article: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000''. (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. TITLE I--IMPROVED ACCOUNTABILITY OF COUNTY AND AREA COMMITTEES AND THEIR EMPLOYEES Sec. 101. Membership requirements for county and area committees. Sec. 102. Improved oversight of county, area, and community committee elections. Sec. 103. Federal civil service status of county and area committee employees. TITLE II--IMPROVED PROGRAM EQUITY Sec. 201. Participation of socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers and other similarly situated farmers and ranchers in environmental quality incentives program. Sec. 202. Grants to upgrade agricultural and food sciences facilities at 1890 land-grant colleges, including Tuskegee University. Sec. 203. Funding of program of outreach and technical assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers. Sec. 204. Funding of extension Indian reservation program. Sec. 205. Funding of farm ownership and operating loan programs. TITLE I--IMPROVED ACCOUNTABILITY OF COUNTY AND AREA COMMITTEES AND THEIR EMPLOYEES SEC. 101. MEMBERSHIP REQUIREMENTS FOR COUNTY AND AREA COMMITTEES. Effective 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, section 8(a)(5)(B) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(a)(5)(B)) is amended by striking clause (ii) and inserting the following: ``(ii)(I) A county or area committee shall consist of not fewer than 5 nor more than 7 members who are fairly representative of the agricultural producers in the county or area. ``(II) Except as provided in subclause (III), the members of a county or area committee shall be elected by the agricultural producers in such county or area under such procedures as the Secretary may prescribe. ``(III) 2 members shall be demographically representative of groups of agricultural producers in the county or area who, in the absence of appointment under this subclause, would be under-represented on the committee. The Secretary shall appoint these members based on recommendations made by the under- represented groups. If the Secretary makes such an appointment from among persons not so recommended, the Secretary shall provide the reasons therefor upon request.''. SEC. 102. IMPROVED OVERSIGHT OF COUNTY, AREA, AND COMMUNITY COMMITTEE ELECTIONS. (a) Uniform Guidelines.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall prescribe uniform guidelines for conducting elections for members and alternates of county and area committees established pursuant to section 8(b)(5) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)(5)), members and alternates of community committees so established, and delegates to local administrative area conventions and county conventions. (b) Certification of Election Results.--Effective 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, section 8(a)(5)(B) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(a)(5)(B)) is amended by adding at the end the following new clause: ``(vi) Members elected pursuant to an election conducted under this subparagraph shall not commence their term of service unless and until the Secretary determines that-- ``(I) the election fully complied with the laws, regulations, and guidlines applicable to the conduct of the election; and ``(II) the members-elect satisfy the eligibility requirements for committee membership.''. SEC. 103. FEDERAL CIVIL SERVICE STATUS OF COUNTY AND AREA COMMITTEE EMPLOYEES. (a) County Committee Employee Defined.--In this section, the term ``county committee employee'' means an employee of a county or area committee employed pursuant to section 8(b)(5) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)(5)). (b) Federal Civil Service Status.--On and after the effective date of this section, the civil service laws shall apply to all county committee employees, subject to such regulations as the Secretary may prescribe and the conversion options for existing county committee employees provided by this section. (c) Conversion of Permanent County Committee Employees.--Subject to regulations of the Office of Personnel Management, a county committee employee who is so employed on the effective date of this section under an appointment not limited to one year or less shall be converted to Federal civil service appointments, as follows: (1) A county committee employee who has completed 3 years of service shall be given a career civil service appointment. (2) A county committee employee who has completed less than 3 years of service shall be given a career-conditional civil service appointment. The period of permanent service as a county committee employee shall be counted when calculating the 3 years of service necessary for conversion to career civil service status. (d) Conversion of Temporary County Committee Employees.--Subject to regulations of the Office of Personnel Management, a county committee employee who is so employed on the effective date of this section under an appointment of less than one year shall be converted to a temporary Federal civil service appointment. (e) Crediting Service as County Committee Employee.--Service as a county committee employee performed before the effective date of this section shall be counted as creditable Federal service when determining tenure, time-in-grade eligibility, within-grade increases, and probationary periods. (f) Reemployment Rights.--Subject to regulations of the Office of Personnel Management, a former permanent county committee employee who, before the effective date of this section, was provided reemployment priority rights as a county committee employee due to being separated through reduction-in-force procedures established by the Secretary of Agriculture, may receive special selection priority for civil service positions in the Farm Service Agency for a period of 2 years after the date of the employee's separation. (g) Conforming Amendments.--(1) Section 226 of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6932) is amended by striking subsection (e). (2) Title 5, United States Code, is amended-- (A) in section 3502(a)(4)(C)(i), by striking ``Soil Conservation and Allotment Act'' and inserting ``Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000,''; (B) in section 5306(a)(1)(C), by striking ``section 590h(b) of title 16'' and inserting ``section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000''; (C) in section 5334(e), by striking ``section 590h(b) of title 16'' and inserting ``section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000''; (D) in section 6312(a)(1), by striking ``Soil Conservation and Allotment Act'' and inserting ``Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000,''; (E) in section 8331(1)(F), by striking ``section 590h(b) of title 16'' and inserting ``section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000''; (F) in section 8701(a)(8), by striking ``section 590h(b) of title 16'' and inserting ``section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000''; and (G) in section 8901(1)(G), by striking ``section 590h(b) of title 16'' and inserting ``section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)), before the effective date of section 102 of the USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000''. (3) Section 8(b)(5)(E) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)(5)(E)) is amended by striking the second and third sentences. (h) Effective Date.