[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2844 Reported in House (RH)]






                                                 Union Calendar No. 165
110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2844

                      [Report No. 110-257, Part I]

  To promote United States emergency and non-emergency food and other 
   assistance programs, to promote United States agricultural export 
                   programs, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 25, 2007

  Mr. Lantos introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
   Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on 
Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, 
 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the 
                jurisdiction of the committee concerned

                             July 23, 2007

  Additional sponsors: Mr. Smith of New Jersey and Ms. Jackson-Lee of 
                                 Texas

                             July 23, 2007

    Reported from the Committee on Foreign Affairs with an amendment
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
 Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the 
    Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
 [For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 
                               25, 2007]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To promote United States emergency and non-emergency food and other 
   assistance programs, to promote United States agricultural export 
                   programs, and for other purposes.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Food Security and 
Agricultural Development Act of 2007''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title and table of contents.
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes.
Sec. 3. Definitions.

   TITLE I--UNITED STATES EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY FOOD AND OTHER 
                          ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

 Subtitle A--Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954

Sec. 101. United States policy.
Sec. 102. General authority.
Sec. 103. Provision of agricultural commodities.
Sec. 104. Generation and use of currencies by private voluntary 
                            organizations and cooperatives.
Sec. 105. Levels of assistance.
Sec. 106. Food Aid Consultative Group.
Sec. 107. Administration.
Sec. 108. Assistance for stockpiling and rapid transportation, 
                            delivery, and distribution of shelf-stable 
                            prepackaged foods.
Sec. 109. Administrative provisions.
Sec. 110. Expiration date.
Sec. 111. Authorization of appropriations.
Sec. 112. Coordination and integration of foreign assistance programs.
Sec. 113. Micronutrient fortification programs.
Sec. 114. John Ogonowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program.

           Subtitle B--Related Statutes and Other Provisions

Sec. 121. Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust.
Sec. 122. McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child 
                            Nutrition Program.
Sec. 123. International disaster assistance under the Foreign 
                            Assistance Act of 1961.
Sec. 124. Report on efforts to improve procurement planning.

          TITLE II--UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL EXPORT PROGRAMS

Sec. 201. Export credit guarantee program.
Sec. 202. Market access program.
Sec. 203. Export enhancement program.
Sec. 204. Assistance to address sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to 
                            trade.
Sec. 205. Foreign market development cooperator program.
Sec. 206. Emerging markets and facility guarantee loan program.
Sec. 207. Food for Progress Act of 1985.

                  TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 301. Technical assistance for specialty crops.
Sec. 302. Support for sanitary and phytosanitary priorities of the 
                            United States within certain international 
                            organizations.
Sec. 303. Technical assistance for the resolution of trade disputes.
Sec. 304. Sense of Congress concerning the Global Crop Diversity Trust.
Sec. 305. Technical and conforming amendments.
Sec. 306. Rule of construction.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES.

