[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 108 (Wednesday, June 27, 2018)]
[Senate]
[Page S4669]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 3307. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed 
to amendment SA 3224 proposed by Mr. Roberts (for himself and Ms. 
Stabenow) to the bill H.R. 2, to provide for the reform and 
continuation of agricultural and other programs of the Department of 
Agriculture through fiscal year 2023, and for other purposes; which was 
ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle B of title I, add the following:

     SEC. 12__. REPORT ON LOANS FOR ORGANIC LOAN COMMODITIES.

       Subtitle B of title I of the Agricultural Act of 2014 (7 
     U.S.C. 9031 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the 
     following:

     ``SEC. 1211. REPORT ON LOANS FOR ORGANIC LOAN COMMODITIES.

       ``Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of 
     this section, the Secretary, acting through the Administrator 
     of the Farm Service Agency, shall submit to Congress a report 
     that includes--
       ``(1) an assessment of the demand of producers for market 
     assistance loans for loan commodities that are certified 
     organic during the 2014 through 2018 crop years, organized by 
     State and type of loan commodity;
       ``(2) an evaluation of the ability to adjust nonrecourse 
     loan rates under section 1210 for loan commodities that are 
     certified organic;
       ``(3) an analysis of the expected impact of the adjustment 
     described in paragraph (2) on loan rates for loan commodities 
     that are not certified organic;
       ``(4) an analysis on whether premiums associated with loan 
     commodities that are certified organic are sufficiently 
     significant to affect loan rates for loan commodities that 
     are not certified organic;
       ``(5) an evaluation of the risks and benefits of developing 
     a program to provide nonrecourse marketing assistance loans 
     for loan commodities that are certified organic that includes 
     a premium paid at the time that the loan is made;
       ``(6) an evaluation of the logistics of--
       ``(A) verifying the certification of loan commodities that 
     are certified organic;
       ``(B) storing those commodities; and
       ``(C) handling commodities that are forfeited to maintain 
     segregation of those commodities; and
       ``(7) any other relevant information, as determined by the 
     Secretary.''.
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