Title: Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act
This bill directs the Agricultural Marketing Service of the Department of Agriculture to establish a program to award grants to states or state departments of agriculture to provide support to agricultural fairs for losses sustained by such fairs due to COVID-19.
As a condition of receiving a grant, recipients shall agree to (1) prioritize supporting agricultural fairs in the state facing the greatest financial hardship, and (2) use not more than 5% of grant funds for administrative costs incurred in providing support to agricultural fairs.

[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2424 Introduced in House (IH)]

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117th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2424

  To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under 
  which the Secretary awards grants to States or State departments of 
agriculture for the purposes of providing support to agricultural fairs 
                 for losses sustained due to COVID-19.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 8, 2021

 Mr. Panetta (for himself, Mr. Long, Mr. Levin of California, and Mr. 
  Newhouse) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program under 
  which the Secretary awards grants to States or State departments of 
agriculture for the purposes of providing support to agricultural fairs 
                 for losses sustained due to COVID-19.

    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 ``Agricultural Fairs Rescue Act''.

SEC. 2. AGRICULTURAL FAIR RESCUE GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than September 30, 2021, the Secretary 
of Agriculture, acting through the Administrator of the Agricultural 
Marketing Service, shall award a grant to each State department of 
agriculture (or other appropriate State agency assigned with the 
promotion of agricultural fairs) for the purposes of providing support 
to eligible agricultural fairs for losses sustained by such fairs due 
to COVID-19.
    (b) Amount of Grant.--The amount of a grant to a State or State 
department of agriculture under this section shall be based on the 
difference between the average attendance at agricultural fairs in the 
State for a calendar year occurring during the 3-calendar-year period 
beginning with calendar year 2017 (or over a shorter period, if 
attendance data is not available for the entire 3-calendar-year period) 
compared to calendar year 2020.
    (c) Conditions.--As a condition on the receipt of a grant under 
this section, a State or State department of agriculture shall agree--
            (1) to prioritize supporting eligible agricultural fairs in 
        the State facing the greatest financial hardship; and
            (2) to use not more than 5 percent of grant funds for 
        administrative costs incurred in providing support to eligible 
        agricultural fairs.
    (d) Use of Funds.--A State or State department of agriculture 
selected to receive a grant under this section may only use grant funds 
to assist eligible agricultural fairs that--
            (1) host annual events that are drivers and promoters of 
        agribusiness in the State (as determined by the State);
            (2) have experienced a closure, stoppage, or cancellation 
        of a local, county or State fair operations as a direct or 
        indirect result of--
                    (A) the COVID-19 national emergency; or
                    (B) any associated actions taken by any 
                governmental authority at the Federal, State, county, 
                or municipal level in response to that national 
                emergency;
            (3) agree to, and demonstrate the intent to, re-establish a 
        fair within 18 months of the termination of the declaration 
        specified in subsection (f)(2);
            (4) agree to use all grant funds within the 18-month period 
        that begins on the date on which such funds are received; and
            (5) agree to use funds received pursuant to this section 
        for operating capital expenses, to reimburse operating expenses 
        paid from reserves not originally intended for operating 
        expenses, repay indebtedness incurred to pay operating 
        expenses, or repay other third parties that contributed to 
        funding operating expenses, but not for capital improvements.
    (e) Funding.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        make grants under this section $500,000,000 for fiscal year 
        2021, each succeeding fiscal year occurring during the COVID-19 
        national emergency, and the first fiscal year immediately 
        following the termination of such national emergency.
            (2) Administrative expenses.--Of the funds made available 
        under paragraph (1) to carry out this section for a fiscal 
        year, not more than 8 percent may be used for expenses related 
        to administering the program under this section.
    (f) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Eligible agricultural fair.--The term ``eligible 
        agricultural fair'' means a local, county, or State fair that--
                    (A) is a subunit of a government entity, a public 
                corporation organized and existing pursuant to State 
                law, or is owned and operated as a not-for-profit 
                organization described in section 501(c) of the 
                Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and exempt from taxation 
                under section 501(a) of such Code; and
                    (B) helps farmers, ranchers, or foresters--
                            (i) promote their products; or
                            (ii) expand agricultural markets through 
                        conservation programs, agricultural research, 
                        educational programs, or other events that 
                        encourage agriculture, horticulture, and the 
                        domestic arts.
            (2) COVID-19 national emergency.--The term ``COVID-19 
        national emergency'' means the national emergency declared by 
        the President under the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 
        1601 et seq.) on March 13, 2020, with respect to COVID-19.
            (3) State.--The term ``State'' means the several States, 
        the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, 
        Guam, American Samoa, the United States Virgin Islands, and the 
        Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
            (4) State department of agriculture.--The term ``State 
        department of agriculture'' means the agency, commission, or 
        department of a State government responsible for agriculture in 
        the State.
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