H. R. 4818—32
accounting records of the Rural Telephone Bank the creation of
which has not specifically been authorized by statute: Provided,
That notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds
appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used
to transfer to the Treasury or to the Federal Financing Bank
any unobligated balance of the Rural Telephone Bank telephone
liquidating account which is in excess of current requirements and
such balance shall receive interest as set forth for financial accounts
in section 505(c) of the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990.
SEC. 714. Of the funds made available by this Act, not more
than $1,800,000 shall be used to cover necessary expenses of activi-
ties related to all advisory committees, panels, commissions, and
task forces of the Department of Agriculture, except for panels
used to comply with negotiated rule makings and panels used
to evaluate competitively awarded grants.
SEC. 715. None of the funds appropriated by this Act may
be used to carry out section 410 of the Federal Meat Inspection
Act (21 U.S.C. 679a) or section 30 of the Poultry Products Inspection
Act (21 U.S.C. 471).
SEC. 716. No employee of the Department of Agriculture may
be detailed or assigned from an agency or office funded by this
Act to any other agency or office of the Department for more
than 30 days unless the individual’s employing agency or office
is fully reimbursed by the receiving agency or office for the salary
and expenses of the employee for the period of assignment.
SEC. 717. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made
available to the Department of Agriculture shall be used to transmit
or otherwise make available to any non-Department of Agriculture
employee questions or responses to questions that are a result
of information requested for the appropriations hearing process.
SEC. 718. None of the funds made available to the Department
of Agriculture by this Act may be used to acquire new information
technology systems or significant upgrades, as determined by the
Office of the Chief Information Officer, without the approval of
the Chief Information Officer and the concurrence of the Executive
Information Technology Investment Review Board: Provided, That
notwithstanding any other provision of law, none of the funds
appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be trans-
ferred to the Office of the Chief Information Officer without the
prior approval of the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses
of Congress: Provided further, That none of the funds available
to the Department of Agriculture for information technology shall
be obligated for projects over $25,000 prior to receipt of written
approval by the Chief Information Officer.
SEC. 719. (a) None of the funds provided by this Act, or provided
by previous Appropriations Acts to the agencies funded by this
Act that remain available for obligation or expenditure in the cur-
rent fiscal year, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury
of the United States derived by the collection of fees available
to the agencies funded by this Act, shall be available for obligation
or expenditure through a reprogramming of funds which: (1) creates
new programs; (2) eliminates a program, project, or activity; (3)
increases funds or personnel by any means for any project or
activity for which funds have been denied or restricted; (4) relocates
an office or employees; (5) reorganizes offices, programs, or activi-
ties; or (6) contracts out or privatizes any functions or activities
presently performed by Federal employees; unless the Committees
H. R. 4818—33
on Appropriations of both Houses of Congress are notified 15 days
in advance of such reprogramming of funds.
(b) None of the funds provided by this Act, or provided by
previous Appropriations Acts to the agencies funded by this Act
that remain available for obligation or expenditure in the current
fiscal year, or provided from any accounts in the Treasury of the
United States derived by the collection of fees available to the
agencies funded by this Act, shall be available for obligation or
expenditure for activities, programs, or projects through a re-
programming of funds in excess of $500,000 or 10 percent, which-
ever is less, that: (1) augments existing programs, projects, or
activities; (2) reduces by 10 percent funding for any existing pro-
gram, project, or activity, or numbers of personnel by 10 percent
as approved by Congress; or (3) results from any general savings
from a reduction in personnel which would result in a change
in existing programs, activities, or projects as approved by Congress;
unless the Committees on Appropriations of both Houses of Con-
gress are notified 15 days in advance of such reprogramming of
funds.
(c) The Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, or the Chairman of the Commodity Futures
Trading Commission shall notify the Committees on Appropriations
of both Houses of Congress before implementing a program or
activity not carried out during the previous fiscal year unless the
program or activity is funded by this Act or specifically funded
by any other Act.
SEC. 720. With the exception of funds needed to administer
and conduct oversight of grants awarded and obligations incurred
in prior fiscal years, none of the funds appropriated or otherwise
made available by this or any other Act may be used to pay
the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out the provisions
of section 401 of Public Law 105–185, the Initiative for Future
Agriculture and Food Systems (7 U.S.C. 7621).
