1.
(a)The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as
the Secretary
) shall enter into a contract with an independent
reviewing authority selected by the Secretary to carry out an independent
review of the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at all headquarters
offices of the Farm Service Agency, including—
(1)all State
offices;
(2)the National
Headquarters office in Washington, D.C.;
(3)the Kansas City
office; and
(4)the Salt Lake
City office.
(b)The
review described in subsection (a) shall include a review for each office
of—
(1)management
practices;
(2)information
technology purchases and deliverables;
(3)software
development;
(4)contractor hiring
practices and related cost-savings; and
(5)such other
factors as the independent reviewing authority considers to be relevant to the
efficiency and effectiveness of operations at each office.
(c)Not
later than 30 days after the date of completion of the independent review, the
independent reviewing authority 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 that contains—
(1)a description of
the results of the study; and
(2)recommendations
for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of operations at each
office.
(d)The
Secretary may not close or consolidate any county office of the Farm Service
Agency before the date on which the Secretary determines that each headquarters
office has implemented the recommendations for that office described in
subsection (c)(2).