110 HR 925 IH: Emergency Farm Assistance Act of 2007
U.S. House of Representatives
2007-02-08
text/xml
EN
Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.
1.Short title; table of contents
(a)This Act may be cited as the Emergency Farm Assistance Act of 2007
.
(b)The table of contents of this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Title I—Agricultural production losses
Sec. 101. Specialty crops.
Sec. 102. Dairy assistance.
Sec. 103. Livestock indemnity payments.
Sec. 104. Payment limitation.
Title II—Small business economic loss grant program
Sec. 201. Small business economic loss grant program.
Title III—Forestry
Sec. 301. Tree assistance program.
Title IV—Assistance for unemployed agricultural workers
Sec. 401. Unemployment assistance.
Sec. 402. Food coupons and distribution.
Sec. 403. Emergency grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers.
Sec. 404. Temporary mortgage rental assistance.
Title V—Pacific Salmon Emergency Disaster Assistance
Sec. 501. Pacific salmon emergency disaster assistance.
Title VI—Miscellaneous
Sec. 601. Limit on amount of assistance.
Sec. 602. Funding.
Sec. 603. Regulations.
Title VII—Emergency designation
Sec. 701. Emergency designation.
2.In this Act:
(1)The term disaster county means—
(A)a county included in the geographic area covered by a natural disaster declaration; and
(B)each county contiguous to a county described in subparagraph (A).
(2)The term livestock includes—
(A)cattle (including dairy cattle);
(B)bison;
(C)sheep;
(D)swine;
(E)poultry; and
(F)other livestock, as determined by the Secretary.
(3)Natural disaster declarationThe term natural disaster declaration means a natural disaster declared by the Secretary under section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1961(a)) during—
(A)calendar year 2005 due to flooding in the State;
(B)calendar year 2006 due to heat or flooding in the State; and
(C)calendar year 2007 due to freezing or extreme low temperatures in the State.
(4)The term Secretary means the Secretary of Agriculture.
(5)The term specialty crop has the meaning given the term in section 3 of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note; Public Law 108–465).
(6)The term State means the State of California.
<enum>I</enum><header>Agricultural production losses</header>
<section id="H573B7A65833A487AA330159F811D65F5"><enum>101.</enum><header>Specialty crops</header>
<subsection id="H66CEEEBAEF8745B8B12B878D8CCD1DA"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary shall use, of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation—</text>
<paragraph id="H8627EB28418A43088F016E00F3FF40EE"><enum>(1)</enum><text>$100,000,000 to provide assistance to producers of specialty crops in disaster counties that suffered losses in calendar year 2005;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HDEFE74EA3B284CAE9C5CB9D7945C817E"><enum>(2)</enum><text>$400,000,000 to provide assistance to producers of specialty crops in disaster counties that suffered losses in calendar year 2006;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HB860F0453F51421FA1007B19BF5FE1B"><enum>(3)</enum><text>$420,000,000 to provide assistance to citrus producers in disaster counties that suffered losses in calendar year 2007; and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H3A95C9160FD04D529DE8E45F21C27170"><enum>(4)</enum><text>$438,000,000 to provide assistance to producers of other specialty crops in disaster counties that suffered losses in calendar year 2007.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H04058F9C47CB482F9149B2F9B4E23652"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Administration</header><text>Except as provided in subsection (c), assistance required by subsection (a) shall be carried out by the Secretary in the State under the same terms and conditions as the special disaster relief programs carried out for producers that suffered from crop damage and tree losses, and carried out related cleanup, in certain areas of Florida due to Hurricanes Charley, Frances, and Jeanne during August and September 2004, as described in the notice of program implementation relating to Florida citrus, fruit, vegetable, and nursery crop disaster programs (69 Fed. Reg. 63134 (October 29, 2004)), with vegetable losses treated as citrus losses under this section for purposes of that program.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H952921465BEF499F8381160103A57900"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Uninsured citrus growers</header>
<paragraph id="H53A1149949594514AC85A248A6A39C21"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Limited assistance</header><text>Subject to paragraph (2), citrus producers on a farm that did not obtain a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/7/1501">7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.</external-xref>) for the crop incurring the losses shall only be eligible for assistance under this section if the producers agree to obtain a policy or plan of insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/7/1501">7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.</external-xref>) not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act providing additional coverage for the citrus crop of the producers for each of the next 3 crop years.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H98B7A58396C64E9B97A4B0A7D8084CF1"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Amount of assistance</header><text>Assistance under this section provided for citrus producers on a farm described in paragraph (1) shall not exceed 35 percent of the total amount of the documented losses of the producers.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H12DA5AC0F0EB489EAC1500662957E00"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Effect of violation</header><text>In the event that citrus producers described in paragraph (1) fail to obtain a policy or plan of insurance in accordance with that paragraph, the producers shall reimburse the Secretary for the full amount of the assistance provided to the producers under this section.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>
