I

104TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 2787

To repeal the price support programs and related acreage allotment and

marketing quota programs for agricultural commodities, to repeal marketing orders issued to regulate the handling of certain agricultural

commodities, and to establish a special fund to assist farmers whose

annual net income from all sources is less than $30,000.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

DECEMBER 15, 1995

Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was referred

to the Committee on Agriculture

A BILL

To repeal the price support programs and related acreage

allotment and marketing quota programs for agricultural

commodities, to repeal marketing orders issued to regulate the handling of certain agricultural commodities,

and to establish a special fund to assist farmers whose

annual net income from all sources is less than $30,000.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
2

•HR 2787 IH

1 SECTION 1. REPEAL OF PRICE SUPPORT, ACREAGE ALLOT2 MENT, AND MARKETING QUOTA AUTHORI3 TIES OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.

4 (a) PRICE SUPPORT UNDER AGRICULTURAL ACT OF

5 1949.—The Agricultural Act of 1949 (7 U.S.C. 1421 et

6 seq.) is repealed.

7 (b) PRICE SUPPORT AUTHORITY OF COMMODITY

8 CREDIT CORPORATION.—Section 5 of the Commodity

9 Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 U.S.C. 714c) is

10 amended by striking subsection (a).

11 (c) ACREAGE ALLOTMENTS AND MARKETING

12 QUOTAS.—Title III of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of

13 1938 (7 U.S.C. 1301 et seq.) is repealed.

14 (d) PROHIBITION ON FUTURE PROVISION OF PRICE

15 SUPPORT.—For any agricultural commodity for the 1996

16 and subsequent crop years, the Secretary of Agriculture

17 may not make price support available, whether in the form

18 of loans, payments, purchases, or other operations, by

19 using the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation.

20 (e) LIABILITY OF PRODUCERS.—The amendments

21 made by this section shall not affect the liability of any

22 person under any provision of law as in effect before the

23 effective date of this section.

24 (f) EFFECT ON PRIOR CROPS.—The amendments

25 made by this section shall not affect the authority of the

26 Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a price support or
3

•HR 2787 IH

1 production adjustment program for any of the 1991

2 through 1995 crops of an agricultural commodity estab3 lished under a provision of law in effect immediately before

4 the date of the enactment of this Act.

5 SEC. 2. REPEAL OF AUTHORITY TO ISSUE MARKETING OR6 DERS AND EXISTING MARKETING ORDERS.

7 (a) REPEAL.—Part 2 of title I of the Agricultural Ad8 justment Act (7 U.S.C. 608–624), reenacted with amend9 ments by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of

10 1937, is repealed.

11 (b) EFFECT OF REPEAL.—Immediately upon the en12 actment of this Act, the Secretary of Agriculture shall ter13 minate all marketing agreements and marketing authori14 ties issued pursuant to the authority provided in the Agri15 cultural Adjustment Act, reenacted with amendments by

16 the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937.

17 SEC. 3. FARMERS SUPPORT FUND.

18 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established

19 on the books of the Treasury an account to be known as

20 the ‘‘Farmers Support Fund’’, which shall consist of such

21 amounts as are authorized for and appropriated to the

22 fund.

23 (b) USE OF FUND.—In such amounts as are provided

24 in advance in appropriation Acts, the Secretary of Agri25 culture shall use amounts in the Farmers Support Fund
4

•HR 2787 IH

1 to provide financial assistance to persons who are actively

2 engaged in the production of eligible agricultural commod3 ities and whose annual net income from all sources is less

4 than $30,000.

5 (c) PERSON DEFINED.—The Secretary shall issue

6 regulations defining the term ‘‘person’’ as used in this sec7 tion, which shall conform, to the extent practicable, to the

8 regulations defining the term ‘‘person’’ issued under sec9 tion 1001 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 U.S.C.

10 1308).

11 (d) ELIGIBLE AGRICULTURAL COMMODITIES.—In

12 this section, the term ‘‘eligible agricultural commodities’’

13 means those agricultural commodities for which price sup14 port was available under the Agricultural Act of 1949 (7

15 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.) for the crops years 1991 through

16 1995.

17 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is

18 authorized to be appropriated to the Farmers Support

19 Fund $200,000,000.

Æ