RECORDKEEPING IMPROVEMENT.

SEC. 2516. RECORDKEEPING IMPROVEMENT. (a) Short Title.— This section may be cited as the “Agricultural Program Reporting and Recordkeeping Improvement Act of 1990”. (b) Goal.— To the extent practicable, it shall be the goal of this section to bring about, within 3 years following the date of enactment of this Act, a substantial reduction in the volume of documentation, and in the amount of time devoted and the number of visits to Department of Agriculture offices, that are necessary to complete paperwork required of the typical producer participating in programs administered by the Secretary of Agriculture. (c) Reported.— Not later than 240 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture (hereafter referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate a report containing specific proposals for reducing and simplifying the recordkeeping and other paperwork required of agricultural producers and cooperatives (hereinafter referred to in this section as “producers”) who apply for participation in, or in complying with the requirements of— (1) agricultural price and income support programs administered by the Secretary, including programs under the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1421, et seq.); 104 STAT. 4076 (2) voluntary or mandatory soil or water conservation programs administered by the Secretary, including programs under the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1281, note, et seq.); and (3) any other related programs administered by the Secretary, including programs under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1981, et. seq.) and programs of crop insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation. (d) Contents of Report.— (1) In general.— In the report required by subsection (c), the Secretary shall set forth the results of a thorough examination of the feasibility of reducing current levels of paperwork and recordkeeping required of producers by providing such producers with access to a computerized departmental network or system (including the utilization of computer capability and equipment which has been or will be acquired by the Department of Agriculture) that could be used by producers to— (A) communicate by voice, data, video, or a combination thereof for the purpose of submitting electronically all of, or a significant portion of, any necessary and appropriate applications, reports, or other documentation; and (B) provide updated electronic information and data pertinent to the producer’s agricultural operation and marketing activities, or information sharing by means of video conferencing. For the purpose of preparing the report required by this subsection, the Secretary is authorized to retain the consulting service of at least one private sector business firm having experience and possessing technical expertise in the fields of wide area computer network design, function, installation, and maintenance, integrated video conferencing, and data base management systems. (2) Schedule of fees.— In determining the feasibility and costs of providing a computerized network or system as described in paragraph (1), the Secretary may recommend a schedule of nominal fees which could be charged to producers and others for a pro rata share of a portion of the costs associated with the producers’ access to and use of such system. Such fees would partially or entirely defray the costs (after taking into consideration any ongoing savings to the Department of Agriculture) associated with the operation and maintenance and future expansion of such portion of the network or system and its capabilities, but shall not be applied in a manner that would include any reimbursement for existing equipment and capabilities or for the costs associated with the initial establishment of the network or system. The report should also contain recommendations outlining additional categories of users who might be permitted access to the network or system for a fee, and the types of safeguards which would be reasonably necessary to limit file access as may be necessitated in accordance with provisions of the Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a) and other relevant authorities governing the disclosure of individual or proprietary information. (e) Recommendations of National Commission.— (1) Generally.— To the maximum extent practicable, in preparing the report required by subsection (c), the Secretary shall take into consideration and incorporate the recommendations of the commission created by title V, section 501 of the104 STAT. 4077 Farm Credit Amendments Act of 1985 as contained in the Report of the National Commission on Agricultural Finance, dated February 22, 1989, to the extent that such recommendations relate to the need to develop a universal loan application form and uniform accounting standards for farm businesses. In considering such recommendations, the Secretary shall attempt to design and adopt forms and standards that are as brief and succinct as possible, and shall consult with representatives of the Farm Credit System, the commercial banking system, and other significant providers of farm ownership and operating credit. (2) Paperwork reduction.— In order to increase the efficiency of agricultural programs administered by the Secretary and to reduce the burden of paperwork on participants in such programs, the Secretary shall design and adopt, to the maximum extent practicable, one brief application form to be used by applicants for participation in the agricultural programs administered by the Secretary, including, the programs described in subsection (c). The report required by subsection (c) shall include information with regard to the progress made by the Department toward compliance with this subsection, and shall also identify any statutory impediments to the use of such single brief form. (f) Integration of Data Bases.— Notwithstanding any other provisions of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture shall take appropriate action to integrate the various data bases of the Department of Agriculture relating to agricultural program data, and shall facilitate the sharing of relevant data among the various agencies of the Department of Agriculture.