Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1488

 12 2 STA T . 1 465PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 3 4 —M A Y 22, 200 8(b)EXCEPTIONS.— ( 1 ) S EC R ET A R YD ETER M INATION.— The Se cr e ta r ym ay re du ce a debarme n t under s ubsect io n(a)toa p eriod o f not l ess than 1 0 years if the Secretary considers it appropriate. ( 2 ) F OOD ASSISTANCE.— A debarment under subsection (a) shall not apply w ith respect to participation in domestic food assistance pro g rams (as defined by the Secretary). SEC.142 12. PROHIB I T IO N ONC L OS U RE OR RELOC A TION O F COUNT Y OFFICES FOR THE FAR M SER V ICE A G ENCY. (a) TEMPORARY P RO H I B ITION.— (1) I N G ENERA L .—Sub j ect to paragraph (2) , until the date that is two years after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture may not close or relocate a county or field office of the Farm Ser v ice Agency. (2) EXCEPTION.—Paragraph (1) shall not apply to— (A) an office that is located not more than 20 miles from another office of the Farm Service Agency or ( B ) the relocation of an office within the same county in the course of routine leasing operations. (b) L IMITATION ON C LOS U RE; N OTICE.— (1) LIMITATION.—After the period referred to in subsection (a)(1), the Secretary shall, before closing any office of the Farm Service Agency that is located more than 20 miles from another office of the Farm Service Agency, to the ma x imum extent practicable, first close any offices of the Farm Service Agency that— (A) are located less than 20 miles from another office of the Farm Service Agency; and (B) have two or fewer permanent full - time employees. (2) NOTICE.—After the period referred to in subsection (a)(1), the Secretary of Agriculture may not close a county or field office of the Farm Service Agency unless— (A) not later than 3 0 days after the Secretary proposes to close such office, the Secretary holds a public meeting regarding the proposed closure in the county in which such office is located; and (B) after the public meeting referred to in subpara- graph (A), but not less than 9 0 days before the date on which the Secretary approves the closure of such office, the Secretary notifies the Committee on Agriculture and the Committee on Appropriations of the H ouse of R ep- resentatives, the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, each Senator representing the State in which the office proposed to be closed is located, and the member of the House of Representatives who represents the Congressional district in which the office proposed to be closed is located of the proposed closure of such office. SEC. 1421 3 .US D A GRADUATE SCHOOL. (a) IN G ENERAL.—Section 921 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 199 6 ( 7U .S.C. 2279b) is amended— (1) in the heading, to read as follows
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