HR 5310 IH
107th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 5310
To provide emergency livestock assistance and emergency crop loss
assistance to agricultural producers.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JULY 26, 2002
Mr. THUNE (for himself, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Mr. OSBORNE, Mr. REHBERG, Mr.
BEREUTER, Mr. POMEROY, Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma, Mr. UDALL of New Mexico, Mr.
TERRY, Mr. PETERSON of Minnesota, Mr. GIBBONS, Mrs. CUBIN, and Mr. MCINNIS)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Agriculture
A BILL
To provide emergency livestock assistance and emergency crop loss
assistance to agricultural producers.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United
States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Emergency Farmer and Rancher Assistance Act
of 2002'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE.
(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds the following:
(1) Under title I of the Food Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
(Public Law 107-171), the majority of projected commodity program spending
depends on market prices for the major agricultural commodities.
(2) Changes in actual market prices for these commodities can
significantly alter the costs incurred by the Commodity Credit Corporation
to fund these commodity programs.
(3) According to a recent comparison of the July 2002 Food and
Agriculture Policy Research Institute baseline estimate and actual mid-July
market prices, recent increases in market prices for certain agricultural
commodities are projected to reduce commodity program costs for the 2002
crop year by more than $6,000,000,000.
(4) As a result of these commodity program cost savings, Commodity
Credit Corporation funds are available to provide direct assistance to
American farmers and ranchers who suffered 2001 crop year losses, or are
suffering 2002 crop year losses, due to natural disasters.
(5) Crop insurance is an important risk management tool that is
available to American farmers and ranchers and should be fully utilized in
order to limit financial exposure to weather-related crop losses.
(b) PURPOSE- It is the purpose of this Act to direct the Secretary of
Agriculture to use unspent loan deficiency payment and counter-cyclical
payment funds to provide emergency livestock assistance and emergency crop
loss assistance to American farmers and ranchers who suffered 2001 crop year
losses, or are suffering 2002 crop year losses, due to natural disasters.
SEC. 3. LIVESTOCK ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.
(a) AVAILABILITY- Subject to section 5, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation
to make and administer payments for livestock losses to producers for 2001 or
2002 losses in a county that has received an emergency designation by the
President or the Secretary in calendar year 2001 or 2002. The Secretary may
reserve for the American Indian Livestock Feed Program a portion of the funds
available to carry out this section.
(b) ADMINISTRATION- The Secretary shall make assistance available under
this section in the same manner as provided under section 806 of the
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-51).
SEC. 4. CROP LOSS ASSISTANCE.
(a) AVAILABILITY- Subject to section 5, the Secretary of Agriculture shall
use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation
to make emergency financial assistance available to producers on a farm that
have incurred qualifying crop losses for the 2001 or 2002 crop due to damaging
weather or related condition, as determined by the Secretary.
(b) ADMINISTRATION- The Secretary shall make assistance available under
this section in the same manner as provided under section 815 of the
Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related
Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-55),
including using the same loss thresholds for the quantity, quality, and
economic losses as were used in administering that section.
SEC. 5. SOURCE OF FUNDING.
(a) ESTIMATION OF FARM PROGRAM SAVINGS- The Secretary of Agriculture shall
estimate the savings to the Commodity Credit Corporation to be derived during
the 2002 crop year as a result of the lower-than-anticipated costs of the
marketing loan program and counter-cyclical payment program of the Farm
Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Public Law 107-171).
(b) USE OF SAVINGS- An amount of Commodity Credit Corporation funds equal
to the savings estimated under subsection (a) shall be available to the
Secretary to carry out sections 3 and 4.
END