[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4580 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4580

To amend the Agricultural Market Transition Act to provide supplemental 
payments to farm owners and producers who have entered into production 
                 flexibility contracts under that Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 16, 1998

 Mr. Barrett of Nebraska (for himself, Mr. Moran of Kansas, Mr. Ewing, 
 Mr. Pickering, Mr. Blunt, Mr. Leach, Mr. Cooksey, Mr. Nethercutt, Mr. 
 Smith of Michigan, Mr. Bereuter, Mr. Chambliss, Mr. Hill, Mr. LaHood, 
Mr. Ryun, Mr. Lewis of Kentucky, Mrs. Emerson, Mr. Bunning, Mr. Weller, 
Mr. Crapo, Mr. Lucas of Oklahoma, and Mr. Watts of Oklahoma) introduced 
 the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To amend the Agricultural Market Transition Act to provide supplemental 
payments to farm owners and producers who have entered into production 
                 flexibility contracts under that Act.

    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 Trade Emergency 
Response Act of 1998''.

SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS UNDER SUBTITLE B OF AGRICULTURAL MARKET 
              TRANSITION ACT.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) United States exports of agricultural commodities 
        declined substantially in 1997 and 1998 primarily as a result 
        of the economic and financial crisis in Asia.
            (2) Export sales of United States wheat, feed grains, rice, 
        and upland cotton have declined by 20 percent because of the 
        Asian financial crisis.
            (3) As a result, producers who are parties to production 
        flexibility contracts under subtitle B of the Agricultural 
        Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7211 et seq.) have experienced 
        low crop prices and a severe decline in farm income.
            (4) The severity of the decline in farm income places 
        producers in such temporary financial jeopardy that a 
        supplemental payment under the Agricultural Market Transition 
        Act is required to assist them in coping with financial 
        conditions beyond their control.
    (b) Authority To Provide Supplemental Payment.--Subtitle B of the 
Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7211 et seq.) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 119. PROVISION OF SUPPLEMENTAL PAYMENTS.

    ``(a) Authority To Provide.--In addition to the contract payment 
determined and paid under a production flexibility contract for fiscal 
years 1998 and 1999, the Secretary shall make a supplemental payment 
under this section in connection with that contract for each of those 
fiscal years.
    ``(b) Amount of Payment.--The amount of the supplemental payment 
made in connection with a production flexibility contract for each of 
the fiscal years 1998 and 1999 shall be equal to 20 percent of the 
amount of the contract payment determined for that contract for the 
applicable fiscal year under section 114.
    ``(c) Time for Payment.--
            ``(1) Fiscal year 1998.--The supplemental payment for 
        fiscal year 1998 for an owner or producer eligible for the 
        payment shall be made not later than 30 days after the date of 
        the enactment of this section.
            ``(2) Fiscal year 1999.--The supplemental payment for 
        fiscal year 1999 for an owner or producer shall be made in 
        connection with the contract payment for that fiscal year or as 
        soon thereafter as practicable.
    ``(d) Sharing of Payment.--As is the case with contract payments, 
the Secretary shall provide for the sharing of the supplemental payment 
made in connection with a production flexibility contract among the 
owners and producers subject to that contract on a fair and equitable 
basis.
    ``(e) Effect of Violations of Contract.--A supplemental payment 
shall be treated as a contract payment for purposes of section 116.''.
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