 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking ‘‘to enable the 
State cooperative extension services’’ and inserting 
‘‘or Indian Tribes, as applicable,’’; 
(4) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘fiscal years’’ 
and all that follows and inserting ‘‘fiscal years 2018 
through 2023’’; and 
(5) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection 
(e) and inserting after subsection (c) the following: 
‘‘(d) OVERSIGHT AND EVALUATION.—The Secretary, 
in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human 
Services, shall review and evaluate the stress assistance pro-
grams carried out pursuant to this section. 
‘‘(1) PROGRAM REVIEW.—Not later than 2 years 
after the date on which a grant is first provided 
under this section, and annually thereafter, the Sec-
retary shall— 
‘‘(A) review the programs funded under a 
grant made under this section to evaluate the ef-
fectiveness of the services offered through such a 
program, and suggest alternative services not of-
fered by such a grant recipient that would be ap-
propriate for behavioral health services; and 
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‘‘(B) submit to the Congress, and make 
available on the public Internet website of the 
Department of Agriculture, a report containing 
the results of the review conducted under sub-
paragraph (A) and a description of the services 
provided through programs funded under such a 
grant. 
‘‘(2) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—In making the re-
port under paragraph (1) publicly available, the Sec-
retary shall take such steps as may be necessary to 
ensure that the report does not contain any informa-
tion that would identify any person who received 
services under a program funded under a grant made 
under this section.’’. 
SEC. 
6004. 
SUPPORTING 
AGRICULTURAL 
ASSOCIATION 
HEALTH PLANS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Agriculture may 
establish a loan program and a grant program to assist 
in the establishment of agricultural association health 
plans, in order to help bring new health options and lower 
priced health care coverage to rural Americans. 
(b) LOANS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—With respect to plan years 
2019 through 2022, the Secretary of Agriculture, in 
consultation with the Secretary of Labor, may make 
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not more than 10 loans under this section, for pur-
poses of establishing agricultural association health 
plans, to qualified agricultural associations that have 
not received a loan under this section. 
(2) USE
OF
FUNDS.—The proceeds of a loan 
made under this section may only be used to finance 
costs associated with establishing and carrying out an 
agricultural association health plan. 
(3) LOAN TERMS.—A loan made under this sec-
tion shall— 
(A) bear interest at an annual rate equiva-
lent to the cost of borrowing to the Department 
of the Treasury for obligations of comparable 
maturities; 
(B) have a term of such length, not exceed-
ing 20 years, as the borrower may request; 
(C) be in an amount not to exceed 
$15,000,000; 
(D) require that the borrower submit an-
nual audited financial statements to the Sec-
retary; and 
(E) include any other requirements or docu-
mentation the Secretary deems necessary to 
carry out this section. 
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(c) GRANTS.—The Secretary may make grants to agri-
cultural trade associations or industry associations which 
have been in existence for at least three years prior to ap-
plying for such a grant to provide for technical assistance 
in establishing an agricultural association health plan. 
(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be ap-
propriated to carry out this section $65,000,000 for 
the period of fiscal years 2019 through 2022, to be 
available until expended. 
(2) RESERVATION
OF
FUNDS.—Of the funds 
made available under paragraph (1), not more than 
15 percent of such funds shall be made available to 
make grants under subsection (c). 
(e) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) 
AGRICULTURAL
ASSOCIATION
HEALTH 
PLAN.—The term ‘‘agricultural association health 
plan’’ means a group health plan within the meaning 
of section 733(a)(1) of the Employee Retirement In-
come Security Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 1191b)— 
(A) that is sponsored by a qualified agricul-
tural association; and 
(B) with respect to which the Secretary has 
received a letter from the relevant State insur-
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ance commissioner certifying that such associa-
tion may offer such plan in such State. 
(2) QUALIFIED AGRICULTURAL ASSOCIATION.— 
The term ‘‘qualified agricultural association’’ means 
an association— 
(A) composed of members that operate a 
farm or ranch or operate an agribusiness; 
(B) that qualifies as an association health 
plan within the meaning of guidance or regula-
tion issued by the Department of Labor; 
(C) that acts directly or indirectly in the 
interest of its members in relation to the plan; 
(D) that is able to demonstrate an ability 
to implement and manage a group health plan; 
and 
(E) that meets any other criteria the Sec-
retary deems necessary to meet the intent of this 
section. 
Subtitle 
B—Connecting 
Rural 
Americans 
to 
High 
Speed 
Broadband 
SEC. 6101. ESTABLISHING FORWARD-LOOKING BROADBAND 
STANDARDS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 601 of the Rural Elec-
trification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (d)(1)(A), by striking clause (i) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(i) demonstrate the ability to furnish 
or improve service in order to meet the 
broadband service standards established 
under subsection (e)(1) in all or part of an 
unserved or underserved rural area;’’; 
(2) in subsection (e)— 
(A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), for 
purposes of this section, the Secretary shall establish 
broadband service standards for rural areas which 
provide for— 
‘‘(A) a minimum acceptable standard of 
service that requires the speed to be at least 25 
megabits per second downstream transmission 
capacity and 3 megabits per second upstream 
transmission capacity; and 
‘‘(B) projections of minimum acceptable 
standards of service for 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 
years into the future. 
‘‘(2) ADJUSTMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—At least once every 2 
years, the Secretary shall review, and may ad-
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just through notice published in the Federal Reg-
ister, the broadband service standards in effect 
under paragraph (1) to encourage the delivery of 
high quality, cost-effective broadband service in 
rural areas. 
‘‘(B) 
CONSIDERATIONS.—In 
establishing 
and adjusting the broadband service standards 
in effect under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall 
consider— 
‘‘(i) the broadband service needs of 
rural families and businesses; 
‘‘(ii) broadband service available to 
urban and suburban areas; 
‘‘(iii) future technology needs of rural 
residents; 
‘‘(iv) advances in broadband tech-
nology; and 
‘‘(v) other relevant factors as deter-
mined by the Secretary.’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) AGREEMENT.—The Secretary shall not pro-
vide a loan or loan guarantee under this section for 
a project unless the Secretary determines, at the time 
the agreement to provide the loan or loan guarantee 
is entered into, that, at any time while the loan or 
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loan guarantee is outstanding, the project will be ca-
pable of providing broadband service at not less than 
the minimum acceptable standard of service estab-
lished under paragraph (1)(B) for that time. 
‘‘(5) SUBSTITUTE
SERVICE
STANDARDS
FOR 
UNIQUE
SERVICE
TERRITORIES.—If an applicant 
shows that it would be cost prohibitive to meet the 
minimum acceptable level of broadband service estab-
lished under paragraph (1)(B) for the entirety of a 
proposed service territory due to the unique character-
istics of the proposed service territory, the Secretary 
and the applicant may agree to utilize substitute 
standards for any unserved portion of the project. 
Any substitute service standards should continue to 
consider the matters described in paragraph (2)(B) 
and reflect the best technology available to meet the 
needs of the residents in the unserved area.’’; and 
(3) in subsection (g)— 
(A) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘level 
of broadband service established under subsection 
(e)’’ and inserting ‘‘standard of service estab-
lished under subsection (e)(1)(A)’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) MINIMUM STANDARDS.—To the extent pos-
sible, the terms and conditions under which a loan or 
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loan guarantee is provided to an applicant for a 
project shall require that, at any time while the loan 
or loan guarantee is outstanding, the broadband net-
work provided by the project will meet the lower of— 
‘‘(A) the minimum acceptable standard of 
service projected under subsection (e)(1)(B) for 
that time, as agreed to by the applicant at the 
time the loan or loan guarantee is provided; or 
‘‘(B) the minimum acceptable standard of 
service in effect under subsection (e)(1)(A) for 
that time.’’. 
