Dear Northwest area

Below is the H. R. 2209 that we are looking for co-sponsors for.  As our
leaders in the area we need you to take the time and effort to contact
your  house congressional members and ask them to co-sponsor this bill.
This bill is the first step to getting a floor for the number of
employees for the next farm bill.  This bill does not cost any money so
there should not be that controversial.  Please make a contact this week
or next and let me know what you find out.

Bob

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109th CONGRESS

1st Session

H. R. 2209
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare an annual report
specifying the number of permanent and temporary non-Federal employees
for local offices of the Farm Service Agency that will be needed to
efficiently and effectively handle the workload generated by recurring
and anticipated agriculture programs administered by the Farm Service
Agency and the funding levels necessary to support such workforce, and
for other purposes.


IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

May 10, 2005
Mr. MCINTYRE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture



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A BILL
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to prepare an annual report
specifying the number of permanent and temporary non-Federal employees
for local offices of the Farm Service Agency that will be needed to
efficiently and effectively handle the workload generated by recurring
and anticipated agriculture programs administered by the Farm Service
Agency and the funding levels necessary to support such workforce, 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. ANNUAL FARM SERVICE AGENCY NON-FEDERAL EMPLOYEE WORKFORCE
REPORTS.

(a) Report Required- The Secretary of Agriculture shall prepare an
annual report specifying, for the fiscal year covered by the report--

(1) the number of permanent and temporary non-Federal employees for
local offices of the Farm Service Agency that the Secretary estimates
will be needed to efficiently and effectively handle the workload
generated by agriculture programs administered by the Farm Service
Agency, including recurring programs, temporary programs, such as
emergency disaster relief and other programs of limited duration, and
anticipated new programs; and

(2) the level of appropriation funding for salaries and expenses that
the Secretary estimates will be necessary to support such workforce,
including the formula by which the Secretary makes such estimate.

(b) Limitation on Number of Temporary Non-Federal Employees- The total
number of temporary non-Federal employees proposed for local offices of
the Farm Service Agency for a fiscal year may not exceed 10 percent of
the total number of all non-Federal employees proposed for local offices
of the Farm Service Agency for that fiscal year.

(c) Submission of Report- The Secretary shall submit to Congress the
report required for a fiscal year under subsection (a) at the same time
that the President submits the budget to Congress under section 1105 of
title 31, United States Code, for that fiscal year.

(d) Non-Federal Employees Defined- In this section, the term
`non-Federal employees' means employees of county and area committees
established under section 8(b)(5) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic
Allotment Act (16 U.S.C. 590h(b)(5)) who are paid from funds
appropriated for the Farm Service Agency.
END