I
106TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4018
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act
of 1998 to establish an educational program to improve the risk manage-
ment skills of agricultural producers.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
MARCH 16, 2000
Mr. NETHERCUTT (for himself and Mr. LATHAM) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Edu-
cation Reform Act of 1998 to establish an educational
program to improve the risk management skills of agri-
cultural producers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. IMPROVED RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION.
Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7621 et seq.)
is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
‘‘SEC. 409. IMPROVED RISK MANAGEMENT EDUCATION FOR
AGRICULTURAL PRODUCERS.
‘‘(a) PROGRAM REQUIRED.—The Secretary of Agri-
culture shall carry out a program to improve the risk man-
agement skills of agricultural producers, including the
owners and operators of small farms, limited resource pro-
ducers, and other targeted audiences, to make informed
risk management decisions. The program is designed to
assist producers to develop the skills necessary—
‘‘(1) to understand the financial health and ca-
pability of the producer’s operation to withstand
price fluctuations, adverse weather, environmental
impacts, diseases, family crises, and other risks;
‘‘(2) to understand marketing alternatives, how
various commodity markets work, the use of crop in-
surance products, and the price risk inherent in var-
ious markets; and
‘‘(3) to understand legal, governmental, envi-
ronmental, and human resource issues that impact
the producer’s operation.
‘‘(b) COORDINATING CENTERS.—
‘‘(1) ESTABLISHMENT
AND
PURPOSE.—The
Secretary shall establish a Risk Management Edu-
cation Coordinating Center in each of five regions of
the United States to administer and coordinate the
provision of risk management education to producers
and their families under the program in that region.
‘‘(2) SITE SELECTION.—The Secretary shall lo-
cate the Center for a region at an existing risk man-
agement education coordinating office of the Cooper-
ative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service or at an appropriate alternative land-grant
college in the region approved by the Cooperative
State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
To be selected as the location for a Center, a land-
grant college must have the demonstrated capability
and capacity to carry out the program priorities,
funding distribution, and reporting requirements of
the program.
‘‘(c) COORDINATING COUNCIL.—Each Center shall
establish a coordinating council to assist in establishing
the funding and program priorities for that region. The
council shall consist of a minimum of five members, in-
cluding representatives from the following sources:
‘‘(1) Public organizations.
‘‘(2) Private organizations.
‘‘(3) Agricultural producers.
‘‘(4) The Regional Service Offices of the Risk
Management Agency in that region.
‘‘(d) CENTER ACTIVITIES.—
‘‘(1) INSTRUCTION
FOR
RISK
MANAGEMENT
PROFESSIONALS.—Each Center shall coordinate the
offering of intensive risk management instructional
programs, involving classroom, distant learning, and
field training work, for professionals who work with
agricultural producers. These professionals include—
‘‘(A) extension specialists;
‘‘(B) county extension faculty;
‘‘(C) private service providers; and
‘‘(D) other individuals who are involved in
providing risk management education.
‘‘(2) 
EDUCATION
PROGRAMS
FOR
PRO-
DUCERS.—Each Center shall coordinate the provi-
sion of educational programs, including workshops,
short courses, seminars, and distant-learning mod-
ules, to improve the risk management skills of agri-
cultural producers and their families.
‘‘(3) DEVELOPMENT
AND
DISSEMINATION
OF
MATERIALS.—Each Center shall coordinate the ef-
forts to develop new risk management education ma-
terials and the dissemination of such materials.
‘‘(4) COORDINATION
OF
RESOURCES.—Each
Center shall make use of available and emerging risk
management information, materials, and delivery
systems, after careful evaluation of the content and
suitability of the information, materials, and delivery
systems for producers and their families. The Cen-
ters shall use available expertise from land-grant col-
leges, nongovernmental organizations, government
agencies, and the private sector to assist in con-
ducting this evaluation.
‘‘(e) GRANTS.—
‘‘(1) SPECIAL GRANTS.—Each Center shall re-
serve a portion of the funds provided under this sec-
tion to make special grants to land-grant colleges
and private entities in the region to conduct one or
more of the activities described in subsection (d).
‘‘(2) COMPETITIVE GRANTS.—Each Center shall
also reserve a portion of the funds provided under
this section to conduct a competitive grant program
to award grants to both public and private entities
that have a demonstrated capability to conduct one
or more of the activities described in subsection (d).
‘‘(f) NATIONAL AGRICULTURE RISK EDUCATION LI-
BRARY.—The National Agriculture Risk Education Li-
brary is a central focus for the coordination and distribu-
tion of risk management educational materials. The Li-
brary shall serve as a means for the electronic delivery
of risk management information and materials.
‘‘(g) FUNDING PROVISIONS.—
‘‘(1) AUTHORIZATION
OF
APPROPRIATIONS.—
There is authorized to be appropriated $30,000,000
for fiscal year 2001 and each subsequent fiscal year
to carry out this section.
‘‘(2) DISTRIBUTION.—Funds appropriated to
carry out this section for a fiscal year shall be equal-
ly distributed among the Centers, except that 2.5
percent of such funds shall be distributed to the Na-
tional Agriculture Risk Education Library. The
land-grant college at which a Center is located shall
be responsible for administering and disbursing such
funds, in accordance with applicable State and Fed-
eral financial guidelines, for activities authorized by
this section.
‘‘(3) PROHIBITION
ON
CONSTRUCTION.—Cen-
ters shall be located in existing facilities. Funds pro-
vided under this section to a Center or as a grant
under subsection (e) may not be used to carry out
facility construction.
‘‘(h) EVALUATION.—The Secretary, acting through
the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension
Service, shall evaluate the activities of the Centers to de-
termine whether the risk management skills of agricul-
tural producers and their families are improved as a result
of their participation in educational activities financed