[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1299 Introduced in House (IH)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1299

  To provide a safety net for farmers through reform of the marketing 
loan program under the Agricultural Market Transition Act, expansion of 
 land enrollment opportunities under the conservation reserve program, 
   and maintaining opportunities for foreign trade in United States 
                       agricultural commodities.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 25, 1999

Mr. Berry (for himself and Mrs. Emerson) introduced the following bill; 
           which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide a safety net for farmers through reform of the marketing 
loan program under the Agricultural Market Transition Act, expansion of 
 land enrollment opportunities under the conservation reserve program, 
   and maintaining opportunities for foreign trade in United States 
                       agricultural commodities.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Restore 
Agriculture Productivity Act of 1999''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents of this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Removal of caps on loan rates under Agricultural Market 
                            Transition Act.
Sec. 3. Extension of marketing loan term.
Sec. 4. Consideration of crops typically grown on lands eligible for 
                            enrollment in conservation reserve.
Sec. 5. Expanded enrollment authority under conservation reserve 
                            program.
Sec. 6. Early release of certain acreage enrolled in conservation 
                            reserve.
Sec. 7. Review of Federal laws and regulations that prohibit the sale 
                            or provision of agricultural commodities to 
                            foreign countries.

SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF CAPS ON LOAN RATES UNDER AGRICULTURAL MARKET 
              TRANSITION ACT.

    (a) Special Rule for 1999-2002 Crops.--Section 132 of the 
Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 7232) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(g) Lifting of Caps for 1999-2002 Crops.--
            ``(1) In general.--The cap specified in this section on the 
        loan rate for a marketing assistance loan for a loan commodity 
        shall not apply with respect to the 1999 through 2002 crops of 
        that commodity. With respect to the 1999 through 2002 crops of 
        rice, the Secretary may establish a loan rate in excess of the 
        rate specified in subsection (e).
            ``(2) Retroactive application.--In the case of the 1999 
        crop of each loan commodity, the Secretary shall adjust 
        marketing assistance loans and loan deficiency payments made 
        before the date of the enactment of this subsection to reflect 
        the requirements of paragraph (1).''.

SEC. 3. EXTENSION OF MARKETING LOAN TERM.

    Section 133 of the Agricultural Market Transition Act (7 U.S.C. 
7233) is amended by striking subsection (c) and inserting the following 
new subsection:
    ``(c) Extensions Authorized.--The Secretary may extend the term of 
a marketing assistance loan for any loan commodity for a period not to 
exceed 6 months.''.

SEC. 4. CONSIDERATION OF CROPS TYPICALLY GROWN ON LANDS ELIGIBLE FOR 
              ENROLLMENT IN CONSERVATION RESERVE.

    Section 1231 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831) is 
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(h) Consideration of Crops Grown on Lands Otherwise Eligible for 
Enrollment.--In the case of the croplands described in paragraphs (1) 
and (4) of subsection (b) that are eligible for enrollment in the 
conservation reserve, the Secretary may consider the types of 
agricultural commodities typically grown on the lands for the purpose 
of enrolling lands that, while promoting the conservation and water 
quality objectives of this subchapter, will also reduce excess 
productive capacity and improve the prices producers receive for the 
commodities.''.

SEC. 5. EXPANDED ENROLLMENT AUTHORITY UNDER CONSERVATION RESERVE 
              PROGRAM.

    Section 1231(d) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3831(d)) is amended--
            (1) by inserting ``(1)'' before ``The Secretary''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(2) Notwithstanding the limitation in paragraph (1) on the total 
acreage authorized to be maintained in the conservation reserve, the 
Secretary may enroll additional acreage in the reserve to the extent 
that amounts are appropriated in advance specifically for that purpose 
in annual appropriations Acts.''.

SEC. 6. EARLY RELEASE OF CERTAIN ACREAGE ENROLLED IN CONSERVATION 
              RESERVE.

    The Food Security Act of 1985 is amended by inserting after section 
1231 (16 U.S.C. 3831) the following new section:

``SEC. 1231A. EARLY RELEASE OF CERTAIN ACREAGE ENROLLED IN CONSERVATION 
              RESERVE.

