[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 109 (Thursday, June 28, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4767]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3386. Mr. SASSE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 3224 proposed by Mr. Roberts (for himself and Ms. 
Stabenow) 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__. GAO STUDY ON NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION 
                   SERVICE DETERMINATIONS OF PROGRAM 
                   INELIGIBILITY.

       (a) In General.--As soon as practicable after the date of 
     enactment of this Act, the Comptroller General of the United 
     States shall conduct a study of the coordination between the 
     Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Farm Service 
     Agency to determine--
       (1) the number of producers that were determined to be 
     ineligible for Department of Agriculture benefits as a result 
     of noncompliance with applicable requirements under 
     conservation programs (referred to in this section as 
     ``applicable conservation requirements'');
       (2) in any case in which a producer was determined not to 
     be in compliance with an applicable conservation requirement, 
     the penalties enforced against the producer;
       (3) the total number of acres determined not to be in 
     compliance with applicable conservation requirements;
       (4) applicable procedures to ensure producers can work with 
     the Natural Resources Conservation Service to bring the acres 
     of the producers into compliance with applicable conservation 
     requirements;
       (5) the coordination between county and State offices with 
     respect to evaluation of compliance with applicable 
     conservation requirements; and
       (6)(A) the means by which the Natural Resources 
     Conservation Service determines which tracts of land to 
     evaluate for compliance with applicable conservation 
     requirements; and
       (B) whether a random order of selection is the most 
     efficient way to evaluate whether producers are achieving 
     compliance with applicable conservation requirements.
       (b) Components.--The study under subsection (a) shall 
     include--
       (1) an evaluation of the appeals process relating to 
     determinations of ineligibility for Federal programs, 
     including a review, during the 5-year period ending on the 
     date on which the study is commenced, of those appeals 
     brought to the National Appeals Division; and
       (2) the development of recommendations, taking into 
     consideration affected watersheds, regions, counties, and 
     adjacent landowners, to improve efficiency in the management 
     of Federal resources relating to producer compliance with 
     applicable conservation requirements.
                                 ______