(b) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Within 12 months after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator of 
the Rural Utilities Service (in this subsection referred to 
as the ‘‘RUS’’) shall submit to the Committee on Agri-
culture of the House of Representatives and the Committee 
on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a 
written report on the effectiveness of RUS loan and loan 
guarantee programs for the purpose of expanding 
broadband to rural areas (as defined in RUS regulations), 
which shall— 
(1) identify administrative and legislative op-
tions for incentivizing private investment by utilizing 
RUS loan guarantee programs for the purpose of ex-
panding broadband to rural areas; 
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(2) evaluate the existing borrower and lending 
guidelines for RUS loan and loan guarantee appli-
cants to incentivize participation in both programs; 
(3) evaluate the loan and loan guarantee appli-
cation processes for lenders and borrowers by elimi-
nating burdensome and unnecessary steps in the ap-
plication process and providing a more streamlined 
process to decrease the complexity of the application 
and the timeline from application to approval or de-
nial; 
(4) identify opportunities to provide technical 
assistance and pre-development planning activities to 
assist rural counties and communities to assess cur-
rent and future broadband needs; and 
(5) identify and evaluate emerging technologies, 
including next-generation satellite technologies, and 
ways to leverage the technologies to provide high- 
speed, low-latency internet connectivity to rural 
areas. 
SEC. 6102. INCENTIVES FOR HARD TO REACH COMMU-
NITIES. 
Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
U.S.C. 950bb) is amended by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
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‘‘SEC. 604. INCENTIVES FOR HARD TO REACH COMMU-
NITIES. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) ASSOCIATED LOAN.—The term ‘associated 
loan’ means a loan or loan guarantee to finance all 
or part of a project under title I or II or this title 
for which an application has been submitted under 
such title and for which an application has also been 
submitted for a grant under this section. 
‘‘(2) DENSITY.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘density’ 
means service points per road mile. 
‘‘(B) METHOD OF CALCULATION.—The Sec-
retary shall further define, by rule, a method for 
calculating service points per road-mile, where 
appropriate by geography, which— 
‘‘(i) divides the total number of service 
points by the total number of road-miles in 
a proposed service territory; 
‘‘(ii) requires an applicant to count all 
potential service points in a proposed serv-
ice territory; and 
‘‘(iii) includes any other requirements 
the Secretary deems necessary to protect the 
integrity of the program. 
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‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE
PROJECT.—The term ‘eligible 
project’ means any project for which the applicant— 
‘‘(A) has submitted an application for an 
associated loan; and 
‘‘(B) does not receive any other broadband 
grant administered by the Rural Utilities Serv-
ice; and 
‘‘(C) proposes to— 
‘‘(i) offer retail broadband service to 
rural households; 
‘‘(ii) serve an area with a density of 
less than 12; 
‘‘(iii) provide service that meets the 
standard that would apply under section 
601(e)(4) if the associated loan had been ap-
plied for under section 601; 
‘‘(iv) provide service in an area where 
no incumbent provider delivers fixed terres-
trial broadband service at or above the min-
imum broadband speed described in section 
601(e)(1); and 
‘‘(v) provide service in an area where 
no eligible borrower, other than the appli-
cant, has outstanding Rural Utilities Serv-
ice telecommunications debt or is subject to 
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a current Rural Utilities Service tele-
communications grant agreement. 
‘‘(4) SERVICE POINT.—The term ‘service point’ 
means a home, business, or institution in a proposed 
service area. 
‘‘(5) ROAD-MILE.—The term ‘road-mile’ means a 
mile of road in a proposed service area. 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF GRANT PROGRAM.—The Sec-
retary shall establish a competitive grant program to pro-
vide applicants funds to carry out eligible projects for the 
purposes of construction, improvement, or acquisition of fa-
cilities for the provision of broadband service in rural areas. 
‘‘(c) APPLICATIONS.—The Secretary shall establish an 
application process for grants under this section that— 
‘‘(1) has 1 application window per year; 
‘‘(2) permits a single application for the grant 
and the associated loan; and 
‘‘(3) provides a single decision to award the 
grant and the associated loan. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITY.—In making grants under this section, 
the Secretary shall prioritize applications in which the ap-
plicant proposes to— 
‘‘(1) provide the highest quality of service as 
measured by— 
‘‘(A) network speed; 
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‘‘(B) network latency; and 
‘‘(C) data allowances; 
‘‘(2) serve the greatest number of service points; 
and 
‘‘(3) use the greatest proportion of non-Federal 
dollars. 
‘‘(e) AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall make each grant 
under this section in an amount that is— 
‘‘(1) not greater than 75 percent of the total 
project cost with respect to an area with a density of 
less than 4; 
‘‘(2) not greater than 50 percent of the total 
project cost with respect to an area with a density of 
4 or more and not more than 9; and 
‘‘(3) not greater than 25 percent of the total 
project cost with respect to an area with a density of 
more than 9 and not more than 12. 
‘‘(f) TERMS
AND CONDITIONS.—With respect to a 
grant provided under this section, the Secretary shall re-
quire that— 
‘‘(1) the associated loan is secured by the assets 
purchased with funding from the grant and from the 
loan; 
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‘‘(2) the agreement in which the terms of the 
grant are established is for a period equal to the du-
ration of the associated loan; and 
‘‘(3) at any time at which the associated loan is 
outstanding, the broadband service provided by the 
project will meet the lower of the standards that 
would apply under section 601(g)(4) if the associated 
loan had been made under section 601. 
‘‘(g) PAYMENT ASSISTANCE FOR CERTAIN APPLICANTS 
UNDER THIS TITLE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—As part of the grant pro-
gram under this section, the Secretary, at the sole dis-
cretion of the Secretary, may provide to applicants 
who are eligible borrowers under this title and not eli-
gible borrowers under title I or II all or a portion of 
the grant funds in the form of payment assistance. 
‘‘(2) PAYMENT ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary may 
provide payment assistance under paragraph (1) by 
reducing a borrower’s interest rate or periodic prin-
cipal payments or both. 
‘‘(3) AGREEMENT ON MILESTONES AND OBJEC-
TIVES.—With respect to payment assistance provided 
under paragraph (1), before entering into the agree-
ment for the grant and associated loan under which 
the payment assistance will be provided, the appli-
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348 
cant and the Secretary shall agree to milestones and 
objectives of the project. 
‘‘(4) CONDITION.—The Secretary shall condition 
any payment assistance provided under paragraph 
(1) on— 
‘‘(A) the applicant fulfilling the terms and 
conditions of the grant agreement under which 
the payment assistance will be provided; and 
‘‘(B) completion of the milestones and objec-
tives agreed to under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(5) AMENDMENT OF MILESTONES AND OBJEC-
TIVES.—The Secretary and the applicant may jointly 
agree to amend the milestones and objectives agreed to 
under paragraph (3). 
‘‘(h) EXISTING PROJECTS.—The Secretary may not 
provide a grant under this section to an applicant for a 
project that was commenced before the date of the enactment 
of this section. 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$350,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 to 2023.’’. 
SEC. 6103. REQUIRING GUARANTEED BROADBAND LEND-
ING. 
Section 601(c)(1) of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)(1)) is amended by striking ‘‘shall 
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make or guarantee loans’’ and inserting ‘‘shall make loans 
and shall guarantee loans’’. 
SEC. 6104. SMART UTILITY AUTHORITY FOR BROADBAND. 
(a) Section 331 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981) is amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(e)(1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Sec-
retary may allow a recipient of a grant, loan, or loan guar-
antee provided by the Office of Rural Development under 
this title to use not more than 10 percent of the amount 
so provided— 
‘‘(A) for any activity for which assistance may 
be provided under section 601 of the Rural Elec-
trification Act of 1936; or 
‘‘(B) to construct other broadband infrastructure. 
‘‘(2) Paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not apply 
to a recipient who is seeking to provide retail broadband 
service in any area where retail broadband service is avail-
able at the minimum broadband speeds, as defined under 
section 601(e) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936.’’. 
(b) Title I of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
U.S.C. 901–918a) is amended by inserting after section 7 
the following: 
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‘‘SEC. 8. LIMITATIONS ON USE OF ASSISTANCE. 
‘‘(a) Subject to subsections (b) and (c) of this section, 
the Secretary may allow a recipient of a grant, loan, or 
loan guarantee under this title to set aside not more than 
10 percent of the amount so received to provide retail 
broadband service. 