    (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization 
        reports, that in 2006, an estimated 850,000,000 people in the 
        world, with 824,000,000 in developing countries, were 
        chronically hungry.
            (2) The largest concentrations of the chronically hungry--
        an estimated 298,000,000 individuals--are in South Asia, with 
        most of those individuals concentrated in India, where there 
        are an estimated 212,000,000 undernourished individuals, and in 
        sub-Saharan Africa, where there are an estimated 206,000,000 
        hungry people.
            (3) The number of food and humanitarian emergencies has 
        doubled from an average of about 15 per year in the 1980s to 
        more than 30 per year since 2000, due in large part to 
        increasing conflicts, poverty, and natural disasters around the 
        world. Some emergencies are exacerbated by multiple shocks, 
        such as civil wars, recurring droughts, and endemic disease, 
        adding to their complexity and protracting the crises for many 
        years.
            (4) The United Nations reports that progress is being made 
        toward reaching the Millennium Development Goal of reducing the 
        proportion of hungry people in the world by half by 2015. In 
        1990, the proportion of people in the developing countries 
        living with insufficient food was estimated to be 20 percent. 
        By 2003, that percentage declined to 17 percent. However, from 
        1996 to 2006, the absolute number of hungry people increased 
        from 790,000,000 to 850,000,000.
            (5) The number of hungry people in the most seriously 
        affected regions of the world, namely South Asia and sub-
        Saharan Africa, is increasing. In sub-Saharan Africa, in 1990, 
        there were an estimated 169,000,000 chronically-hungry people; 
        in 2003, the number of chronically-hungry people increased to 
        206,000,000.
            (6) The major United States Government response to reducing 
        hunger in developing countries is to provide United States 
        agricultural commodities as food assistance. In fiscal year 
        2006, the United States provided 3,000,000 metric tons of food 
        valued at more than $2,000,000,000 to meet emergency food needs 
        and to support development projects in developing countries.
            (7) In 2006, the United States provided food assistance to 
        65 countries, more than half of which were in sub-Saharan 
        Africa. Approximately $1,200,000,000, or 60 percent of such 
        assistance, was provided as emergency food assistance. The 
        United States Agency for International Development estimates 
        that 50,000,000 to 70,000,000 people benefit from United States 
        food assistance programs annually.
            (8)(A) Food assistance contributed by the United States 
        Government has totaled more than $73,000,000,000 since 1946. 
        Over the last decade, the United States has been the single 
        largest donor of international food assistance, with a large 
        proportion of the assistance provided through the United 
        Nations World Food Program and most of that assistance is for 
        emergencies.
            (B) The United States contributed more than 52,000,000 tons 
        of food assistance between 1996 and 2005, more than half of the 
        nearly 100,000,000 tons of food assistance delivered worldwide 
        in this period. In 2006, the United States contributed 
        $1,125,000,000 or about 40 percent of total donor contributions 
        to the World Food Program in that year.
            (9) Private voluntary organizations and cooperatives are 
        critical implementing partners in United States food assistance 
        programs. In addition to assisting people whose lives and 
        livelihoods are endangered due to crises, such organizations 
        and cooperatives help communities that suffer from chronic 
        hunger, delivering technical assistance and training and 
        building local institutional capacity.
            (10)(A) Although the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 
        of 2002 (Public Law 107-171) called for increased levels of 
        non-emergency food assistance in order to address chronic 
        hunger needs and to have lasting impacts on vulnerable 
        communities, according to the Government Accountability Office, 
        by 2006, non-emergency food assistance programs were reduced to 
        42 percent of their 2001 levels.
            (B) Implementing partner organizations report that due to 
        these reductions, such organizations have been forced to close 
        operations in countries that are prone to emergencies and with 
        populations that suffer from chronic hunger. As a result of 
        such reductions, there is little opportunity to develop new 
        programs that address food insecurity in developing countries.
            (11) Food assistance experts, advocates, and implementers 
        have argued that distributing food commodities alone will not 
        reduce food insecurity. Food assistance needs to be combined 
        with other non-food resources, such as assistance to promote 
        agricultural development, economic growth, and assistance to 
        support education, water, and health programs, to ensure that 
        food assistance has an impact on chronically-hungry people.
            (12) Women play an essential role in promoting food 
        security and production throughout the world. According to the 
        United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, rural women 
        are responsible for half of the world's food production and 
        produce between 60 and 80 percent of the food in most 
        developing countries.
    (b) Purposes.--The purposes of this Act are--
            (1) to promote United States emergency and non-emergency 
        food and other assistance programs as described in title I of 
        this Act in an efficient and effective manner; and
            (2) to promote United States agricultural export programs 
        as described in title II of this Act in an efficient and 
        effective manner.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the 
        Administrator of the United States Agency for International 
        Development.
            (2) Appropriate congressional committees.--The term 
        ``appropriate congressional committees'' means--
                    (A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    (B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.

   TITLE I--UNITED STATES EMERGENCY AND NON-EMERGENCY FOOD AND OTHER 
                          ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

 Subtitle A--Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954

SEC. 101. UNITED STATES POLICY.

    Section 2 of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act 
of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1691) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by inserting ``chronic'' before 
        ``world''.
            (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new paragraphs:
            ``(7) respond to emergency needs and food crises;
            ``(8) implement an effective and efficient food assistance 
        program that incorporates adequate resources for both emergency 
        and non-emergency food assistance programs; and
            ``(9) provide adequate resources for non-emergency food 
        assistance programs to address the causes of chronic hunger and 
        food insecurity, to protect the livelihoods and health of 
        vulnerable populations, to meet the nutritional needs of all 
        members of the community (particularly children), to prevent 
        future hunger related emergencies, and to promote participation 
        in productive activities.''.

SEC. 102. GENERAL AUTHORITY.

    (a) In General.--Section 201 of the Agricultural Trade Development 
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1721) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), to read as follows:
            ``(1) address famine and food crises and respond to 
        emergency food needs arising from manmade disasters, such as 
        policy-based disasters, economic shocks, and conflict or civil 
        strife, and natural disasters;'';
            (2) in paragraph (5), by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in paragraph (6), by striking the period at the end and 
        inserting ``; and''; and
            (4) by inserting at the end the following new paragraph:
            ``(7) promote participation in educational, training, and 
        other productive activities.''.
    (b) Technical Amendments.--Such section is further amended--
            (1) by striking ``The President'' and inserting ``(a) 
        Program Required.--The President''; and
            (2) by striking ``Such program'' and inserting the 
        following:
    ``(b) Implementation.--Such program''.

SEC. 103. PROVISION OF AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.

