Sec. 3. Office of urban agriculture and innovative production
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Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 ( 7 U.S.C. 6911 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following: The Secretary shall establish in the Department an Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production. The Secretary shall appoint a senior official to serve as the Director of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production (referred to in this section as the Director ). The mission of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production shall be to encourage and promote urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural practices, including— community gardens and farms located in urban areas, suburbs, and urban clusters; rooftop farms, outdoor vertical production, and green walls; indoor farms, greenhouses, and high-tech vertical technology farms; hydroponic, aeroponic, and aquaponic farm facilities; and other innovations in agricultural production, as determined by the Secretary.
The Director shall be responsible for engaging in activities to carry out the mission described in paragraph (3), including by— managing and facilitating programs, including for community gardens, urban farms, rooftop agriculture, and indoor vertical production; coordinating with the agencies and officials of the Department; advising the Secretary on issues relating to the mission of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production; ensuring that the programs of the Department are updated to address urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices, in coordination with the officials in the Department responsible for those programs; engaging in external relations with stakeholders and coordinating external partnerships to share best practices, provide mentorship, and offer technical assistance; facilitating interagency program coordination and developing interagency tools for the promotion of existing programs and resources; creating resources that identify common State and municipal best practices for navigating local policies; reviewing and improving farm enterprise development programs that provide information about financial literacy, business planning, and food safety record keeping; coordinating networks of community gardens and facilitating connections to local food banks, in partnership with the Food and Nutrition Service; and collaborating with other Federal agencies that use agricultural practices on-site for food production or infrastructure.
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish an Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production Advisory Committee (referred to in this subsection as the Committee ) to advise the Secretary on— the development of policies relating to urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices; and any other aspects of the implementation of this section. The Committee shall be composed of 15 members, of whom— 5 shall be individuals who are agricultural producers, of whom— not fewer than 2 individuals shall be agricultural producers located in an urban area or urban cluster; and not fewer than 2 individuals shall be farmers that use innovative technology, including indoor farming and rooftop agriculture; 2 shall be representatives from an institution of higher education or extension program; 1 shall be an individual who represents a nonprofit organization, which may include a public health, environmental, or community organization; 1 shall be an individual who represents business and economic development, which may include a business development entity, a chamber of commerce, a city government, or a planning organization; 1 shall be an individual with supply chain experience, which may include a food aggregator, wholesale food distributor, food hub, or an individual who has direct-to-consumer market experience; 1 shall be an individual from a financing entity; and 4 shall be individuals with related experience or expertise in urban, indoor, and other emerging agriculture production practices, as determined by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall appoint the members of the Committee not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section. Except as provided in subparagraph (B), a member of the Committee shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. Of the members first appointed to the Committee— 5 of the members, as determined by the Secretary, shall be appointed for a term of 3 years; 5 of the members, as determined by the Secretary, shall be appointed for a term of 2 years; and 5 of the members, as determined by the Secretary, shall be appointed for a term of 1 year.
Any vacancy in the Committee— shall not affect the powers of the Committee; and shall be filled as soon as practicable in the same manner as the original appointment. An initial appointee of the committee may serve an additional consecutive term if the member is reappointed by the Secretary. The Committee shall meet not fewer than 3 times per year. Not later than 60 days after the date on which the members are appointed under paragraph (2)(B), the Committee shall hold the first meeting of the Committee.
The Committee shall— develop recommendations— to further the mission of the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production described in subsection (a)(3); and regarding the establishment of urban agriculture policy priorities and goals within the Department; advise the Director on policies and initiatives administered by the Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production; evaluate and review ongoing research and extension activities relating to urban, indoor, and other innovative agricultural practices; identify new and existing barriers to successful urban, indoor, and other emerging agricultural production practices; and provide additional assistance and advice to the Director as appropriate.
Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this section, and each year thereafter, the Committee shall submit to the Secretary, the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report describing the recommendations developed under subparagraph (A)(i). A member of the Committee shall serve without compensation. A member of the Committee shall be allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with section 5703 of title 5, United States Code.
Subject to subparagraph (B), the Committee shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date on which the members are appointed under paragraph (2)(B). Before the date on which the Committee terminates, the Secretary may renew the Committee for 1 or more 2-year periods. There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2019 and each fiscal year thereafter. .
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Sec. 3
Office of urban agriculture and innovative production
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