AB 2574, as introduced, Chávez. Veteran farmers and ranchers.
Existing law establishes the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and provides that the agency consists of, among other entities, the California Workforce Investment Board, the Employment Development Department, and the Employment Training Panel. Existing law establishes within state government a Department of Veterans Affairs. Existing law provides for a variety of state benefits to veterans, including those relating to educational assistance and farm and home purchases, as specified.
This bill would require the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs, to consult with other state agencies, including, but not limited to, the Employment Development Department, to mutually explore, in consultation with the United States Department of Agriculture, the potential availability of existing state employment training, outreach, and business development resources and other public or private sector resources, as specified, for purposes of identifying and leveraging federal veteran farmer or rancher as defined, assistance programs and resources as contained in a certain federal law. The bill would also set forth related findings and declarations of the Legislature.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 1168) is
2added to Part 3.5 of Division 2 of the Labor Code, to read:
3
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
7(a) The United States Census Bureau data for 2015 estimates
8an approximate global population totaling 7.25 billion people,
9requiring increased capacity to provide an adequate food supply
10while global resources for producing food are dwindling.
11(b) The average age of farmers across the United States is on
12the rise. In 1978 16.4 percent of principal farm operators were
13over 65 years of age and by 2012 it increased to 33 percent of
14principal farm operators being over 65 years of age.
15(c) An 8-percent national decrease in the number of farmers
16and ranchers is expected to occur between
the years 2008 and
172018.
18(d) The current social and educational infrastructure is
19inadequate to serve the needs of farmers and ranchers in California
20and elsewhere.
21(e) According to the 2012 United States Department of
22Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture, 22 percent of all
23farmers were beginning farmers in 2012, with minority and
24historically underrepresented communities constituting part of the
25continued growth among new and beginning farmers and ranchers.
26(f) There is expanding recognition of new populations
27considering enterprises in farming and ranching that require a
28repositioning of classrooms and targeted educational resources
29outreach.
30(g) According to the USDA, the sales value generated by
31California agriculture increased by 4.6 percent
between the 2012
32and 2013 crop years. The state’s 77,900 farms and ranches received
33forty-six billion four hundred million dollars ($46,400,000,000)
34for their outputs, ranking California as the nation’s largest in cash
35receipts, with the next leading states being Iowa and Nebraska.
P3 1(h) In response to the need to identify new population segments
2entering farming and farm-related fields, the federal 2014 United
3States farm bill, known as the federal Agricultural Act of 2014
4(Public Law 113-79), contained various landmark incentives to
5assist America’s veterans returning from military service to acquire
6skills needed to start and manage a farm and successfully enter
7the business of farming and ranching. Incentives include, but are
8not limited to, education and training, technical assistance, and
9eligibility for USDA Microloans offering a simplified application
10process and favorable interest rates.
11(i) More than six million veterans reside in rural America and
12two million veterans are residents of California.
It is the intent of the Legislature that this chapter
14accomplish both of the following:
15(a) Recognizes the opportunities provided to California’s two
16million veterans made available through landmark federal funding
17and technical support for veteran farmers and ranchers through
18the federal Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79).
19(b) Acknowledges further opportunities offered through state
20and federal partnership to enhance the benefits to California’s
21veterans resulting from the provisions of the Agricultural Act of
222014.
For purposes of this chapter, “veteran farmer or
24rancher” means a farmer or rancher who meets both of the
25following:
26(a) Has not operated a farm or ranch or has not operated a farm
27or ranch for more than 10 years.
28(b) Has served in the Armed Forces of the United States
29including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard
30of the United States, Reserves, Army National Guard, and Air
31National Guard.
(a) The Labor and Workforce Development Agency
33shall, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs,
34consult with other state agencies, including, but not limited to, the
35Employment Development Department, the Employment Training
36Panel, the California Workforce Development Board, and the State
37Board of Food and Agriculture, to mutually explore, in consultation
38with the United States Department of Agriculture, the potential
39availability of existing state employment training, outreach, and
40business development resources for purposes of identifying and
P4 1leveraging federal veteran farmer assistance programs and
2resources as contained in the federal Agricultural Act of 2014
3(Public Law 113-79).
4(b) Resources identified shall be designed to
assist the state’s
5eligible organizations serving veterans or veteran applicants
6applying and qualifying for federal funding through the federal
7Agricultural Act of 2014.
8(c) Other public or private sector resources offering guaranteed
9loans or other support for new veteran farmers or ranchers to assist
10in meeting their needs, including, but not limited to, farm
11ownership, operating loans, loans for land acquisition and
12improvement, and farm storage facilities, may also be identified,
13as appropriate, to support eligible organizations serving veterans
14or veteran applicants applying and qualifying for federal funding
15through the federal Agricultural Act of 2014.
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