Bill 113-S-1244 — Agriculture / General
Subject: Economics and public finance

(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary has been expanded because action occurred on the measure.)

Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2014 - Title I: Agricultural Programs - Appropriates FY2014 funds for the following Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and services: (1) Office of the Secretary of Agriculture (Secretary); (2) Office of the Chief Economist; (3) National Appeals Division; (4) Office of Budget and Program Analysis; (5) Office of the Chief Information Officer; (6) Office of the Chief Financial Officer; (7) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; (8) Office of Civil Rights; (9) agriculture buildings and facilities and rental payments; (10) hazardous materials management; (11) Office of Inspector General; (12) Office of the General Counsel; (13) Office of the Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics; (14) Economic Research Service; (15) National Agricultural Statistics Service; (16) Agricultural Research Service; (17) National Institute of Food and Agriculture; (18) Native American institutions endowment fund; (19) Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities endowment fund; (20) extension and integrated activities; (21) Office of the Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs; (22) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; (23) Agricultural Marketing Service; (24) Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration; (25) Office of the Under Secretary for Food Safety; (26) Food Safety and Inspection Service; (27) Office of the Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services; (28) Farm Service Agency; (29) Risk Management Agency; (30) Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund; and (31) Commodity Credit Corporation Fund.

Title II: Conservation Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, and (2) Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Title III: Rural Development Programs- Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Rural Development, (2) rural development salaries and expenses, (3) Rural Housing Service, (4) Rural Business-Cooperative Service, (5) Rural Utilities Service, and (6) rural community facilities program account. 

Title IV: Domestic Food Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Office of the Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services; and (2) Food and Nutrition Service.

Title V: Foreign Assistance and Related Programs - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) the Foreign Agricultural Service, (2) Food for Peace Act (P.L. 480) program title I and title II grants, (3) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) export loans, and (4) McGovern-Dole international food for education and child nutrition program grants.

Title VI: Related Agency and Food and Drug Administration - Appropriates funds for the following: (1) Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and (2) Farm Credit Administration.

Title VII: General Provisions - Specifies certain uses and limits on or prohibitions against the use of funds appropriated by this Act.

(Sec. 702) Authorizes the Secretary to transfer unobligated balances to the Working Capital Fund for plant and capital equipment acquisition, which shall remain available until expended.

(Sec. 703) Prohibits appropriations under this Act from remaining available for obligation beyond the current fiscal year unless expressly provided for.

(Sec. 704) Limits negotiated indirect costs on cooperative agreements between USDA and nonprofit organizations to 10%.

(Sec. 705) Makes USDA appropriations for direct and guaranteed loans available for: (1) the Rural Development Loan Fund program account, (2) the Rural Electrification and Telecommunication Loans program account, and (3) the Rural Housing Insurance Fund program account.

(Sec. 706) Prohibits funds made available to USDA under this Act from being used to acquire new information technology systems or significant upgrades.

(Sec. 707) Makes funds available in the current fiscal year for agricultural management assistance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act and for specified conservation programs under the Food Security Act of 1985 until expended for current fiscal year obligations.

(Sec. 708) Makes eligible for economic development and job creation assistance under the Rural Electrification Act in the same manner as a borrower under such Act any former Rural Utilities Service borrower that has repaid or prepaid an insured, direct, or guaranteed loan under such Act, or any not-for-profit utility that is eligible to receive an insured or direct loan under such Act.

(Sec. 709) Prohibits, regarding the specialty crop research initiative, funds from being used to prohibit the provision of certain in-kind support from non-federal sources.

(Sec. 710) Makes unobligated balances for salaries and expenses for the Farm Service Agency and the Rural Development mission area under this Act available for information technology expenses through September 30, 2015.

(Sec. 711) Authorizes the Secretary to permit a state agency to use funds provided in this Act to exceed a specified maximum amount of liquid infant formula when issuing liquid infant formula to participants.

(Sec. 712) Prohibits first-class travel by employees of agencies funded under this Act.

(Sec. 713) States that with regard to certain programs established or amended by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to be carried out using CCC funds: (1) such funds shall be available for salaries and administrative expenses without regard to certain allotment and fund transfer limits, and (2) the use of such funds shall not be considered to be a fund transfer or allotment for purposes of applying such limits.

