[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 154 (Thursday, November 4, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S14045-S14046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         FREEDOM TO E-FILE ACT

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
Agriculture Committee be discharged from further consideration of S. 
777, and the Senate then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The clerk will report the bill by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A bill (S. 777) to require the Department of Agriculture to 
     establish an electronic filing and retrieval system to enable 
     the public to file all required paperwork electronically with 
     the Department and to have access to public information on 
     farm programs, quarterly trade, economic, and production 
     reports, and other similar information.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the bill.


                           Amendment No. 2513

              (Purpose: To provide a complete substitute)

  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, there is a substitute amendment at the 
desk submitted by Senator Fitzgerald.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       The Senator from Iowa (Mr. Grassley), for Mr. Fitzgerald, 
     proposes an amendment numbered 2513.
       Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the 
     following:

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Freedom to E-File Act''.

      SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC FILING AND RETRIEVAL.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with subsection (c), the 
     Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the 
     ``Secretary'') shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
     establish an Internet-based system that enables agricultural 
     producers to access all forms of the agencies of the 
     Department of Agriculture specified in subsection (b).
       (b) Applicability.--The agencies referred to in subsection 
     (a) are--
       (1) the Farm Service Agency;
       (2) the Rural Utilities Service;
       (3) the Rural Housing Service;
       (4) the Rural Business-Cooperative Service; and
       (5) the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
       (c) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall--
       (1) provide a method by which agricultural producers may--
       (A) download forms from the Internet; and
       (B) submit completed forms via electronic facsimile, mail, 
     or similar means;
       (2) redesign forms of the agencies of the Department of 
     Agriculture by incorporating into the forms user-friendly 
     formats and self-help guidance materials.
       (d) Progress Reports.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress a report that describes the progress made toward 
     implementing the Internet-based system required under this 
     section.

     SEC. 3. ACCESSING INFORMATION AND FILING OVER THE INTERNET.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with subsection (b), the 
     Secretary shall expand implementation of the Internet-based 
     system established under section 2 by enabling agricultural 
     producers to access and file all forms and, at the option of 
     the Secretary, selected records and information of the 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b).
       (b) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall ensure that an agricultural producer is 
     able--
       (1) to file electronically or in paper form, at the option 
     of the agricultural producer, all forms required by agencies 
     of the Department specified in section 2(b);
       (2) to file electronically or in paper form, at the option 
     of the agricultural producer, all documentation required by 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b) and 
     determined appropriate by the Secretary; and
       (3) to access information concerning farm programs, 
     quarterly trade, economic, and production reports, and other 
     similar production agriculture information that is readily 
     available to the public in paper form.

     SEC. 4. FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE CORPORATION AND RISK 
                   MANAGEMENT AGENCY.

       (a) In General.--Not later than December 1, 2000, the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management 
     Agency shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
     Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a plan, that is 
     consistent with this Act, to allow agricultural producers 
     to--
       (1) obtain, over the Internet, from approved insurance 
     providers all forms and other information concerning the 
     program under the jurisdiction of the Corporation and Agency 
     in which the agricultural producer is a participant; and
       (2) file electronically all paperwork required for 
     participation in the program.
       (b) Administration.--The plan shall--
       (1) conform to sections 2(c) and 3(b); and
       (2) prescribe--
       (A) the location and type of data to be made available to 
     agricultural producers;
       (B) the location where agricultural producers can 
     electronically file their paperwork; and
       (C) the responsibilities of the applicable parties, 
     including agricultural producers, the Risk Management Agency, 
     the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, approved insurance 
     providers, crop insurance agents, and brokers.
       (c) Implementation.--Not later than December 1, 2001, the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management 
     Agency shall complete implementation of the plan submitted 
     under subsection (a).

     SEC. 5. CONFIDENTIALITY.

       In carrying out this Act, the Secretary--
       (1) may not make available any information over the 
     Internet that would otherwise not be available for release 
     under section 552 or 552a of title 5, United States Code; and
       (2) shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that 
     the confidentiality of persons is maintained.

  Mr. FITZGERALD. Mr. President, I rise today to urge passage of S. 
777, the Freedom to E-File Act. I appreciate Agriculture Secretary 
Glickman, Agriculture Committee Chairman Lugar and my other Colleagues 
on the Agriculture Committee for their hard work in helping craft the 
consensus substitute amendment being offered on the floor today. This 
legislation will streamline the process our farmers follow when filing 
paper work with the Department of Agriculture (USDA). Currently, when 
farmers are required to fill out USDA paper work, they are required to 
travel to their local USDA county offices, complete the paper work, 
wait in long lines and file these documents in paper form. This process 
is very inefficient and time consuming.
  This bill simply requires USDA to develop a system for farmers to 
access and file this information over the internet. The ``Freedom to E-
file Act'' simply makes good common sense. As our society has become 
more technologically advanced so have our farmers. In fact, a 1998 
Novartis survey found that over 72 percent of all farmers with 500 
acres or more had personal computers. Overall, over fifty percent of 
all farmers surveyed had computers.