‘‘(b) A recipient who sets aside funds under subsection 
(a) of this section may use the funds only in an area that 
is not being provided with the minimum acceptable level 
of broadband service established under section 601(e), unless 
the recipient meets the requirements of section 601(d). 
‘‘(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit 
the ability of any borrower to finance or deploy services 
authorized under this title.’’. 
SEC. 6105. MODIFICATIONS TO THE RURAL GIGABIT PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 603 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 
(7 U.S.C. 950bb–2) is amended— 
(1) in the section heading, by striking ‘‘RURAL 
GIGABIT NETWORK PILOT’’ and inserting ‘‘INNO-
VATIVE BROADBAND ADVANCEMENT’’; 
(2) in subsection (d), by striking ‘‘2014 through 
2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2019 through 2023’’; 
(3) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection 
(e); and 
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(4) by striking subsections (a) through (c) and 
inserting the following: 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish a 
program to be known as the ‘Innovative Broadband Ad-
vancement Program’, under which the Secretary may pro-
vide a grant, a loan, or both to an eligible entity for the 
purpose of demonstrating innovative broadband tech-
nologies or methods of broadband deployment that signifi-
cantly decrease the cost of broadband deployment, and pro-
vide substantially faster broadband speeds than are avail-
able, in a rural area. 
‘‘(b) RURAL AREA.—In this section, the term ‘rural 
area’ has the meaning provided in section 601(b)(3). 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible to obtain assistance 
under this section for a project, an entity shall— 
‘‘(1) submit to the Secretary an application— 
‘‘(A) that describes a project designed to de-
crease the cost of broadband deployment, and 
substantially increase broadband speed to not 
less than the 20-year broadband speed established 
by the Rural Utilities Service under this title, in 
a rural area to be served by the project; and 
‘‘(B) at such time, in such manner, and 
containing such other information as the Sec-
retary may require; 
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‘‘(2) demonstrate that the entity is able to carry 
out the project; and 
‘‘(3) agree to complete the project build-out with-
in 5 years after the date the assistance is first pro-
vided for the project. 
‘‘(d) PRIORITIZATION.—In awarding assistance under 
this section, the Secretary shall give priority to proposals 
for projects that— 
‘‘(1) involve partnerships between or among mul-
tiple entities; 
‘‘(2) would provide broadband service to the 
greatest number of rural residents at or above the 
minimum broadband speed referred to in subsection 
(c)(1)(A); and 
‘‘(3) the Secretary determines could be replicated 
in rural areas described in paragraph (2).’’. 
SEC. 6106. UNIFIED BROADBAND REPORTING REQUIRE-
MENTS. 
Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 
(7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (j)— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘Not later than’’ and all that follows 
through ‘‘section’’ and inserting ‘‘Each year, the 
Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report 
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that describes the extent of participation in the 
broadband loan, loan guarantee, and grant pro-
grams administered by the Secretary’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘loans 
applied for and provided under this section’’ and 
inserting ‘‘loans, loan guarantees, and grants 
applied for and provided under the programs’’; 
(C) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘loan’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘loans and loan guarantees provided under 
this section’’ and inserting ‘‘loans, loan 
guarantees, and grants provided under the 
programs’’; 
(D) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘loan ap-
plication under this section’’ and inserting ‘‘ap-
plication under the programs’’; 
(E) in each of paragraphs (4) and (6), by 
striking ‘‘this section’’ and inserting ‘‘the pro-
grams’’; and 
(F) in paragraph (5)— 
(i) by striking ‘‘service’’ and inserting 
‘‘technology’’; and 
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(ii) by striking ‘‘(b)(1)’’ and inserting 
‘‘(e)(1)’’; and 
(2) in subsection (k)(2), in each of subpara-
graphs (A)(i) and (C), by striking ‘‘loans’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘grants, loans,’’. 
SEC. 6107. IMPROVING ACCESS BY PROVIDING CERTAINTY 
TO BROADBAND BORROWERS. 
(a) TELEPHONE LOAN PROGRAM.—Title II of the 
Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 922–928) is 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 208. AUTHORITY TO OBLIGATE, BUT NOT DISBURSE, 
FUNDS BEFORE THE COMPLETION OF RE-
VIEWS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary may obligate, but 
shall not disburse, funds under this title for a project before 
the completion of any otherwise required environmental, 
historical, or other review of the project. 
‘‘(b) AUTHORITY TO DEOBLIGATE FUNDS.—The Sec-
retary may deobligate funds under this title for a project 
if any such review will not be completed within a reason-
able period of time.’’. 
(b) RURAL BROADBAND PROGRAM.—Section 601(d) of 
the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(d)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following: 
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‘‘(11) AUTHORITY TO OBLIGATE, BUT NOT DIS-
BURSE, FUNDS
BEFORE
COMPLETION
OF
REVIEWS; 
AUTHORITY TO DEOBLIGATE FUNDS.—The Secretary 
may obligate, but shall not disburse, funds under this 
section for a project before the completion of any oth-
erwise required environmental, historical, or other re-
view of the project. The Secretary may deobligate 
funds under this section for a project if any such re-
view will not be completed within a reasonable period 
of time.’’. 
SEC. 6108. SIMPLIFIED APPLICATION WINDOW. 
Section 601(c)(2)(A) of the Rural Electrification Act 
of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)(2)(A)) is amended by striking 
‘‘not less than 2 evaluation periods’’ and inserting ‘‘1 eval-
uation period’’. 
SEC. 6109. ELIMINATION OF REQUIREMENT TO GIVE PRI-
ORITY TO CERTAIN APPLICANTS. 
Section 601(c)(2) of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)(2)) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end of subpara-
graph (C) and inserting a period; and 
(2) by striking subparagraph (D). 
SEC. 6110. MODIFICATION OF BUILDOUT REQUIREMENT. 
Section 601(d)(1)(A)(iii) of the Rural Electrification 
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(d)(1)(A)(iii)) is amended— 
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(1) by striking ‘‘service’’ and inserting ‘‘infra-
structure’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘3’’ and inserting ‘‘5’’. 
SEC. 6111. IMPROVING BORROWER REFINANCING OPTIONS. 
(a) REFINANCING OF BROADBAND LOANS.—Section 
201 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 922) 
is amended by inserting ‘‘including indebtedness on a loan 
made under section 601’’ after ‘‘furnishing telephone service 
in rural areas’’. 
(b) REFINANCING OF OTHER LOANS.—Section 601(i) 
of such Act (7 U.S.C. 950bb(i)) is amended by inserting 
‘‘, or on any other loan if the purpose for which such other 
loan was made is a telecommunications purpose for which 
assistance may be provided under this Act,’’ before ‘‘if the 
use of’’. 
SEC. 6112. ELIMINATION OF UNNECESSARY REPORTING RE-
QUIREMENTS. 
Section 601(d)(8)(A)(ii) of the Rural Electrification 
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(d)(8)(A)(ii)) is amended— 
(1) in subclause (I), by striking ‘‘and location’’; 
and 
(2) in subclause (IV), by striking ‘‘any changes 
in broadband service adoption rates, including’’. 
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357 
SEC. 6113. ACCESS TO BROADBAND TELECOMMUNICATIONS 
SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS. 
Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 
(7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (k), by striking paragraph (1) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) LIMITATIONS
ON
AUTHORIZATION
OF
AP-
PROPRIATIONS.—For loans and loan guarantees 
under this section, there is authorized to be appro-
priated to the Secretary $150,000,000 for each of fis-
cal years 2019 through 2023, to remain available 
until expended.’’; and 
(2) in subsection (l), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6114. MIDDLE MILE BROADBAND INFRASTRUCTURE. 
