Bill > S1495

This bill introduces several reforms to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) wetland compliance and appeals processes. The bill modifies existing law to protect farmers and landowners by changing how wetland determinations are made and appealed. Key provisions include: prohibiting retroactive penalties for wetland violations if the area was not previously certified as a wetland, shifting the burden of proof to the NRCS to prove violations with clear and convincing evidence, preventing the agency from using new rationales to challenge previously successful appeals, and establishing a mandatory customer satisfaction survey process. The bill also creates State Oversight Committees composed of farmers who will review wetland determination appeals and report findings to various agricultural authorities. Additionally, the bill requires NRCS judges to receive retraining, mandates that the full record be provided to individuals facing allegations, allows individuals to call NRCS technical staff as witnesses in appeals, and provides for compensation of legal fees if an appeal is successfully overturned. The legislation aims to make the wetland certification and appeals process more transparent, fair, and farmer-friendly, while also introducing more accountability into the NRCS's operations.