    (a) Support for Eligible Organizations.--Subsection (e)(1) of 
section 202 of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 
1954 (7 U.S.C. 1722) is amended--
            (1) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) by striking ``5 percent nor more than 10 
                percent'' and inserting ``10 percent but not more than 
                12.5 percent''; and
                    (B) by striking ``to assist the organizations in'' 
                and inserting ``to provide such organizations financial 
                assistance in order to'';
            (2) in subparagraph (A)--
                    (A) by striking ``establishing'' and inserting 
                ``establish''; and
                    (B) by striking ``and'' at the end;
            (3) in subparagraph (B)--
                    (A) by striking ``meeting'' and inserting ``meet'';
                    (B) by striking ``management, personnel and 
                internal transportation and distribution costs'' and 
                inserting ``management, operational, technical, 
                personnel and other programming costs'';
                    (C) by striking the period at the end and inserting 
                ``; and''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(C) improve and implement methodologies for food 
                assistance programs, including needs assessments and 
                monitoring and evaluation.''.
    (b) Streamlined Program Management.--Subsection (h)(3)(B) of such 
section is amended by striking ``Committee on International Relations'' 
and inserting ``Committee on Foreign Affairs''.

SEC. 104. GENERATION AND USE OF CURRENCIES BY PRIVATE VOLUNTARY 
              ORGANIZATIONS AND COOPERATIVES.

    Subsection (b) of section 203 of the Agricultural Trade Development 
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1723) is amended by striking ``1 
or more recipient countries'' and inserting ``in 1 or more recipient 
countries''.

SEC. 105. LEVELS OF ASSISTANCE.

    Subsection (a) of section 204 of the Agricultural Trade Development 
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1724) is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (1), by striking ``2002 through 2007'' and 
        inserting ``2008 through 2012'';
            (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ``2002 through 2007'' and 
        inserting ``2008 through 2012''; and
            (3) in paragraph (3), by striking ``International 
        Relations'' and inserting ``Foreign Affairs''.

SEC. 106. FOOD AID CONSULTATIVE GROUP.

    (a) Sense of Congress on Integrated and Effective Food 
Assistance.--Section 205 of the Agricultural Trade Development and 
Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1725) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (e) and (f) as subsections 
        (f) and (g), respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (d) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(e) Sense of Congress on Integrated and Effective Food Assistance 
Program.--It is the sense of Congress that the Group should make every 
effort to develop a strategy to achieve a more integrated and effective 
food assistance program.''.
    (b) Report to Congress.--Such section is further amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsections (f) and (g) (as 
        redesignated by subsection (a)(1)) as subsections (g) and (h), 
        respectively; and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (e) (as added by 
        subsection (a)(2)) the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Report to Congress.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of the enactment of the Food Security and Agricultural 
        Development Act of 2007, and annually thereafter until December 
        31, 2012, the Administrator of the United States Agency for 
        International Development, in close consultation with the 
        Group, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees 
        a report on efforts taken by the United States Agency for 
        International Development and the Department of Agriculture to 
        develop a strategy under this section to achieve an integrated 
        and effective food assistance program.
            ``(2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In 
        this subsection, the term `appropriate congressional 
        committees' means--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    ``(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate.''.
    (c) Termination.--Such section is further amended in subsection (h) 
(as redesignated by subsection (b)(1)) by striking ``2007'' and 
inserting ``2012''.

SEC. 107. ADMINISTRATION.

    (a) Proposals.--Subsection (a)(3) of section 207 of the 
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 
1726a) is amended by striking ``and the conditions that must be met for 
the approval of such proposal''.
    (b) Regulations.--Subsection (c) of such section is amended by 
striking paragraph (3).
    (c) Program Oversight, Monitoring, and Evaluation.--Such section is 
further amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Program Oversight, Monitoring, and Evaluation.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Administrator, in consultation with 
        the Secretary, shall establish systems to improve, monitor, and 
        evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of assistance 
        provided under this title in order to maximize the impact of 
        such assistance.
            ``(2) Report to congress.--Not later than 180 days after 
        the date of enactment of Food Security and Agricultural 
        Development Act of 2007, the Administrator shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report on efforts 
        undertaken to implement paragraph (1).
            ``(3) Government accountability office.--Not later than 270 
        days after the date of the submission of the report under 
        paragraph (2), the Comptroller General of the United States 
        shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a 
        report that--
                    ``(A) reviews and comments on the report under 
                paragraph (2); and
                    ``(B) provides recommendations regarding any 
                additional actions necessary to improve the monitoring 
                and evaluation of assistance provided under this title.
            ``(4) Contracting authority.--In carrying out this 
        subsection, notwithstanding any other provision of law, the 
        Administrator may contract with individuals for personal 
        services, provided that such individuals shall not be regarded 
        as employees of the United States Government for the purpose of 
        any law administered by the Civil Service Commission.
            ``(5) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In 
        this subsection, the term `appropriate congressional 
        committees' means--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    ``(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate.''.
    (d) Indirect Support Costs to United Nations World Food Program.--
Such section is further amended by adding at the end the following new 
subsection:
    ``(g) Indirect Support Costs to United Nations World Food 
Program.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, in providing assistance under this title, the 
        Administrator may make contributions to the United Nations 
        World Food Program to the extent that such contributions are 
        made in accordance with the United Nations World Food Program's 
        rules and regulations for indirect cost rates. Prior to making 
        a contribution to the United Nations World Food Program under 
        this subsection, the Administrator shall submit to the 
        appropriate congressional committees a report that contains the 
        proposed level of the contribution and the reasons for such 
        proposed level.
            ``(2) Appropriate congressional committees defined.--In 
        this subsection, the term `appropriate congressional 
        committees' means--
                    ``(A) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and the 
                Committee on Agriculture of the House of 
                Representatives; and
                    ``(B) the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and 
                Forestry of the Senate.''.