Section 601 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 
(7 U.S.C. 950bb) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a), by inserting ‘‘or middle 
mile infrastructure’’ before ‘‘in rural areas’’; 
(2) in subsection (b), by redesignating para-
graphs (2) and (3) as paragraphs (3) and (4) and in-
serting after paragraph (1) the following: 
‘‘(2) MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 
‘middle mile infrastructure’ means any broadband in-
frastructure that does not connect directly to end user 
locations (including anchor institutions) and may in-
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clude 
interoffice 
transport, 
backhaul, 
Internet 
connectivity, data centers, or special access transport 
to rural areas.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by inserting ‘‘and to 
construct, improve, or acquire middle mile infra-
structure’’ before ‘‘in rural areas’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)(B), by inserting ‘‘, or 
in the case of middle mile infrastructure, offer 
the future ability to link,’’ before ‘‘the greatest 
proportion’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(3) LIMITATION ON MIDDLE MILE INFRASTRUC-
TURE PROJECTS.—The Secretary shall limit loans or 
loan guarantees for middle mile infrastructure 
projects to no more than 20 percent of the amounts 
made available to carry out this section.’’; 
(4) in subsection (d)— 
(A) in paragraph (1)(A)— 
(i) in clause (i) (as amended by section 
6101(1) of this Act), by inserting ‘‘or extend 
middle mile infrastructure’’ before ‘‘in all’’; 
and 
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(ii) in clause (iii), by inserting ‘‘or 
middle mile infrastructure’’ before ‘‘de-
scribed’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2)— 
(i) in subparagraph (B), by inserting 
‘‘or install middle mile infrastructure’’ be-
fore ‘‘in the proposed’’; 
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
clause (ii) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—Clause (i) shall not 
apply with respect to a project if the project 
is eligible for funding under another title of 
this Act.’’; and 
(iii) by adding at the end the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(D) EXCEPTION FOR MIDDLE MILE INFRA-
STRUCTURE.—Portions of a middle mile infra-
structure project that ultimately meet the rural 
service requirements of this section may traverse 
an area not described in subsection (b)(4) when 
necessary.’’; 
(C) in paragraph (4), by inserting ‘‘, or 
construct, improve, or acquire middle mile infra-
structure in,’’ before ‘‘a rural area’’; 
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(D) in paragraph (5)(A)(v), by inserting 
‘‘or, in the case of middle mile infrastructure, 
connect’’ before the semicolon; and 
(E) in paragraph (8)(A)(ii)— 
(i) in subclause (I), by inserting ‘‘or 
may’’ before ‘‘receive’’; 
(ii) in subclause (II), by inserting ‘‘or 
capability of middle mile infrastructure’’ 
before the semicolon; and 
(iii) in subclause (III), by inserting ‘‘, 
if applicable’’ before the semicolon; 
(5) in subsection (i)— 
(A) in the subsection heading, by inserting 
‘‘OR
MIDDLE
MILE
INFRASTRUCTURE’’ after 
‘‘SERVICE’’; and 
(B) by inserting ‘‘or middle mile infrastruc-
ture’’ before ‘‘in rural areas’’; and 
(6) in subsection (j)(6), by inserting ‘‘or middle 
mile infrastructure’’ after ‘‘service’’ the 1st and 3rd 
places it appears. 
SEC. 6115. OUTDATED BROADBAND SYSTEMS. 
Title VI of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 
U.S.C. 950bb et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
following: 
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‘‘SEC. 605. OUTDATED BROADBAND SYSTEMS. 
‘‘Beginning October 1, 2020, the Secretary shall con-
sider any portion of a service territory subject to an out-
standing grant agreement between the Secretary and a 
broadband provider in which broadband service is not pro-
vided at at least 10 megabits per second download and at 
least 1 megabit per second upload as unserved for the pur-
poses of all broadband loan programs under this Act, unless 
the broadband provider has constructed or begun to con-
struct broadband facilities in the service territory that meet 
the minimum acceptable standard of service established 
under section 601(e)(1) for the area in which the service 
territory is located.’’. 
SEC. 6116. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The amendments made by this sub-
title shall not take effect until the Secretary of Agriculture 
has issued final regulations to implement the amendments. 
(b) DEADLINE FOR ISSUING REGULATIONS.—Within 
90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec-
retary of Agriculture shall prescribe final regulations to im-
plement the amendments made by sections 6101 and 6102. 
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362 
Subtitle C—Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act 
SEC. 6201. STRENGTHENING REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVEL-
OPMENT INCENTIVES. 
Section 379H of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2008v) is amended to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘SEC. 379H. STRATEGIC ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DE-
VELOPMENT. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In the case of any program as de-
termined by the Secretary, the Secretary shall give priority 
to an application for a project that, as determined and ap-
proved by the Secretary— 
‘‘(1) meets the applicable eligibility requirements 
of this title or other applicable authorizing law; 
‘‘(2) will be carried out in a rural area; and 
‘‘(3) supports the implementation of a strategic 
community investment plan described in subsection 
(d) on a multisectoral and multijurisdictional basis. 
‘‘(b) RESERVE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), the 
Secretary shall reserve a portion of the funds made 
available for a fiscal year for programs as determined 
by the Secretary, for projects that support the imple-
mentation of a strategic community investment plan 
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described in subsection (d) on a multisectoral and 
multijurisdictional basis. 
‘‘(2) PERIOD.—The reservation of funds de-
scribed in paragraph (1) may only extend through a 
date of the fiscal year in which the funds were first 
made available, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(c) APPROVED APPLICATIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN
GENERAL.—Any applicant who sub-
mitted a funding application that was approved be-
fore the date of enactment of this section may amend 
the application to qualify for the funds reserved under 
subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) RURAL UTILITIES.—Any rural development 
application authorized under section 306(a)(2), 
306(a)(14), 306(a)(24), 306A, or 310B(b) and ap-
proved by the Secretary before the date of enactment 
of this section shall be eligible for the funds reserved 
under subsection (b) on the same basis as the applica-
tions submitted under this section, until September 
30, 2019. 
‘‘(d) STRATEGIC COMMUNITY INVESTMENT PLANS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 
assistance to rural communities for developing stra-
tegic community investment plans. 
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‘‘(2) PLANS.—A strategic community investment 
plan described in paragraph (1) shall include— 
‘‘(A) a variety of activities designed to fa-
cilitate a rural community’s vision for its future; 
‘‘(B) participation by multiple stakeholders, 
including local and regional partners; 
‘‘(C) leverage of applicable regional re-
sources; 
‘‘(D) investment from strategic partners, 
such as— 
‘‘(i) private organizations; 
‘‘(ii) cooperatives; 
‘‘(iii) other government entities; 
‘‘(iv) tribes; and 
‘‘(v) philanthropic organizations; 
‘‘(E) clear objectives with the ability to es-
tablish measurable performance metrics; 
‘‘(F) action steps for implementation; and 
‘‘(G) any other elements necessary to ensure 
that the plan results in a comprehensive and 
strategic approach to rural economic develop-
ment, as determined by the Secretary. 
‘‘(3) COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall co-
ordinate with tribes and local, State, regional, and 
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Federal partners to develop strategic community in-
vestment plans under this subsection. 
‘‘(4) LIMITATIONS
ON
AUTHORIZATION
OF
AP-
PROPRIATIONS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—There is authorized to 
be appropriated $5,000,000 for fiscal years 2018 
through 2023 to carry out this subsection. 
‘‘(B) AVAILABILITY.—The amounts made 
available to carry out this subsection are author-
ized to remain available until expended.’’. 
SEC. 6202. EXPANDING ACCESS TO CREDIT FOR RURAL 
COMMUNITIES. 
(a) CERTAIN PROGRAMS UNDER THE CONSOLIDATED 
FARM
AND
RURAL
DEVELOPMENT
ACT.—Section 
343(a)(13) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Develop-
ment Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13)) is amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B)— 
(A) in the heading, by striking ‘‘AND GUAR-
ANTEED’’; and 
(B) in the text— 
(i) by striking ‘‘and guaranteed’’; and 
(ii) by striking ‘‘(1), (2), and (24)’’ 
and inserting ‘‘(1) and (2)’’; and 
(2) in subparagraph (C)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘and guaranteed’’; and 
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(B) by striking ‘‘(21), and (24)’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘and (21)’’. 
