119 HR 8525 IH: To amend the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to provide for seasonal and perishable programs, and for other purposes. U.S. House of Representatives 2026-04-27 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.
I119th CONGRESS2d SessionH. R. 8525IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESApril 27, 2026Mr. Ruiz introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on AgricultureA BILLTo amend the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 to provide for seasonal and perishable programs, and for other purposes.
1.
Seasonal and perishable programs
The Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–465) is amended by adding at the end the following: <enum>V</enum><header>Seasonal and Perishable Programs</header> <section id="HA3089B9EE4814516BA8D681FB4D7951D"><enum>501.</enum><header>Seasonal and perishable crop loss program</header> <subsection id="H91CE5DFC753A47E0AFFE3FD2F0D1312C"><enum>(a)</enum><header>Seasonal and perishable crop loss</header> <paragraph id="H80760B7D005945B79B123FA9A035F780"><enum>(1)</enum><header>In general</header><text>Beginning with marketing year 2027, and each year thereafter, with respect to a producer of a seasonal and perishable crop in a geographic region described in paragraph (2), the Secretary shall make annual crop loss payments in accordance with this section if the Secretary determines that—</text> <subparagraph id="HAA6669D397BD4B4CAB1C365D20B33FE4"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the effective price for the seasonal and perishable crop for such marketing year is less than the reference price for such crop; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="HC8A79EE9547840E3A041AB81617CF6FB" commented="no"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the crop loss described in subparagraph (A) is caused by imports of the seasonal and perishable crop.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HC98124AF48094D74870116A369EA7EFB"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Geographic coverage</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">Geographic coverage described in this paragraph refers to coverage of a geographic region in the United States—</text> <subparagraph id="H5C21E849666B499A9D09D73055C53CEB"><enum>(A)</enum><text>in which a seasonable and perishable commodity is grown within a seasonal marketing window; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H04749CA0778E40819817D0475AA07F42"><enum>(B)</enum><text>for which an annual normal harvest and shipment of such seasonal and perishable crop occurs.</text></subparagraph></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H136F647E62FC4C0792669A30717ED72D" commented="no"><enum>(b)</enum><header>Effective price</header><text>The effective price for a seasonal and perishable crop shall be the national average market price for the seasonal and perishable crop during the seasonal marketing window.</text></subsection> <subsection id="H28D9251E35A34B6EB9C0D13FC5D885A9"><enum>(c)</enum><header>Payment amount</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">If seasonal perishable crop loss program payments are required to be provided under this section for the last seasonal marketing window for a covered seasonal and perishable crop, the amount of the seasonal perishable crop loss program payment to be paid to producers on a farm for the seasonal marketing window shall be equal to the product obtained by multiplying—</text> <paragraph id="H5479211ACD7C440797D33F79EBE1F1FE"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the payment rate for the covered seasonal and perishable crop which shall be equal to the difference between—</text> <subparagraph id="HC7D81BE5EE464B4984FC83820DB4C313"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the reference price for the covered seasonal and perishable crop; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H90C59E025560433192720A46E5E795C0"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the effective price determined under subsection (b) for the seasonal and perishable crop; and</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H554C2313633949EE9A9B0D8AD04CC3C9"><enum>(2)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">the previous three-year average production for the covered seasonal and perishable crop during the same seasonal marketing window.</text></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="HFA0415B13FAE41E7AA462D4B6FD9FA4E"><enum>(d)</enum><header>Eligibility</header><text>A producer may only be eligible for a payment under this section if such producer—</text> <paragraph id="H91387AB76898489F87A85FEFAF5CD4E8"><enum>(1)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">has an average adjusted gross income of less than $5,000,000 for the 3 tax years preceding the most recent tax year; or</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="H45693F3F383F47C29AC5F4E4662D2CB4"><enum>(2)</enum><text>derives at least 75 percent of the adjusted gross income of such producer from farming, ranching, or forestry for the tax year for which payment under this section is sought.</text></paragraph></subsection> <subsection id="H37D10251F8BE4C119A9A9BC7612E7378"><enum>(e)</enum><header>Definitions</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">In this section:</text> <paragraph id="H57F8E9F837AE4891812B75546819FF7E"><enum>(1)</enum><header>Seasonal marketing window</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>seasonal marketing window</term> means, with respect to a seasonal and perishable crop—</text> <subparagraph id="HA079D624AFEE4E218BAC6351390E1897"><enum>(A)</enum><text>the season of a crop year in which such crop is normally marketed within a geographic region described in subsection (a)(2); and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H0C45675B9C094CFE9AD093C828C9E562"><enum>(B)</enum><text>the season that concludes on the date that is not later than 8 weeks after the last day on which such crops are harvested during a normal marketing window.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="HB0132199B13642C989B5FF94DB0096BC" commented="no"><enum>(2)</enum><header>Reference price</header><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">The term <term>reference price</term> means the national average market price received by producers for domestically produced seasonal and perishable crop for the period of the most recent three marketing seasons.</text></paragraph> <paragraph id="HA79208E43AB24EC4965CEF2337C84D55"><enum>(3)</enum><header>Seasonal and perishable crop</header><text>The term <term>seasonal and perishable crop</term> means a crop that is—</text> <subparagraph id="HF7BADE067A0943ADA449A1222444FC92"><enum>(A)</enum><text display-inline="yes-display-inline">a fresh or chilled specialty crop that, if imported, would be classified under HS2020 tariff codes 0701, 0702, 0703, 0704, 0705, 0706, 0707, 0708, 0709, 0803, 0804, 0805, 0806, 0807, 0808, 0809, or 0810 (or such successor codes, as determined by the Secretary);</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H2282654FAD634BB8B194C437CB1F355B"><enum>(B)</enum><text>marketed in raw form for consumption without further processing; and</text></subparagraph> <subparagraph id="H7FBC189092554CFBB87A25372BB8DDE0"><enum>(C)</enum><text>normally marketed not later than 8 weeks after harvesting.</text></subparagraph></paragraph> <paragraph id="H144F635C433A4B6EBC652868F7AA6904"><enum>(4)</enum><header>Secretary</header><text>The term <term>Secretary</term> means the Secretary of Agriculture.</text></paragraph></subsection></section>.