HR5204-119

What This Bill Does

This bill is a technical corrections measure. Its operative section updates statutory references in title 7 so that older or obsolete citations point to the current United States Code locations. The text changes references in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008; the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977; the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990; the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994; and later agricultural research and appropriations statutes.

Most of the changes replace references to 7 U.S.C. 450i with references to 7 U.S.C. 3157 and related subsections. The bill also updates Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and wildlife-services citations that refer to older statutory citations, replacing them with current 7 U.S.C. 8351, 8352, 8353, and 8354 references. It does not appear to create a new grant, tax benefit, penalty, or program; the value is legal clarity for agencies, lawyers, codifiers, and regulated parties that rely on accurate citations.

Who Benefits and How

USDA legal staff benefit from cleaner references when administering agricultural research and extension authorities. Agricultural research program administrators benefit because cross-references to 7 U.S.C. 3157 are easier to apply. Pesticide regulators using FIFRA fee provisions benefit from corrected citations. APHIS program administrators benefit from updated animal and wildlife-services references. The Office of the Law Revision Counsel benefits because the bill aligns statutory text with current codification. Legal publishers and practitioners benefit from fewer obsolete cross-references.

Who Bears the Burden and How

USDA program staff and agency counsel must update internal guidance, forms, and reference materials to match the corrected citations. Legal publishers must revise annotations and compilations. Regulated entities may need to update compliance manuals that cite the older statutory references. Congressional drafting staff bear the administrative work of conforming multiple agricultural statutes. Because the bill is technical, it does not impose a new substantive compliance mandate on farmers, pesticide registrants, or grant recipients.

Key Provisions

• Amends FIFRA pesticide-fee cross-references from obsolete agricultural research citations to current title 7 citations.
• Amends numerous 7 U.S.C. 450i references to point to 7 U.S.C. 3157 and related subsection references.
• Amends agricultural research, extension, education, and reform statutes to current codification.
• Amends APHIS and wildlife-services references to current 7 U.S.C. 8351 through 8354 citations.
• Provides technical legal clarity without creating a new benefit program or regulatory standard.