(b) 
RURAL
BROADBAND
PROGRAM.—Paragraph 
(4)(A)(ii) of section 601(b) of the Rural Electrification Act 
of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(b)), as redesignated by section 
6114(2), is amended by inserting ‘‘in the case of a direct 
loan,’’ before ‘‘a city’’. 
SEC. 6203. PROVIDING FOR ADDITIONAL FEES FOR GUAR-
ANTEED LOANS. 
(a) CERTAIN PROGRAMS UNDER THE CONSOLIDATED 
FARM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT ACT.—Section 333 of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1983) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of paragraph 
(5); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of para-
graph (6) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(7) in the case of an insured or guaranteed loan 
issued or modified under section 306(a), charge and 
collect from the recipient of the insured or guaranteed 
loan fees in such amounts as are necessary so that the 
sum of the total amount of fees so charged in each fis-
cal year and the total of the amounts appropriated 
for all such insured or guaranteed loans for the fiscal 
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year equals the subsidy cost for the insured or guar-
anteed loans in the fiscal year.’’. 
(b) RURAL BROADBAND PROGRAM.—Section 601(c) of 
the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 950bb(c)), 
as amended by section 6114, is further amended by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(4) FEES.—In the case of a loan guarantee 
issued or modified under this section, the Secretary 
shall charge and collect from the recipient of the guar-
antee fees in such amounts as are necessary so that 
the sum of the total amount of fees so charged in each 
fiscal year and the total of the amounts appropriated 
for all such loan guarantees for the fiscal year equals 
the subsidy cost for the loan guarantees in the fiscal 
year.’’. 
SEC. 6204. WATER, WASTE DISPOSAL, AND WASTEWATER FA-
CILITY GRANTS. 
Section 306(a)(2)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(2)(B)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in clause (iii), by striking ‘‘$100,000’’ each 
place it appears and inserting ‘‘$200,000’’; and 
(2) in clause (vii), by striking ‘‘$30,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2008 through 2018’’ and inserting 
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‘‘$15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
2023’’. 
SEC. 6205. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER TECHNICAL 
ASSISTANCE AND TRAINING PROGRAMS. 
(a) Section 306(a)(14)(A) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(14)(A)) is 
amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of clause (ii); 
(2) by striking the period at the end of clause 
(iii) and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(iv) identify options to enhance long 
term sustainability of rural water and 
waste systems to include operational prac-
tices, revenue enhancements, policy revi-
sions, partnerships, consolidation, regional-
ization, or contract services.’’. 
(b) Section 306(a)(14)(C) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
1926(a)(14)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘1 nor more than 
3’’ and inserting ‘‘3 nor more than 5’’. 
SEC. 6206. RURAL WATER AND WASTEWATER CIRCUIT 
RIDER PROGRAM. 
Section 306(a)(22)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(22)(B)) is 
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amended by striking ‘‘$20,000,000 for fiscal year 2014’’ and 
inserting ‘‘$25,000,000 for fiscal year 2018’’. 
SEC. 6207. TRIBAL COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY ESSENTIAL 
COMMUNITY FACILITIES. 
Section 306(a)(25)(C) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(25)(C)) is 
amended by striking ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2008 through 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘$5,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2019 through 2023’’. 
SEC. 6208. EMERGENCY AND IMMINENT COMMUNITY WATER 
ASSISTANCE GRANT PROGRAM. 
Section 306A(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926a(i)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1), by striking subparagraph 
(B) and inserting the following: 
‘‘(B) RELEASE.— 
‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided 
in clause (ii), funds reserved under sub-
paragraph (A) for a fiscal year shall be re-
served only until July 1 of the fiscal year. 
‘‘(ii) EXCEPTION.—In response to an 
eligible community where the drinking 
water supplies are inadequate due to a nat-
ural disaster, as determined by the Sec-
retary, including drought or severe weather, 
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the Secretary may provide potable water 
under this section for an additional period 
not to exceed 120 days beyond the estab-
lished period otherwise provided under this 
section, in order to protect public health.’’; 
and 
(2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘$35,000,000 
for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘$27,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023’’. 
SEC. 6209. WATER SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AND NATIVE VIL-
LAGES IN ALASKA. 
Section 306D(d)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d(d)(1)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6210. HOUSEHOLD WATER WELL SYSTEMS. 
Section 306E(d) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926e(d)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6211. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT GRANTS. 
Section 310B(b)(2) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(b)(2)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
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SEC. 6212. RURAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 
Section 310B(c)(4)(A) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(4)(A)) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6213. RURAL COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 310B(e)(13) of the Consoli-
dated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
1932(e)(13)) is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting 
‘‘2023’’. 
(b) 
TECHNICAL
CORRECTION.—Section 
310B(e)(11)(B)(i) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)(11)(B)(i)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘(12)’’ and inserting ‘‘(13)’’. 
SEC. 6214. LOCALLY OR REGIONALLY PRODUCED AGRICUL-
TURAL FOOD PRODUCTS. 
Section 310B(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(g)(9)(B)(iv)(I)) 
is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6215. APPROPRIATE TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER FOR 
RURAL AREAS PROGRAM. 
Section 310B(i)(4) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(i)(4)) is amended 
by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
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SEC. 6216. RURAL ECONOMIC AREA PARTNERSHIP ZONES. 
Section 310B(j) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(j)) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6217. INTERMEDIARY RELENDING PROGRAM. 
Section 310H(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1936b(e)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 
2018’’ and inserting ‘‘$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2019 through 2023’’. 
SEC. 6218. EXCLUSION OF PRISON POPULATIONS FROM 
DEFINITION OF RURAL AREA. 
Section 343(a)(13) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)(13) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘(G)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘(H)’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(H) EXCLUSION OF POPULATIONS INCAR-
CERATED ON A LONG-TERM BASIS.—Populations 
of individuals incarcerated on a long-term or re-
gional basis shall not be included in determining 
whether an area is ‘rural’ or a ‘rural area’.’’. 
SEC. 6219. NATIONAL RURAL DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP. 
Section 378 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2008m) is amended— 
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(1) in subsection (g)(1), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’; and 
(2) in subsection (h), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6220. GRANTS FOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO TRANSMIT-
TERS. 
Section 379B(d) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008p(d)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6221. RURAL MICROENTREPRENEUR ASSISTANCE PRO-
GRAM. 
Section 379E(d) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008s(d)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(d) FUNDING.—There are authorized to be appro-
priated to carry out this section $4,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2023.’’. 
SEC. 6222. HEALTH CARE SERVICES. 
Section 379G(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008u(e)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6223. DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
382M(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
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Act (7 (U.S.C. 2009aa–12(a)) is amended by striking ‘‘2008 
through 2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2019 through 2023’’. 
(b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 382N of 
such Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa–13) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6224. NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS REGIONAL AUTHOR-
ITY. 
(a) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—Section 
383N(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development 
Act (7 U.S.C. 2009bb–12(a)) is amended by striking 
‘‘$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023’’. 
(b) TERMINATION OF AUTHORITY.—Section 383O of 
such Act (7 U.S.C. 2009bb–13) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6225. RURAL BUSINESS INVESTMENT PROGRAM. 
Section 384S of the Consolidated Farm and Rural De-
velopment Act (7 U.S.C. 2009cc–18) is amended by striking 
‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
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Subtitle D—Rural Electrification 
Act of 1936 
SEC. 6301. GUARANTEES FOR BONDS AND NOTES ISSUED 
FOR ELECTRIFICATION OR TELEPHONE PUR-
POSES. 
Section 313A(f) of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–1(f)) is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ 
and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6302. EXPANSION OF 911 ACCESS. 
Section 315(d) of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 
(7 U.S.C. 940e(d)) is amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6303. IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GUARANTEED UNDER-
WRITER PROGRAM. 
