,,ii #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ccib ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,december #i1 #bjbe,mr4 ,wyden 7for himself1 ,mr4 ,budd1 ,mr4 ,merkley1 ,mr4 ,tillis1 ,mr4 ,welch1 ,mr4 ,bennet1 ,ms4 ,baldwin1 ,mrs4 ,gillibrand1 ,mr4 ,heinrich1 ,mrs4 ,murray1 ,ms4 ,rosen1 ,mr4 ,blumenthal1 ,ms4 ,lummis1 and ,mrs4 ,capito7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,agriculture1 ,nutrition1 and ,forestry ,a ,,bill ,to direct the ,secretary of ,agriculture to designate an ,agritourism ,advisor1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,accelerating the ,growth of ,rural ,innovation and ,tourism ,opportunities to ,uphold ,rural ,industries and ,sustainable ,marketplaces ,act or the ,,agritourism ,act4 #b4 ,findings2 sense of ,congress 7a7 ,findings ,congress finds that-- 7#a7 agritourism provides a range of unique experiences to the public1 including-- 7,a7 education1 such as school tours1 garden and nursery tours1 winery tours1 historical agricultural exhibits1 hops and microbrewery tours1 and distillery tours2 7,b7 outdoor recreation1 such as river activities1 mountain biking1 horseback riding1 wildlife viewing and photography1 fee fishing and hunting1 wagon and sleigh rides1 cross-country skiing1 game preserves1 and clay bird shooting2 7,c7 entertainment1 such as concerts and special events1 culinary experiences1 festivals1 fairs1 interaction with farm animals1 and weddings2 7,d7 direct sales1 such as on-farm sales1 farm stands1 agriculture-related crafts and gifts1 u-pick operations1 u-cut tree farms1 wineries1 breweries1 cideries1 distilleries1 and cut flowers2 7,e7 accommodations1 such as bed-and-breakfast inns1 farm and ranch vacations1 yurts1 sheep wagons1 and guest ranches2 and 7,f7 dining on a farm2 7#b7 agritourism has financial1 educational1 and social benefits to communities2 and 7#c7 agritourism continues-- 7,a7 to offer educational opportunities for children and families2 7,b7 to generate supplemental income for owners of agricultural enterprises1 which are often small or family-run businesses2 7,c7 to spur economic development in rural communities2 7,d7 to preserve agricultural heritage2 7,e7 to help farms diversify2 and 7,f7 to provide alternative revenue opportunities to keep working farms in production4 7b7 ,sense of ,congress ,it is the sense of ,congress that1 to further realize the benefits of agritourism to communities1 the ,secretary of ,agriculture should incorporate agritourism into the ,department of ,agriculture comprehensively4 #c4 ,agritourism ,advisor 7a7 ,in general ,subtitle ,c of the ,department of ,agriculture ,reorganization ,act of #aiid 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #fida et seq47 is amended by adding at the end the following3 #bcg4 ,agritourism ,advisor 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,advisor ,the term ,advisor means the ,agritourism ,advisor described in subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,state ,the term ,state means-- 7,a7 each of the several ,states of the ,united ,states2 7,b7 the ,district of ,columbia2 and 7,c7 any territory of the ,united ,states4 7b7 ,advisor ,the ,secretary shall designate a senior official in the ,office of the ,under ,secretary for ,rural ,development to serve as the ,agritourism ,advisor4 7c7 ,duties ,the ,advisor shall encourage and promote1 in each ,state and on land under the jurisdiction of ,indian ,tribes 7as defined in section #d of the ,indian ,self-,determination and ,education ,assistance ,act 7#be ,u4,s4,c4 #ecjd771 agritourism activities and agritourism businesses1 including-- 7#a7 educational experiences2 7#b7 outdoor recreation2 7#c7 entertainment and special events2 7#d7 direct sales2 7#e7 accommodations2 and 7#f7 any other activity or business relating to agritourism1 as determined by the ,secretary4 7d7 ,means of achieving ,in carrying out subsection 7c71 the ,advisor shall-- 7#a7 coordinate with the agencies and officials of the ,department2 7#b7 advise the ,secretary on issues relating to agritourism2 7#c7 ensure that the programs of the ,department are updated to address best agritourism practices2 7#d7 conduct outreach to stakeholders and coordinate external partnerships to share best practices1 provide mentorship1 and offer technical assistance to agritourism businesses2 7#e7 facilitate interagency program coordination and develop interagency tools for the promotion of agritourism programs and resources2 7#f7 review and improve farm enterprise development programs that provide information about financial literacy1 business planning1 and marketing for agritourism2 7#g7 coordinate networks of agritourism businesses2 7#h7 consolidate access to ,federal resources to help agritourism businesses effectively navigate available programs and assistance2 and 7#i7 collaborate with other ,federal agencies1 as needed4 4 7b7 ,technical amendment ,the ,department of ,agriculture ,reorganization ,act of #aiid is amended by redesignating the first section #bbe 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #fibe7 7relating to the ,food ,access ,liaison7 as section #bbd;,a4 7c7 ,conforming amendment ,section #bif7;b7 of the ,department of ,agriculture ,reorganization ,act of #aiid 7#g ,u4,s4,c4 #gjad7;b77 is amended by adding at the end the following3 7#aa7 ,the authority of the ,secretary to carry out section #bcg4 4