[[Page S14046]]

  According to a Farm Journal study entitled, ``AgWeb 1999: Internet 
and e-Commerce in Production Agriculture,'' farmer internet usage will 
have more than doubled by the end of 1999 compared to 1997. The author 
concluded, ``the computer and the internet have become just as 
important to farmers as the tractor and good weather.'' The bill we 
pass today clearly recognizes this reality. The study also notes that 
over two-thirds of all commercial farmers own at least one computer and 
these farmers spend at least two hours per week on average utilizing 
the internet for agricultural purposes.
  Our agriculturists use computers not only for financial management 
and market information but for sophisticated precision agriculture 
management systems. These sophisticated small business owners could 
easily file necessary farm program paperwork from their homes and 
offices if only this option was available.
  Farmers are often frustrated with the long lines at county USDA 
offices, especially during their most hectic times such as harvest 
season. Our nation's farmers are clearly overburdened by government-
mandated paperwork. This bill is the first step in the right direction 
toward regulatory reform for our U.S. food producers.
  The Freedom to E-File Act has been popular among agricultural groups 
and within the United States Senate. The American Farm Bureau 
Federation, our nation's largest farm organization, stated that while 
S. 777 is a simple bill, ``the impact it will have on farmers and 
ranchers should be immense.'' The bill has approximately twenty 
bipartisan co-sponsors, including Agriculture Committee Chairman Lugar 
and Minority Leader Daschle. The Secretary of Agriculture also supports 
the Freedom to E-File Act.
  I commend my colleague, Congressman Ray LaHood, for championing the 
companion to this bill in the House of Representatives. I hope that the 
House will pass this important legislation prior to the end of this 
session, and look forward to the President's signature. I thank the 
presiding officer and I yield the floor.
  Mr. GRASSLEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
amendment be agreed to, the bill be read a third time and passed, as 
amended, the motion to reconsider be laid upon the table, and that any 
statements relating to the bill be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The bill (S. 777), as amended, was read the third time and passed, as 
follows:

                                 S. 777

       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 ``Freedom to E-File Act''.

     SEC. 2. ELECTRONIC FILING AND RETRIEVAL.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with subsection (c), the 
     Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the 
     ``Secretary'') shall, to the maximum extent practicable, 
     establish an Internet-based system that enables agricultural 
     producers to access all forms of the agencies of the 
     Department of Agriculture specified in subsection (b).
       (b) Applicability.--The agencies referred to in subsection 
     (a) are--
       (1) the Farm Service Agency;
       (2) the Rural Utilities Service;
       (3) the Rural Housing Service;
       (4) the Rural Business-Cooperative Service; and
       (5) the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
       (c) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall--
       (1) provide a method by which agricultural producers may--
       (A) download forms from the Internet; and
       (B) submit completed forms via electronic facsimile, mail, 
     or similar means;
       (2) redesign forms of the agencies of the Department of 
     Agriculture by incorporating into the forms user-friendly 
     formats and self-help guidance materials.
       (d) Progress Reports.--Not later than 180 days after the 
     date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
     Congress a report that describes the progress made toward 
     implementing the Internet-based system required under this 
     section.

     SEC. 3. ACCESSING INFORMATION AND FILING OVER THE INTERNET.

       (a) In General.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, in accordance with subsection (b), the 
     Secretary shall expand implementation of the Internet-based 
     system established under section 2 by enabling agricultural 
     producers to access and file all forms and, at the option of 
     the Secretary, selected records and information of the 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b).
       (b) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
     Secretary shall ensure that an agricultural producer is 
     able--
       (1) to file electronically or in paper form, at the option 
     of the agricultural producer, all forms required by agencies 
     of the Department specified in section 2(b);
       (2) to file electronically or in paper form, at the option 
     of the agricultural producer, all documentation required by 
     agencies of the Department specified in section 2(b) and 
     determined appropriate by the Secretary; and
       (3) to access information concerning farm programs, 
     quarterly trade, economic, and production reports, and other 
     similar production agriculture information that is readily 
     available to the public in paper form.

     SEC. 4. FEDERAL CROP INSURANCE CORPORATION AND RISK 
                   MANAGEMENT AGENCY.

       (a) In General.--Not later than December 1, 2000, the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management 
     Agency shall submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the 
     House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, 
     Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a plan, that is 
     consistent with this Act, to allow agricultural producers 
     to--
       (1) obtain, over the Internet, from approved insurance 
     providers all forms and other information concerning the 
     program under the jurisdiction of the Corporation and Agency 
     in which the agricultural producer is a participant; and
       (2) file electronically all paperwork required for 
     participation in the program.
       (b) Administration.--The plan shall--
       (1) conform to sections 2(c) and 3(b); and
       (2) prescribe--
       (A) the location and type of data to be made available to 
     agricultural producers;
       (B) the location where agricultural producers can 
     electronically file their paperwork; and
       (C) the responsibilities of the applicable parties, 
     including agricultural producers, the Risk Management Agency, 
     the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, approved insurance 
     providers, crop insurance agents, and brokers.
       (c) Implementation.--Not later than December 1, 2001, the 
     Federal Crop Insurance Corporation and the Risk Management 
     Agency shall complete implementation of the plan submitted 
     under subsection (a).

     SEC. 5. CONFIDENTIALITY.

       In carrying out this Act, the Secretary--
       (1) may not make available any information over the 
     Internet that would otherwise not be available for release 
     under section 552 or 552a of title 5, United States Code; and
       (2) shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that 
     the confidentiality of persons is maintained.

                          ____________________