text: 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.''.
target: (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.
feat_title: USDA Accountability and Equity Act of 2000