Title: PLACES Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Providing Land Grants and Acequias Conservation and Environmental Services Act or the PLACES Act
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enter into an alternative funding arrangement under any USDA conservation program with an entity that: (1) is comprised of members who are producers that are eligible for payments under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and (2) is a local governmental entity that does not have the authority to impose taxes or levies.
(An alternative funding arrangement would allow certain community irrigation associations and community land grants to receive assistance directly from the conservation programs.) USDA may also provide technical and administrative assistance under the alternative funding arrangement.
USDA may enter into an arrangement if: (1) the goals and objectives of the applicable conservation program will be met by the arrangement, and (2) statutory limitations regarding contracts with individual producers will not be exceeded by any member of the entity.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2133 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2133

 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the Secretary of 
Agriculture to enter into alternative funding arrangements with certain 
      community irrigation associations and community land grants.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2017

Mr. Udall (for himself and Mr. Heinrich) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to authorize the Secretary of 
Agriculture to enter into alternative funding arrangements with certain 
      community irrigation associations and community land grants.

    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 ``Providing Land Grants and Acequias 
Conservation and Environmental Services Act'' or the ``PLACES Act''.

SEC. 2. ALTERNATIVE FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMUNITY IRRIGATION 
              ASSOCIATIONS AND COMMUNITY LAND GRANTS.

    Section 1244 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3844) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(m) Alternative Funding Arrangements for Community Irrigation 
Associations and Community Land Grants.--
            ``(1) Definition of eligible entity.--In this subsection, 
        the term `eligible entity' means an entity that, as determined 
        by the Secretary--
                    ``(A) is comprised of members who are producers 
                that are eligible for payments under the environmental 
                quality incentives program established under chapter 4 
                of subtitle D; and
                    ``(B) is a local governmental entity that does not 
                have the authority to impose taxes or levies.
            ``(2) Alternative funding arrangements.--The Secretary may 
        enter into an alternative funding arrangement under any 
        conservation program administered by the Secretary with an 
        eligible entity if the Secretary determines that--
                    ``(A) the goals and objectives of the applicable 
                program will be met by the arrangement; and
                    ``(B) statutory limitations regarding contracts 
                with individual producers will not be exceeded by any 
                member of the eligible entity.
            ``(3) Technical and administrative assistance.--The 
        Secretary may provide technical and administrative assistance, 
        as mutually agreed by the parties, under an alternative funding 
        arrangement entered into under paragraph (2).''.
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