Title: To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to provide eligibility under the assistive technology program for farmers with disabilities to veterans with disabilities and their families.
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
This bill amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to reauthorize and modify the Department of Agriculture Assistive Technology Program for Farmers with Disabilities. (The program provides grants for programs to provide agricultural education and assistance directed at accommodating disability in farm operations for disabled individuals and family members engaged in farming and farm-related occupations.)
The bill modifies the program to specify that veterans are eligible for assistance under the program, including disabled veterans and family members who: (1) are engaged in farming and farm-related occupations, and (2) are pursuing new farming opportunities.
The bill also permits the grants to be used for programs that provide behavioral therapy programs to assist veterans with mental service-connected disabilities, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5448 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5448

To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to 
provide eligibility under the assistive technology program for farmers 
  with disabilities to veterans with disabilities and their families.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 10, 2018

   Mr. Soto introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to 
provide eligibility under the assistive technology program for farmers 
  with disabilities to veterans with disabilities and their families.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. VETERAN ELIGIBLITY FOR ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM FOR 
              FARMERS WITH DISABILITIES.

    Section 1680 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act 
of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5933) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) in paragraph (1)--
                            (i) by striking ``for individuals'' and 
                        inserting the following: ``for--
                    ``(A) individuals (including veterans)'';
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and''; and
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) veterans with disabilities who are pursuing 
                new farming opportunities and their families.'';
                    (B) in paragraph (2)--
                            (i) by striking ``serving individuals'' and 
                        inserting the following: ``serving--
                    ``(A) individuals (including veterans)'';
                            (ii) by striking the period at the end and 
                        inserting ``; and'';
                            (iii) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) veterans with disabilities, and their 
                families, who are pursuing new farming 
                opportunities.'';
                    (C) in paragraph (3)--
                            (i) in subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) by striking ``to individuals'' 
                                and inserting the following: ``to--
                            ``(i) individuals (including veterans)'';
                                    (II) by inserting ``and'' after the 
                                semicolon; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following new clause:
                            ``(ii) veterans with disabilities who are 
                        pursuing new farming opportunities;'';
                            (ii) in subparagraph (B)--
                                    (I) by striking ``to accommodate 
                                individuals'' and inserting the 
                                following: ``to accommodate--
                            ``(i) individuals (including veterans)'';
                                    (II) by inserting ``and'' after the 
                                semicolon; and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following new clause:
                            ``(ii) veterans with disabilities who are 
                        pursuing farming, farm living and farm-related 
                        tasks;''; and
                            (iii) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 
                        ``(including mental health providers)'' after 
                        ``professionals'';
                            (iv) in subparagraph (D)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``(including 
                                mental health providers)'' after 
                                ``health care providers'';
                                    (II) by striking ``to individuals'' 
                                and inserting the following: ``to--
                            ``(i) individuals (including veterans)''; 
                        and
                                    (III) by adding at the end the 
                                following new clause:
                            ``(ii) veterans with disabilities, and 
                        their families, who are pursuing new farming 
                        opportunities; and''; and
                                    (IV) by striking ``and'' at the 
                                end; and
                            (v) in subparagraph (E)--
                                    (I) by inserting ``(including 
                                veterans)'' after ``farmers with 
                                disabilities''; and
                                    (II) by striking the period at the 
                                end and inserting ``; and''; and
                            (vi) by adding at the end the following new 
                        subparagraph:
                    ``(F) provide behavioral therapy programs that 
                would assist veterans with mental service-connected 
                disabilities, such as post-traumatic stress 
                disorder.'';
            (2) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) by inserting ``(including veterans)'' after 
                ``individuals''; and
                    (B) by inserting ``or, in the case of veterans with 
                disabilities, who are pursuing new farming 
                opportunities'' before the period at the end;
            (3) in subsection (c)(1)(B), by striking ``2018'' and 
        inserting ``2023''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(d) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) The term `disability' has the meaning given such term 
        in section 3(1) of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 
        (42 U.S.C. 12102(1)).
            ``(2) The term `veteran' has the meaning given such term in 
        section 101 of title 38, United States Code.''.
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