Sec. 8. Agriculture and food system critical supply chain monitoring and assessment
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Subject to the availability of appropriations, not later than 270 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Assistant Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture, shall identify and evaluate the stability and reliability of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain, including— the state of the agriculture and food system workforce and any critical supply chain vulnerabilities related to the agriculture and food system workforce; transportation bottlenecks in the distribution of agricultural inputs, processed and unprocessed food and food input products, and consumer-ready food products; and opportunities to create training and education programs focused on high-quality jobs in the agriculture and food system that— increase the stability of the agriculture and food system; and alleviate critical supply chain bottlenecks in the distribution of agricultural inputs, processed and unprocessed food and food input products, and consumer-ready food products.
In carrying out subsection (a), the Assistant Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report that contains the following: An identification of the strengths, weaknesses, critical bottlenecks, workforce challenges and opportunities, and overall stability and reliability of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain.
An assessment of Federal, State, and local laws and regulations that— increase the stability and reliability of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain; or decrease or otherwise negatively impact, both in the present moment and in the future, the stability and reliability of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain. Specific recommendations to improve the security, safety, and resilience of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain. The recommendations shall contain— long-term strategies; industry best practices; risk mitigation actions to prevent future bottlenecks and vulnerabilities at all levels of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain; and legislative and regulatory actions that would positively impact the security and resilience of the agriculture and food system critical supply chain.