I 

108TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 376

To provide emergency livestock assistance and emergency crop loss assistance 

to agricultural producers who suffered 2001 or 2002 crop year losses. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 27, 2003

Mrs. MUSGRAVE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL

To provide emergency livestock assistance and emergency 

crop loss assistance to agricultural producers who suffered 2001 or 2002 crop year losses.

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

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Emergency Farmer 

5 and Rancher Assistance Act of 2003’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSE. 

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds the following: 

8 (1) Under title I of the Food Security and 

9 Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–

10 171), the majority of projected commodity program 
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1 spending depends on market prices for the major ag2 ricultural commodities. 

3 (2) Changes in actual market prices for these 

4 commodities can significantly alter the costs in5 curred by the Commodity Credit Corporation to fund 

6 these commodity programs. 

7 (3) According to a recent comparison of the 

8 July 2002 Food and Agriculture Policy Research In9 stitute baseline estimate and actual mid-July 2002 

10 market prices, recent increases in market prices for 

11 certain agricultural commodities are projected to re12 duce commodity program costs for the 2002 crop 

13 year by more than $6,000,000,000. 

14 (4) As a result of these commodity program 

15 cost savings, Commodity Credit Corporation funds 

16 are available to provide direct assistance to Amer17 ican farmers and ranchers who suffered 2001 or 

18 2002 crop year losses due to natural disasters. 

19 (5) Crop insurance is an important risk man20 agement tool that is available to American farmers 

21 and ranchers and should be fully utilized in order to 

22 limit financial exposure to weather-related crop 

23 losses. 

24 (b) PURPOSE.—It is the purpose of this Act to direct 

25 the Secretary of Agriculture to use unspent loan deficiency 
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1 payment and counter-cyclical payment funds to provide 

2 emergency livestock assistance and emergency crop loss 

3 assistance to American farmers and ranchers who suffered 

4 2001 or 2002 crop year losses due to natural disasters. 

5 SEC. 3. LIVESTOCK ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. 

6 (a) AVAILABILITY.—Subject to section 5, the Sec7 retary of Agriculture shall use the funds, facilities, and 

8 authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make 

9 and administer payments for livestock losses to producers 

10 for 2001 or 2002 losses in a county that has received an 

11 emergency designation by the President or the Secretary 

12 in calendar year 2001 or 2002. The Secretary may reserve 

13 for the American Indian Livestock Feed Program a por14 tion of the funds available to carry out this section. 

15 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall make as16 sistance available under this section in the same manner 

17 as provided under section 806 of the Agriculture, Rural 

18 Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Re19 lated Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 

20 106–387; 114 Stat. 1549A–51). 

21 SEC. 4. CROP LOSS ASSISTANCE. 

22 (a) AVAILABILITY.—Subject to section 5, the Sec23 retary of Agriculture shall use the funds, facilities, and 

24 authorities of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make 

25 emergency financial assistance available to producers on 
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1 a farm that have incurred qualifying crop losses for the 

2 2001 or 2002 crop due to damaging weather or related 

3 condition, as determined by the Secretary. 

4 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Secretary shall make as5 sistance available under this section in the same manner 

6 as provided under section 815 of the Agriculture, Rural 

7 Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Re8 lated Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 

9 106–387; 114 Stat. 1549A–55), including using the same 

10 loss thresholds for the quantity, quality, and economic 

11 losses as were used in administering that section. 

12 SEC. 5. SOURCE OF FUNDING. 

13 (a) ESTIMATION OF FARM PROGRAM SAVINGS.—The 

14 Secretary of Agriculture shall estimate the savings to the 

15 Commodity Credit Corporation to be derived during the 

16 2002 crop year as a result of the lower-than-anticipated 

17 costs of the marketing loan program and counter-cyclical 

18 payment program of the Farm Security and Rural Invest19 ment Act of 2002 (Public Law 107–171). 

20 (b) USE OF SAVINGS.—An amount of Commodity 

21 Credit Corporation funds equal to the savings estimated 

22 under subsection (a) shall be available to the Secretary 

23 to carry out sections 3 and 4.

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