Amended in Assembly March 28, 2016

California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 2574

Introduced by Assembly Member Chávez

February 19, 2016

An act to add Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 1168) to Part 3.5 of Division 2 of the Labor Code, relating to veterans.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 2574, as amended, 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 begin insert and a State Board of Food and Agriculture end insert . Existing law provides for a variety of state benefits to veterans, including those relating to educational assistance and farm and home purchases, as specified.

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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.

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This bill, by July 1, 2017, would require the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, in consultation with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the State Board of Food and Agriculture, to develop a New Veteran Farmer and Rancher Outreach and Assistance Plan to disseminate information to veterans in California about, among other things, federal and state veteran agricultural education, training, and other assistance programs, as provided. The bill would authorize other public or private sector resources to be included in that dissemination if the resources meet certain requirements. The bill would also make findings and declarations in this regard.

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Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 1168) is
added to Part 3.5 of Division 2 of the Labor Code, to read:

 

Chapter  9. Veteran Farmers or Ranchers

 

1168.  

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a) The United States Census Bureau data for 2015 estimates
an approximate global population totaling 7.25 billion people,
requiring increased capacity to provide an adequate food supply
while global resources for producing food are dwindling.

(b) The average age of farmers across the United States is on
the rise. In begin delete 1978 end delete begin insert 1978, end insert 16.4 percent of principal farm operators
were over 65 years of age and by begin delete 2012 it end delete begin insert 2012, the average age
of farmers end insert increased to 33 percent of principal farm operators being
over 65 years of age.

(c) An 8-percent national decrease in the number of farmers
and ranchers is expected to occur between the years 2008 and
2018.

(d) The current social and educational infrastructure is
inadequate to serve the needs of farmers and ranchers in California
and elsewhere.

(e) According to the 2012 United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA) Census of Agriculture, 22 percent of all
farmers were beginning farmers in 2012, with minority and
historically underrepresented communities constituting part of the
continued growth among new and beginning farmers and ranchers.

(f) There is expanding recognition of new populations
considering enterprises in farming and ranching that require a
repositioning of classrooms and targeted educational resources
outreach.

(g) According to the USDA, the sales value generated by
California agriculture increased by 4.6 percent between the 2012
and 2013 crop years. The state’s 77,900 farms and ranches received
forty-six billion four hundred million dollars ($46,400,000,000)
for their outputs, ranking California as the nation’s largest in cash
receipts, with the next leading states being Iowa and Nebraska.

(h) In response to the need to identify new population segments
entering farming and begin delete farm-related end delete begin insert ranching-related end insert fields, the
federal 2014 United States farm bill, known as the federal
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79), contained various
landmark incentives to assist America’s veterans returning from
military service to acquire skills needed to start and manage a farm
and successfully enter the business of farming and ranching.
Incentives include, but are not limited to, education and training,
technical assistance, begin insert rehabilitation, end insert and eligibility for USDA
Microloans offering a simplified application process and favorable
interest rates.

(i) More than six million veterans reside in rural America and
two million veterans are residents of California.

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1168.1.  

It is the intent of the Legislature that this chapter
accomplish both of the following:

(a) Recognizes the opportunities provided to California’s two
million veterans made available through landmark federal funding
and technical support for veteran farmers and ranchers through
the federal Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79).

(b) Acknowledges further opportunities offered through state
and federal partnership to enhance the benefits to California’s
veterans resulting from the provisions of the Agricultural Act of
2014.

end delete

1168.2.  

For purposes of this chapter, “veteran farmer or
rancher” means a farmer or rancher who meets both of the

begin delete following: end delete begin insert following requirements: end insert

(a) Has not operated a farm or ranch or has not operated a farm
or ranch for more than 10 years.

(b) Has served in the Armed Forces of the United States
including the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard
of the United States, Reserves, Army National Guard, and Air
National Guard.

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1168.3.  

(a) The Labor and Workforce Development Agency
shall, in partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs,
consult with other state agencies, including, but not limited to, the
Employment Development Department, the Employment Training
Panel, the California Workforce Development Board, and the State
Board of Food and Agriculture, 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 for purposes of identifying and
leveraging federal veteran farmer assistance programs and
resources as contained in the federal Agricultural Act of 2014
(Public Law 113-79).

(b) Resources identified shall be designed to assist the state’s
eligible organizations serving veterans or veteran applicants
applying and qualifying for federal funding through the federal
Agricultural Act of 2014.

(c)

 
Other public or private sector resources offering guaranteed
loans or other support for new veteran farmers or ranchers to assist
in meeting their needs, including, but not limited to, farm
ownership, operating loans, loans for land acquisition and
improvement, and farm storage facilities, may also be identified,
as appropriate, to support eligible organizations serving veterans
or veteran applicants applying and qualifying for federal funding
through the federal Agricultural Act of 2014.

end delete begin insert

begin insert 1168.3. end insert   

(a) By July 1, 2017, the Labor and Workforce
Development Agency, in consultation with the Department of
Veterans Affairs and the State Board of Food and Agriculture,
shall develop a New Veteran Farmer and Rancher Outreach and
Assistance Plan to disseminate information, electronically and
through America’s Job Center of California locations and through
any other already available means, to veterans in California about
state veteran and agricultural education, training, and other
assistance programs, federal veteran and agricultural education,
training, and other assistance programs and resources offered
through the federal Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79)
and any other subsequent federal acts related to agriculture.

(b) Other public or private sector resources may also be
included in the dissemination described in subdivision (a) if these
resources (1) offer guaranteed loans or other support to new
veteran farmers or ranchers to assist in meeting their needs,
including, but not limited to, loans for farm ownership through
the Veterans' Farm and Home Purchase Act of 1974, which is
known as the Cal-Vet loan program, as well as operating loans,
loans for land acquisition and improvement and other needs, as
appropriate, or (2) support eligible traditional and nontraditional
organizations serving veterans, or veteran applicants applying
and qualifying for federal funding authorized by the federal
Agricultural Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-79) and any other
subsequent federal agricultural Acts.

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