Sponsors (4)
The bill funds a two-year commission to modernize and improve NASS data and reduce survey burden—potentially benefiting farmers, markets, and specialty crop planning—but it imposes modest federal costs, delays direct operational changes, and limits public oversight through a FACA exemption.
Farmers and agricultural producers will likely spend less time responding to NASS surveys because the bill directs study of ways to streamline and reduce survey burden, improving participation and lowering administrative time costs for producers.
Producers, state governments, and markets may get more timely and accurate agricultural statistics—including better specialty crop data and incorporation of real-time/environmental data—improving market decisions, policy-making, and supply‑chain planning.
The bill establishes and funds a Commission (with a $1,000,000 FY2026 appropriation) to produce recommendations and costed implementation plans, giving federal, state, and local stakeholders a clearer roadmap for modernizing NASS operations.
Taxpayers will bear at least $1,000,000 in direct appropriation for the Commission and may face additional costs if implementation of the Commission's recommendations is funded later (the bill also authorizes paid nonfederal commissioners, increasing personnel costs).
The bill exempts the Commission from key provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA), which reduces public transparency and external oversight of the Commission's proceedings and recommendations.
The Commission is structured as a two-year study, which delays any immediate operational improvements to NASS; farmers and other data users may not see benefits until after the study and potential follow-up actions are completed.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 24, 2025 by Barry Moore · Last progress March 24, 2025
Creates a temporary, 11-member Commission to review and recommend ways to modernize the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Commission must study survey design and producer response, incorporate real‑time and environmental data, improve specialty crop coverage, accelerate technology adoption, estimate implementation costs, hold stakeholder hearings, and deliver a report with recommendations within two years. The Commission will include specified USDA officials, a Bureau of Labor Statistics representative, and six congressional appointees from the House and Senate agriculture committees; members receive limited pay and travel allowances, the Commission is exempt from two FACA provisions, is funded with $1,000,000 authorized for FY2026, and will terminate on September 30, 2030.