Section Text
There shall be at the seat of government a Department of Agriculture, the general design and duties of which shall be to acquire and to diffuse among the people of the United States useful information on subjects connected with agriculture, rural development, aquaculture, and human nutrition, in the most general and comprehensive sense of those terms, and to procure, propagate, and distribute among the people new and valuable seeds and plants.
Editorial Notes
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE SECTION 1. TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS TO THE SECRETARY (a) Subject to the exceptions specified in subsection (b) of this section, there are hereby transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture all functions not now vested in him of all other officers, and of all agencies and employees, of the Department of Agriculture. (b) This section shall not apply to the functions vested by the Administrative Procedure Act (5 U.S.C. 1001 et seq.) [5 U.S.C. 551 et seq. and 701 et seq.] in hearing examiners employed by the Department of Agriculture nor to the functions of (1) corporations of the Department of Agriculture, (2) the boards of directors and officers of such corporations, (3) the Advisory Board of the Commodity Credit Corporation, or (4) the Farm Credit Administration or any agency, officer, or entity of, under, or subject to the supervision of the said administration. SEC. 2. ASSISTANT SECRETARIES OF AGRICULTURE [Repealed. Pub. L. 103–354, title II, §218(e)(1), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3213. Section authorized the appointment of two additional Assistant Secretaries of Agriculture. See section 6918 of this title.] SEC. 3. ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT SECRETARY [Repealed. Pub. L. 97–325, §8(d), Oct. 15, 1982, 96 Stat. 1606. Section authorized the appointment of an Administrative Assistant Secretary of Agriculture. See section 2212c of this title.] SEC. 4. DELEGATION OF FUNCTIONS (a) The Secretary of Agriculture may from time to time make such provisions as he shall deem appropriate authorizing the performance by any other officer, or by any agency or employee, of the Department of Agriculture of any function of the Secretary, including any function transferred to the Secretary by the provisions of this reorganization plan. (b) To the extent that the carrying out of subsection (a) of this section involves the assignment of major functions or major groups of functions to major constituent organizational units of the Department of Agriculture, now or hereafter existing, or to the heads or other officers thereof, and to the extent deemed practicable by the Secretary, he shall give appropriate advance public notice of delegations of functions proposed to be made by him and shall afford appropriate opportunity for interested persons and groups to place before the Department of Agriculture their views with respect to such proposed delegations. (c) In carrying out subsection (a) of this section the Secretary shall seek to simplify and make efficient the operation of the Department of Agriculture, to place the administration of farm programs close to the State and local levels, and to adapt the administration of the programs of the Department to regional, State, and local conditions. SEC. 5. INCIDENTAL TRANSFERS The Secretary of Agriculture may from time to time effect such transfers within the Department of Agriculture of any of the records, property, and personnel affected by this reorganization plan and such transfers of unexpended balances (available or to be made available for use in connection with any affected function or agency) of appropriations, allocations, and other funds of such Department, as he deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this reorganization plan; but such unexpended balances so transferred shall be used only for the purposes for which such appropriation was originally made.
Citation
7 U.S.C. § 2201 (2018)