[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 160 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 160

  To provide emergency disaster assistance to agricultural producers.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 7, 2003

 Mr. Pomeroy (for himself, Mrs. Cubin, Mr. Boswell, and Mr. Ballance) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                              Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide emergency disaster assistance to agricultural producers.

    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 ``Emergency Agricultural Disaster 
Assistance Act of 2003''.

SEC. 2. CROP DISASTER ASSISTANCE.

    (a) In General.--Notwithstanding section 508(b)(7) of the Federal 
Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(b)(7)), the Secretary of Agriculture 
(referred to in this Act as the ``Secretary'') shall use such sums as 
are necessary of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make 
emergency financial assistance authorized under this section available 
to producers on a farm that incurred qualifying crop losses for the 
2001 or 2002 crop due to damaging weather or related condition, as 
determined by the Secretary.
    (b) Administration.--The Secretary shall make assistance available 
under this section in the same manner as provided under section 815 of 
the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (as enacted into law by 
Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-55), including using the same loss 
thresholds for the quantity and quality losses as were used in 
administering that section.

SEC. 3. LIVESTOCK ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary 
of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation as are necessary to make 
and administer payments for livestock losses to producers for 2001 and 
2002 losses in a county that has received an emergency designation by 
the President or the Secretary after January 1, 2001, and January 1, 
2002, respectively, of which an amount determined by the Secretary 
shall be made available for the American Indian livestock program under 
section 806 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug 
Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (as 
enacted into law by Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-51).
    (b) Administration.--The Secretary shall make assistance available 
under this section in the same manner as provided under section 806 of 
the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and 
Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (as enacted into law by 
Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-51).

SEC. 4. COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION.

     The Secretary shall use the funds, facilities, and authorities of 
the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this Act.

SEC. 5. REGULATIONS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary may promulgate such regulations as 
are necessary to implement this Act.
    (b) Procedure.--The promulgation of the regulations and 
administration of this Act shall be made without regard to--
            (1) the notice and comment provisions of section 553 of 
        title 5, United States Code;
            (2) the Statement of Policy of the Secretary of Agriculture 
        effective July 24, 1971 (36 Fed. Reg. 13804), relating to 
        notices of proposed rulemaking and public participation in 
        rulemaking; and
            (3) chapter 35 of title 44, United States Code (commonly 
        known as the ``Paperwork Reduction Act'').
    (c) Congressional Review of Agency Rulemaking.--In carrying out 
this section, the Secretary shall use the authority provided under 
section 808 of title 5, United States Code.

SEC. 6. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.

    (a) In General.--The entire amount made available under this Act 
shall be available only to the extent that the President submits to 
Congress an official budget request for a specific dollar amount that 
includes designation of the entire amount of the request as an 
emergency requirement for the purposes of the Balanced Budget and 
Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.).
    (b) Designation.--The entire amount made available under this 
section is designated by Congress as an emergency requirement under 
section 251(b)(2)(A) or 252(e) of that Act (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A), 
902(e)).
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