(a) Section 313A of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c-1) is amended— 
(1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 
following: 
‘‘(a) GUARANTEES.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall guarantee payments on bonds or notes 
issued by cooperative or other lenders organized on a 
not-for-profit basis, if the proceeds of the bonds or 
notes are used to make utility infrastructure loans, or 
refinance bonds or notes issued for such purposes, to 
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a borrower that has at any time received, or is eligi-
ble to receive, a loan under this Act. 
‘‘(2) TERMS.—A bond or note guaranteed under 
this section shall— 
‘‘(A) have a term of 35 years; and 
‘‘(B) by agreement between the Secretary 
and the borrower, be repaid by the borrower 
by— 
‘‘(i) periodic installments of principal 
and interest; 
‘‘(ii) periodic installments of interest 
and, at the end of the term of the bond or 
note, by the repayment of the outstanding 
principal; or 
‘‘(iii) a combination of the methods for 
repayment provided under clauses (i) and 
(ii).’’; and 
(2) in subsection (b)— 
(A) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘for eligi-
ble electrification or telephone purposes con-
sistent with this Act’’ and inserting ‘‘to bor-
rowers described in subsection (a)’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (3)— 
(i) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘for electrification or telephone purposes’’ 
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and inserting ‘‘to borrowers under this 
Act’’; and 
(ii) in subparagraph (C), by striking 
‘‘for eligible purposes described in subsection 
(a)’’ and inserting ‘‘to borrowers described 
in subsection (a)’’. 
(b)(1) The Secretary shall carry out section 313A of 
the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c–1), 
including the amendments made by this section, under a 
Notice of Solicitation of Applications until all regulations 
necessary to carry out the amendments made by this section 
are fully implemented. 
(2) Paragraph (1) shall take effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
SEC. 6304. EXTENSION OF THE RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOP-
MENT LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAM. 
(a) Section 12(b)(3)(D) of the Rural Electrification 
Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 912(b)(3)(D)) is amended by striking 
‘‘313(b)(2)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘313(b)(2)’’. 
(b) Section 313(b)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 940c(b)(2)) 
is amended— 
(1) by striking all that precedes ‘‘shall main-
tain’’ and inserting the following: 
‘‘(2) RURAL
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
SUB-
ACCOUNT.—The Secretary’’; and 
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(2) by striking subparagraphs (B) through (E). 
(c) Title III of such Act (7 U.S.C. 931–940h) is amend-
ed by inserting after section 313A the following: 
‘‘SEC. 313B. RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOANS AND GRANTS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide grants 
or zero interest loans to borrowers under this Act for the 
purpose of promoting rural economic development and job 
creation projects, including funding for project feasibility 
studies, start-up costs, incubator projects, and other reason-
able expenses for the purpose of fostering rural development. 
‘‘(b) REPAYMENTS.—In the case of zero interest loans, 
the Secretary shall establish such reasonable repayment 
terms as will encourage borrower participation. 
‘‘(c) PROCEEDS.—All proceeds from the repayment of 
such loans made under this section shall be returned to the 
subaccount that the Secretary shall maintain in accordance 
with sections 313(b)(2) and 313B(f). 
‘‘(d) NUMBER OF GRANTS.—Loans and grants re-
quired under this section shall be made during each fiscal 
year to the full extent of the amounts made available under 
subsection (e). 
‘‘(e) FUNDING.— 
‘‘(1) DISCRETIONARY FUNDING.—In addition to 
other funds that are available to carry out this sec-
tion, there is authorized to be appropriated not more 
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379 
than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 
2023 to carry out this section, to remain available 
until expended. 
‘‘(2) OTHER FUNDS.—In addition to the funds 
described in paragraph (1), the Secretary shall use to 
provide grants and loans under this section— 
‘‘(A) the interest differential sums credited 
to the subaccount described in subsection (c); and 
‘‘(B) subject to section 313A(e)(2), the fees 
described in subsection (c)(4) of such section. 
‘‘(f) MAINTENANCE OF ACCOUNT.—The Secretary shall 
maintain the subaccount described in section 313(b)(2), as 
in effect in fiscal year 2017, for purposes of carrying out 
this section.’’. 
(d) Section 313A of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 940c-1) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)(4)— 
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking 
‘‘maintained under section 313(b)(2)(A)’’ and 
inserting ‘‘that shall be maintained as required 
by sections 313(b)(2) and 313B(f)’’; and 
(B) in subparagraph (B), by striking 
‘‘313(b)(2)(B)’’ and inserting ‘‘313(b)(2)’’; and 
(2) in subsection (e)(2), by striking ‘‘ main-
tained under section 313(b)(2)(A)’’ and inserting ‘‘re-
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quired to be maintained by sections 313(b)(2) and 
313B(f)’’. 
(e)(1) Subject to section 313B(e) of the Rural Elec-
trification Act of 1936 (as added by this section), the Sec-
retary of Agriculture shall carry out the loan and grant 
program required under such section in the same manner 
as the loan and grant program under section 313(b)(2) of 
such Act is carried out on the day before the date of the 
enactment of this Act, until such time as any regulations 
necessary to carry out the amendments made by this section 
are fully implemented. 
(2) Paragraph (1) shall take effect on the date of the 
enactment of this Act. 
Subtitle E—Farm Security and 
Rural Investment Act of 2002 
SEC. 6401. RURAL ENERGY SAVINGS PROGRAM. 
Section 6407 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107a) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (c)— 
(A) 
by 
redesignating 
paragraphs 
(4) 
through (7) as paragraphs (5) through (8), re-
spectively; 
(B) by inserting after paragraph (3) the fol-
lowing: 
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381 
‘‘(4) ELIGIBILITY FOR OTHER LOANS.—The Sec-
retary shall not include any debt incurred under this 
section in the calculation of a borrower’s debt-equity 
ratio for purposes of eligibility for loans made pursu-
ant to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 
901 et. seq.).’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) ACCOUNTING.—The Secretary shall take ap-
propriate steps to streamline the accounting require-
ments imposed on borrowers under this section while 
maintaining adequate assurances of repayment of the 
loan.’’; 
(2) in subsection (d)(1)(A), by striking ‘‘3 per-
cent’’ and inserting ‘‘5 percent’’; 
(3) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection 
(i); 
(4) by inserting after subsection (g) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(h) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 120 days 
after the end of each fiscal year, the Secretary shall submit 
to the Committees on Agriculture and Appropriations of the 
House of Representatives and the Committees on Agri-
culture, Nutrition, and Forestry and Appropriations of the 
Senate a report that describes— 
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‘‘(1) the number of applications received under 
this section in such fiscal year; 
‘‘(2) the number of loans made to eligible entities 
under this section in such fiscal year; and 
‘‘(3) the recipients of such loans.’’; and 
(5) in subsection (i), as so redesignated, by strik-
ing ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6402. BIOBASED MARKETS PROGRAM. 
Section 9002 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8102) is amended— 
(1) by amending subsection (i) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(i) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023.’’; and 
(2) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(k) WOOD AND WOOD-BASED PRODUCTS.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, a Federal agency may 
not place limitations on the procurement of wood and wood- 
based products that are more limiting than those in this 
section.’’. 
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383 
SEC. 6403. BIOREFINERY, RENEWABLE, CHEMICAL, AND 
BIOBASED PRODUCT MANUFACTURING AS-
SISTANCE. 
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), by striking ‘‘and’’ at 
the end and inserting ‘‘or’’; and 
(2) by amending subsection (g) to read as fol-
lows: 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$75,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023.’’. 
SEC. 6404. REPOWERING ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
Section 9004(d) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8104(d)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2014 through 2023.’’. 
SEC. 
6405. 
BIOENERGY 
PROGRAM 
FOR 
ADVANCED 
BIOFUELS. 
Section 9005 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest-
ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8105) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (e)— 
(A) by striking ‘‘The Secretary may’’ and 
inserting the following new paragraph: 
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384 
‘‘(1) AMOUNT.—The Secretary shall’’; and 
(B) by adding at the end the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(2) FEEDSTOCK.—The total amount of pay-
ments made in a fiscal year under this section to one 
or more eligible producers for the production of ad-
vanced biofuels derived from a single eligible com-
modity shall not exceed one-third of the total amount 
of funds made available under subsection (g).’’; and 
(2) in subsection (g)— 
(A) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and 
inserting the following new paragraph: 
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023.’’; and 
(B) by redesignating paragraph (3) as 
paragraph (2). 