SEC. 108. ASSISTANCE FOR STOCKPILING AND RAPID TRANSPORTATION, 
              DELIVERY, AND DISTRIBUTION OF SHELF-STABLE PREPACKAGED 
              FOODS.

    Subsection (f) of section 208 of the Agricultural Trade Development 
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1726b) is amended by striking 
``2007'' and inserting ``2012''.

SEC. 109. ADMINISTRATIVE PROVISIONS.

    (a) Prepositioning.--Subsection (c)(4) of section 407 of the 
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 
1736a) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``Funds'' and inserting:
                    ``(A) In general.--Funds'';
            (2) by striking ``2007'' and inserting ``2012'';
            (3) by striking ``, except that for each such fiscal year 
        not more than $2,000,000 of such funds may be used to store 
        agricultural commodities for prepositioning in foreign 
        countries''; and
            (4) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph:
                    ``(B) Additional prepositioning sites.--
                            ``(i) Feasibility assessment.--On or after 
                        the date of the enactment of the Food Security 
                        and Agricultural Development Act of 2007, the 
                        Administrator is authorized to carry out 
                        assessments for the establishment of not less 
                        than two sites to determine the feasibility of 
                        and costs associated with using such sites for 
                        the purpose of storing and handling 
                        agricultural commodities for prepositioning in 
                        foreign countries.
                            ``(ii) Establishment of sites.--Based on 
                        the results of the assessments carried out 
                        under clause (i), the Administrator is 
                        authorized to establish additional sites for 
                        prepositioning in foreign countries.
                            ``(iii) Authorization of appropriations.--
                        To carry out this subparagraph, there are 
                        authorized to be appropriated to the 
                        Administrator such sums as may be necessary for 
                        each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.''.
    (b) Annual Reports.--Subsection (f) of such section is amended--
            (1) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in subparagraph (B), by adding at the end 
                before the semicolon the following: ``, and the amount 
                of funds, tonnage levels, and types of activities for 
                non-emergency food assistance programs under title II 
                of this Act'';
                    (B) in subparagraph (C), by adding at the end 
                before the semicolon the following: ``, and a general 
                description of the projects and activities 
                implemented''; and
                    (C) by amending subparagraph (D) to read as 
                follows:
                    ``(D) an assessment of the progress toward reducing 
                food insecurity in the populations receiving food 
                assistance from the United States.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (3), by striking ``January 15'' and 
        inserting ``March 1''.

SEC. 110. EXPIRATION DATE.

    Section 408 of the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance 
Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1736b) is amended by striking ``2007'' and 
inserting ``2012''.

SEC. 111. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    Subsection (a) of section 412 of the Agricultural Trade Development 
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1736f) is amended to read as 
follows:
    ``(a) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            ``(1) In general.--For each of the fiscal years 2008 
        through 2012, there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
        President--
                    ``(A) such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
                the concessional credit sales program established under 
                title I;
                    ``(B) $2,500,000,000 to carry out the emergency and 
                non-emergency food assistance programs under title II; 
                and
                    ``(C) such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
                the grant program established under title III.
            ``(2) Minimum level of non-emergency food assistance.--For 
        each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012, of the amounts made 
        available to carry out emergency and non-emergency food 
        assistance programs under title II, not less than $600,000,000 
        for each such fiscal year shall be obligated and expended for 
        non-emergency food assistance programs under title II.
            ``(3) Reimbursement.--For each of the fiscal years 2008 
        through 2012, there are authorized to be appropriated such sums 
        as may be necessary to make payments to the Commodity Credit 
        Corporation to the extent the Commodity Credit Corporation is 
        not reimbursed under the programs under this Act for the actual 
        costs incurred or to be incurred by such Corporation in 
        carrying out such programs.
            ``(4) Availability.--Amounts appropriated pursuant to the 
        authorization of appropriations under this subsection are--
                    ``(A) authorized to remain available until 
                expended; and
                    ``(B) in addition to funds otherwise available for 
                such purposes.''.

