[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1523 Introduced in Senate (IS)]


104th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 1523

 To extend agricultural programs through 1996, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 23, 1996

    Mr. Dorgan (for himself, Mr. Conrad, Mr. Daschle, and Mr. Exon) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
           Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To extend agricultural programs through 1996, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Agricultural Act of 1995''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that failure to enact timely legislation extending 
farm and related programs will--
            (1) cause economic uncertainty for family farmers across 
        the country who represent the backbone of United States 
        agriculture;
            (2) create instability in commodity markets;
            (3) result in lost export markets for United States 
        agricultural commodities; and
            (4) prevent the Secretary of Agriculture from administering 
        the programs in an orderly and efficient manner.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF AGRICULTURAL PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, except 
as provided in this Act and the amendments made by this Act, the 
provisions of the Agricultural Adjustment of 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1281 et 
seq.), the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), the Food 
Security Act of 1985 (Public Law 99-198), and the Food, Agriculture, 
Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (Public Law 101-624) and each 
program that was authorized or reauthorized by any of the Acts, that 
were applicable on September 30, 1995, shall be applicable for 1996.
    (b) Flexibility.--Section 504 of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 
U.S.C. 1464) is amended by striking subsections (c), (d), and (e) and 
inserting the following:
    ``(c) Non-Payment Acres.--In the case of the 1996 crops, any crop 
or conserving crop specified in subsection (b)(1) may be planted on the 
acres of a crop acreage base that is not eligible for payment under 
this Act.
    ``(d) Loan Eligibility.--In the case of the 1996 crops, producers 
on a farm with a crop acreage base may plant any program crop on the 
crop acreage base and shall be eligible to receive purchases, loans, 
and loan deficiency payments for the program crop.''.

SEC. 4. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS.

    (a) Payments.--Section 114(a)(2) of the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 
U.S.C. 1445j(a)(2)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(K) 1995 disasters.--In the case of producers on 
                a farm who were prevented from planting, or incurred a 
                reduced yield of 35 percent or more of, the 1995 crop 
                due to weather or related condition, the Secretary may 
                settle claims for the repayment by the producers 
                required under subparagraph (G) or (H) on terms 
                determined by the Secretary to be fair and equitable, 
                except that no claim shall be reduced by more than 
                $3,500.''.
    (b) Conservation.--Section 1231(b)(4) of the Food Security Act of 
1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831(b)(4)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``or'' at the end;
            (2) in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end 
        and inserting ``; or''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(E) if the Secretary determines that the lands 
                will be used to store water for flood control in a 
                closed basin.''.
                                 <all>