Farm Service Accountability Act

Farm Service Accountability Act - Amends the the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to prohibit the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from closing or relocating a Farm Service Agency county or field office in a state if the Secretary determines that the office has a high workload volume compared with other county offices in the state.

[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4313 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4313

 To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to require an 
 evaluation of county workload assessments for purposes of the closure 
 or relocation of a county office for the Farm Service Agency, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 29, 2012

  Mr. Boswell (for himself and Mr. Crawford) introduced the following 
        bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to require an 
 evaluation of county workload assessments for purposes of the closure 
 or relocation of a county office for the Farm Service Agency, 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 ``Farm Service Accountability Act''.

SEC. 2. EVALUATION REQUIRED FOR PURPOSES OF PROHIBITION ON CLOSURE OR 
              RELOCATION OF COUNTY OFFICES FOR THE FARM SERVICE AGENCY.

    (a) Prohibition on Closure or Relocation of Offices With High 
Workload Volume.--Section 14212 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 6932a) is amended by striking subsection (a) and 
inserting the following subsection:
    ``(a) Prohibition on Closure or Relocation of Offices With High 
Workload Volume.--The Secretary of Agriculture may not close or 
relocate a county or field office of the Farm Service Agency in a State 
if the Secretary determines, after conducting the evaluation required 
under subsection (b)(1)(B), that the office has a high workload volume 
compared with other county offices in the State.''.
    (b) Workload Evaluation.--Section 14212(b)(1) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
6932a(b)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as clauses 
        (i) and (ii), respectively;
            (2) by striking ``the Farm Service Agency, to the maximum 
        extent practicable'' and inserting ``the Farm Service Agency--
                    ``(A) to the maximum extent practicable'';
            (3) in clause (ii) (as redesignated by paragraph (1))--
                    (A) by inserting ``as of the date of the enactment 
                of this Act'' after ``employees''; and
                    (B) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following subparagraph:
                    ``(B) conduct an evaluation of all Farm Service 
                Agency county office workload assessments.''.
    (c) Notice Required.--Section 14212(b)(2) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 
6932a(b)(2)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
        ``After the period referred to in subsection (a)(1), the 
        Secretary of Agriculture may not close a county or field office 
        of the Farm Service Agency unless--'' and inserting ``After 
        carrying out each of the activities required under paragraph 
        (1), the Secretary of Agriculture shall, before closing a 
        county or field office of the Farm Service Agency--'';
            (2) in subparagaph (A), by striking ``the Secretary holds'' 
        and inserting ``hold''; and
            (3) in subparagraph (B), by striking ``the Secretary 
        notifies'' and inserting ``notify'';
    (d) Conforming Amendment.--Section 14212(b)(1) of such Act (7 
U.S.C. 6932a(b)(1)) is amended by striking ``After the period referred 
to in subsection (a)(1), the Secretary'' and inserting ``The 
Secretary''.
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