,i #aaeth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #chga ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,september #bh1 #bjag,mr4 ,faso 7for himself1 ,ms4 ,michelle ,lujan ,grisham of ,new ,mexico1 ,mr4 ,grothman1 ,mr4 ,rodney ,davis of ,illinois1 ,ms4 ,blunt ,rochester1 and ,mr4 ,soto7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij to reauthorize and improve the national organic program1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,organic ,farmer and ,consumer ,protection ,act of #bjag4 #b4 ,authorization of appropriations for national organic program ,subsection 7b7 of section #babc of the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #febb7 is amended to read as follows3 7b7 ,national ,organic ,program ,notwithstanding any other provision of law1 in order to carry out activities under the national organic program established under this title1 there are authorized to be appropriated-- 7#a7 #ae1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjah2 7#b7 #af1ejj1jjj for fiscal year #bjai2 7#c7 #ah1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbj2 7#d7 #bj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjba2 7#e7 #bb1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb2 and 7#f7 #bd1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbc4 4 #c4 ,modernization and improvement of international trade technology systems and data collection ,section #babc of the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #febb7 is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection3 7d7 ,modernization and improvement of international trade technology systems and data collection 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall modernize international trade tracking and data collection systems of the national organic program4 7#b7 ,activities ,in carrying out paragraph 7#a71 the ,secretary shall modernize trade and transaction certificates to ensure full traceability without unduly hindering trade1 such as through an electronic trade document exchange system4 7#c7 ,funding ,of the funds of the ,commodity ,credit ,corporation1 the ,secretary shall make available #e1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjai for the purposes of-- 7,a7 carrying out this subsection2 and 7,b7 maintaining the database and technology upgrades previously carried out pursuant to subsection 7c74 7#d7 ,availability ,the amount made available under paragraph 7#c7 is in addition to any other funds made available for the purposes specified in such paragraph and shall remain available until expended4 4 #d4 ,recordkeeping1 investigation1 and enforcement 7a7 ,in general ,section #babj of the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #feai7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7d7 ,collaborative investigations and enforcement 7#a7 ,information sharing during active investigation ,in carrying out this title1 all parties to an active investigation 7including certifying agents1 ,state organic certification programs1 and the national organic program7 may share confidential business information with ,federal and ,state government officers and employees and certifying agents involved in the investigation as necessary to fully investigate and enforce potential violations of this title and regulations issued under this title4 7#b7 ,access to data documentation systems ,the ,secretary shall have access to available data from cross-border documentation systems administered by other ,federal agencies1 including-- 7,a7 the ,automated ,commercial ,environment system of the ,u4,s4 ,customs and ,border ,patrol2 and 7,b7 the ,phytosanitary ,certificate ,issuance and ,tracking system of the ,animal and ,plant ,health ,inspection ,service4 7#c7 ,additional documentation and verification ,the ,secretary1 acting through the national organic program1 has the authority1 and shall grant an accredited certifying agent the authority1 to require increased additional documentation or verification before granting certification1 in the case of a known area of risk or when there is a specific area of concern1 as determined by the ,secretary or the certifying agent4 4 7b7 ,modification of regulations on ,exclusions from ,certification ,not later than #a year after the date of the enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary of ,agriculture shall issue regulations to limit the type of operations that are excluded from certification under section #bje4aja of title #g1 ,code of ,federal ,regulations1 and any other corresponding sections4 #e4 ,additional accreditation authority ,section #baae of the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #fead7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsection 7c7 as subsection 7d72 and 7#b7 by inserting after subsection 7b7 the following3 7c7 ,satellite offices and overseas operations ,as part of the accreditation of certifying agents under this section1 the ,secretary-- 7#a7 has oversight and approval authority over any certifying agent operating in a foreign country2 and 7#b7 shall require an annual authorization for each certifying agent that intends to operate in any foreign country4 4 #f4 ,annual report ,section #babb of the ,organic ,foods ,production ,act of #aiij 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #feba7 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7c7 ,annual report ,not later than ,march #a1 #bjai1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall submit to ,congress a report describing national organic program activities with respect to all domestic and overseas investigations and compliance actions taken pursuant to this title during the preceding year4 4