[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1610 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







106th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1610

   To authorize additional emergency disaster relief for victims of 
                 Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 21, 1999

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

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
   To authorize additional emergency disaster relief for victims of 
                 Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd.

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

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS OF ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR 
              FISCAL YEAR 2000 FOR DISASTER RELIEF FOR THE VICTIMS OF 
              HURRICANE FLOYD.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
            (1) between August 29 and September 9, 1999, Hurricane 
        Dennis hovered off the coast of North Carolina and eventually 
        made landfall off Cape Hatteras;
            (2) Hurricane Dennis brought 20 inches of rain to portions 
        of North Carolina, wiped out significant portions of the 
        highway network on the North Carolina Outer Banks, and flooded 
        homes and businesses;
            (3) Hurricane Dennis caused millions of dollars in damage 
        to houses, businesses, farms, fishermen, roads, beaches and 
        protective dunes;
            (4) between September 14 and 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd 
        menaced most of the southeastern seaboard of the United States, 
        provoking the largest peace time evacuation of eastern Florida, 
        the Georgia coast, the South Carolina coast, and the North 
        Carolina Coast;
            (5) on September 16, 1999, in the early morning hours, 
        Hurricane Floyd made landfall at the Cape Fear River, dumping 
        up to 18 inches of rain on sections of North Carolina only days 
        after the heavy rainfall from Hurricane Dennis;
            (6) the result of the landfall of Hurricane Floyd was the 
        worst recorded flooding in the history of North Carolina;
            (7) after making landfall, Hurricane Floyd continued to 
        move up the eastern seaboard, causing flooding and tornadoes in 
        Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and 
        Connecticut;
            (8) Hurricane Floyd is responsible for the known deaths of 
        54 people, 35 of whom were confirmed dead in North Carolina, 3 
        in New Jersey, 2 in New York, 6 in Pennsylvania, 4 in Virginia, 
        2 in Delaware, 1 in Vermont, and 1 in Connecticut, with many 
        people still missing;
            (9) as the flood waters recede, the death toll from 
        Hurricane Floyd is expected to grow;
            (10) farmers and fishermen have been among the most 
        drastically affected by Hurricane Floyd;
            (11) in North Carolina alone, the agricultural loss 
        estimates are already $1,300,000,000, and are likely to rise 
        far higher;
            (12) North Carolina is the third most agriculturally 
        diverse State in the country, producing, among other products, 
        tobacco, cotton, peanuts, soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes, 
        livestock, dairy, and produce;
            (13) last year in North Carolina, the total commodities 
        sold from the State topped $7 billion, and in Virginia they 
        generated $2.4 billion in cash receipts;
            (14) in North Carolina, more than 100,000 hogs have 
        drowned, and more than 3,000,000 poultry have been killed by 
        the flooding;
            (15) an estimated 120,000,000 gallons of hog waste have 
        spilled into the environment, polluting rivers and ground 
        water, and dozens of waste lagoons have been destroyed or 
        flooded;
            (16) millions of other animals in North Carolina are in 
        danger of starving to death, trapped in areas where it is 
        impossible to deliver feed;
            (17) 80 percent of the North Carolina cotton crop, 25 
        percent of the Virginia cotton crop, 75 to 80 percent of the 
        soybean crop, and 75 to 80 percent of the peanut crop 
        (including 25 percent of the Virginia peanut crop) are expected 
        to be lost;
            (18) the North Carolina sweet potato crop may be a complete 
        loss;
            (19) seed crops in the area have been almost completely 
        destroyed;
            (20) farming equipment throughout the area has been 
        destroyed;
            (21) debris cleanup in affected areas will be overwhelming, 
        and the possibility of soil contamination will have to be 
        assessed on farms across the State; and
            (22) hundreds of fishermen have lost their boats as a 
        result of the force of Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Dennis.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) Agriculture.--There is authorized to be appropriated 
        for the Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2000, 
        $3,000,000,000, to remain available until expended, for 
        expenses of the Department relating to the provision of 
        disaster relief for agricultural producers affected by 
        Hurricane Floyd and for other Hurricane Floyd-related relief 
        under--
                    (A) the flooded land reserve program, in accordance 
                with section 1124 of the Agriculture, Rural 
                Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related 
                Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-277; 
                7 U.S.C. 1421 note);
                    (B) the Wetlands Reserve Program, authorized by 
                subchapter C of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII of 
                the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3837);
                    (C) the Environmental Quality Incentives Program 
                under chapter 4 of subtitle D of the Food Security Act 
                of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.);
                    (D) the Emergency Conservation Program under title 
                IV of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 
                2201 et seq.);
                    (E) the rural housing insurance fund under section 
                502 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1487);
                    (F) the program to provide low income housing 
                repair grants under section 504 of the Housing Act of 
                1949 (42 U.S.C. 1474); and
                    (G) any other program that provides appropriate 
                disaster relief, as determined by the Secretary of 
                Agriculture.
            (2) Commerce.--There is authorized to be appropriated for 
        the Department of Commerce for fiscal year 2000, $50,000,000 
        for expenses of the Department of Commerce to provide emergency 
        disaster assistance to persons or entities that have incurred 
        losses from a commercial fishery failure described in 308(b)(1) 
        of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 
        4107(b)) and due to Hurricane Floyd, to remain available until 
        expended.
            (3) FEMA.--There is authorized to be appropriated for the 
        Federal Emergency Management Agency for fiscal year 2000, 
        $250,000,000 for emergency expenses resulting from Hurricane 
        Floyd, to remain available until expended.
    (c) Construction.--The amounts authorized to be appropriated by 
subsection (b) are in addition to any other amounts authorized to be 
appropriated for the Department of Agriculture, the Department of 
Commerce or the Federal Emergency Management Agency for fiscal year 
2000 for the expenses described in that subsection.
    (d) Designation As Emergency Spending.--The appropriation of any 
amount under an authorization of appropriations in subsection (b) shall 
be--
            (1) designated as emergency spending in accordance with 
        section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency 
        Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)); and
            (2) made available on an emergency basis.
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