[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1589 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1589

  To expand the noninsured crop assistance program established by the 
   Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to provide 
coverages for eligible crops under the program equivalent to additional 
        coverage available under the Federal Crop Insurance Act.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             April 16, 2013

 Mr. Welch (for himself and Mr. Gibson) introduced the following bill; 
           which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To expand the noninsured crop assistance program established by the 
   Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to provide 
coverages for eligible crops under the program equivalent to additional 
        coverage available under the Federal Crop Insurance Act.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Small Farm Insurance Act of 2013''.

SEC. 2. NONINSURED CROP ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

    Section 196 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act 
of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333), as amended by section 11013(b)) is further 
amended--
            (1) in subsection (a)--
                    (A) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 
                following new paragraph:
            ``(1) In general.--
                    ``(A) Coverages.--In the case of an eligible crop 
                described in paragraph (2), the Secretary of 
                Agriculture shall operate a noninsured crop disaster 
                assistance program to provide coverages based on 
                individual yields (other than for value-loss crops) 
                equivalent to--
                            ``(i) catastrophic risk protection 
                        available under section 508(b) of the Federal 
                        Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(b)); or
                            ``(ii) additional coverage available under 
                        subsections (c) and (h) of section 508 of that 
                        Act (7 U.S.C. 1508) that does not exceed 65 
                        percent.
                    ``(B) Administration.--The Secretary shall carry 
                out this section through the Farm Service Agency 
                (referred to in this section as the `Agency').''; and
                    (B) in paragraph (2)(A)--
                            (i) in clause (i), by striking ``and'' 
                        after the semicolon at the end;
                            (ii) by redesignating clause (ii) as clause 
                        (iii); and
                            (iii) by inserting after clause (i) the 
                        following new clause:
                                    ``(ii) for which additional 
                                coverage under subsections (c) and (h) 
                                of section 508 of that Act (7 U.S.C. 
                                1508) is not available; and'';
            (2) in subsection (d), by striking ``The Secretary'' and 
        inserting ``Subject to subsection (l), the Secretary''; and
            (3) by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(l) Payment Equivalent to Additional Coverage.--
            ``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall make available to a 
        producer eligible for noninsured assistance under this section 
        a payment equivalent to an indemnity for additional coverage 
        under subsections (c) and (h) of section 508 of the Federal 
        Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508) that does not exceed 65 
        percent of the established yield for the eligible crop on the 
        farm, computed by multiplying--
                    ``(A) the quantity that is not greater than 65 
                percent of the established yield for the crop, as 
                determined by the Secretary, specified in increments of 
                5 percent;
                    ``(B) 100 percent of the average market price for 
                the crop, as determined by the Secretary; and
                    ``(C) a payment rate for the type of crop, as 
                determined by the Secretary, that reflects--
                            ``(i) in the case of a crop that is 
                        produced with a significant and variable 
                        harvesting expense, the decreasing cost 
                        incurred in the production cycle for the crop 
                        that is, as applicable--
                                    ``(I) harvested;
                                    ``(II) planted but not harvested; 
                                or
                                    ``(III) prevented from being 
                                planted because of drought, flood, or 
                                other natural disaster, as determined 
                                by the Secretary; or
                            ``(ii) in the case of a crop that is 
                        produced without a significant and variable 
                        harvesting expense, such rate as shall be 
                        determined by the Secretary.
            ``(2) Premium.--To be eligible to receive a payment under 
        this subsection, a producer shall pay--
                    ``(A) the service fee required by subsection (k); 
                and
                    ``(B) a premium for the applicable crop year that 
                is equal to the product obtained by multiplying--
                            ``(i) the number of acres devoted to the 
                        eligible crop;
                            ``(ii) the established yield for the 
                        eligible crop, as determined by the Secretary 
                        under subsection (e);
                            ``(iii) the coverage level elected by the 
                        producer;
                            ``(iv) the average market price, as 
                        determined by the Secretary; and
                            ``(v) .0525.
            ``(3) Limited resource, beginning, and socially 
        disadvantaged farmers.--The additional coverage made available 
        under this subsection shall be available to limited resource, 
        beginning, and socially disadvantaged producers, as determined 
        by the Secretary, in exchange for a premium that is 50 percent 
        of the premium determined for a producer under paragraph (2).
            ``(4) Premium payment and application deadline.--
                    ``(A) Premium payment.--A producer electing 
                additional coverage under this subsection shall pay the 
                premium amount owed for the additional coverage by 
                September 30 of the crop year for which the additional 
                coverage is purchased.
                    ``(B) Application deadline.--The latest date on 
                which additional coverage under this subsection may be 
                elected shall be the application closing date described 
                in subsection (b)(1).
            ``(5) Effective date.--Additional coverage under this 
        subsection shall be available beginning with the 2014 crop.''.
                                 <all>