119-s1172

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1172 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 1172

To unfreeze funding for contracts of the Department of Agriculture, to 
prohibit Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service 
 office closures, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 March 27, 2025

Mr. Booker (for himself, Ms. Duckworth, Mr. Welch, Mr. Schiff, Mr. Van 
Hollen, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Heinrich, Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. King, Ms. Smith, 
 Mr. Markey, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Blumenthal, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
 Sanders, and Mr. Whitehouse) introduced the following bill; which was 
read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
 Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

To unfreeze funding for contracts of the Department of Agriculture, to 
prohibit Farm Service Agency and Natural Resources Conservation Service 
 office closures, 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 ``Honor Farmer Contracts Act of 
2025''.

SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FUNDING AND OFFICES.

 The Secretary of Agriculture--

    (1) shall, immediately after the enactment of this Act, 
 unfreeze funding for and implement all agreements and contracts 
 entered into by the Secretary of Agriculture prior to the date 
 of enactment of this Act;

    (2) shall, as rapidly as possible after the enactment of 
 this Act, pay all past due amounts owed by the Secretary of 
 Agriculture under the agreements and contracts described in 
 paragraph

    (1) ;

    (3) shall not cancel any signed agreement or contract with 
 a farmer or an entity providing assistance to farmers, unless 
 the farmer or entity has failed to comply with the terms and 
 conditions of the agreement or contract; and

    (4) shall not close any Farm Service Agency county office, 
 Natural Resources Conservation Service field office, or Rural 
 Development Service Center without providing written notice and 
 justification to Congress not later than 60 days before the 
 date on which the applicable office is intended to be closed.
 <all>