<section id="HD1323C203592479BB5CD85CB04F5C15E"><enum>102.</enum><header>Dairy assistance</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary shall use $230,000,000 of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make payments to dairy producers for dairy production losses during calendar year 2006 in disaster counties.</text></section>
<section id="H691B299C5FAD479E87BCBA018D00BC14"><enum>103.</enum><header>Livestock indemnity payments</header>
<subsection id="H2DA40755C54B478AB123E16F4C00363D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary shall use $80,000,000 of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make livestock indemnity payments to producers on farms located in disaster counties that have incurred livestock losses during calendar year 2006 or 2007, or both, due to a disaster, as determined by the Secretary.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H5709D3FF3BCD4BCFB9FBD5107DD7277D"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Payment rates</header><text>Indemnity payments to the producers on a farm under subsection (a) shall be made at a rate of not less than 30 percent of the market value of the applicable livestock on the day before the date of death of the livestock, as determined by the Secretary.</text></subsection></section>
<section id="H4E62EB27D9FD48BBB28E7E2E40EF0026"><enum>104.</enum><header>Payment limitation</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">Notwithstanding any other provision of law, assistance provided under this section to the producers on a farm (as defined by the Secretary) may not exceed $125,000 for each farm, ranch, processing plant, or dairy operation of the producers.</text></section>
<enum>II</enum><header>Small business economic loss grant program</header>
<section id="HDE8EA6462CCA4E41AA81D67F37BBE247"><enum>201.</enum><header>Small business economic loss grant program</header>
<subsection id="HE4240FA337A34C5E85D707EE632D24C4"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Grants</header>
<paragraph id="HADCC6156D5EC44E18DA100BCB882899B"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary shall use such funds as are necessary of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make a grant to the State.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H33D90D28532C41C2ADBB20701CED49A2"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Requirement</header><text>To be eligible to receive a grant under this subsection, the State shall agree to carry out an expedited disaster assistance program to provide grants to qualified small businesses in accordance with subsection (b).</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="HE19A306F4D014D2A00F200F097D5FFE7"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Grants to qualified small businesses</header>
<paragraph id="H573B03306B514366861F6C83523CC453"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>In carrying out an expedited disaster assistance program described in subsection (a)(2), the State shall provide grants to eligible small businesses in the State that suffered material economic losses during the 2005, 2006, or 2007 crop year as a direct result of weather-related agricultural losses to the specialty crop or livestock production sectors of the State, as determined by the Secretary.</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HB5946D2D339F443BAC4FE7D003379512"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Eligibility</header>
<subparagraph id="H438962A00B8C43F6A2D429DFB0382AE"><enum>(A)</enum><header>In general</header><text>To be eligible to receive a grant under paragraph (1), a small business shall—</text>
<clause id="H9E6DDCD6B49E463AA38436486861A759"><enum>(i)</enum><text>have less than $15,000,000 in average annual gross income from all business activities, at least 75 percent of which shall be directly related to production agriculture or agriculture support industries, as determined by the Secretary;</text></clause>
<clause id="H648D199FCFFD4953862B97973149E613"><enum>(ii)</enum><text>verify the amount of economic loss attributable to weather-related agricultural losses using such documentation as the Secretary and the State may require;</text></clause>
<clause id="H7323B25944D7432D9FBBB637354538C1"><enum>(iii)</enum><text>have suffered losses attributable to weather-related agricultural disasters that equal at least 15 percent of the total economic loss of the small business for each year a grant is requested; and</text></clause>
<clause id="HE5144050F4A8463293F250BB61244C7"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>demonstrate that the grant will materially improve the likelihood the business will—</text>
<subclause id="H444B4F788CD546A1853697000027DBE1"><enum>(I)</enum><text>recover from the disaster;</text></subclause>
<subclause id="H0A925F45F58748DBA6A0D69585EF99AF"><enum>(II)</enum><text>continue to service and support production agriculture; and</text></subclause>
<subclause id="H2BA9ECEB6C324C89BCAD5E0170B1B0BE"><enum>(III)</enum><text>replant agricultural production fields and groves.</text></subclause></clause></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H7020F4C271E7410AADD84D60F178C32D"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text>A grant to a small business under this subsection shall—</text>
