119-hr2307

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2307 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 H. R. 2307

To establish the Commission on National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Modernization to modernize the data collection and reporting processes 
 of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, and for other 
 purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 March 24, 2025

 Mr. Moore of Alabama (for himself and Mr. Davis of North Carolina) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
 Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To establish the Commission on National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Modernization to modernize the data collection and reporting processes 
 of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, 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. COMMISSION ON NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS SERVICE 
 MODERNIZATION.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established a commission to be known 
as the Commission on National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Modernization (referred to in this section as the ``Commission'').

    (b) Study.--The Commission shall conduct a study of the National 
Agricultural Statistics Service and provide recommendations on--

    (1) how data collection can be modernized and streamlined 
 to--
        (A) improve the quality of statistics reported;
        (B) account for differences of national, regional, 
 and local production;
            (C) accelerate adoption of new and innovative 
 technologies to reduce the number of surveys needed;
            (D) improve producer response rates in statistical 
 surveys and identifying ways to reduce survey fatigue;
        (E) increase transparency and confidence in 
 statistical reports through improved collaboration with 
 agricultural stakeholders;
        (F) use more real-time statistical and 
 environmental data to complement existing survey-based 
 data and reporting; and
        (G) improve collection and generation of timely 
 data on the specialty crop industry; and

    (2) how the modernization and streamlining determined under 
 paragraph

    (1) can be implemented and the estimated costs of 
 such implementation.
            (c) Membership.--

    (1) Composition.--The Commission shall consist of the 
 following 11 members:
        (A) The Administrator of the National Agricultural 
 Statistics Service of the Department of Agriculture.
        (B) The Administrator of the Economic Research 
 Service of the Department of Agriculture.
            (C) The Chief Economist of the Department of 
 Agriculture.
            (D) The Chair of the World Agricultural Outlook 
 Board of the Department of Agriculture.
        (E) A representative from the Bureau of Labor 
 Statistics.
        (F) 3 members appointed by the Committee on 
 Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, of 
 which--
            (i) 1 shall be appointed by the Chairman of 
 the Committee;
            (ii) 1 shall be appointed by the Ranking 
 Member of the Committee; and
            (iii) 1 shall be appointed jointly by the 
 Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee.
        (G) 3 members appointed by the Committee on 
 Agriculture of the House of Representatives, of which--
            (i) 1 shall be appointed by the Chairman of 
 the Committee;
            (ii) 1 shall be appointed by the Ranking 
 Member of the Committee; and
            (iii) 1 shall be appointed jointly by the 
 Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee.

    (2) Date of appointments.--The appointment of all members 
 of the Commission shall be made not later than 60 days after 
 the date of enactment of this Act.

    (3) Term; vacancies.--
        (A) Term.--A member shall be appointed for the 
 duration of the Commission.
        (B) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Commission--
            (i) shall not affect the powers of the 
 Commission; and
            (ii) shall be filled in the same manner as 
 the original appointment was made.

    (4) Initial meeting.--Not later than 60 days after the date 
 on which all members of the Commission have been first 
 appointed, the Commission shall hold the initial meeting of the 
 Commission.
            (d) Quorum.--A majority of the members of the Commission shall 
constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, but a lesser 
number of members may hold hearings.

    (e) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Commission shall be 
selected by a majority of the Members of the Commission.

    (f) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of 
this Act, the Commission shall submit to the President, the Committee 
on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, and the Committee on 
Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing 
the results of the study required by subsection

    (b) , including--

    (1) an inventory of surveys conducted by the National 
 Agricultural Statistics Service and the frequency with which 
 they are conducted; and

    (2) such recommendations for administrative, regulatory, 
 and legislative changes as the Commission considers 
 appropriate.

    (g) Hearings.--The Commission shall hold such hearings, meet and 
act at such times and places, take such testimony, and receive such 
evidence as the Commission considers appropriate to carry out this 
section.

    (h) Stakeholder Engagement.--The Commission shall establish a 
process to collect feedback from agricultural stakeholders to inform 
the results of the study required under subsection

    (b) and the report 
required under subsection

    (f) .
            (i) Information From Federal Agencies.--

    (1) In general.--The Commission may secure directly from a 
 Federal agency such information as the Commission considers 
 necessary to carry out this section.

    (2) Authority to request information.--At the request of 
 the Chairperson of the Commission for information described in 
 paragraph

    (1) , the head of a Federal agency shall provide such 
 information to the Commission.

    (j) Postal Services.--The Commission may use the United States mail 
in the same manner and under the same conditions as other agencies of 
the Federal Government.

    (k) Assistance From the Secretary.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
shall provide to the Commission appropriate office space and such 
reasonable administrative and support services as the Commission may 
request.
            (l) Compensation of Members.--

    (1) Non-federal employees.--A member of the Commission who 
 is not an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall 
 be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the 
 annual rate of basic pay prescribed for level IV of the 
 Executive Schedule under 

section 5315 of title 5, United States 
 Code, for each day (including travel time) during which the 
 member is engaged in the performance of the duties of the 
 Commission.

    (2) Federal employees.--A member of the Commission who is 
 an officer or employee of the Federal Government shall serve 
 without compensation in addition to the compensation received 
 for the services of the member as an officer or employee of the 
 Federal Government.

    (3) Travel expenses.--A member of the Commission shall be 
 allowed travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of 
 subsistence, at rates authorized for an employee of an agency 
 under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States 
 Code, while away from the home or regular place of business of 
 the member in the performance of the duties of the Commission.
            (m) Federal Advisory Committee Act.--Sections 1008 and 1013 of 
title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Commission or any 
proceeding of the Commission.

    (n) Termination.--The Commission shall terminate on September 30, 
2030.

    (o) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out 
this section $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2026, to remain available until 
expended.
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