HB 3556

Abstract

Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program Act. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Program within the Department of Agriculture to support current Black farmers and to encourage the growth of Black farmers into the field of agriculture. Creates the Black Farmer Restoration Fund as a special fund in the State treasury. Provides that the Fund shall consist of gifts, grants, donations, and appropriations which must be made to support the Program. Provides that expenditures from the Fund must be used exclusively to pay costs, fees, and expenses necessary to administer the Program. Establishes requirements and limitations for the Program. Establishes the Farm Conservation Corps to provide training in an on-field environment for socially disadvantaged residents. Provides that the Director shall make publicly available annual reports describing data on the recipients of the Department programs, including assistance from farm subsidy programs, and the amounts of the assistance, delineated by the race, ethnicity, and gender of the recipients. Defines terms. Effective immediately.