On June 20, 2000, the President signed the Freedom to E-File Act (P.L. 106-222), requiring the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish an electronic filing and retrieval system enabling farmers and other agricultural producers to access and file paperwork electronically with the department. Provisions of the act set forth separate implementation requirements and deadlines for USDA's county-based agencies (CBA) the Farm Service Agency (FSA), the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and the Rural Development (RD) mission areas and for USDA's Risk Management Agency (RMA). At your request, we reviewed measures being taken by USDA to implement the act and briefed your office on the results of our work on November 15, 2000. The briefing slides are included in appendix I.