Bill Details
HR.1230 - 119th Congress
Status
Latest action
2025-12-19 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity.
Introduced Date
2025-02-12
Policy Area
Agriculture and Food
Committees
View committees (2)
Cosponsors
8
0
0
AI Summary This summary was generated by AI from the bill text. AI can get information wrong.
This bill would create a new federal grant program to help veterans start or grow careers in farming and ranching. The U.S. Department of Agriculture would give out competitive grants to schools, nonprofits, state agriculture departments, and other local groups that can train veterans in farm and ranch business skills. The goal is to make it easier for veterans to learn agriculture, build experience, and succeed as farmers or ranchers.
- Grants could go to land-grant universities, colleges of agriculture, cooperative extension services, Hispanic-serving agricultural colleges and universities, state agriculture departments, nonprofit groups, community-based groups, or partnerships of these organizations.
- Grant money could be used for classroom training, business and management education, curriculum development, workshops, farm and ranch tours, supervised field learning, and other activities approved by the Secretary of Agriculture.
- Any group receiving a grant would have to provide matching non-federal funds equal to at least the amount of the grant.
- The bill would authorize $5 million each year from fiscal year 2026 through fiscal year 2030 for this program.
Official Summaries
Agriculture Grants for Veterans Education and Training Services Act or the AG VETS Act
This bill directs the Department of Agriculture to provide competitive grants to eligible entities for the purpose of establishing and enhancing farming and ranching opportunities for veterans through education and training services.
Entities eligible for the grants include cooperative extension services, land-grant colleges and universities, non-land-grant colleges of agriculture, state departments of agriculture, and nonprofit organizations.
Current Full Text
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1230 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1230
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act
of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program
under which the Secretary will award competitive grants to eligible
entities for the purpose of establishing and enhancing farming and
ranching opportunities for veterans.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 12, 2025
Mr. Van Orden (for himself and Mr. Davis of North Carolina) introduced
the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
and in addition to the Committee on Veterans' Affairs, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act
of 1998 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish a program
under which the Secretary will award competitive grants to eligible
entities for the purpose of establishing and enhancing farming and
ranching opportunities for veterans.
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 ``Agriculture Grants for Veterans
Education and Training Services Act'' or the ``AG VETS Act''.
SEC. 2. AGRICULTURE GRANTS FOR VETERAN EDUCATION AND TRAINING SERVICES.
Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education
Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7624 et seq.) is amended by adding at the
end the following:
``SEC. 414. AGRICULTURE GRANTS FOR VETERAN EDUCATION AND TRAINING
SERVICES.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish a program under
which the Secretary will award competitive grants to eligible entities
for the purpose of establishing and enhancing farming and ranching
opportunities for veterans (as defined in section 101(2) of title 38,
United States Code).
``(b) Eligible Entities.--An entity is eligible for a grant under
this section if such entity is--
``(1) a cooperative extension service;
``(2) a land-grant college or university (as defined in
section 1404 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension,
and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3103));
``(3) a non-land-grant college of agriculture (as defined
in such section);
``(4) a Hispanic-serving agricultural college and
university (as defined in such section);
``(5) a State department of agriculture;
``(6) a nonprofit organization;
``(7) a community-based organization; or
``(8) a combination of 2 or more eligible entities
described in paragraphs (1) through (7).
``(c) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity that receives a grant under
this section shall use the funds received through the grant--
``(1) to provide training and classroom education that
leads to a comprehensive understanding of farm and ranch
business operations and management practices;
``(2) to develop or identify curriculum that veteran
farmers and ranchers can adopt to help manage their enterprise;
``(3) to offer education, workshops, tours, and instructor-
supervised field experiences; or
``(4) to support any other activity, as identified by the
Secretary, to increase the number of military veterans pursuing
knowledge and skills development in agriculture.
``(d) Matching Funds.--An entity that receives a grant under this
section shall provide non-Federal matching funds for the purposes of
carrying out this section in an amount equal to not less than the
amount of the grant.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2026 through 2030.''.
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