Federal Urban Agriculture Act

AN ACT to subsidize and support the creation of urban agricultural productions to help create community food safety nets and to provide lower-income neighborhoods with healthier food alternatives as well as to stimulate local economies

WHEREAS, modern industrial agricultural practices are destructive to local environments and overall human health

WHEREAS, smaller-scale agricultural productions require far less acreage compared to that of industrial agriculture productions.

WHEREAS, aquaponics are considered to be sustainable as well as capable of reducing effluent discharges in to the environment.

WHEREAS, current trends project the United States be near 85% urbanized by 2025

WHEREAS, with urban population centers booming, less land is considered as traditionally arable.

WHEREAS, with arable land becoming less common to find due to encroaching urban sprawls and inability to expand current productions, corporations may find it more lucrative to look to foreign producers for cheaper product.

WHEREAS, converting condemned buildings or unused offices parks in urban sprawls to urban agricultural productions can better stimulate the local economy as well as provide assistance in combating food desertification in urban areas.

Be it enacted by the House of Representatives and Senate of the United States in Congress assembled

Sec. 1 Title and Severability

(a) This act shall be known as the Federal Urban Agricultural Act. The “FUA Act” shall be an acceptable acronym.

(b) The provisions of this act are severable. If one part of this is to be found unconstitutional, then that part will be struck.

Sec. 2 Definitions

(a) “Board” shall be defined as the board of directors of the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency

(b) “Microenterprise” shall be defined as a small business in which the owner operates the enterprise

(c) “Urban Area” shall be defined as the area inside the boundaries of a municipality with a population of 75,000 or more

(d) “Urban farm” shall be defined as any sort of agricultural practice that occur within the confines of an urban area

(e) “Secretary” shall be defined as the Secretary of the Interior acting through their capacity of the head of the United States Department of Agriculture

Sec. 3 Creation of the Urban Farm Microenterprise Support Program

(a) The board shall create an urban farm microenterprise support program to provide financial assistance to microenterprises in urban areas that are primarily engaged in:

(i) research into processes and technology related to agricultural production in an urban setting;

(ii) the production or development of tools or processes for agriculture in a manner suited for an urban setting; or

(iii) agricultural activities in a manner suited for an urban setting

(b) No later than one year and one month following the enactment of this act, the Secretary shall in coordination with the United States Department of Agriculture present to the House Committee on Government Oversight, Infrastructure, Interior and Intelligence, the House Committee on Health, Science, Education, Labor, and the Entitlements and the Senate Committee on Health, Science, and the Environment detailing the administration, authorization, and distribution of the loans detailed in Section 4, as well as the impact and projected impact of the

** Sec. 4 Urban Farm Microenterprise Support Program Loans**

(a) On the receipt of gifts and grants of money under Section 5, the board shall establish and implement a loan program supporting established and proposed urban farm microenterprises in urban areas by providing loans to expand, modernize, or otherwise improve the established microenterprises and to begin operation of proposed microenterprises.

(b) An applicant applying on behalf of a proposed microenterprise may receive a loan of up to $25,000 to begin operation of the microenterprise.

(c) An applicant applying on behalf of an established microenterprise may receive a loan of up to $50,000 to expand, modernize, or otherwise improve an established microenterprise.

(d) The board may reserve a portion of the total fund for use in cooperative loan programs established with the participation of other public or private lenders.

(e) The board by rule may provide for the administration by a private or public entity of the loans awarded under the loan program.

(f) The Secretary shall implement and administer an advertising program concurrent with the length of appropriations authorized by this section in order to promote and advertise the loans authorized under this section.

(i) $5,000,000 shall be appropriated for the purposes of administering and implementing the advertising programs authorized under this subsection

** Sec. 5 Money For Loans**

(a) The board may accept gifts and grants of money from the federal government, local governments, or private corporations or other persons for use in making loans under the urban farm microenterprise support program.

Sec. 6 Urban Farm Microenterprise Development Fund

(a) The urban farm microenterprise development fund is a fund in the United States Secretary of the Treasury’s office. The following shall be deposited to the credit of the fund:

(i) amounts received by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency for loans made under the urban farm microenterprise support program;

(ii) money received in repayment of loans made under the program; and

(iii) other money received by the board for the program and required by the board to be deposited in the fund.

Sec. 7 Enactment

(a) This bill comes into effect ninety days after being signed into law.**

This bill is written and sponsored by Representative /u/DaveyClarkson4Prez (D-US) and was co-sponsored in the House by Speaker of the House /u/brihimia (D-DX-4), House Majority Leader /u/ItsZippy23 (D-AC-1) and Representatives /u/NeatSaucer (D-FR-3), /u/TheGoldenOwl226 (D-US).