[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3438 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3438

 To authorize the State committees appointed to carry out agricultural 
 credit programs under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
    to permit the emergency commercial use of land enrolled in the 
                     conservation reserve program.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            December 6, 2001

 Mr. Simpson (for himself, Mr. Otter, and Mr. Rehberg) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the State committees appointed to carry out agricultural 
 credit programs under the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
    to permit the emergency commercial use of land enrolled in the 
                     conservation reserve program.

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

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY OF STATE COMMITTEES TO PERMIT THE EMERGENCY 
              COMMERCIAL USE OF LAND ENROLLED IN THE CONSERVATION 
              RESERVE PROGRAM.

    Section 1232(a)(7) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3832(a)(7)) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by striking 
        ``except that the Secretary--'' and inserting ``except that--
        '';
            (2) by redesignating subparagraphs (B) and (C) as 
        subparagraphs (C) and (D), respectively;
            (3) by striking subparagraph (A) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(A) the State committee appointed under section 
                8(a)(5)(A) of the Soil Conversation and Domestic 
                Allotment Act of the State in which land subject to the 
                contract is located may permit harvesting or grazing or 
                other commercial use of the forage on the land in 
                response to a drought, wildfire, flooding, or other 
                similar emergency;
                    ``(B) the Secretary may permit limited grazing on 
                the land where the grazing is incidental to the 
                gleaning of crop residues on the fields in which the 
                land is located and occurs--
                            ``(i) in the case of land other than 
                        eligible acreage enrolled under section 1231(h) 
                        of this Act, during the 7-month period in which 
                        grazing of conserving use acreage is allowed in 
                        a State under the Agricultural Act of 1949 or 
                        after the producer harvests the grain crop of 
                        the surrounding field, for a reduction in 
                        rental payment commensurate with the limited 
                        economic value of the incidental grazing; and
                            ``(ii) in the case of such eligible 
                        acreage, at any time other than during the 
                        period beginning May 1 and ending August 1 of 
                        each year, for a reduction in rental payment 
                        commensurate with the limited economic value of 
                        the incidental grazing;''; and
            (4) in subparagraph (C) (as so redesignated)--
                    (A) by inserting ``the Secretary'' before ``shall 
                approve''; and
                    (B) by striking the period and inserting 
                ``; and''.
                                 <all>