§6932a Prohibition on Closure or Relocation of County Offices for the Farm Service Agency

Summary

For two years after this Act becomes law, the Secretary of Agriculture cannot close or move any Farm Service Agency county or field office. The rule does not apply to an office that is within 20 miles of another FSA office or to moving an office within the same county during normal lease changes. After that two-year period, before closing an office that is more than 20 miles from another office, the Secretary must, as much as possible, first close offices that are less than 20 miles from another office and that have two or fewer permanent full-time employees. Also, the Secretary cannot close an office unless a public meeting is held in the county within 30 days of proposing the closure, and, after that meeting but at least 90 days before approving the closure, the Secretary notifies the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, both Senators from the State, and the Member of the House for the district where the office is located.