Protecting Agricultural Borrower Information Act

Key Points

• This bill stops the Farm Service Agency from sharing private information about farmers who apply for loans or payments. It specifically prevents this data from being shared with temporary government workers or employees borrowed from other agencies.
• Farmers must often share personal financial details to get help from the government. This law ensures that only permanent agency staff can see that sensitive data unless the farmer gives clear permission first.
• If a government worker knowingly breaks this rule and shares private information, they could face a fine of up to $10,000. They could also be sent to prison for up to one year for the violation.
• The bill still allows the government to share data if it is grouped together so that no single person can be identified. This helps the government track how programs are working without exposing individual farmers.

Impact Analysis

Govbase has not yet run an impact analysis on this legislation.