[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6849 Received in Senate (RDS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 6849


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

           September 25 (legislative day, September 17), 2008

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
To amend the commodity provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy 
      Act of 2008 to permit producers to aggregate base acres and 
    reconstitute farms to avoid the prohibition on receiving direct 
 payments, counter-cyclical payments, or average crop revenue election 
payments when the sum of the base acres of a farm is 10 acres or less, 
                        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. TREATMENT OF FARMS WITH LIMITED BASE ACRES.

    (a) Suspension of Prohibition.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1101(d) of the Food, Conservation, 
        and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8711(d)) is amended by adding 
        at the end the following:
            ``(4) Suspension of prohibition.--Paragraphs (1) through 
        (3) shall not apply during the 2008 and 2009 crop years.''.
            (2) Peanuts.--Section 1302(d) of the Food, Conservation, 
        and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8752(d)) is amended by adding 
        at the end the following:
            ``(4) Suspension of prohibition.--Paragraphs (1) through 
        (3) shall not apply during the 2008 and 2009 crop years.''.
    (b) Extension of 2008 Signup for Direct Payments and Counter-
Cyclical Payments.--
            (1) In general.--Section 1106 of the Food, Conservation, 
        and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8716) is amended by adding at 
        the end the following:
    ``(f) Extension of 2008 Signup.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Secretary shall extend the 2008 crop year deadline for 
        the signup for benefits under this subtitle by producers on a 
        farm with base acres of 10 acres or less until the later of--
                    ``(A) November 14, 2008; or
                    ``(B) the end of the 45-day period beginning on the 
                date of the enactment of this subsection.
            ``(2) Penalties.--The Secretary shall ensure that no 
        penalty with respect to benefits under this subtitle is 
        assessed against producers on a farm described in paragraph (1) 
        for failure to submit reports under this section or timely 
        comply with other program requirements as a result of 
        compliance with the extended signup deadline under that 
        paragraph.''.
            (2) Peanuts.--Section 1305 of the Food, Conservation, and 
        Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8755) is amended by adding at the 
        end the following:
    ``(f) Extension of 2008 Signup.--
            ``(1) In general.--Notwithstanding any other provision of 
        law, the Secretary shall extend the 2008 crop year deadline for 
        the signup for benefits under this subtitle by producers on a 
        farm with base acres of 10 acres or less until the later of--
                    ``(A) November 14, 2008; or
                    ``(B) the end of the 45-day period beginning on the 
                date of the enactment of this subsection.
            ``(2) Penalties.--The Secretary shall ensure that no 
        penalty with respect to benefits under this subtitle is 
        assessed against producers on a farm described in paragraph (1) 
        for failure to submit reports under this section or timely 
        comply with other program requirements as a result of 
        compliance with the extended signup deadline under that 
        paragraph.''.
    (c) Offsetting Reduction.--Section 515(k)(1) of the Federal Crop 
Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1515(k)(1)) is amended by striking ``not more 
than $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2011'' and 
inserting ``not more than $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, not more 
than $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2009, and not more than $8,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2010 and 2011''.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 24, 2008.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.