<subparagraph id="H18BE47D7CBC44A01AF0006F02B82CC74"><enum>(A)</enum><text>be limited to not more than 2 years of documented losses;</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HFE91721D25034E1D8B4B9D012858A7B"><enum>(B)</enum><text>be in an amount of not more than 75 percent of the documented average economic loss attributable to weather-related agriculture disasters for each eligible year in the State; and</text></subparagraph>
<subparagraph id="HC4F03CB49EC64C389CAED512ECB76CB3"><enum>(C)</enum><text>not exceed a total amount of $250,000 for each small business.</text></subparagraph></paragraph>
<paragraph commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HAC58DBF921A343D7A04FBCCD007DEFD7"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Insufficient funding</header><text>If the grant funds received by the State under subsection (a) are insufficient to fund the grants of the State under this subsection, the State may apply a proportional reduction to all of the grants.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>
<enum>III</enum><header>Forestry</header>
<section id="HE825932AD65741C8A7D5243FEDBAD0B8"><enum>301.</enum><header>Tree assistance program</header>
<subsection id="H13DFE565436F4E2DAF3C6F4086CAFEAC"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definition of tree</header><text>In this section, the term <term>tree</term> includes—</text>
<paragraph id="H6BE9D1299B8F4A32BCC6E982E8736621"><enum>(1)</enum><text>a tree (including a Christmas tree, ornamental tree, nursery tree, and potted tree);</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H3D78F88BFAE34AC8A378B0D1AAB13B34"><enum>(2)</enum><text>a bush (including a shrub, nursery shrub, nursery bush, ornamental bush, ornamental shrub, potted bush, and potted shrub); and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="HA655DFCD75E247BFBF9D06F214C3D3AE"><enum>(3)</enum><text>a vine (including a nursery vine and ornamental vine).</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H5F9D7ACF5F98414AA36492DA510500DC"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Program</header><text>Except as otherwise provided in this section, the Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to provide assistance under the tree assistance program established under subtitle C of title X of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/7/8201">7 U.S.C. 8201 et seq.</external-xref>) to—</text>
<paragraph id="HDA425DCB7E734D259D895E17BE7EC681"><enum>(1)</enum><text>producers who suffered tree losses in disaster counties; and</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H69E2A1697F0C42EDB5A8BF6FA8992CA7"><enum>(2)</enum><text>fruit and tree nut producers in disaster counties.</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection id="H93888C7D8B2744A1B9D0DFEAFCB9016F"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Costs</header><text>Funds made available under this section shall also be made available to cover costs associated with tree pruning, tree rehabilitation, and other appropriate tree-related activities as determined by the Secretary.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="HD657B12E0A734DB4B3C86044E93168D5"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Scope of assistance</header><text>Assistance under this section shall compensate for losses resulting from disasters during calendar year 2005, 2006, or 2007, or any combination of those calendar years.</text></subsection></section>
<enum>IV</enum><header>Assistance for unemployed agricultural workers</header>
<section id="H1C5C5649FE784F748014D89D1D666C91"><enum>401.</enum><header>Unemployment assistance</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary of Homeland Security shall use such sums as are necessary to provide unemployment assistance in accordance with section 410 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/5177">42 U.S.C. 5177</external-xref>) to agricultural workers in the State (including low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers) who are unemployed due to disasters occurring in calendar year 2007, as determined by the Secretary.</text></section>
<section id="H2BBA8C03F807433983ABE4B0618976F1"><enum>402.</enum><header>Food coupons and distribution</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to provide food coupons and surplus commodities in accordance with section 412 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/5179">42 U.S.C. 5179</external-xref>) to agricultural workers in the State (including low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers) who are unemployed due to disasters occurring in calendar year 2007, as determined by the Secretary.</text></section>
<section id="H6609BA0A26614C7EBFEEA3337842EFF6"><enum>403.</enum><header>Emergency grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to provide emergency grants to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers in the State who are unemployed due to disasters occurring in calendar year 2007, as determined by the Secretary, in accordance with section 2281 of the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/5177a">42 U.S.C. 5177a</external-xref>).</text></section>