SEC. 721. None of the funds appropriated by this or any other
Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel
who prepare or submit appropriations language as part of the
President’s Budget submission to the Congress of the United States
for programs under the jurisdiction of the Appropriations Sub-
committees on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug
Administration, and Related Agencies that assumes revenues or
reflects a reduction from the previous year due to user fees proposals
that have not been enacted into law prior to the submission of
the Budget unless such Budget submission identifies which addi-
tional spending reductions should occur in the event the user fees
proposals are not enacted prior to the date of the convening of
a committee of conference for the fiscal year 2006 appropriations
Act.
SEC. 722. None of the funds made available by this or any
other Act may be used to close or relocate a State Rural Develop-
ment office unless or until cost effectiveness and enhancement
of program delivery have been determined.
SEC. 723. In addition to amounts otherwise appropriated or
made available by this Act, $2,500,000 is appropriated for the
purpose of providing Bill Emerson and Mickey Leland Hunger
Fellowships, through the Congressional Hunger Center.
SEC. 724. Notwithstanding section 412 of the Agricultural Trade
Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1736f), any
H. R. 4818—34
balances available to carry out title III of such Act as of the
date of enactment of this Act, and any recoveries and reimburse-
ments that become available to carry out title III of such Act,
may be used to carry out title II of such Act.
SEC. 725. Section 375(e)(6)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2008j(e)(6)(B)) is amended by
striking ‘‘$26,998,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$27,998,000’’.
SEC. 726. (a) None of the funds appropriated or otherwise
made available by this Act shall be used to pay the salaries and
expenses of personnel to collect from the lender at the time of
issuance a guarantee fee of less than 2 percent of the principal
obligation of guaranteed single-family housing loans administered
by the Rural Housing Service: Provided, That this section shall
not apply to loans made to refinance other single-family housing
loans administered by the Rural Housing Service.
(b) Section 502(h)(6)(C) of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C.
1472(h)(6)(C)) is amended by inserting ‘‘, plus the guarantee fee
as authorized by subsection (h)(7)’’ after ‘‘whichever is less’’, in
each of paragraphs (i) and (ii).
SEC. 727. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, and
until receipt of the decennial Census in the year 2010, the Secretary
of Agriculture shall consider—
(1) the City of Salinas, California; the City of Watsonville,
California; and the City of Hollister, California, eligible for
programs administered by the Rural Housing Service;
(2) the Town of Horseshoe Beach, Florida; the City of
Wewahitchka, Florida; the City of Southport, Florida; the City
of Resota Beach, Florida; the City of Creedmoor, North Caro-
lina; the County of Lake, Florida; the City of St. Cloud, Florida;
the City of Plantation, Florida; the Cleburne County Water
Authority of Alabama; and the City of Coburg, Oregon, eligible
for loans and grants funded through the rural utilities programs
in the Rural Community Advancement Program account;
(3) the City of Casa Grande, Arizona, a rural area for
purposes of eligibility for loans and grants provided through
the Rural Housing Insurance Fund Program account, the Rural
Housing Assistance Grants account and the rural utilities pro-
grams in the Rural Community Advancement Program account;
(4) the City of Coachella, California, eligible for loans and
grants funded through the rural utilities programs and rural
business and cooperative development programs in the Rural
Community Advancement Program account and the Rural
Housing Insurance Fund Program account;
(5) the City of Springfield, Ohio; the City of Lexington,
Virginia; the City of Clarksdale, Mississippi; the City of Vicks-
burg, Mississippi; the City of Cache, Oklahoma; and the City
of Elgin, Oklahoma, eligible for loans and grants funded
through the rural community programs in the Rural Commu-
nity Advancement Program account;
(6) the City of Carbondale, Illinois, a rural area for purposes
of eligibility for loans and grants funded through the Rural
Housing Insurance Fund Program account and the Rural
Housing Assistance Grants account;
(7) the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, eligible for loans and
grants funded through the rural business and cooperative
development programs in the Rural Community Advancement
Program account relating to an application submitted to the