Sponsors (9)
The bill strengthens privacy protections and criminal penalties to prevent disclosure of individual FSA benefit application data, benefiting farmers' privacy, but it also restricts access to identifiable records for oversight and risks chilling legitimate information-sharing and administrative assistance.
Farmers and rural applicants retain greater privacy because FSA is prohibited from sharing individual benefit application details with special government employees or detailees.
Farmers and other beneficiaries gain stronger legal protection because unauthorized disclosure of sensitive beneficiary information is subject to criminal penalties (fine and/or imprisonment), creating a deterrent against leaks.
State governments and researchers can still access aggregated or de-identified statistical data for policy analysis and research without exposing individual identities.
State governments and federal program evaluators lose access to individual-level beneficiary data because detailees and some researchers may be barred from viewing identifiable records, complicating program oversight and evaluation.
Federal employees and farmers may face chilling effects from stronger criminal penalties, as staff could avoid legitimate information-sharing or administrative assistance out of fear of prosecution, potentially slowing service delivery.
Farmers and providers may be uncertain about when consent allows data sharing because a narrow consent carve-out could reduce voluntary information-sharing if parties misunderstand when consent is optional.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Bars USDA/FSA from disclosing individual applicant/recipient information to special government employees or detailees, with limited exceptions and criminal penalties for knowing violations.
Introduced September 4, 2025 by April McClain Delaney · Last progress September 4, 2025
Prohibits the USDA and Farm Service Agency (FSA) officers and employees from disclosing information provided by applicants or recipients of farm program benefits to special government employees or to government employees who are detailed to FSA. It allows sharing only when data are aggregated or anonymized so individuals can’t be identified, or when the participant gives voluntary consent that is not required for program participation. Violations can be punished by a fine up to $10,000, up to one year in jail, or both.