TITLE VIII—MISCELLANEOUS
PROVISIONS
SEC. 801. EXPANSION OF ISSUES COVERED BY STATE MEDI-
ATION PROGRAMS.
(a) EXPANSION OF MEDIATION PROGRAMS.—Section
501 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1987 (7 U.S.C. 5101)
is amended—
(1) in subsection (a), by striking ‘‘an agricul-
tural loan mediation program’’ and inserting ‘‘a me-
diation program’’;
(2) in subsection (b), by striking ‘‘agricultural
loan’’; and
(3) by striking subsection (c) and inserting the
following new subsection:
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS
OF STATE MEDIATION PRO-
GRAMS.—
‘‘(1) ISSUES
COVERED.—To be certified as a
qualifying State, the mediation program of the State
must provide mediation services for the persons de-
scribed in paragraph (2) who are involved in agricul-
tural loans or agricultural loans and one or more of
the following issues under the jurisdiction of the De-
partment of Agriculture:
‘‘(A) Wetlands determinations.
‘‘(B) Compliance with farm programs, in-
cluding conservation programs.
‘‘(C) Agricultural credit.
‘‘(D) Rural water loan programs.
‘‘(E) Grazing on National Forest System
lands.
‘‘(F) Pesticides.
‘‘(G) Such other issues as the Secretary con-
siders appropriate.
‘‘(2) PERSONS ELIGIBLE FOR MEDIATION.—The
persons referred to in paragraph (1) are producers,
their creditors (if applicable), and other persons di-
rectly affected by actions of the Department of Agri-
culture.
‘‘(3) CERTIFICATION
CONDITIONS.—The Sec-
retary shall certify a State as a qualifying State with
respect to the issues proposed to be covered by the me-
diation program of the State if the mediation pro-
gram—
‘‘(A) provides for mediation services that, if
decisions are reached, result in mediated, mutu-
ally agreeable decisions between the parties to the
mediation;
‘‘(B) is authorized or administered by an
agency of the State government or by the Gov-
ernor of the State;
‘‘(C) provides for the training of mediators;
‘‘(D) provides that the mediation sessions
shall be confidential;
‘‘(E) ensures, in the case of agricultural
loans, that all lenders and borrowers of agricul-
tural loans receive adequate notification of the
mediation program; and
‘‘(F) ensures, in the case of other issues cov-
ered by the mediation program, that persons di-
rectly affected by actions of the Department of
Agriculture receive adequate notification of the
mediation program.’’.
(b) PARTICIPATION OF DEPARTMENT.—Section 503 of
such Act (7 U.S.C. 5103) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘agricultural loan’’ each place it
appears;
(2) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A) of
subsection (a)(1)—
(A) by inserting ‘‘or agency’’ after ‘‘pro-
gram’’; and
(B) by striking ‘‘that makes, guarantees, or
insures agricultural loans’’;
(3) in subsection (a)(1)(A)—
(A) by inserting ‘‘or agency’’ after ‘‘such
program’’; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘certified under section
501’’ after ‘‘mediation program’’;
(4) in subsection (a)(1)(B)—
(A) by striking ‘‘, effective beginning on the
date of the enactment of this Act,’’; and
(B) by inserting ‘‘certified under section
501’’ after ‘‘mediation programs’’; and
(5) in subsection (a)(1)(C)—
(A) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘described in’’
and inserting ‘‘certified under’’; and
(B) in clause (ii), by inserting ‘‘if applica-
ble,’’ before ‘‘present’’.
(c) REGULATIONS.—Section 504 of such Act (7 U.S.C.
5104) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘Within 150 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the’’ and inserting
‘‘The’’; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new sen-
tence: ‘‘The regulations prescribed by the Secretary
shall require qualifying States to adequately train
mediators to address all of the issues covered by the
mediation program of the State.’’.