[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4157 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4157

   To protect the information of livestock producers, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 6, 2014

  Mr. Crawford (for himself, Mr. Costa, Mr. Terry, and Mr. McIntyre) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
       Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on 
Transportation and Infrastructure, Agriculture, and Science, Space, and 
Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To protect the information of livestock producers, 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 ``Farmer Identity Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) United States livestock producers supply a vital link 
        in the food supply of the United States, which is listed as a 
        critical infrastructure by the Secretary of Homeland Security;
            (2) domestic terrorist attacks have occurred at livestock 
        operations across the United States, endangering the lives and 
        property of people of the United States;
            (3) livestock operations in the United States are largely 
        family owned and operated with most families living at the same 
        location as the livestock operation;
            (4) State governments and agencies are the primary 
        authority in almost all States for the protection of water 
        quality under the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 
        U.S.C. 1251 et seq.);
            (5) State agencies maintain records on livestock operations 
        and have the authority to address water quality issues where 
        needed; and
            (6) there is no discernible environmental or scientifically 
        research-related need to create a database or other system of 
        records of livestock operations in the United States by the 
        Administrator.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
            (2) Agency.--The term ``Agency'' means the Environmental 
        Protection Agency.
            (3) Livestock operation.--The term ``livestock operation'' 
        includes any operation involved in the raising or finishing of 
        livestock and poultry.

SEC. 4. PROCUREMENT AND DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION.

    (a) Prohibition.--Except as provided in subsection (b), the 
Administrator, any officer or employee of the Agency, or any contractor 
or cooperator of the Agency, shall not disclose the information of any 
owner, operator, or employee of a livestock operation provided to the 
Agency by a livestock producer or a State agency in accordance with the 
Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.) or any 
other law, including--
            (1) names;
            (2) telephone numbers;
            (3) email addresses;
            (4) physical addresses;
            (5) Global Positioning System coordinates; or
            (6) other identifying information regarding the location of 
        the owner, operator, livestock, or employee.
    (b) Effect.--Nothing in this Act affects--
            (1) the disclosure of information described in subsection 
        (a) if--
                    (A) the information has been transformed into a 
                statistical or aggregate form at the county level or 
                higher without any information that identifies the 
                agricultural operation or agricultural producer; or
                    (B) the livestock producer consents to the 
                disclosure;
            (2) the authority of any State agency to collect 
        information on livestock operations;
            (3) the authority of the Agency to disclose the information 
        on livestock operations to State or other Federal governmental 
        agencies; or
            (4) the authority of the Agency to maintain the National 
        Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program's public 
        notice and comment process.
    (c) Condition of Permit or Other Programs.--The approval of any 
permit, practice, or program administered by the Administrator shall 
not be conditioned on the consent of the livestock producer under 
subsection (b)(1)(B).
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