Title: Nutrient Management Technical Service Provider Certification Act of 2018
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Nutrient Management Technical Service Provider Certification Act of 2018
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to provide alternative certification methods for third-party technical service providers (TSPs). (TSPs provide technical expertise to agricultural producers on behalf of the Department of Agriculture [USDA] Natural Resource Conservation Service to assist in planning and implementing conservation measures.)
USDA must approve certain professional certifications that meet or exceed national criteria and were established by:
A qualified certification includes a certifications as:

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5048 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5048

 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 with respect to eligibility to 
         become a third-party provider, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 15, 2018

  Mr. Bost (for himself and Mr. Soto) introduced the following bill; 
           which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 with respect to eligibility to 
         become a third-party provider, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Nutrient Management Technical 
Service Provider Certification Act of 2018''.

SEC. 2. AMENDMENT TO THE FOOD SECURITY ACT OF 1985.

    Section 1242(e) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3842(e)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(4) Alternative certification.--
                    ``(A) In general.--In carrying out this subsection, 
                the Secretary shall approve any qualified certification 
                that the Secretary determines to meet or exceed to the 
                national criteria provided under paragraph (3)(B).
                    ``(B) Qualified certification.--In this paragraph, 
                the term `qualified certification' means a professional 
                certification that is established by the Secretary, an 
                agriculture-related retailer, a farmer cooperative, the 
                American Society of Agronomy, or the National Alliance 
                of Independent Crop Consultants, including 
                certification--
                            ``(i) as a Certified Crop Advisor by the 
                        American Society for Agronomy;
                            ``(ii) as a Certified Professional 
                        Agronomist by the American Society for 
                        Agronomy; and
                            ``(iii) as a Comprehensive Nutrient 
                        Management Plan Specialist by the Secretary.''.
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