Farmers Disaster Assistance Act of 2011 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to make supplemental payments to agricultural producers receiving direct payments for covered commodities, direct payments for peanuts, or average crop revenue election (ACRE) payments in disaster counties that had qualifying losses for the 2011 crop year.
Sets forth related insurance requirements.
Directs the Secretary to provide grants to qualifying states through September 30, 2012, to assist specialty crop producers for losses due to excessive rainfall and related conditions affecting the 2011 crops.
Eliminates numerical and durational limitations on operating loan waivers for a farm or a ranch in a county which in 2011: (1) has been substantially affected by a natural disaster, or (2) is included in a presidentially-designated major disaster or emergency area.
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to suspend through December 31, 2013, the limitation on the period for which borrowers are eligible for guaranteed farm operating loans in a county which in 2011: (1) has been substantially affected by a natural disaster, or (2) is included in a presidentially-designated major disaster or emergency area.
[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3740 Introduced in House (IH)]
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3740
To provide supplemental emergency disaster assistance to agricultural
producers for certain crop losses during the 2011 crop year, to
eliminate limitations on certain waivers for borrowers eligible for
direct farm operating loans, and to suspend the limitation on the
period for which borrowers are eligible for guaranteed farm operating
loans, for farming or ranching operations in counties subject to a
disaster declaration issued in 2011.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 20, 2011
Mr. Butterfield (for himself, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. Shuler, Mr. Kissell,
Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Mr. Price of North Carolina, and Mr.
Watt) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide supplemental emergency disaster assistance to agricultural
producers for certain crop losses during the 2011 crop year, to
eliminate limitations on certain waivers for borrowers eligible for
direct farm operating loans, and to suspend the limitation on the
period for which borrowers are eligible for guaranteed farm operating
loans, for farming or ranching operations in counties subject to a
disaster declaration issued in 2011.
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 ``Farmers Disaster Assistance Act of
2011''.
SEC. 2. SUPPLEMENTAL EMERGENCY DISASTER ASSISTANCE.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Disaster county.--The term ``disaster county'' means a
county included in the geographic area covered by a qualifying
natural disaster declaration for the 2011 crop year.
(2) Eligible producer.--The term ``eligible producer''
means an agricultural producer in a disaster county.
(3) Eligible specialty crop producer.--The term ``eligible
specialty crop producer'' means an agricultural producer that,
for the 2011 crop year, as determined by the Secretary--
(A) produced, or was prevented from planting, a
specialty crop; and
(B) experienced crop losses in a disaster county
due to excessive rainfall or related condition.
(4) Qualifying natural disaster declaration.--The term
``qualifying natural disaster declaration'' means a natural
disaster declared by the Secretary for production losses under
section 321(a) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 1961(a)).
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Agriculture.
(6) Specialty crop.--The term ``specialty crop'' has the
meaning given the term in section 3 of the Specialty Crops
Competitiveness Act of 2004 (Public Law 108-465; 7 U.S.C. 1621
note).
(b) Supplemental Direct Payment.--
(1) In general.--Of the funds of the Commodity Credit
Corporation, the Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary
to make supplemental payments under sections 1103 and 1303 of
the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8713,
8753) to eligible producers on farms located in disaster
counties that had at least 1 crop of economic significance
(other than crops intended for grazing) suffer at least a 5-
percent crop loss due to a natural disaster, including quality
losses, as determined by the Secretary, in an amount equal to
90 percent of the direct payment the eligible producers
received for the 2011 crop year on the farm.
(2) Acre program.--Eligible producers that received
payments under section 1105 of the Food, Conservation, and
Energy Act of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8715) for the 2011 crop year and
that otherwise meet the requirements of paragraph (1) shall be
eligible to receive supplemental payments under that paragraph
in an amount equal to 90 percent of the reduced direct payment
the eligible producers received for the 2011 crop year under
section 1103 or 1303 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act
of 2008 (7 U.S.C. 8713, 8753).
(3) Insurance requirement.--As a condition of receiving
assistance under this subsection, eligible producers on a farm
that--
(A) in the case of an insurable commodity, did not
obtain a policy or plan of insurance for the insurable
commodity under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7
U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) (other than for a crop insurance
pilot program under that Act) for each crop of economic
significance (other than crops intended for grazing),
shall obtain such a policy or plan for those crops for
the next available crop year, as determined by the
Secretary; or
(B) in the case of a noninsurable commodity, did
not file the required paperwork, and pay the
administrative fee by the applicable State filing
deadline, for the noninsurable commodity under section
196 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform
Act of 1996 (7 U.S.C. 7333) for each crop of economic
significance (other than crops intended for grazing),
shall obtain such coverage for those crops for the next
available crop year, as determined by the Secretary.
