[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1904 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1904

 To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to ensure 
        that only producers receive commodity program payments.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 31, 2007

  Mr. Salazar (for himself and Mr. Nelson of Nebraska) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                  Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to ensure 
        that only producers receive commodity program payments.

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

SECTION 1. ESTABLISHMENT OF BASE ACRES AND PAYMENT ACRES FOR A FARM.

    Section 1101 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
(7 U.S.C. 7911) is amended by striking subsection (h) and inserting the 
following:
    ``(h) Permanent Reduction in Base Acres.--
            ``(1) Reduction at option of owner.--
                    ``(A) In general.--The owner of a farm may reduce, 
                at any time, the base acres for any covered commodity 
                for the farm.
                    ``(B) Effect of reduction.--A reduction under 
                subparagraph (A) shall be permanent and made in a 
                manner prescribed by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Required reduction by secretary.--The Secretary shall 
        permanently reduce base acres for land that--
                    ``(A) has been developed for commercial or 
                industrial use;
                    ``(B) has been subdivided and developed into 
                multiple residential units or other nonfarming uses; or
                    ``(C) is otherwise no longer intended to be used in 
                conjunction with a farming operation.''.

SEC. 2. PRODUCER AGREEMENT REQUIRED AS CONDITION OF PROVISION OF DIRECT 
              PAYMENTS AND COUNTER-CYCLICAL PAYMENTS.

    Section 1105 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 
(7 U.S.C. 7915) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)(1)--
                    (A) by inserting ``and in the case of subparagraph 
                (D), the Farm Service Agency shall certify,'' after 
                ``shall agree,''; and
                    (B) by striking subparagraph (D) and inserting the 
                following:
                    ``(D)(i) that the producers meet the definition of 
                a producer under section 1001; and
                    ``(ii) to use the land on the farm, in a quantity 
                equal to the attributable base acres for the farm and 
                any base acres for peanuts for the farm under subtitle 
                C for an agricultural or conserving use, and not for a 
                nonagricultural commercial, industrial, or residential 
                use (including land subdivided and developed into 
                residential units or other nonfarming uses, or that is 
                otherwise no longer intended to be used in conjunction 
                with a farming operation), as determined by the 
                Secretary; and''; and
                    (C) by adding at the end the following:
    ``(f) Audit and Report.--Each year, to ensure, to the maximum 
extent practicable, that payments are received only by producers, the 
Secretary shall--
            ``(1) conduct an audit of direct payments, counter-cyclical 
        payments, and base acreage; and
            ``(2) submit to Congress a report that describes the 
        results of that audit.''.
                                 <all>