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—Miscellaneous
Sec. 501. Limit on amount of assistance.
Sec. 502. Funding.
Sec. 503. Regulations.
TITLE VI—Emergency designation
Sec. 601. 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="ID2f17ede2403e4553bef124772b957848"><enum>101.</enum><header>Specialty
crops</header>
<subsection id="ID15ca18f10ce041359b0b2831101879d4"><enum>(a)</enum><header>In
general</header><text>The Secretary shall use, of funds of the Commodity Credit
Corporation—</text>
<paragraph id="idF2B9BF1AAB9F40D99959E4C3C9E2341A"><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="idD93C0FE1D0E04E3B934CD1DC72A3BA86"><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="id5AE63E00C46C4D4C9B61092C446E15F8"><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="id25B16D7BD6CD47AAA34342A319E252E1"><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="ID38227cf53d4e49ac8191237759fd2058"><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="ID6529b3e09d7a4b73abdfc8f6d1e3302c"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Uninsured
citrus growers</header>
<paragraph id="id1818CDC53C004C889782C8E59BFCBD29"><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 (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) 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 (7
U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) 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="id58D603D124E444CBAD89953D18517D16"><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="IDE233B79A94AE48BFA429C0F5EDB959CD"><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="idAE6D12C8681241269F36AA2E3FFE321D"><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="IDd2afa6f84dd24a4a8238933b954573d6"><enum>103.</enum><header>Livestock
indemnity payments</header>
<subsection id="ID471558168870422e919ed2b7dee8a7dc"><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="ID43392415075f479dab24d679223888b0"><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="idEEF51F370C5447E984E62099B79BA6DC"><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="idDE302250A17940A1AB2679BBBA6438C2"><enum>201.</enum><header>Small business
economic loss grant program</header>
<subsection id="id5DAD2FAF7BF64FA39090FAF5179BAE6A"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Grants</header>
<paragraph id="id634D4FDD1FEC4E2BAC8AFEE7F9EFD1E9"><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="idF6576E4D017E42368B6DD2D313551876"><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="ID9f292290fc0849d29cf931e93a99c077"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Grants to
qualified small businesses</header>
<paragraph id="id4BB864E997E044F3AFE8F02248AECB70"><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="IDfce3615077d3473e967408fda28e5524"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Eligibility</header>
<subparagraph id="id9E7E07CB859C405EB25AF187E0DF838A"><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="ID0ab88c3c969d40e39a60023b8d0c7500"><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="IDfe646b2aadfb43b69b692b594de8715e"><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="IDf0ccfe15a2104d2eaf8e09d36c9d2f40"><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="ID8513e87ab6ff418bba750c51404b0c07"><enum>(iv)</enum><text>demonstrate that
the grant will materially improve the likelihood the business will—</text>
<subclause id="id02A0ABBB06AE4E088C673F3CE73DFD1F"><enum>(I)</enum><text>recover from the
disaster;</text>
</subclause><subclause id="id589B15D818BD4C95AC9D61BD743BC8ED"><enum>(II)</enum><text>continue to
service and support production agriculture; and</text>
</subclause><subclause id="id0143C9BFBCEB4A0FBA52321AA84A0F11"><enum>(III)</enum><text>replant
agricultural production fields and groves.</text>
</subclause></clause></subparagraph></paragraph><paragraph id="ID681c9141c56f4afd8aeaccd9cdbdef0a"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Requirements</header><text>A
grant to a small business under this subsection shall—</text>
<subparagraph id="ID5807d0e24cda45428d408fc82b849cf5"><enum>(A)</enum><text>be limited to not
more than 2 years of documented losses;</text>
</subparagraph><subparagraph id="IDef76605ada864121a8a235323ff704df"><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="id53DE2D781A934FB5B9C5F265C248FC96"><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="ID041d1a3b556e429ca44ad028549ac894"><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="ID1d2ecb21d85d4253b67c3c731d21f06b"><enum>301.</enum><header>Tree
assistance program</header>
<subsection id="ID232213a8b13e41199d941bd96b9b6dc7"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Definition of
tree</header><text>In this section, the term <term>tree</term> includes—</text>
<paragraph id="id48966D6C3E6546D7BCE6551D5A16F4F9"><enum>(1)</enum><text>a tree (including
a Christmas tree, ornamental tree, nursery tree, and potted tree);</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="id2EA85CDDEC9D4E0080763027DFAD2FD6"><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="idC13FFF6C4B5441D7BBD719DA45A170BB"><enum>(3)</enum><text>a vine (including
a nursery vine and ornamental vine).</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="ID36a94debf1a941b8bc2af5f3c2038406"><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 (7 U.S.C. 8201 et
seq.) to—</text>
<paragraph id="IDbec3fc2aebe54151a243d3d3fcb9de09"><enum>(1)</enum><text>producers who
suffered tree losses in disaster counties; and</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="ID06966e5fd715457899560eba7169371c"><enum>(2)</enum><text>fruit and tree
nut producers in disaster counties.</text>
</paragraph></subsection><subsection id="IDdf67315c00bc474894ac7b83141a964d"><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="idE0A5129FEB4A4DFEA4F8ED2CB4FEB8CF"><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="id06240161C4E040448BCF14C635C68D77"><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 (42 U.S.C. 5177) 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="idF694C75704414E6FA59F05B12F107E30"><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 (42 U.S.C. 5179) 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="IDdb0ab43007844184af4912b17e74a221"><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 (42 U.S.C. 5177a).</text>
</section><section id="ID684bf141789d4ae5b4179818a159a28f"><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 (42 U.S.C. 5174(b)) (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 (42 U.S.C. 5174 note; Public Law
106–390)).</text>
</section><enum>V</enum><header>Miscellaneous</header>
<section id="ID1be62cecfcb347979d94cfdcd73eaeeb"><enum>501.</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="id125EE50C3BBC4ED2BEAC7B85D050A903"><enum>502.</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 and 404), to remain available until
expended.</text>
</section><section id="H5CF7F98D300B4AEFA11005C7E9C52887"><enum>503.</enum><header>Regulations</header>
<subsection id="H7567F61C6AEA4C848E6C218E846F003D"><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="HE32A767EDF8149FCAB0167C0E8006F72"><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="H8E56F0928C954FA5A6F6C4E6B0F8F54"><enum>(1)</enum><text>the notice and
comment provisions of section 553 of title 5, United States Code;</text>
</paragraph><paragraph id="H23B120F7D1C949D59B0498A4096EA924"><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="H2401E630C14C44259746E9E5FC033954"><enum>(3)</enum><text>chapter 35 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="HFFF2F75713DE4B41AF681C7FF7F34B29"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Congressional
review of agency rulemaking</header><text>In carrying out this section, the
Secretary shall use the authority provided under section 808 of title 5, United
States Code.</text>
</subsection></section><enum>VI</enum><header>Emergency
designation</header>
<section commented="no" display-inline="no-display-inline" id="ID092c60267d5342f092fcd9f883cbc322" section-type="subsequent-section"><enum>601.</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 402 of H. Con. Res. 95 (109th Congress).</text>
</section>