(Sec. 714) Limits funds made available in FY2013 or preceding fiscal years under P.L. 480 to reimburse the CCC for the release of certain commodities under the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust Act.

(Sec. 715) Limits funds available for USDA advisory committees, panels, commissions, and task forces.

(Sec. 716) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to pay indirect costs charged against any agricultural research, education, or extension grant awards issued by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture that exceed 30% of total federal funds provided under each award.

(Sec. 717) Authorizes the Secretary to increase the program level by up to 25% for certain loans and loan guarantees that do not require budget authority. Requires congressional notification prior to implementing any such increase.

(Sec. 718) Prohibits the use of funds for the watershed rehabilitation program.

Limits the use of funds for: (1) the environmental quality incentives program, (2) the wildlife habitat incentives program, and (3) the agricultural management assistance program.

(Sec. 719) Limits FY2014 funds for the following domestic food assistance categories under the Act of August 24, 1935: (1) child nutrition program entitlement commodities, (2) state option contracts, and (3) defective commodity removal.

Limits funds for the fresh fruit and vegetable program until October 1, 2014.

Rescinds specified unobligated balances available in FY2014 for domestic food assistance.

(Sec. 720) Prohibits the use of funds for user fee proposals that fail to provide certain budget impact information.

(Sec. 721) Prohibits, without congressional notification, funds available under this Act or under previous appropriations Acts from being used through a reprogramming of funds to: (1) eliminate or create a new program, (2) relocate or reorganize an office or employees, (3) privatize federal employee functions, or (4) increase funds or personnel for any project for which funds have been denied or restricted.

Prohibits, without congressional notification, funds available under this Act or under previous appropriations Acts from being used through a reprogramming of funds in excess of $500,000 or 10%, whichever is less: (1) to augment an existing program, (2) to reduce by 10% funding or personnel for any existing program, or (3) that results from a reduction in personnel which would result in a change in existing programs.

(Sec. 722) Authorizes the Secretary to assess a one-time fee for any guaranteed business and industry loan that does not exceed 3% of the guaranteed principal portion of the loan.

(Sec. 723) Prohibits USDA or FDA funds from being used to transmit to any non-USDA or non-Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) employee questions or responses to questions that are a result of information requested for the appropriations hearing process.

(Sec. 724) Prohibits the use of funds under this Act by any executive branch entity to produce a prepackaged news story for U.S. broadcast or distribution unless it contains audio or text notice that it was produced or funded by such executive entity.

(Sec. 725) Requires USDA agencies to reimburse each other for employees detailed for longer than 30 days.

(Sec. 726) Appropriates funds for direct reimbursement payments for geographically disadvantaged farmers or ranchers.

(Sec. 727) Appropriates funds for a pilot program to demonstrate the use of new technologies that increase the rate of growth of re-forested hardwood trees on private nonindustrial forests lands, enrolling lands on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico that were damaged by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

(Sec. 728) Directs the Secretary, the Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and the Chairman of the Farm Credit Administration to submit to Congress a spending plan by program, project, and activity for the funds made available under this Act.

(Sec. 729) Rescinds specified funds from unobligated balances available to the Department under the "Agriculture Buildings and Facilities and Rental Payments" account.

(Sec. 730) Makes any area eligible for rural housing programs on September 30, 2013, eligible for such programs until September 30, 2014.

(Sec. 731) Authorizes funds received by the Secretary in the global settlement of any federal litigation concerning federal mortgage loans during FY2012 to be obligated and expended by the Rural Housing Service for costs associated with servicing single family housing loans guaranteed by the Service.

(Sec. 732) Authorizes the Secretary to charge lenders a fee (up to $50 per loan) to access USDA loan guarantee systems in connection with such lenders' participation in Rural Housing Service loan guarantee programs.

(Sec. 733) Appropriates funds to implement non-renewable agreements for flooded agricultural lands.

(Sec. 734) Requires FDA to submit quarterly reports to the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services regarding the costs and contracting procedures for each FY2014 conference that cost the U.S. government more than $20,000.

(Sec. 735) Designates the federal building located at 64 Nowelo Street, Hilo, Hawaii, as the Daniel K. Inouye United States Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center.

(Sec. 736) Prohibits funds under this Act from being used to inspect horses for slaughter purposes.