--This section and the amendments made by this section shall take effect 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act. TITLE II--IMPROVED PROGRAM EQUITY SEC. 201. PARTICIPATION OF SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS AND RANCHERS AND OTHER SIMILARLY SITUATED FARMERS AND RANCHERS IN ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY INCENTIVES PROGRAM. (a) Inclusion of Definition.--Section 1201(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)) is amended-- (1) by redesignating paragraphs (16), (17), and (18) as paragraphs (17), (18), and (19), respectively; and (2) by inserting after paragraph (15) the following new paragraph: ``(16) Socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.--The term `socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher' means a farmer or rancher who is a member of a socially disadvantaged group (as that term is defined in section 355(e) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 2003(e))), a farmer or rancher who has limited resources, or a farmer or rancher who is a member of a federally recognized Indian tribe.''. (b) Increased Funding; Availability of Funds.--Section 1241(b) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841(b)) is amended-- (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``and $200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 through 2002'' and inserting ``$200,000,000 for each of fiscal years 1997 through 2000, and $300,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002''; (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``50 percent'' and inserting ``one-third''; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs: ``(3) Assistance for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.--For each of fiscal years 2001 and 2002, one-third of the funding available for technical assistance, cost-share payments, incentives payments, and education under the environmental quality incentives program shall be targeted to increase assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. ``(4) Availability of funds.--Funds made available to the environmental quality incentives program through the Commodity Credit Corporation shall remain available until expended.''. (c) Priority for Assistance.--Section 1240C of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-3) is amended-- (1) in paragraph (2), by striking ``or''; (2) in paragraph (3), by striking the period at the end and inserting ``; or''; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ``(4) are for operations owned or operated by a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.''. (d) Timing of Payments; Cost-Share Limitations.--Section 1240G of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-7) is amended-- (1) in subsection (c), by striking ``may not be made by the Secretary until the subsequent fiscal year'' and inserting ``may be made by the Secretary during that fiscal year''; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: ``(d) Waiver of Cost-Share Requirements.--In addition to subsection (b), the Secretary may waive or adjust the maximum rate of cost-share and incentive payments under subsection (a) in the case of a producer who is a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.''. (e) Calculating Producer Contributions.--Section 1240B(e)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa-2(e)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: ``(D) In-kind contributions.--For purposes of calculating the producer's share of the cost of a structural practice, the Secretary may count contributions in labor, materials, or equipment when the producer is a socially disadvantaged farmer or rancher.''. SEC. 202. GRANTS TO UPGRADE AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD SCIENCES FACILITIES AT 1890 LAND-GRANT COLLEGES, INCLUDING TUSKEGEE UNIVERSITY. Section 1447(b) of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3222b(b)) is amended to read as follows: ``(b) Appropriation.-- ``(1) In general.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and for each succeeding fiscal year to carry out this section. ``(2) Availability.--Amounts appropriated under paragraph (1) shall remain available until expended.''. SEC. 203. FUNDING OF PROGRAM OF OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO SOCIALLY DISADVANTAGED FARMERS. Section 2501(a)(3) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 2279(a)(3)) is amended to read as follows: ``(3) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and for each succeeding fiscal year to carry out this section.''. SEC. 204. FUNDING OF EXTENSION INDIAN RESERVATION PROGRAM. Section 1677(g) of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5930(g)) is amended to read as follows: ``(g) Appropriation.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2001 and for each succeeding fiscal year to carry out this section.''. SEC. 205. FUNDING OF FARM OWNERSHIP AND OPERATING LOAN PROGRAMS. Section 346(b)(1) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1994(b)(1)) is amended by adding at the end the following: ``(H) Additional funding.--Out of any money in the Treasury of the United States not otherwise appropriated, there are appropriated to the Secretary for fiscal year 2001 and for each succeeding fiscal year $585,000,000 for direct loans, of which-- ``(i) $85,000,000 shall be for farm ownership loans under subtitle A; and ``(ii) $500,000,000 shall be for operating loans under subtitle B.''.
summary: (Sec. 102) Directs the Secretary to prescribe uniform guidelines for conducting county and area committee elections. (Sec. 103) Provides for the conversion of permanent and temporary county committee employees to Federal civil service status. Title II: Improved Program Equity - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 respecting the environmental quality incentives program to: (1) increase program funding; (2) reduce the livestock set-aside; and (3) give priority to, establish set-asides, and waive cost-share requirements for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. (Sec. 202) Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 to make permanent appropriations for 1890 land grant college grants. (Sec. 203) Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to make permanent appropriations for: (1) outreach and technical assistance programs for socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers; and (2) Indian reservation extension education programs. (Sec. 205) Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to make permanent appropriations for farm operating and ownership loans.