Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1824

 12 2 STA T . 1 80 1 PUBLIC LA W 110 – 2 46—J U NE 18, 2008 SEC.2703 . R E GIONAL E QU I TY AN DF LE X I B ILITY. (a)REGIONALEQU I TY AN DF LE X I B ILITY .—Section124 1( d )o f t h e Food Sec ur it yA ctof1 985 (1 6U .S. C . 3 841(d)) i s a m ended— (1) b y stri k in g‘ ‘ B efore A p ri l 1 ’ ’ and inserting the follo w ing

‘‘(1) PR IORITY F UNDING TO P RO M OTE EQUITY.—Before April 1’’ (2) by striking ‘‘ $ 12 ,0 00,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$15,000,000’’; and (3) by adding at the end the following new paragraph: ‘‘(2) SPE C IFIC FUNDING ALLOCATION S .— I n determining the specific funding allocations for States under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall consider the respecti v e demand in each State for each program covered by such paragraph.’’. (b) ALLOCATIONS RE V IE W AND UPDATE.—Section 1241 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841) is amended by inserting after subsection (e), as added by section 2 7 02, the following new subsection: ‘‘(f) ALLOCATIONS REVIEW AND UPDATE.— ‘‘(1) REVIEW.— N ot later than J anuary 1, 2012, the Sec - retary shall conduct a review of conservation programs and authorities under this title that utili z e allocation formulas to determine the sufficiency of the formulas in accounting for State-level economic factors, level of agricultural infrastructure, or related factors that affect conservation program costs. ‘‘(2) UPDATE.— T he Secretary shall improve conservation program allocation formulas as necessary to ensure that the formulas ade q uately reflect the costs of carrying out the con- servation programs.’’. SEC. 270 4 . ASSISTANCE TO CERTAIN FAR M ERS AND RANC H ERS TO IM P RO V E THEIR ACCESS TO CONSERVATION PROGRAMS. Section 1241 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3841) is amended by inserting after subsection (f), as added by section 2703(b), the following new subsection: ‘‘(g) ASSISTANCE TO CERTAIN FARMERS OR RANC H ERS FOR CON- SERVATION ACCESS.— ‘‘(1) ASSISTANCE.— O f the funds made available for each of fiscal years 2009 through 2012 to carry out the environmental quality incentives program and the acres made available for each of such fiscal years to carry out the conservation steward- ship program, the Secretary shall use, to the ma x imum extent practicable— ‘‘(A) 5 percent to assist beginning farmers or ranchers; and ‘‘(B) 5 percent to assist socially disadvantaged farmers or ranchers. ‘‘(2) REPOOLING OF FUNDS.—In any fiscal year, amounts not obligated under paragraph (1) by a date determined by the Secretary shall be available for payments and technical assistance to all persons eligible for payments or technical assistance in that fiscal year under the environmental quality incentives program. ‘‘(3) REPOOLING OF ACRES.—In any fiscal year, acres not obligated under paragraph (1) by a date determined by the Secretary shall be available for use in that fiscal year under the conservation stewardship program.’’. Deadlin e .

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