Title: Veterans' Agricultural Apprenticeship Act of 2017
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Veterans' Agricultural Apprenticeship Act of 2017
This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a program to make direct loans to farmers and ranchers who will provide mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans to learn the skills necessary to become successful farmers or ranchers.
USDA must carry out the program through agreements with state departments of agriculture that will: select veterans to participate in the program, secure established farmers and ranchers to provide the mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities, and make and administer direct loans to support the resulting mentorship and apprenticeship.
The loans must be made without interest and may not exceed a term of one year.
Of the amounts appropriated for FY2019-FY2023 for the Office of the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA must use $1 million for each of the fiscal years for the program.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4339 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4339

   To establish a Department of Agriculture loan program to support 
 mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans of the Armed 
                 Forces to become farmers or ranchers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            November 9, 2017

Mr. Bost (for himself, Mr. Lawson of Florida, Mr. Kinzinger, Mr. Rodney 
   Davis of Illinois, Mr. Shimkus, Mr. Moolenaar, and Mr. Carbajal) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
Agriculture, and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for 
a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To establish a Department of Agriculture loan program to support 
 mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans of the Armed 
                 Forces to become farmers or ranchers.

    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 ``Veterans' Agricultural 
Apprenticeship Act of 2017''.

SEC. 2. MENTORSHIP AND APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM FOR VETERANS OF THE ARMED 
              FORCES TO BECOME FARMERS AND RANCHERS.

    (a) Program Required.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish 
a program to make direct loans to farmers and ranchers who will provide 
mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities for veterans of the Armed 
Forces to learn the skills necessary to become a successful farmer or 
rancher.
    (b) Agreements With States.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall 
carry out the mentorship and apprenticeship program through agreements 
with State departments of agriculture that will--
            (1) select veterans to participate in the program;
            (2) secure established farmers and ranchers to provide the 
        mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities; and
            (3) make and administer direct loans to support the 
        resulting mentorship and apprenticeship.
    (c) Active Involvement.--As a condition of a loan under the 
mentorship and apprenticeship program, a participating veteran must be 
allowed to materially and substantially participate in the operation of 
the farm or ranch providing the mentorship and apprenticeship 
opportunities.
    (d) Terms of Loans.--
            (1) Interest rate.--A loan under the mentorship and 
        apprenticeship program shall be made without interest.
            (2) Term and repayment.--The term of a loan under the 
        program may not exceed one year and the loan shall be repaid 
        after the harvest season in such installments as the Secretary 
        may require.
    (e) Source of Funds.--Of the amounts appropriated for each of 
fiscal years 2019 through 2023 to fund operation of the Office of the 
Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary shall use $1,000,000 each of 
such fiscal years to carry out this section.
    (f) Comptroller General Report.--Not later than March 1, 2022, the 
Comptroller General of the United States shall submit to the Committee 
on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report evaluating 
the effectiveness of the mentorship and apprenticeship program in 
assisting veterans who participate in the program in becoming farmers 
and ranchers.
    (g) Veteran Defined.--In this section, the term ``veteran'' means 
an individual who has served in the Armed Forces (as defined in section 
101(10) of title 38, United States Code) and who has not previously 
operated a farm or ranch.
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