SEC. 112. COORDINATION AND INTEGRATION OF FOREIGN ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--Section 413 of the Agricultural Trade Development 
and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 1736g) is amended--
            (1) by striking the first sentence and inserting the 
        following: ``The Administrator shall, to the maximum extent 
        practicable, coordinate and integrate assistance to a foreign 
        country provided under title III with other United States 
        development assistance programs and objectives provided under 
        chapter 1 of part I of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 
        U.S.C. 2151 et seq.), including assistance to combat HIV/AIDS, 
        tuberculosis, and malaria, assistance for child and maternal 
        health, assistance for education, and assistance for 
        agricultural development and economic growth. Such assistance 
        shall also be coordinated and integrated with other United 
        States foreign assistance programs, such as the Millennium 
        Challenge Account. Such assistance shall also be coordinated 
        and integrated with the overall development strategy of the 
        recipient country, including the poverty reduction strategy of 
        the recipient country, and in the recipient country with other 
        donors, including international and regional organizations and 
        other donor countries.''; and
            (2) by striking ``Special emphasis should be placed on'' 
        and inserting ``Special consideration should be given to''.
    (b) Conforming Amendment.--The heading for such section is amended 
by inserting ``and integration'' after ``coordination''.

SEC. 113. MICRONUTRIENT FORTIFICATION PROGRAMS.

    (a) Purpose.--Subsection (a)(2)(C) of section 415 of the 
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 
1736g-2) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``using the same mechanism that was used to 
        assess the micronutrient fortification program in'' and 
        inserting ``utilizing recommendations from''; and
            (2) by striking ``with funds from the Bureau for 
        Humanitarian Response of the United States Agency for 
        International Development'' and inserting ``with implementation 
        by an independent entity with proven impartiality and a 
        mechanism that incorporates the range of stakeholders 
        implementing programs under title II of this Act as well as 
        other food assistance industry experts''.
    (b) Termination of Authority.--Subsection (d) of such section is 
amended by striking ``2007'' and inserting ``2012''.

SEC. 114. JOHN OGONOWSKI AND DOUG BEREUTER FARMER-TO-FARMER PROGRAM.

    (a) Minimum Funding.--Subsection (d) of section 501 of the 
Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 (7 U.S.C. 
1737) is amended by striking ``2002 through 2007'' and inserting ``2008 
through 2012''.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--Subsection (e)(1) of such 
section is amended by striking ``2002 through 2007'' and inserting 
``2008 through 2012''.

           Subtitle B--Related Statutes and Other Provisions

SEC. 121. BILL EMERSON HUMANITARIAN TRUST.

    (a) In General.--Subsection (a) of section 302 of the Bill Emerson 
Humanitarian Trust Act (7 U.S.C. 1736f-1) is amended by inserting after 
``metric tons'' the following: ``, an amount of funds equivalent to 
4,000,000 metric tons of commodities, or any combination of commodities 
and funds equivalent to 4,000,000 metric tons''.
    (b) Commodities or Funds in Trust.--Subsection (b)(2)(B)(i) of such 
section is amended--
            (1) by striking ``2000 through 2007'' each place it appears 
        and inserting ``2008 through 2012''; and
            (2) by striking ``$20,000,000'' and inserting 
        ``$60,000,000''.
    (c) Termination of Authority.--Subsection (h) of such section is 
amended in paragraphs (1) and (2) by striking ``2007'' each place it 
appears and inserting ``2012''.

SEC. 122. MCGOVERN-DOLE INTERNATIONAL FOOD FOR EDUCATION AND CHILD 
              NUTRITION PROGRAM.

    (a) Administration of Program.--Section 3107 of the Farm Security 
and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 1736o-1) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (d), in the matter preceding paragraph 
        (1), by striking ``The President shall designate 1 or more 
        Federal agencies to'' and inserting ``The Secretary shall'';
            (2) in subsection (f)(2), in the matter preceding 
        subparagraph (A), by striking ``implementing agency'' and 
        inserting ``Secretary''; and
            (3) in subsections (c)(2)(B), (f)(1), (h)(1) and (2), and 
        (i), by striking ``President'' each place it appears and 
        inserting ``Secretary''.
    (b) Funding.--Subsection (l) of such section is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraphs (1) and (2) and inserting the 
        following:
            ``(1) Use of commodity credit corporation funds.--Of the 
        funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall 
        use to carry out this section--
                    ``(A) $140,000,000 for fiscal year 2008;
                    ``(B) $180,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
                    ``(C) $220,000,000 for fiscal year 2010;
                    ``(D) $260,000,000 for fiscal year 2011; and
                    ``(E) $300,000,000 for fiscal year 2012.'';
            (2) by redesignating paragraph (3) as paragraph (2); and
            (3) in paragraph (2) (as redesignated by paragraph (2)), by 
        striking ``any Federal agency implementing or assisting'' and 
        inserting ``the Department of Agriculture or any other Federal 
        department or agency assisting''.

SEC. 123. INTERNATIONAL DISASTER ASSISTANCE UNDER THE FOREIGN 
              ASSISTANCE ACT OF 1961.

