Tina Smith (D-MN)
Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2026
A Democratic bill with 1 Democratic cosponsor · See the cosponsor
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
This bill, known as the ``Farming Opportunities Training and Outreach Grant Program Reauthorization Act of 2026'', seeks to amend the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990. It focuses on improving assistance for socially disadvantaged, veteran, and beginning farmers and ranchers. The legislation extends various timeframes for programs through 2031. It also adds requirements for providing interpretation and translation services to increase access to Department programs. Additionally, the bill establishes new data collection requirements regarding crop acres, payments, loans, and grazing permits. These new data points must include the race, ethnicity, and gender of farmers and ranchers.
Yes· 3 of 12
- Scored +4
Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together?
The bill specifically aims to improve assistance and outreach for veteran farmers and ranchers.
- Scored +4
Would farmers be better off under this?
The bill expands access to technical assistance and Department programs through language-specific services.
- Scored +4
Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see?
The bill mandates detailed data compilation on crops, payments, and loans every five years to increase accountability.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Improved Access to Programs: The bill includes provisions for providing appropriate interpretation and translation services to expand meaningful access to Department programs or technical assistance services (Section 2, amending Section 2501(c) and (d)).
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Increased Accountability and Transparency: The Secretary is required to compile specific data every five years for each county and State, including information on program crops, payments, fee waivers, loans, and grazing permits (Section 3, amending Section 2501A(c)).
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Better Representation Data: The new data collection requirement includes the race, ethnicity, and gender of farmers and ranchers, which will be organized into specific categories to provide a clearer picture of agricultural assistance (Section 3, amending Section 2501A(c)).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Increased Administrative Reporting: The Secretary must now compile and organize detailed data on a five-year cycle for every county and State in the United States (Section 3, amending Section 2501A(c)).
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Requirement for Separate Reporting: The bill requires that the Secretary submit data in a separate report, adding more to the reporting obligations (Section 3, amending Section 2501A(c)).
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would farmers be better off under this? — The bill expands access to technical assistance and Department programs through language-specific services. Would veterans be better off under this, taking everything together? — The bill specifically aims to improve assistance and outreach for veteran farmers and ranchers. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The inclusion of translation and interpretation services specifically aids access for non-English speaking populations. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — Increased program access may benefit low-income farmers through improved outreach and translation services. Would women be better off under this? — The bill tracks gender data which facilitates better outreach for women in agriculture. Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this? — The bill provides better support and outreach for beginning farmers, who are often younger adults.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill requires collection of race and ethnicity data to better track assistance for socially disadvantaged groups. Does this narrow the gap between how men and women are treated? — The bill includes gender as a specific data point to track representation in agricultural assistance.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill mandates detailed data compilation on crops, payments, and loans every five years to increase accountability.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill enhances outreach and access to technical assistance for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers. Does this make the government pay for what it commits to? — The bill increases transparency through new data collection requirements on agricultural payments and loans.
- Environment Energy And Infrastructure
- Does this invest in rural communities? — The bill improves access to Department programs for rural farmers and ranchers through translation and interpretation services.
- 6/23/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 6/22/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Ben LujánDemocrat · New Mexico