SEC. 6406. BIODIESEL FUEL EDUCATION PROGRAM. 
Section 9006(d) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8106(d)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 
authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 through 2023.’’. 
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385 
SEC. 6407. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 
Section 9007(g) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107(g)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(E), by striking ‘‘for fiscal 
year 2014 and each fiscal year thereafter’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2018’’; 
and 
(2) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and in-
serting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6408. CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION FOR GRANTS AND FI-
NANCIAL ASSISTANCE MADE UNDER THE 
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 by adding 
at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) CATEGORICAL EXCLUSION.—The provision of a 
grant or financial assistance under this section to any elec-
tric generating facility, including one fueled with wind, 
solar, or biomass, that has a rating of 10 average megawatts 
or less is a category of actions hereby designated as being 
categorically excluded from any requirement to prepare an 
environmental assessment or an environmental impact 
statement under section 102 of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4332).’’. 
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386 
SEC. 6409. 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. 6410. FEEDSTOCK FLEXIBILITY. 
Section 9010(b) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8110(b)) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (1)(A), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’; and 
(2) in paragraph (2)(A), by striking ‘‘2018’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6411. BIOMASS CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 
Section 9011(f) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8111(f)) is amended by 
striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following new 
paragraph: 
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.— 
There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2019 
through 2023.’’. 
Subtitle F—Miscellaneous 
SEC. 6501. VALUE-ADDED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT MAR-
KET DEVELOPMENT GRANTS. 
Section 231(b)(7) of the Agricultural Risk Protection 
Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 1632a(b)(7)) is amended— 
(1) 
in 
subparagraph 
(B), 
by 
striking 
‘‘$40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 
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2018’’ and inserting ‘‘$50,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2019 through 2023’’; and 
(2) by striking subparagraph (A) and redesig-
nating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs 
(A) and (B), respectively. 
SEC. 
6502. 
AGRICULTURE 
INNOVATION 
CENTER 
DEM-
ONSTRATION PROGRAM. 
Section 6402(i) of the Farm Security and Rural In-
vestment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1632b(i)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6503. REGIONAL ECONOMIC AND INFRASTRUCTURE 
DEVELOPMENT COMMISSIONS. 
Section 15751(a) of title 40, United States Code, is 
amended by striking ‘‘2018’’ and inserting ‘‘2023’’. 
SEC. 6504. DEFINITION OF RURAL AREA FOR PURPOSES OF 
THE HOUSING ACT OF 1949. 
The second sentence of section 520 of the Housing Act 
of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1490) is amended— 
(1) by striking ‘‘or 2010 decennial census’’ and 
inserting ‘‘2010, or 2020 decennial census’’; 
(2) by striking ‘‘December 31, 2010,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘December 31, 2020,’’ ; and 
(3) by striking ‘‘year 2020’’ and inserting ‘‘year 
2030’’. 
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Subtitle G—Program Repeals 
SEC. 6601. ELIMINATION OF UNFUNDED PROGRAMS. 
(a) CONSOLIDATED FARM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 
ACT.— 
(1) REPEALERS.—The following provisions of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act are 
hereby repealed: 
(A) 
Section 
306(a)(23) 
(7 
U.S.C. 
1926(a)(23)). 
(B) Section 310B(f) (7 U.S.C. 1932(f)). 
(C) Section 379 (7 U.S.C. 2008n). 
(D) Section 379A (7 U.S.C. 2008o). 
(E) Section 379C (7 U.S.C. 2008q). 
(F) Section 379D (7 U.S.C. 2008r). 
(G) Section 379F (7 U.S.C. 2008t). 
(H) Subtitle I (7 U.S.C. 2009dd–2009dd-7). 
(2) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 333A(h) 
of such Act (7 U.S.C. 1983a(h)) is amended by strik-
ing ‘‘310B(f),’’. 
(b) RURAL ELECTRIFICATION ACT OF 1936.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The following provisions of 
the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 are hereby re-
pealed: 
(A) Section 314 (7 U.S.C. 940d). 
(B) Section 602 (7 U.S.C. 950bb-1). 
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389 
(2) CONFORMING
AMENDMENT.—Sections 604 
and 605 of such Act, as added by sections 6102 and 
6115 of this Act, are redesignated as sections 602 and 
604, respectively, and section 602 (as so redesignated) 
is transferred to just after section 601 of the Rural 
Electrification Act of 1936. 
SEC. 6602. REPEAL OF RURAL TELEPHONE BANK. 
(a) REPEAL.—Title IV of the Rural Electrification Act 
of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 941–950b) is repealed. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 
(1) Section 18 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 918) is 
amended in each of subsections (a) and (b) by strik-
ing ‘‘and the Governor of the telephone bank’’. 
(2) Section 204 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 925) is 
amended by striking ‘‘and the Governor of the tele-
phone bank’’. 
(3) Section 205(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 926) is 
amended— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘and the Governor of the telephone 
bank’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘or the 
Governor of the telephone bank’’. 
(4) Section 206(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 927(a)) 
is amended— 
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390 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘and the Governor of the telephone 
bank’’; and 
(B) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘or 408’’. 
(5) Section 206(b) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 927(b)) 
is amended— 
(A) in the matter preceding paragraph (1), 
by striking ‘‘and the Governor of the telephone 
bank’’; 
(B) in paragraph (1), by striking ‘‘, or a 
Rural Telephone Bank loan,’’; and 
(C) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘, the 
Rural Telephone Bank,’’. 
(6) Section 207(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 928(1)) 
is amended— 
(A) by striking ‘‘305,’’ and inserting ‘‘ 305 
or’’; and 
(B) by striking ‘‘, or a loan under section 
408,’’. 
(7) Section 301 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 931) is 
amended— 
(A) in paragraph (3), by striking ‘‘except 
for net collection proceeds previously appro-
priated for the purchase of class A stock in the 
Rural Telephone Bank,’’; 
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391 
(B) by adding ‘‘or’’ at the end of paragraph 
(4); 
(C) by striking ‘‘; and’’ at the end of para-
graph (5) and inserting a period; and 
(D) by striking paragraph (6). 
(8) Section 305(d)(2)(B) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
935(d)(2)(B)) is amended— 
(A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘and a loan 
under section 408’’; and 
(B) in clause (ii), by striking ‘‘and under 
section 408’’ each place it appears. 
(9) Section 305(d)(3)(C) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
935(d)(3)(C)) is amended by striking ‘‘and section 
408(b)(4)(C), the Secretary and the Governor of the 
telephone bank’’ and inserting ‘‘the Secretary’’. 
(10) Section 306 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 936) is 
amended by striking ‘‘the Rural Telephone Bank, Na-
tional Rural Utilities Cooperative Finance Corpora-
tion,’’ and inserting ‘‘the National Rural Utilities Co-
operative Finance Corporation’’. 
(11) Section 309 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 739) is 
amended by striking the last sentence. 
(12) Section 2352(b) of the Food, Agriculture, 
Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 901 
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392 
note) is amended by striking ‘‘the Rural Telephone 
Bank and’’. 
(13) The first section of Public Law 92–12 (7 
U.S.C. 921a) is repealed. 
(14) The first section of Public Law 92–324 (7 
U.S.C. 921b) is repealed. 
(15) Section 1414 of the Omnibus Budget Rec-
onciliation Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 944a) is repealed. 
(16) Section 1411 of the Omnibus Budget Rec-
onciliation Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 948 notes) is 
amended by striking subsections (a) and (b). 
(17) Section 3.8(b)(1)(A) of the Farm Credit Act 
of 1971 (12 U.S.C. 2129(b)(1)(A)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘or a loan or loan commitment from the 
Rural Telephone Bank,’’. 
(18) Section 105(d) of the National Consumer 
Cooperative Bank Act (12 U.S.C. 3015(d)) is amend-
ed by striking ‘‘the Rural Telephone Bank,’’. 