    (a) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
President, acting through the Administrator, should exercise the 
President's authority under section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act 
of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2292) to purchase and to distribute to a recipient 
country agricultural commodities produced--
            (1) in the recipient country, or
            (2) in developing countries in the region of the recipient 
        country,
for the purposes of famine prevention and relief.
    (b) Availability of Funding for Famine Prevention and Relief.--For 
each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012, of the amounts made 
available to carry out section 491 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 
1961, not less than $40,000,000 for each such fiscal year shall be made 
available for the purposes of famine prevention and relief under such 
section.

SEC. 124. REPORT ON EFFORTS TO IMPROVE PROCUREMENT PLANNING.

    (a) Report Required.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, the Administrator and the Secretary shall submit 
to the appropriate congressional committees a report on efforts taken 
by both the United States Agency for International Development and the 
Department of Agriculture to improve planning for food and 
transportation procurement, including efforts to eliminate bunching of 
food purchases.
    (b) Contents.--The report required under subsection (a) should 
include, among other things, a description of efforts taken to--
            (1) improve coordination of food purchases by the United 
        States Agency for International Development and the Department 
        of Agriculture;
            (2) increase flexibility in procurement schedules;
            (3) increase utilization of historical analyses and 
        forecasting; and
            (4) improve and streamline legal claims processes for 
        resolving transportation disputes.

          TITLE II--UNITED STATES AGRICULTURAL EXPORT PROGRAMS

SEC. 201. EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEE PROGRAM.

    (a) Repeal of Supplier Credit Guarantee Program and Intermediate 
Export Credit Guarantee Program.--
            (1) Repeals.--Section 202 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 
        1978 (7 U.S.C. 5622) is amended--
                    (A) in subsection (a)--
                            (i) in paragraph (1), by striking ``(1)'' 
                        and all that follows through ``The Commodity'' 
                        and inserting ``The Commodity''; and
                            (ii) by striking paragraphs (2) and (3);
                    (B) by striking subsections (b) and (c); and
                    (C) by redesignating subsections (d) through (l) as 
                subsections (b) through (j), respectively.
            (2) Conforming amendments.--Such section is further 
        amended--
                    (A) in subsection (b)(4) (as redesignated by 
                paragraph (1)(C)), by striking ``, consistent with the 
                provisions of subsection (c)'';
                    (B) in subsection (d) (as redesignated by paragraph 
                (1)(C))--
                            (i) by striking ``(1)'' and all that 
                        follows through ``The Commodity'' and inserting 
                        ``The Commodity''; and
                            (ii) by striking paragraph (2); and
                    (C) in subsection (g)(2) (as redesignated by 
                paragraph (1)(C)), by striking ``subsections (a) and 
                (b)'' and inserting ``subsection (a)''.
    (b) Process and High-Value Products.--Section 202 of such Act (7 
U.S.C. 5622) is amended in paragraph (1) of subsection (i) (as 
redesignated by subsection (a)(1)(C)) by striking ``2007'' and 
inserting ``2012''.
    (c) Export Credit Guarantee Programs.--Subsection (b) of section 
211 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 5641) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(b) Export Credit Guarantee Programs.--The Commodity Credit 
Corporation shall make available, to the maximum extent practicable, 
for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012 not less than $5,500,000,000 
in credit guarantees under section 202(a).''.

SEC. 202. MARKET ACCESS PROGRAM.

    (a) Organic Commodities.--Subsection (a) of section 203 of the 
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5623) is amended by inserting 
after ``agricultural commodities'' the following: ``(including 
commodities that are organically produced (as defined in section 2103 
of the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 6502)))''.
    (b) Funding.--Subsection (c)(1)(A) of section 211 of such Act (7 
U.S.C. 5641) is amended by striking ``, and $200,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2006 and 2007'' and inserting ``$200,000,000 for each of 
fiscal years 2006 and 2007, and $225,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2008 through 2012''.

SEC. 203. EXPORT ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.

    Subsection (e) of section 301 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 
(7 U.S.C. 5651) is amended by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
following:
            ``(1) In general.--The Commodity Credit Corporation shall 
        make available to carry out the program established under this 
        section not more than $478,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
        2008 through 2012.''.

SEC. 204. ASSISTANCE TO ADDRESS SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY BARRIERS TO 
              TRADE.

    Title III of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5651 et 
seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 304. ASSISTANCE TO ADDRESS SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY BARRIERS 
              TO TRADE.