(4) Relationship to other law.--Assistance received under
this subsection shall be included in the calculation of farm
revenue for the 2011 crop year under section 531(b)(4)(A) of
the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1531(b)(4)(A)) and
section 901(b)(4)(A) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C.
2497(b)(4)(A)).
(c) Specialty Crop Assistance.--
(1) In general.--Of the funds of the Commodity Credit
Corporation, the Secretary shall use such sums as necessary,
which shall remain available until September 30, 2012, to carry
out a program of grants to States to assist eligible specialty
crop producers for losses due to excessive rainfall and related
conditions affecting the 2011 crops.
(2) Notification.--Not later than 60 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall notify the State
department of agriculture (or similar entity) in each State of
the availability of funds to assist eligible specialty crop
producers, including such terms as are determined by the
Secretary to be necessary for the equitable treatment of
eligible specialty crop producers.
(3) Provision of grants.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall make grants to
States for disaster counties with excessive rainfall
and related conditions on a pro rata basis based on the
value of specialty crop losses in those counties during
the 2011 calendar year, as determined by the Secretary.
(B) Timing.--Not later than 120 days after the date
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall make
grants to States to provide assistance under this
subsection.
(C) Maximum grant.--The maximum amount of a grant
made to a State under this subsection may not exceed
$40,000,000.
(4) Requirements.--The Secretary shall make grants under
this subsection only to States that demonstrate to the
satisfaction of the Secretary that the State will--
(A) use grant funds to assist eligible specialty
crop producers;
(B) provide assistance to eligible specialty crop
producers not later than 90 days after the date on
which the State receives grant funds; and
(C) not later than 30 days after the date on which
the State provides assistance to eligible specialty
crop producers, submit to the Secretary a report that
describes--
(i) the manner in which the State provided
assistance;
(ii) the amounts of assistance provided by
type of specialty crop; and
(iii) the process by which the State
determined the levels of assistance to eligible
specialty crop producers.
(5) Relation to other law.--Assistance received under this
subsection shall be included in the calculation of farm revenue
for the 2011 crop year under section 531(b)(4)(A) of the
Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1531(b)(4)(A)) and section
901(b)(4)(A) of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C.
2497(b)(4)(A)).
SEC. 3. ELIMINATION OF LIMITATIONS ON CERTAIN WAIVERS FOR BORROWERS
ELIGIBLE FOR DIRECT FARM OPERATING LOANS FOR FARMING OR
RANCHING OPERATIONS IN COUNTIES SUBJECT TO A DISASTER
DECLARATION ISSUED IN 2011.
The numerical and durational limitations on waivers which may be
granted under section 311(c)(4)(B) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural
Development Act shall not apply with respect to an operating loan for a
farming or ranching operation located in a county which is found by the
Secretary of Agriculture to have been substantially affected by a
natural disaster in the United States or a major disaster or emergency
designated by the President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, that occurred in calendar year
2011.
SEC. 4. SUSPENSION OF LIMITATION ON PERIOD FOR WHICH BORROWERS ARE
ELIGIBLE FOR GUARANTEED FARM OPERATING LOANS FOR FARMING
OR RANCHING OPERATIONS IN COUNTIES SUBJECT TO A DISASTER
DECLARATION ISSUED IN 2011.
Section 5102 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002
(7 U.S.C. 1949 note; Public Law 107-171) is amended--
(1) in the section heading by inserting ``for farming or
ranching operations in counties subject to a disaster
declaration issued in 2011'' after ``assistance'';
(2) by striking ``2010'' and inserting ``2013''; and
(3) by inserting ``in the case of a guaranteed operating
loan for a farming or ranching operation located in a county
which is found by the Secretary of Agriculture to have been
substantially affected by a natural disaster in the United
States or a major disaster or emergency designated by the
President under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and
Emergency Assistance Act, that occurred in calendar year 2011''
before the period.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Agriculture.
Llama 3.2 · runs locally in your browser
Ask anything about this bill. The AI reads the full text to answer.
Enter to send · Shift+Enter for new line