Resource Conservation and Community Development Enhancement Act

Resource Conservation and Community Development Enhancement Act - Amends the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to provide for a locally led planning process under the resource conservation and development program.

Replaces the permanent authorization of appropriations with an annual obligation of specified amounts from the Commodity Credit Corporation for FY2008-FY2012.

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2235 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2235

 To amend the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to revise the Resource 
 Conservation and Development Program of the Department of Agriculture 
to require a planning process under the program that is locally led, to 
guarantee funds for the program for fiscal years 2008 through 2012, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 9, 2007

  Mr. Space introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 to revise the Resource 
 Conservation and Development Program of the Department of Agriculture 
to require a planning process under the program that is locally led, to 
guarantee funds for the program for fiscal years 2008 through 2012, and 
                          for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Resource Conservation and Community 
Development Enhancement Act''.

SEC. 2. RESOURCE CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.

    (a) Locally Led Planning Process.--Section 1528 of the Agriculture 
and Food Act of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3451) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``planning process'' in 
        the matter preceding subparagraph (A) and inserting ``locally 
        led planning process''; and
            (2) in paragraph (9), by striking ``council'' and inserting 
        ``locally led council''.
    (b) Authorized Technical Assistance.--Section 1528(13) of the 
Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3451(13)) is amended by 
striking subparagraphs (C) and (D) and inserting the following new 
subparagraphs:
                    ``(C) providing assistance for the implementation 
                of area plans and projects; and
                    ``(D) providing services which bring to bear the 
                resources of Department of Agriculture programs in a 
                local community, as defined in the locally led planning 
                process.''.
    (c) Improved Provision of Technical Assistance.--Section 1531 of 
the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3454) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(a) In General.--'' before ``In 
        carrying''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(b) Coordinator and Program Assistant.--To improve the provision 
of technical assistance to councils under this subtitle, the Secretary 
shall designate for each council--
            ``(1) an individual, to be known as the `Coordinator', who 
        shall be directly responsible for the provision of technical 
        assistance to the council; and
            ``(2) an individual, to be known as the `program 
        assistant', who shall assist in providing technical assistance 
        to the council.''.
    (d) Program Evaluation.--Section 1534 of the Agriculture and Food 
Act of 1981 (16 U.S.C. 3457) is repealed.
    (e) Funding.--Section 1537 of the Agriculture and Food Act of 1981 
(16 U.S.C. 3460) is amended to read as follows:

``SEC. 1537. FUNDING.

    ``(a) Availability of Funds.--The Secretary shall use $82,200,000 
of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this 
subtitle for each of the fiscal year 2008 through 2012. Such funds 
shall remain available to carry out this subtitle until expended.
    ``(b) Limitation on Loans.--The Secretary shall not use more than 
$15,000,000 of any funds made available for a fiscal year to make loans 
under this subtitle.''.
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