[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 107 (Tuesday, June 26, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4438]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3155. Mr. CASEY (for himself and Mr. Moran) submitted an amendment 
intended to be proposed by him to the bill H.R. 2, to provide for the 
reform and continuation of agricultural and other programs of the 
Department of Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle D of title II, add the following:

     SEC. 24__. SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO CONSERVATION 
                   PROGRAMS.

       It is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) the investment in conservation provided by this Act is 
     critical to the protection of natural resources, 
     environmental enhancement, and the long-term food security of 
     the United States;
       (2) establishing clear objectives and anticipated outcomes 
     for conservation programs is essential for tracking progress 
     on achieving objectives over time;
       (3) a measurement, evaluation, and reporting system should 
     be established to help define and assess conservation 
     outcomes and thereby help ensure robust, positive returns on 
     the taxpayer investment in conservation programs;
       (4) an outcomes-based measurement, evaluation, and 
     reporting system for conservation programs under this Act and 
     Acts amended by this Act should be coordinated with the 
     broader existing activities by the Department of Agriculture 
     under the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977 
     (16 U.S.C. 2001 et seq.) and the Conservation Effects 
     Assessment Project; and
       (5) determining a secure and ongoing funding source will be 
     critical to the success of the measure, evaluation, and 
     reporting system described in paragraph (4).
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