Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives Establishment Act of 2024

Subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6912 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:

The Secretary shall establish and maintain in the Department an Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives (referred to in this section as the Office)—

(1) to improve engagement with, and service to, border colonias communities, farmworkers, and the family members and children of farmworkers;

(2) to improve collaboration between the Department and national, State, and local colonias and farmworker programs and nonprofit organizations; and

(3) to carry out other such functions as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

The Office shall ensure that border colonias communities, farmworkers, the family members and children of farmworkers, and nonprofit organizations representing or assisting such communities and individuals have equitable access to, and equitable participation in, programs and services of the Department by—

(1) establishing and monitoring the goals and objectives of the Department to increase participation of such communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations in Department programs;

(2) assessing the effectiveness of Department outreach programs to such communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations;

(3) developing and implementing a plan to coordinate outreach activities and services to such communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations provided by—

(A) the Department; and

(B) other Federal agencies, including services relating to housing, education, health care, and infrastructure development;

(4) providing input to the Department and other Federal agencies on programmatic and policy decisions relating to such communities, individuals, and nonprofit organizations, including—

(A) identifying obstacles for access to programs and resources; and

(B) elevating Federal, State, and local best practices;

(5) measuring outcomes of the programs and activities of the Department to serve such communities and individuals;

(6) recommending new initiatives and programs to the Secretary;

(7) providing technical assistance to such organizations with respect to Department programs and resources; and

(8) carrying out any other related duties that the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

The Secretary shall establish within the Office the position of Colonias Coordinator (referred to in this subsection as the Coordinator).

The Secretary shall delegate to the Coordinator responsibility for the following:

(A) Serving as a liaison to nonprofit organizations that represent and have demonstrated experience serving and working in colonias communities.

(B) Coordinating with the Department, other Federal agencies, and State and local governments to ensure that the needs of colonias communities are assessed and met, including during declared disasters and other emergencies.

(C) Consulting within the Office and with other entities to better integrate perspectives, concerns, and interest of colonias communities into the ongoing programs of the Department.

The Secretary shall establish and convene a Federal coordinating committee, to be known as the Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives Coordinating Committee (referred to in this section as the Committee), to provide advice and guidance to the Secretary on matters relating to colonias and farmworker affairs.

The Committee shall be composed of the following members:

(1) 1 representative from each of the following:

(A) The Department of Housing and Urban Development.

(B) The Department of the Treasury.

(C) The Environmental Protection Agency.

(D) The Department of Health and Human Services.

(E) The Department of Education.

(F) The Small Business Administration.

(G) The Department of Labor.

(H) The Federal Emergency Management Agency.

(2) Such representatives not described in paragraph (1) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.

The Committee shall—

(1) direct a working group composed of members of the Committee (or designees of such members) and representatives from other Federal agencies and mission areas within the Department (such as the Rural Housing Service, the Rural Utilities Service, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service, the Food and Nutrition Service, and the Farm Service Agency);

(2) engage stakeholders and identify State and municipal best practices to assist colonias communities, farmworkers, and the family members and children of farmworkers;

(3) submit to the Secretary recommendations on, and solutions to, issues raised at the local, regional, or national level; and

(4) identify and propose solutions to any interdepartmental barriers between the Department and other Federal agencies.

Section 1013 of title 5, United States Code, shall not apply to the Committee.

There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $2,500,000 for each of fiscal years 2024 through 2029.

The Farmworker Coordinator position established under section 226B(f) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6934(f)) (as in effect on the day before the date of enactment of this Act) is transferred to the Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives established under section 224B of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (as added by subsection (a)).

The Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 is amended—

(A) by moving subsection (f) of section 226B (7 U.S.C. 6934) so as to appear at the end of section 224B (as added by subsection (a)); and

(B) by redesignating that subsection as subsection (d).

(1) Section 225 of subtitle A of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 6925) is redesignated as section 224A.

(2) Section 296(b) of the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 7014(b)) is amended by adding at the end the following:

(11) The authority of the Secretary to carry out the amendments made to this title by the Office of Colonias and Farmworker Initiatives Establishment Act of 2024