,i #aaith ,,congress #b;d ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ggfa ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,march #c1 #bjbf,mr4 ,bishop 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,austin ,scott of ,georgia1 and ,mr4 ,davis of ,north ,carolina7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture ,a ,,bill ,to reauthorize and improve the relending program to resolve ownership and succession on farmland1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,heirs ,education and ,investment to ,resolve ,succession of ,property ,act4 #b4 ,reauthorization of the heirs property intermediary relending program ,section #caj;,i7g7 of the ,consolidated ,farm and ,rural ,development ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aicf;c7g77 is amended by striking #bjbc and inserting #bjca4 #c4 ,cooperative agreements for heirs property resolution through direct public interest legal services ,section #caj;,i of the ,consolidated ,farm and ,rural ,development ,act 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #aicf;c7 is amended-- 7#a7 by redesignating subsections 7f7 and 7g7 as subsections 7g7 and 7h71 respectively2 and 7#b7 by inserting after subsection 7e7 the following3 7f7 ,cooperative agreements for heirs property resolution through direct public interest legal services 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall enter into cooperative agreements with eligible entities to provide legal or accounting services to underserved heirs1 at no cost to the underserved heirs1 to assist in resolving issues related to ownership and succession on farmland or forest land that has multiple owners4 ,such a cooperative agreement must be for any of the following purposes3 7,a7 ,to assist with transitioning land to agricultural production4 7,b7 ,to maintain land in agricultural production4 7,c7 ,to increase access to programs administered by the ,secretary through the resolution of real property claims in order to allow real property owners to meet land ownership eligibility requirements for participation in a program administered by the ,secretary4 7#b7 ,administration of cooperative agreements 7,a7 ,duration 7i7 ,in general ,a cooperative agreement under paragraph 7#a7 shall be in effect for not more than #d years1 subject to clause 7ii74 7ii7 ,special rule ,the ,secretary may re-enter into a cooperative agreement with the same or a different eligible entity to provide continued services for heirs if property ownership is not resolved within the initial term of the original cooperative agreement1 and the entity certifies that the entity understands that the cooperative agreement is not guaranteed to be funded for more than #d years after the commencement of the original cooperative agreement4 7,b7 ,management of performance 7i7 ,annual reports ,an eligible entity must provide annual reports to the ,secretary summarizing the progress made during each fiscal year towards achieving the goals of the cooperative agreement for the heirs for whom services are provided under the cooperative agreement4 7ii7 ,information and data ,the ,secretary may require an eligible entity to provide the ,secretary with such information or data1 other than personally identifiable information or data1 as the ,secretary deems necessary to determine that the eligible entity is making acceptable progress4 7iii7 ,effect of failure to demonstrate success ,if an eligible entity providing services under such a cooperative agreement does not demonstrate success1 as determined by the ,secretary1 in resolving or reasonably attempting to resolve the property claims of an heir1 the ,secretary may terminate the agreement1 or elect to not enter into a new cooperative agreement with the eligible entity after the initial term of the original cooperative agreement4 7,c7 ,implementation ,the ,secretary may utilize requests for public input or the formal rulemaking process to effectuate this subsection4 ,at a minimum1 the ,secretary shall make publicly available the criteria for selecting an eligible entity to enter into an agreement to provide services1 the administrative and performance requirements for cooperative agreements under this subsection1 as well as codify within its internal policy its implementation process4 7,d7 ,heirs property not in farming ,on a limited basis1 and when determined by the ,secretary to meet the purposes of a program administered by the ,secretary and to expand access to such a program1 the ,secretary may allow an eligible entity to provide services at no cost to an heir who is not an underserved heir if-- 7i7 the land with respect to which the services are to be provided is not farmland or in agricultural production1 but could be viably productive for agricultural1 conservation1 or forestry purposes2 7ii7 the heir satisfies all other requirements of the definition of underserved heir2 7iii7 the heir can provide proof to substantiate that the heir is in control of the real property2 and 7iv7 the heir certifies to the ,secretary that the heir intends to apply for1 and make a good faith effort to enroll the land in1 a program administered by the ,secretary once property claims to the land are resolved through services provided under a cooperative agreement entered into under this subsection4 7#c7 ,definitions ,in this subsection3 7,a7 ,eligible entity ,the term eligible entity means a nonprofit organization that-- 7i7 provides legal or accounting services to an underserved heir at no cost to the underserved heir2 and 7ii7 has demonstrated experience in resolving issues related to ownership and succession on farmland or forest land that has multiple owners4 7,b7 ,limited resource heir ,an heir shall be considered a limited resource heir for purposes of this subsection if-- 7i7 the total household income of the heir is at or below the national poverty level for a family of #d1 or less than #ej percent of the county median household income for the #b immediately preceding calendar years1 as determined annually using data of the ,department of ,commerce2 or 7ii7 the property of the heir for which legal services are provided pursuant to a cooperative agreement entered into under this subsection is in a persistent poverty community1 as determined annually on the basis of data from the ,department of ,commerce1 or a socially vulnerable area1 as designated by the ,centers on ,disease ,control and ,prevention4 7,c7 ,underserved heir ,the term underserved heir means an heir with an undivided ownership interest in farmland that has multiple owners1 who is-- 7i7 a limited resource heir2 7ii7 a member of a socially disadvantaged group 7as defined in section #beja7;a7 of the ,food1 ,agriculture1 ,conservation1 and ,trade ,act of #aiij72 or 7iii7 a veteran 7as defined in section #aja7b7 of title #ch1 ,united ,states ,code74 7#d7 ,annual reports to ,congress ,within #a year after the date of the enactment of this subsection1 and annually thereafter1 the ,secretary shall prepare1 make public1 and submit to the ,committee on ,agriculture of the ,house of ,representatives and the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry of the ,senate a written report on the activities carried out under this subsection in the year covered by the report4 7#e7 ,limitations on authorization of appropriations 7,a7 ,in general ,to carry out this subsection1 there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary #fj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbg through #bjca4 7,b7 ,limitation on use of funds for administration ,the ,secretary may expend for administrative purposes not more than #c percent of the amounts made available under subparagraph 7,a74 4 #d4 ,annual report on operations and outcomes under the relending program to resolve ownership and succession on farmland ,section #caj;,i7g7 of the ,consolidated ,farm and ,rural ,development ,act1 as so redesignated by section #c of this ,act1 is amended by striking ,not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this section1 the ,secretary shall and inserting ,the ,secretary shall annually4 #e4 ,reports on land access and farmland ownership data collection ,section #abfjg7;c7 of the ,agriculture ,improvement ,act of #bjah 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #bbjd;i7c77 is amended by striking #bjbc and inserting #bjca4