    ``(a) Assistance Authorized.--The Secretary is authorized to enter 
into contracts with technical experts and scientists, or provide grants 
to appropriate entities, as determined by the Secretary, to address 
sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers to the export of United 
States agricultural commodities, including meat, poultry, and specialty 
crops, by--
            ``(1) contracting with technical experts and scientists 
        outside of the Federal government to address sanitary and 
        phytosanitary issues, and other issues regarding technical 
        barriers, involving agricultural commodities and the products 
        of such agricultural commodities; and
            ``(2) commissioning targeted outside scientific reports on 
        sanitary and phytosanitary issues, and other issues regarding 
        technical barriers, involving agricultural commodities and the 
        products of such agricultural commodities.
    ``(b) Targeted Trade Issues.--Projects funded under this section 
may include projects relating to the acceptance by foreign markets of--
            ``(1) antimicrobial treatments;
            ``(2) wood-packaging material;
            ``(3) irradiation;
            ``(4) biotechnology;
            ``(5) science-based maximum residue level standards;
            ``(6) testing procedures and controls for mycotoxins;
            ``(7) labeling; and
            ``(8) shelf life.
    ``(c) Funding.--
            ``(1) Commodity credit corporation.--The Secretary shall 
        use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity 
        Credit Corporation to carry out this section.
            ``(2) Funding amount.--The Secretary shall use, to the 
        maximum extent practicable, $2,000,000 of the funds of the 
        Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this section for each 
        of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.''.

SEC. 205. FOREIGN MARKET DEVELOPMENT COOPERATOR PROGRAM.

    (a) Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program.--Subsection (c) 
of section 702 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 5722) is 
amended by striking ``Committee on International Relations'' and 
inserting ``Committee on Foreign Affairs''.
    (b) Funding.--Section 703 of such Act (7 U.S.C. 5723) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a), by striking ``2002 through 2007'' 
        and inserting ``2008 through 2012''; and
            (2) in subsection (b), by striking ``2001'' and inserting 
        ``2007''.

SEC. 206. EMERGING MARKETS AND FACILITY GUARANTEE LOAN PROGRAM.

    (a) Promotion of Agricultural Exports to Emerging Markets.--
Subsections (a) and (d)(1)(A)(i) of section 1542 of the Food, 
Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (7 U.S.C. 5622 note; 
Public Law 101-624) is amended by striking ``2007'' each place it 
appears and inserting ``2012''.
    (b) Facility Guarantee Loan Program.--Such section is further 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (b)--
                    (A) in the first sentence, by redesignating 
                paragraphs (1) and (2) as subparagraphs (A) and (B), 
                respectively, and adjusting the margins accordingly;
                    (B) by striking ``A portion'' and inserting the 
                following:
            ``(1) In general.--A portion'';
                    (C) in the second sentence--
                            (i) by striking ``The Commodity Credit 
                        Corporation'' and inserting the following:
            ``(2) Priority.--The Commodity Credit Corporation''; and
                            (ii) by moving the margins of subparagraphs 
                        (A) and (B) two ems to the right; and
                    (D) by adding at the end the following:
            ``(3) Initial payment.--The Secretary may require an 
        initial down payment, upon such terms as the Secretary may 
        determine, by the beneficiary of the credit guarantee as a 
        condition of providing a credit guarantee under this 
        subsection.
            ``(4) Maximum liability.--The liability of the Commodity 
        Credit Corporation under a guarantee provided pursuant to this 
        section may not exceed 98 percent of--
                    ``(A) the principal amount involved in the 
                underlying financial arrangement for construction of 
                the facility; and
                    ``(B) the interest on the outstanding principal 
                amount at the rate specified in the underlying 
                financial arrangement for construction of the facility.
            ``(5) Term of guarantee.--A facility payment guarantee 
        under this subsection shall be for a term that is not more than 
        the lesser of--
                    ``(A) the term of the depreciation schedule of the 
                facility assisted; or
                    ``(B) a maximum period, as determined by the 
                Secretary.''.

SEC. 207. FOOD FOR PROGRESS ACT OF 1985.

    (a) Provision of Eligible Commodities to Developing Countries.--
Subsection (f)(3) of the Food for Progress Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1736o; 
section 1110 of the Food Security Act of 1985) is amended by striking 
``1996 through 2007'' and inserting ``2008 through 2012''.
    (b) Minimum Tonnage.--Subsection (g) of such Act is amended--
            (1) by striking ``400,000'' and inserting ``500,000''; and
            (2) by striking ``2002 through 2007'' and inserting ``2008 
        through 2012''.
    (c) Report.--Subsection (j)(3) of such Act is amended by inserting 
``and the Committee on Foreign Affairs'' after ``Committee on 
Agriculture'' the first place such term appears.
    (d) Effective and Termination Dates.--Subsection (k) of such Act is 
amended by striking ``2007'' and inserting ``2012''.
    (e) Administrative Expenses.--Subsection (l)(1) of such Act is 
amended by striking ``1996 through 2007'' and inserting ``2008 through 
2012''.
    (f) Program Management.--Subsection (n)(2)(C) of such Act is 
amended, by striking ``Committee on International Relations'' and 
inserting ``Committee on Foreign Affairs''.

                  TITLE III--MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

SEC. 301. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR SPECIALTY CROPS.

