[Congressional Bills 109th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1316 Considered and Passed Senate (CPS)]







109th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1316

  To authorize the Small Business Administration to provide emergency 
     relief to shellfish growers affected by toxic red tide losses.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             June 27, 2005

 Mrs. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Kerry, Ms. Collins, Mr. Chafee, and Mr. 
     Kennedy) introduced the following bill; which was read twice, 
              considered, read the third time, and passed

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To authorize the Small Business Administration to provide emergency 
     relief to shellfish growers affected by toxic red tide losses.

    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 ``Red Tide Emergency Relief Act of 
2005''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) shellfish growers, known as ``aquaculturists'', from 
        the Schoodic Peninsula in Maine to Buzzards Bay in 
        Massachusetts have suffered substantial economic injury due to 
        the worst occurrence of toxic algae bloom, known as ``Red 
        Tide'', along the New England Coast since 1972;
            (2) toxins produced by the Red Tide algae contaminate 
        shellfish like clams and mussels, making them unsafe for people 
        and animals to eat, forcing the extended closure of shellfish 
        beds along contaminated areas;
            (3) hundreds of shellfish growers have been affected by the 
        Red Tide, and losses industrywide are estimated at $3 million a 
        week;
            (4) shellfish growers are currently considered to be 
        agricultural enterprises, and are therefore ineligible for 
        economic injury disaster loans available to other small 
        business concerns through the Small Business Administration;
            (5) shellfish growers are only eligible for emergency loans 
        through the Farm Service Agency of the Department of 
        Agriculture under limited circumstances; and
            (6) the Small Business Act should be amended to make 
        shellfish growers eligible for emergency small business 
        assistance, as a complement to assistance otherwise offered 
        through Federal programs.

SEC. 3. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE DISASTER ASSISTANCE TO AQUACULTURE 
              ENTERPRISES.

    Section 18(b)(1) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)(1)) is 
amended--
            (1) by striking ``aquaculture,''; and
            (2) by inserting before the semicolon at the end ``, other 
        than aquaculture''.
                                 <all>