    ``(a) Early Release Authority.--If the Secretary determines that, 
as a result of the enrollment of land in the conservation reserve under 
the authority of section 1231(d)(2), sales of a United States 
agriculture commodity is being displaced due to increased production of 
that commodity by foreign countries, the Secretary may permit the early 
release of lands from the conservation reserve pursuant to this section 
to increase the United States production of that commodity. The 
Secretary shall make a determination under this subsection on the basis 
of information provided by the Foreign Agricultural Service.
    ``(b) Public and Congressional Notification.--Not later than 30 
days before permitting the early release of conservation reserve lands 
for the production of an agricultural commodity, the Secretary shall 
publish in the Federal Register and submit to Congress written notice 
describing the justification for the commodity selected, the number of 
acres that the Secretary seeks to release, and the qualifications and 
exclusions relevant to that release.
    ``(c) Selection of Land for Release.--Lands may be released under 
this section only if--
            ``(1) the lands were used for the production of the 
        agricultural commodity covered by the release before the 
        enrollment of the lands in the conservation reserve;
            ``(2) the lands were enrolled in the conservation reserve 
        using funds appropriated pursuant to the authorization of 
        appropriations in section 1231(d)(2);
            ``(3) the holder of the contract by which the lands were 
        enrolled in the conservation reserve applies for and requests 
        the release; and
            ``(4) the contract holder agrees to produce the commodity 
        covered by the release during the first crop year commencing 
        after the release of the lands.
    ``(d) Environmental Considerations.--In considering applications by 
contract holders for the release of lands, the Secretary shall use 
existing environmental benefits assessments applicable to the lands. 
Lands which are reserved for high-priority conservation practices, 
consistent with the conservation priority areas established under 
section 1231(f) and precedented exclusions for release from the 
conservation reserve, are not eligible for early release under this 
section.
    ``(e) Additional Terms and Conditions.--The Secretary may require 
such additional terms and conditions in connection with the selection 
of lands for release from the conservation reserve and the use of the 
lands upon release as the Secretary considers appropriate.''.

SEC. 7. REVIEW OF FEDERAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS THAT PROHIBIT THE SALE 
              OR PROVISION OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES TO FOREIGN 
              COUNTRIES.

    (a) Sense of the Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that 
any Federal law or regulation that prohibits or otherwise restricts the 
sale or provision of agricultural commodities to foreign countries 
should be maintained only if the prohibition under the law or 
regulation is essential to the national security interests of the 
United States.
    (b) Study.--
            (1) In general.--The President shall conduct an annual 
        study of every Federal law or regulation that prohibits or 
        otherwise restricts the sale or provision of agricultural 
        commodities to foreign countries to determine--
                    (A) whether or not the prohibition under such law 
                or regulation is essential to the national security 
                interests of the United States, including a description 
                of the risk to the national security interests posed by 
                the removal of the prohibition; and
                    (B) the effects of the prohibition under such law 
                or regulation on United States agriculture, including 
                an assessment--
                            (i) of the extent to which any country or 
                        countries subject to the prohibition are 
                        markets that accounted for, in the calendar 
                        year preceding the imposition of the 
                        prohibition, more than 3 percent of all export 
                        sales from the United States of an agricultural 
                        commodity;
                            (ii) of the likely effect on incomes of 
                        producers of the commodity involved;
                            (iii) of the extent to which the unilateral 
                        economic sanction would permit foreign 
                        suppliers to replace United States suppliers; 
                        and
                            (iv) of the likely effect of the proposed 
                        sanction on the reputation of United States 
                        farmers as reliable suppliers of specific 
                        agricultural commodities and of agricultural 
                        commodities in general.
            (2) Secretary of agriculture.--The President, acting 
        through the Secretary of Agriculture, shall conduct the 
        assessment described in paragraph (1)(B).
    (c) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, and on an annual basis thereafter, the President shall 
prepare and transmit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
report containing the results of the study under subsection (b).
    (d) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Agricultural commodity.--The term ``agricultural 
        commodity'' has the meaning given the term in section 102 of 
        the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5602).
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on International Relations and 
                the Committee on Armed Services of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Foreign Relations and the 
                Select Committee on Intelligence of the Senate.
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