The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee has passed a bill designed to strengthen the agricultural specialist workforce.
Sponsored by federal workforce subcommittee chair Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, the Safeguarding American Agriculture Act of 2012, S-1673, would set up an Office of Agriculture Inspection within Customs and Border Protection.
It also calls on CBP to identify career paths for customs and border protection agriculture specialists, as well as develop a plan to recruit and retain qualified CBP agriculture specialists.
It further authorizes DHS and the Department of Agriculture to establish an interagency rotation program.