[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 6712 Introduced in House (IH)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 6712

  To amend the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to provide 
     recovery payments to seasonal and perishable crop growers who 
   experienced low prices caused by imports, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           December 11, 2023

 Mr. Ruiz (for himself and Mr. Austin Scott of Georgia) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To amend the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to provide 
     recovery payments to seasonal and perishable crop growers who 
   experienced low prices caused by imports, 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. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``American Seasonal and Perishable 
Crop Support Act''.

SEC. 2. SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE INSURANCE PROGRAMS.

    The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-
465) is amended by adding at the end the following:

         ``TITLE V--SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE INSURANCE PROGRAMS

``SEC. 501. SEASONAL AND PERISHABLE CROP LOSS PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Seasonal and Perishable Crop Loss.--
            ``(1) In general.--Beginning with marketing year 2024, with 
        respect to a producer of a seasonal and perishable crop in a 
        geographic region described in paragraph (2), the Secretary 
        shall make crop loss payments in accordance with this section 
        for a marketing year if the Secretary determines that--
                    ``(A) the effective price for the seasonal and 
                perishable crop for such marketing year is less than 
                the reference price for such crop; and
                    ``(B) the crop loss described in subparagraph (A) 
                is caused by imports of the seasonal and perishable 
                crop.
            ``(2) Geographic coverage.--A geographic region described 
        in this paragraph is a geographic region for which at least 50 
        percent of the producers that produce at least one seasonal and 
        perishable crop make a one-time election to participate in the 
        seasonal perishable crop loss payment program under this 
        section with respect to a marketing year.
            ``(3) Election.--For each marketing year, the Secretary 
        shall allow producers of seasonal and perishable crops to make 
        a one-time election to participate in the seasonal and 
        perishable crop loss program under this section with respect to 
        such marketing year.
    ``(b) Effective Price.--The effective price for a seasonal and 
perishable crop for a marketing year shall be the national average 
market price for the seasonal and perishable crop.
    ``(c) Payments.--
            ``(1) In general.--The amount of a payment to a producer 
        for a marketing year under this section shall be equal to the 
        payment rate determined under paragraph (2) with respect to the 
        seasonal and perishable crops of such producer multiplied by 85 
        percent of the 5-year Olympic average with respect to such 
        seasonal and perishable crops.
            ``(2) Payment rate.--The payment rate shall be equal to the 
        difference between--
                    ``(A) the reference price for the covered seasonal 
                and perishable crop; and
                    ``(B) the effective price determined under 
                subsection (b) for the seasonal and perishable crop.
    ``(d) Payment Amount.--If seasonal perishable crop loss program 
payments are required to be provided under this section for the last 
seasonal marketing year for a covered seasonal and perishable crop, the 
amount of the seasonal perishable crop loss program payment to be paid 
to the producers on a farm for the seasonal marketing year shall be 
equal to the product obtained by multiplying--
            ``(1) the payment rate for the covered seasonal and 
        perishable crop under subsection (c); and
            ``(2) the previous three-year average production for the 
        seasonal and perishable crop.
    ``(e) Eligibility.--No producer may be eligible for a payment under 
this section unless such producer--
            ``(1) has an average adjusted gross income of less than 
        $900,000 for the 3 tax years preceding the most recent tax 
        year; and
            ``(2) derives at least 75 percent of the adjusted gross 
        income of such producer from farming, ranching, or forestry.
    ``(f) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Marketing season.--The term `marketing season' means, 
        with respect to a seasonal and perishable crop, the season--
                    ``(A) in which such crop is normally marketed; and
                    ``(B) that concludes on the date that is not later 
                than 8 weeks after the last day on which such crops are 
                harvested during a marketing year.
            ``(2) Marketing year.--The term `marketing year' means, 
        with respect to a seasonal and perishable crop, the period 
        beginning on the date the seasonal and perishable crop is first 
        harvested and ending on the last day on which such crop is 
        marketed.
            ``(3) Reference price.--The term `reference price' means 
        regional average market price received by producers during the 
        marketing season for a seasonal and perishable crop for the 
        period of the most recent three marketing years.
            ``(4) Seasonal and perishable crop.--The term `seasonal and 
        perishable crop' means a crop that is--
                    ``(A) a fresh or chilled specialty crop;
                    ``(B) marketed in raw form for consumption without 
                further processing; and
                    ``(C) normally marketed not later than 8 weeks 
                after harvesting.
            ``(5) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.''.
                                 <all>