Bill Summary: More Opportunities for Rural Economies from USDA Grants Act

This bill aims to improve the process for awarding grants from the Department of Agriculture to counties where the majority of land is owned by the Federal Government. It also includes provisions for grants to other units of local government and Tribal governments in those counties. The bill reduces the local matching fund requirements for qualifying grant programs by 50% in High-Density Public Land Counties. It also provides technical assistance to these counties and prioritizes their applications for grants. The Secretary of Agriculture may offer additional support, such as flexibility in grant requirements, to ensure that small and isolated communities in these counties can receive assistance.

Explanation of the Bill in Layman's Terms:

This bill is proposing to allow the Secretary of Agriculture to give grants to different organizations to help support the domestic hardwood industry. These grants would be given out through a competitive process to entities that are working on activities that benefit the domestic hardwood industry. Some of the activities that could be supported by these grants include research on environmentally friendly hardwood products, education and promotion of domestically produced hardwood, and demonstration projects to showcase the benefits of using domestic hardwood.

Entities that are eligible to receive these grants include states, nonprofit organizations focused on hardwood products, universities, and research institutions. To apply for a grant, eligible entities would need to submit an application detailing the activities they plan to support with the funds, their goals, and the expected impact of their activities on hardwood production and consumer awareness.

The bill also specifies that the term "domestically produced hardwood product" refers to products that are made from at least 90% domestically sourced hardwood material. Additionally, the bill authorizes appropriations of $5,000,000 per year for fiscal years 2024 through 2029 to implement these grant programs.

Explanation of the Farm Tech Act

The Farm Tech Act is a bill that aims to create a program that certifies artificial intelligence software used in agriculture. This program will be established and overseen by the Secretary of Agriculture and will be based on a framework developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Software can only be certified under this program if it accurately performs tasks related to agricultural production and meets or exceeds the federal and state standards required for the task. These tasks can include driving vehicles, applying pesticides, handling hazardous materials, caring for livestock, and other agricultural activities.

The term "agricultural products" refers to products specified in the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.

The Secretary will create regulations to implement and enforce this program.

Healthy Farms Healthy Watersheds Act of 2023

The bill aims to amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to create a pilot program focused on reducing harmful nutrients in important water bodies such as the Great Lakes and the Chesapeake Bay. The program will target areas with high levels of phosphorus, which is a major contributor to water pollution. The Department of Agriculture will provide assistance to farmers in these areas to implement practices that improve water quality. The bill also includes provisions for monitoring, outreach, and incentive payments for successful nutrient reduction.

Explanation of the Natural Climate Solutions Research and Extension Act of 2023:

This bill aims to make amendments to the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to provide funding for research and extension grants that focus on natural solutions to climate change. Natural climate solutions refer to practices that help store carbon or reduce greenhouse gas emissions in agricultural lands, grasslands, wetlands, and forests. These practices may include traditional ecological knowledge, promoting biodiversity, climate change resilience, and reducing runoff.

H.R. 6720: Grocery, Farm, and Food Worker Stabilization Grant Program

This bill aims to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a grant program to provide financial support to eligible organizations representing farmworkers, meat processing workers, and grocery workers in the event of a natural disaster or other disaster, as determined by the Secretary. The program will be managed by the Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service.

The bill requires the Secretary to submit a report to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate within 4 years of enactment, detailing the outcomes and evaluating the impacts of the program.

The bill authorizes an appropriation of $50,000,000 to fund the program, which will remain available until expended.

Bill Summary: Strengthening Rural Cooperatives and Communities Act

This bill, referred to as the Strengthening Rural Cooperatives and Communities Act, aims to amend the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act by reauthorizing rural cooperative development grants.

Key Details

The bill was introduced by Ms. C ARAVEO and Mr. V ALADAO on December 7, 2023, and has been referred to the Committee on Agriculture.

Main Provisions

The bill makes several changes to Section 310B(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1932(e)). Here are the main provisions:

1. The term "cooperative development" is defined as activities that support the startup, expansion, or ongoing sustainability of new and existing cooperatives, including outreach, education, training, and technical assistance.
2. The scoring criteria for grant applicants will assign maximum points to those who commit to providing technical assistance and other services to socially vulnerable, underserved, or distressed communities.
3. If the Secretary determines it to be in the best interest of the program, the Secretary may make adjustments to the program.
4. The Secretary is required to analyze the data resulting from the research and include the data and analysis in the annual report submitted by the interagency working group.
5. The interagency working group is required to submit a report to Congress within 180 days after the enactment of this bill, and annually thereafter, describing the activities carried out by the working group.
6. The reauthorization of rural cooperative development grants will extend from 2024 through 2028.

Bill Explanation: H.R. 6690

This bill, introduced by Mr. Valadao and Mr. Duarte, proposes an amendment to the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act. The purpose of this bill is to allow the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to use its funds for emergency assistance to dairy producers in the event of livestock relocation and feed crop losses caused by natural disasters.

The bill suggests amending Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act to include the provision of emergency assistance to dairy and livestock producers for livestock relocation, sheltering in place, and feed crop losses due to natural disasters. This would allow the CCC to provide financial support to dairy producers who face hardships resulting from the relocation of their livestock and losses in feed crops due to events like hurricanes, floods, or wildfires.

By passing this bill, the Senate and House of Representatives would enable the CCC to allocate its funds for emergency assistance in these specific situations, ensuring support for dairy producers during challenging times.

Bill Explanation

H.R. 6657 - Securing Strictly Needy Americans' Pivotal (SNAP) Benefits Act of 2023

This bill aims to amend the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, which governs the use of electronic benefit transfer (EBT) cards for purchasing food and make additional changes for other purposes.

Section 1: Short Title

This bill may be referred to as the 'Securing Strictly Needy Americans' Pivotal (SNAP) Benefits Act of 2023'.

Section 2: Amendment to Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023

Section 501 of title IV of division HH of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023, is amended by adding a new section.

This new section states that state agencies must suspend the accounts of households if their EBT card transactions are made exclusively out-of-state for more than 60 days, unless the household provides evidence that the members receiving benefits still reside in the state or an investigation confirms their residency.

Section 3: Limitation on Redemption of SNAP Benefits by Owners of Approved Retail Food Stores and Wholesale Food Concerns

Section 9 of the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008 is amended to include a new provision.

This provision states that households including members who are owners of approved retail food stores or wholesale food concerns are not allowed to redeem SNAP benefits at their own stores or concerns, unless the store is owned by a publicly owned corporation or a government entity.

Section 4: Effective Date

This Act and the amendments made by it will take effect one year after its enactment.