Nutrient Management Technical Service Provider Certification Act of 2018

Bill: 115-hr-5048
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. Bost, Mike [R-IL-12]
Introduced: 2018-02-15
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural education

Licensing and registrations
Latest action: action_date: 2018-02-15
text: Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.

Summaries:
action_date: 2018-02-15
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p><b>Nutrient Management Technical Service Provider Certification Act of 2018 </b></p> <p>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.) </p> <p>USDA must approve certain professional certifications that meet or exceed national criteria and were established by: </p> <ul> <li> the USDA, </li> <li> an agriculture-related retailer, </li> <li> a farmer cooperative, </li> <li> the American Society of Agronomy, or </li> <li> the National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants. </li> </ul> <p>A qualified certification includes a certifications as: </p> <ul> <li> a Certified Crop Advisor by the American Society for Agronomy, </li> <li> a Certified Professional Agronomist by the American Society for Agronomy, and </li> <li> a Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plan Specialist by USDA. </li> </ul>

tv_txt: I 115th CONGRESS 2d Session H. R. 5048 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.

1. Short Title This Act may be cited as the Nutrient Management Technical Service Provider Certification Act of 2018 . 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. .