Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “USDA Field Office Stability Act”.
USDA Field Office Stability Act
A BILL
To prohibit the closure or relocation of certain Department of Agriculture offices, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Prohibition on closure or relocation of certain Department of Agriculture offices
In general— The Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) may not close or relocate a county or field office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, a Rural Development area, or any county service center of the Department of Agriculture.
Exceptions— Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to—
an office that is located not more than 20 miles from another office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, a Rural Development area, or any county service center, unless such other office is in another State; or
the relocation of an office within the same county in the course of routine leasing operations.
Minimum staffing levels for local service centers— The Secretary shall maintain, at a minimum, staffing levels at Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development local service centers that keep all such centers open and accessible to the public during standard business hours.