HB1149: Agricultural online portal.

Legislative Summary

Agricultural online portal. Requires the Indiana state department of agriculture (department) to establish and maintain an online portal on its website for the purposes of: (1) assisting users in the successful navigation of agricultural or related topics among various federal and state agencies; (2) providing a single source for users to access agricultural or related funding opportunities; (3) providing a searchable data base of available federal and state grants with information on eligibility and deadline criteria; and (4) providing regular updates to reflect changes in federal and state funding opportunities. Provides that the online portal shall include links to various federal and state websites. Requires that the online portal provide a series of regulatory checklists to assist users that are considering diversifying into new markets in the navigation of agricultural and related regulations and the avoidance of punitive enforcement actions before they arise. Requires that the online portal provide a one stop venue that will help connect users with responsive data visualization tools and technical assistance programming. Requires that the online portal include a link to provide users with ongoing updates on the status of certain lost farmland. Requires an updated report on certain lost farmland to be uploaded to the online portal every five years. Requires that the online portal include formal venues: (1) to collect comments from the public regarding federal regulations impacting Indiana's rural economy with the goal of assisting the state in providing vigorous advocacy on behalf of the public; and (2) where users may provide to the department reviews and feedback regarding the usefulness of the online portal.