Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019
Public Law 116-122 · S. 2107 · 116th Congress · began in the Senate
Signed by Donald Trump (R) on Mar 3, 2020 · Agriculture and Food
Sponsor: Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI)
Cosponsors (6): Sen. Pat Roberts, Sen. John Cornyn,
Passage votes
- HouseVoice vote
- SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes
The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.
Summary
The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019
This bill authorizes U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), every fiscal year, to hire, train, and assign 240 new agricultural specialists until the total number of specialists equals and sustains the requirements identified each year in the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model.
The CBP may also hire, train, and assign support staff to assist the specialists and specified levels of agricultural canine teams.
In calculating the number of specialists needed at each port of entry through the Agriculture Resource Allocation Model, the Office of Field Operations of the CBP must (1) rely on data collected regarding the inspections and other activities conducted at each such port of entry; and (2) consider volume from seasonal surges, other projected changes in commercial and passenger volumes, the most current commercial forecasts, and other relevant information.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) must conduct a review of the efforts of the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Agriculture, and other federal agencies to address risks to the agricultural supply. The GAO must analyze (1) interagency coordination and the distribution of responsibilities among federal agencies with respect to the inspection of agricultural commodities entering the United States; (2) the effectiveness of such inspection responsibilities among federal agencies; and (3) the training provided to, and working conditions of, CBP Agriculture Specialists.
Committees
The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.
- Homeland Security Committee · House · referred toSubcommittee: Border Security and Enforcement Subcommittee
Data notes
A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.
Related bills
1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.
H.R. 4482Identical bill
Protecting America's Food and Agriculture Act of 2019
Data notes
Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.
Timeline
From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 18 actions.
- Mar 3, 2020Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 116-122.
- Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
- Feb 20, 2020FloorFloor · Presented to President.
- Feb 10, 2020FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
- FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
- FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2107.
- FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
- FloorFloor · Ms. Torres Small (NM) moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
- Nov 14, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Subcommittee on Border Security, Facilitation, and Operations.
- Oct 28, 2019FloorFloor · Received in the House.
- FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
- CommitteeCommittee · Referred to the Committee on Homeland Security, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Oct 24, 2019FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
- Sep 10, 2019CalendarCalendar · Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 198.
- CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Reported by Senator Johnson without amendment. With written report No. 116-94.
- Jul 24, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. Ordered to be reported without amendment favorably.
- Jul 11, 2019CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.
- IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes
Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.
Amendments
No amendments to this bill are on record.
Data notes
Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.
Official record
The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.