June 18, 2026
Ms. Davids of Kansas (for herself, Mr. Schmidt, and Mr. Vasquez) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture
To prohibit the closure or relocation of certain Department of Agriculture offices, and for other purposes.
Section 1. Short title
This Act may be cited as the USDA Field Office Stability Act
.
Sec. 2. Prohibition on closure or relocation of certain Department of Agriculture offices
(a) In general
The Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the Secretary
) may not close or relocate a county or field office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, a Rural Development area, or any county service center of the Department of Agriculture.
(b) Exceptions
Subsection (a) shall not apply with respect to—
(1)
an office that is located not more than 20 miles from another office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, a Rural Development area, or any county service center, unless such other office is in another State; or
(2)
the relocation of an office within the same county in the course of routine leasing operations.
(c) Minimum staffing levels for local service centers
The Secretary shall maintain, at a minimum, staffing levels at Natural Resources Conservation Service, Farm Service Agency, and Rural Development local service centers that keep all such centers open and accessible to the public during standard business hours.