(19) Section 9101 of title 31, United States 
Code, is amended— 
(A) in paragraph (2), by striking subpara-
graph (H) and redesignating subparagraphs (I), 
(J), and (K) as subparagraphs (H), (I), and (J), 
respectively; and 
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393 
(B) in paragraph (3), by striking subpara-
graph (K) and redesignating subparagraphs (L) 
through (R) as subparagraphs (K) through (P), 
respectively. 
(20) Section 9108(d)(2) of title 31, United States 
Code, is amended by striking ‘‘the Rural Telephone 
Bank (when the ownership, control, and operation of 
the Bank are converted under section 410(a) of the 
Rural 
Electrification 
Act 
of 
1936 
(7 
U.S.C. 
950(a))),’’. 
SEC. 6603. AMENDMENTS TO LOCAL TV ACT. 
The Launching Our Communities’ Access to Local Tel-
evision Act of 2000 (title X of H.R. 5548 of the 106th Con-
gress, as enacted by section 1(a)(2) of Public Law 106–553; 
114 Stat. 2762A–128) is amended— 
(1) by striking the title heading and inserting 
the following: 
‘‘TITLE X—SATELLITE CARRIER 
RETRANSMISSION ELIGIBILITY’’; 
(2) by striking sections 1001 through 1007 and 
1009 through 1012; and 
(3) by redesignating section 1008 as section 
1001. 
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394 
Subtitle H—Technical Corrections 
SEC. 6701. CORRECTIONS RELATING TO THE CONSOLI-
DATED FARM AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT 
ACT. 
(a)(1) Section 306(a)(19)(A) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926(a)(19)(A)) is 
amended by inserting after ‘‘nonprofit corporations’’ the 
following: ‘‘, Indian tribes (as defined in section 4(e) of the 
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance 
Act)’’. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in section 773 of the Agriculture, Rural 
Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related 
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (H.R. 5426 of the 106th 
Congress, as enacted by Public Law 106–387 (114 Stat. 
1549A–45)) in lieu of the amendment made by such section. 
(b)(1) Section 309A(b) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1929a(b)) is amended by 
striking ‘‘and section 308’’. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 661(c)(2) 
of the Federal Agricultural Improvement and Reform Act 
of 1996 (Public Law 104–127). 
(c) Section 310B(c)(3)(A)(v) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(c)(3)(A)(v)) is 
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395 
amended by striking ‘‘and’’ after the semicolon and insert-
ing ‘‘or’’. 
(d)(1) Section 310B(e)(5)(F) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)(5)(F)) is 
amended by inserting ‘‘, except that the Secretary shall not 
require non-Federal financial support in an amount that 
is greater than 5 percent in the case of a 1994 institution 
(as defined in section 532 of the Equity in Educational 
Land-Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public 
Law 103–382))’’ before the period at the end. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 6015 of the 
Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Public 
Law 107–171). 
(e)(1) Section 381E(d)(3) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009d(d)(3)) is 
amended by striking subparagraph (A) and redesignating 
subparagraphs (B) and (C) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), 
respectively. 
(2) The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 6012(b) of 
the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113–79). 
(f)(1) Section 382A of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009aa) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
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396 
‘‘(4) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
the State of Alabama shall be a full member of the 
Delta Regional Authority and shall be entitled to all 
rights and privileges that said membership affords to 
all other participating States in the Delta Regional 
Authority.’’. 
(2) The amendment made by this subsection shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 153(b) of 
division B of H.R. 5666, as introduced in the 106th Con-
gress, and as enacted by section 1(4) of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2001 (Appendix D of Public Law 106– 
554; 114 Stat. 2763A–252). 
(g) Section 382E(a)(1)(B) of the Consolidated Farm 
and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C.2009aa-4(a)(1)(B)) 
is amended by moving clause (iv) 2 ems to the right. 
(h) Section 383G(c) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2009bb-5(c)) is amend-
ed— 
(1) in the subsection heading by striking ‘‘TELE-
COMMUNICATION RENEWABLE ENERGY,,’’ and insert-
ing ‘‘TELECOMMUNICATION, RENEWABLE ENERGY,’’; 
and 
(2) in the text, by striking ‘‘,,’’ and inserting a 
comma. 
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397 
SEC. 6702. CORRECTIONS RELATING TO THE RURAL ELEC-
TRIFICATION ACT OF 1936. 
(a) Section 201 of the Rural Electrification Act of 
1936 (7 U.S.C. 922) is amended in the 3rd sentence by 
striking ‘‘wildest’’ and inserting ‘‘widest’’. 
(b)(1) Section 601(d)(8)(A)(ii)(V) of such Act (7 
U.S.C. 950bb(d)(8)(A)(ii)(V)) is amended by striking the 
semicolon and inserting a period. 
(2) The amendment made by paragraph (1) shall take 
effect as if included in the enactment of section 
6104(a)(2)(E) of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 
113–79). 
TITLE VII—RESEARCH, EXTEN-
SION, 
AND 
RELATED 
MAT-
TERS 
Subtitle A—National Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Teach-
ing Policy Act of 1977 
SEC. 7101. INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE RESEARCH. 
Section 1402 of the National Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 
3101) is amended— 
(1) in paragraph (7), by striking ‘‘and’’ at the 
end; 
(2) in paragraph (8), by striking the period at 
the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
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398 
(3) by adding at the end the following new para-
graph: 
‘‘(9) support international scientific collabora-
tion that leverages resources and advances the food 
and agricultural interests of the United States.’’. 
SEC. 7102. MATTERS RELATED TO CERTAIN SCHOOL DES-
IGNATIONS AND DECLARATIONS. 
(a) STUDY OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES.— 
(1) AMENDMENT.—Section 1404(14) of the Na-
tional Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teach-
ing Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103(14)) is amend-
ed— 
(A) by amending subparagraph (A) to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.— 
‘‘(i) DEFINITION.—The terms ‘NLGCA 
Institution’ and ‘non-land-grant college of 
agriculture’ mean a public college or uni-
versity offering a baccalaureate or higher 
degree in the study of agricultural sciences, 
forestry, or both in any area of study speci-
fied in clause (ii). 
‘‘(ii) CLARIFICATION.—For purposes of 
clause (i), an area of study specified in this 
clause is any of the following: 
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399 
‘‘(I) Agriculture. 
‘‘(II) Agricultural business and 
management. 
‘‘(III) Agricultural economics. 
‘‘(IV) Agricultural mechanization. 
‘‘(V) Agricultural production op-
erations. 
‘‘(VI) Aquaculture. 
‘‘(VII) 
Agricultural 
and 
food 
products processing. 
‘‘(VIII) Agricultural and domestic 
animal services. 
‘‘(IX) Equestrian or equine stud-
ies. 
‘‘(X) Applied horticulture or hor-
ticulture operations. 
‘‘(XI) Ornamental horticulture. 
‘‘(XII) Greenhouse operations and 
management. 
‘‘(XIII) Turf and turfgrass man-
agement. 
‘‘(XIV) Plant nursery operations 
and management. 
‘‘(XV) Floriculture or floristry op-
erations and management. 
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‘‘(XVI) International agriculture. 
‘‘(XVII) Agricultural public serv-
ices. 
‘‘(XVIII) Agricultural and exten-
sion education services. 
‘‘(XIX) Agricultural communica-
tion or agricultural journalism. 
‘‘(XX) Animal sciences. 
‘‘(XXI) Food science. 
‘‘(XXII) Plant sciences. 
‘‘(XXIII) Soil sciences. 
‘‘(XXIV) Forestry. 
‘‘(XXV) Forest sciences and biol-
ogy. 
‘‘(XXVI) Natural resources or con-
servation. 
‘‘(XXVII) Natural resources man-
agement and policy. 
‘‘(XXVIII) Natural resource eco-
nomics. 
‘‘(XXIX) Urban forestry. 
‘‘(XXX) Wood science and wood 
products or pulp or paper technology. 
‘‘(XXXI) Range science and man-
agement. 
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