<section id="H60A91C3F7B69428CA8E8BED05601A7E4"><enum>404.</enum><header>Temporary mortgage rental assistance</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">For the period beginning on the date of enactment of this Act and ending 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall use such sums as are necessary to provide temporary mortgage rental assistance to agricultural workers in the State (including low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers) who are unemployed due to disasters occurring in calendar year 2007 under the same terms and conditions as the temporary mortgage rental assistance program under section 408(b) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/5174">42 U.S.C. 5174(b)</external-xref>) (as in effect on the day before the effective date of the amendment made by section 206(a) of the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/42/5174">42 U.S.C. 5174</external-xref> note; <external-xref legal-doc="public-law" parsable-cite="pl/106/390">Public Law 106–390</external-xref>)).</text></section>
<enum>V</enum><header>Pacific Salmon Emergency Disaster Assistance</header>
<section id="H3F7FF3BEDAD54F98A8B2DFC4BAC6B5DF" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>501.</enum><header>Pacific salmon emergency disaster assistance</header>
<subsection id="H7633956A414D46FE00F08DE0EAEA04B9"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Appropriation of funds</header><text>In addition to any other funds available for such purpose, there is appropriated to the Secretary of Commerce $60,400,000 to make a lump sum payment to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission. The Commission shall distribute such amount among fishing communities, Indian tribes, small businesses, including fishermen, fish processors, and related businesses, individuals, and other entities for assistance for the economic and social effects of the commercial fishery failure designated under section 312(a) of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (<external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/16/1861a">16 U.S.C. 1861a(a)</external-xref>) to mitigate the economic losses to such communities, tribes, businesses, individuals or other entities caused by closures or other restrictions on the harvesting of Klamath River Fall Chinook salmon.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H347702FB064F47F3BE414CD477E2D6C5"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Limitation on administrative expenses</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The Secretary of Commerce may not use more than 4 percent of the amount appropriated under this section for administrative expenses.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="HF906DD6CA83C47168558896B60031BEE"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Unused funds</header><text>Any amount appropriated pursuant to this section that is not expended or otherwise obligated for the purpose described in subsection (a) shall be returned to the Treasury of the United States.</text></subsection></section>
<enum>VI</enum><header>Miscellaneous</header>
<section id="H034BB9C0E00E41D6B03FCBDCD3991614"><enum>601.</enum><header>Limit on amount of assistance</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary shall ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that no producers on a farm receive duplicative payments under this Act and any other Federal program for the same loss.</text></section>
<section id="HD1DF5D4445DE4ED6A3BD49CA9FF8FAD3"><enum>602.</enum><header>Funding</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The Secretary shall use the funds, facilities, and authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this Act (other than sections 401, 404, and 501). Such funds shall remain available until expended.</text></section>
<section id="H86473197B03545448BE1B0BEC8B2F897"><enum>603.</enum><header>Regulations</header>
<subsection id="H0CFBE2D5307E476BB42DCE55787B357D"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In general</header><text>The Secretary may promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement this Act.</text></subsection>
<subsection id="H05AD1CA1ED0E4D2FA98E4087C3EA38F"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Procedure</header><text>The promulgation of the regulations and administration of this Act shall be made without regard to—</text>
<paragraph id="H96F62D36C7C34573A5278D6EF226D7C5"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the notice and comment provisions of <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/553">section 553</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code;</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H78DFEFE2EB0841759272D73D9003D73C"><enum>(2)</enum><text>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</text></paragraph>
<paragraph id="H539DFEE605F643A3B08B1E354F96EC76"><enum>(3)</enum><text><external-xref legal-doc="usc-chapter" parsable-cite="usc-chapter/44/35">chapter 35</external-xref> of title 44, United States Code (commonly known as the <quote>Paperwork Reduction Act</quote>).</text></paragraph></subsection>
<subsection commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="H5EF669B66E1542D88C4998FEAFE4C13B"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Congressional review of agency rulemaking</header><text>In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall use the authority provided under <external-xref legal-doc="usc" parsable-cite="usc/5/808">section 808</external-xref> of title 5, United States Code.</text></subsection></section>
<enum>VII</enum><header>Emergency designation</header>
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="HC7291DB01F334DD3A456074F2807D8F3" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>701.</enum><header>Emergency designation</header><text display-inline="no-display-inline">The amounts provided under this Act are designated as an emergency requirement pursuant to section 501 of H. Con. Res. 376 (109th Congress), as made applicable to the House of Representatives by section 511(a)(4) of H. Res. 6 (110th Congress).</text></section>