Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service

Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service expenses, agricultural stabilization and conservation service For necessary administrative expenses of the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service, including expenses to formulate and carry out programs authorized by title III of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1301–1393); Sugar Act of 1948, as amended (7 U.S.C. 1101–1161); sections 7 to 15,16(a), 16(d), 16(e), 16(f), 16(i), and 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 590g–590q); subtitles B and C of the Soil Bank Act (7 U.S.C. 1831–1837, 1802–1814, and 1816); and laws pertaining to the Commodity Credit Corporation, $137,935,400: Provided, That, in addition, not to exceed $58,608,600 may be transferred to and merged with this appropriation from the Commodity Credit Corporation fund (including not to exceed $27,305,000 under the limitation on Commodity Credit Corporation administrative expenses): Provided further, That other funds made available to the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service for authorized activities may be advanced to and merged with this appropriation: Provided further, That no part of the funds appropriated or made available under this Act shall be used (1) to influence the vote in any referendum; (2) to influence agricultural legislation, except as permitted in 18 U.S.C. 1913; or (3) for salaries or other expenses of members of county and community committees established pursuant to section 8(b) of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, as amended, for engaging in any activities other than advisory and supervisory duties and delegated program functions prescribed in administrative regulations. 81 Stat. 328 sugar act program For necessary expenses to carry into effect the provisions of the Sugar Act of 1948 (7 U.S.C. 1101–1161), $80,000,000, to remain available until June 30 of the next succeeding fiscal year. agricultural conservation program For necessary expenses to carry into effect the program authorized in sections 7 to 15, 16(a), and 17 of the Soil Conservation and Domestic Allotment Act, approved February 29, 1936, as amended (16 U.S.C. 590g–590(o), 590p(a), and 590q), including not to exceed $6,000 for the preparation and display of exhibits, including such displays at State, interstate, and international fairs within the United States, $220,000,000, to remain available until December 31 of the next succeeding fiscal year for compliance with the programs of soil-building and soil- and water-conserving practices authorized under this head in the Department of Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriation Acts, 1966 and 1967, carried out during the period July 1, 1965, to December 31, 1967, inclusive: Provided, That none of the funds herein appropriated shall be used to pay the salaries or expenses of any regional information employees or any State information employees, but this shall not preclude the answering of inquiries or supplying of information at the county level to individual farmers: Provided further, That no portion of the funds for the current year’s program may be utilized to provide financial or technical assistance for drainage on wetlands now designated as Wetland Types 3 (III), 4 (IV), and 5 (V) in United States Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Circular 39, Wetlands of the United States, 1956: Provided further, That necessary amounts shall be available for administrative expenses in connection with the formulation and administration of the 1968 program of soil-building and soil- and water-conserving practices, including related wildlife conserving practices, under the Act of February 29, 1936, as amended (amounting to $220,000,000, excluding administration, except that no participant shall receive more than $2,500, except where the participants from two or more farms or ranches join to carry out approved practices designed to conserve or improve the agricultural resources of the community): Provided further, That not to exceed 5 per centum of the allocation for the current year’s agricultural conservation program for any county may, on the recommendation of such county committee and approval of the State committee, lie withheld and allotted to the Soil Conservation Service for services of its technicians in formulating and carrying out the agricultural conservation program in the participating counties, and shall not be utilized by the Soil Conservation Service for any purpose other than technical and other assistance in such counties, and in addition, on the recommendation of such county committee and approval of the State committee, not to exceed 1 per centum may be made available to any other Federal, State, or local public agency for the same purpose and under the same conditions: Provided further, That for the current year’s program $2,500,000 shall lie available for technical assistance in formulating and carrying out agricultural conservation practices: Provided further, That such amounts shall be available for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers, lime, trees, or any other farming material, or any soil-terracing services, and making grants thereof to agricultural producers to aid them in carrying out farming practices approved by the Secretary under programs provided for herein: Provided further, That no part of any funds available to the81 Stat. 329 Department, or any bureau, office, corporation, or other agency constituting a part of such Department, shall be used in the current fiscal year for the payment of salary or travel expenses of any person who has been convicted of violating the Act entitled “An Act to prevent pernicious political activities”, approved August 2, 1939, as amended, or who has been found in accordance with the provisions of title 18, United States Code, section 1913, to have violated or attempted to violate such section which prohibits the use of Federal appropriations for the payment of personal services or other expenses designed to influence in any manner a Member of Congress to favor or oppose any legislation or appropriation by Congress except upon request of any Member or through the proper official channels. cropland adjustment program For necessary expenses to carry into effect a cropland adjustment program as authorized by the Food and Agriculture Act of 1965, including reimbursement to Commodity Credit Corporation, $84,500,000. conservation reserve program For necessary expenses to carry out a conservation reserve program as authorized by subtitles B and C of the Soil Bank Act (7 U.S.C. 1831–1837,1802–1814, and 1816), and to carry out liquidation activities for the acreage reserve program, to remain available until expended, $123,000,000, with which may be merged the unexpended balances of funds heretofore appropriated for soil bank programs: Provided, That no part of these funds shall be paid on any contract which is illegal under the law due to the division of lands for the purpose of evading limits on annual payments to participants. emergency conservation measures For emergency conservation measures, to be used for the same purposes and subject to the same conditions as funds appropriated under this head in the Third Supplemental Appropriation Act, 1957, to remain available until expended, $5,000,000, with which shall lie merged the unexpended balances of funds heretofore appropriated for emergency conservation measures.