    (a) Additional Requirements.--Section 3205 of the Farm Security and 
Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5680) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (d) as subsection (e); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (c) the following new 
        subsection:
    ``(d) Additional Requirements.--
            ``(1) Maximum award.--The maximum amount of assistance 
        provided annually to a project under the program shall be 
        $500,000.
            ``(2) Project duration.--The Secretary may extend a project 
        under the program irrespective of the initial estimated 
        duration of the project.''.
    (b) Funding.--Such section is further amended in subsection (e) (as 
redesignated by subsection (a)(1)), to read as follows:
    ``(e) Funding.--
            ``(1) Commodity credit corporation.--The Secretary shall 
        use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity 
        Credit Corporation to carry out this section.
            ``(2) Funding amount.--The Secretary shall make available 
        the following amounts of the funds of, or an equal value of 
        commodities owned by, the Commodity Credit Corporation, to the 
        maximum extent practicable, for the following fiscal years to 
        carry out this section:
                    ``(A) $4,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
                    ``(B) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2009.
                    ``(C) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2010.
                    ``(D) $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2011 
                through 2015.''.

SEC. 302. SUPPORT FOR SANITARY AND PHYTOSANITARY PRIORITIES OF THE 
              UNITED STATES WITHIN CERTAIN INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS.

    (a) Support Authorized.--The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized 
to enhance United States support for international organizations, 
including international organizations described in subsection (b), that 
establish international standards regarding food, food safety, plants, 
and animals by funding additional positions of associate professional 
officers to address sanitary and phytosanitary priorities of the United 
States within such international organizations. The Secretary shall 
carry out this subsection pursuant to the authority of the Secretary 
under section 1458(a)(3) of the Food and Agriculture Act of 1977 (7 
U.S.C. 3291(a)(3)).
    (b) International Organizations Described.--The international 
organizations referred to in subsection (a) are the Food and 
Agriculture Organization, the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the 
International Plant Protection Convention, and the World Organization 
for Animal Health.

SEC. 303. TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FOR THE RESOLUTION OF TRADE DISPUTES.

    (a) Technical Assistance Authorized.--The Secretary of Agriculture 
is authorized to provide monitoring, analytic support, and other 
technical assistance to limited-resource persons and organizations 
associated with agricultural trade (as determined by the Secretary) to 
address unfair trade practices of foreign countries, including 
intellectual property right violations, and to reduce trade barriers.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--To carry out this section, 
there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as 
may be necessary for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012.

SEC. 304. SENSE OF CONGRESS CONCERNING THE GLOBAL CROP DIVERSITY TRUST.

    (a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
            (1) Crop diversity--the natural diversity exhibited in the 
        array of varieties in every crop--is one of the world's least 
        recognized, but most valuable resources. It provides the 
        genetic building blocks for adapting crops to constantly 
        evolving pests, diseases, and changing climates. Without crop 
        diversity, agriculture cannot retain current productivity 
        levels and cannot meet anticipated future challenges associated 
        with population growth and global warming.
            (2) Currently, much of the world's crop diversity is 
        neither safely conserved, nor readily available to scientists 
        and farmers who rely on it to safeguard agricultural 
        productivity.
            (3) The Global Crop Diversity Trust, an independent 
        organization created by the United Nations Food and 
        Agricultural Organization in conjunction with the 2001 
        International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, is the only 
        organization working globally to solve the problem of 
        protecting crop diversity. The Global Crop Diversity Trust 
        became a legal entity at the end of 2004, but has already 
        raised $135,000,000 from a broad alliance of partners, 
        including developed and developing countries, private 
        corporations, and philanthropic foundations, including a joint 
        initiative with the United Nations Foundation funded by The 
        Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
            (4) The United States was an early supporter of the Global 
        Crop Diversity Trust, and has so far contributed $6,500,000 to 
        the Global Crop Diversity Trust. Robust involvement of the 
        United States in the Global Crop Diversity Trust ensures 
        significant benefits to United States farmers.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that the 
President should provide significant United States financial resources 
to the Global Crop Diversity Trust to ensure the conservation of crop 
diversity which can yield significant benefits to United States 
farmers.

SEC. 305. TECHNICAL AND CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.

    Subsection (a) of section 3206 of the Farm Security and Rural 
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 5603a) is amended by striking 
``Committee on International Relations'' and inserting ``Committee on 
Foreign Affairs''.

SEC. 306. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.

    Nothing in this Act or any amendment made by this Act shall be 
construed to supersede the provisions of the Trade Sanctions Reform and 
Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7201 et seq.).
                                                 Union Calendar No. 165

110th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 2844

                      [Report No. 110-257, Part I]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

  To promote United States emergency and non-emergency food and other 
   assistance programs, to promote United States agricultural export 
                   programs, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             July 23, 2007

 Committee on Agriculture discharged; committed to the Committee of the 
    Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed