I 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 831 

To amend the Agricultural Act of 1961 to modify the limitations applicable 

to qualified conservation loan guarantees, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 2, 2017 

Mr. BOST (for himself, Mr. COSTA, Mr. MARSHALL, Ms. KELLY of Illinois, 

Mr. KING of Iowa, Mr. COMER, Mr. SOTO, and Mr. ALLEN) introduced 

the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

A BILL 

To amend the Agricultural Act of 1961 to modify the limitations applicable to qualified conservation loan guarantees, 

and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Beginning 

5 Agriculturalist Lifetime Employment Act of 2017’’ or the 

6 ‘‘BALE Act of 2017’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. LIMITATIONS APPLICABLE TO QUALIFIED CON2 SERVATION LOAN GUARANTEES. 

3 (a) LIMITATIONS APPLICABLE TO LOAN GUARAN4 TEES.—Subtitle A of title III of the Agricultural Act of 

5 1961 (7 U.S.C. 1922 et seq.) is amended— 

6 (1) by amending section 304(e) of such Act (7 

7 U.S.C. 1924(e)) to read as follows: 

8 ‘‘(e) LIMITATIONS APPLICABLE TO LOAN GUARAN9 TEES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) PERCENTAGE OF LOAN GUARANTEED.— 

11 The portion of a loan that the Secretary may guar12 antee under this section shall— 

13 ‘‘(A) depend on the principal amount of 

14 the loan; and 

15 ‘‘(B) except as provided in paragraph (2), 

16 may not exceed the percentage specified for 

17 that principal amount in the following table: 

‘‘Principal Amount 

More Than 

Principal Amount 

Equal To Or 

Less Than 

Maximum 

Percent 

$0 ......................................... $2,500,000 ....................................... 90%

$2,500,000 ........................... $2,600,000 ....................................... 89%

$2,600,000 ........................... $2,700,000 ....................................... 88%

$2,700,000 ........................... $2,800,000 ....................................... 87%

$2,800,000 ........................... $2,900,000 ....................................... 86%

$2,900,000 ........................... $3,000,000 ....................................... 85%

$3,000,000 ........................... $3,100,000 ....................................... 84%

$3,100,000 ........................... $3,200,000 ....................................... 83%

$3,200,000 ........................... $3,300,000 ....................................... 82%

$3,300,000 ........................... $3,400,000 ....................................... 81%

$3,400,000 ........................... $3,500,000 ....................................... 80%. 

18 ‘‘(2) EXCEPTION FOR CERTAIN PRODUCERS.— 

19 In the case of a loan to a producer that is a qualiVerDate Sep 11 2014 04:10 Feb 09, 2017 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H831.IH H831

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1 fied beginning farmer or rancher or a socially dis2 advantaged farmer or rancher (as the term is de3 fined in section 2501(e)), the portion of the loan the 

4 Secretary may guarantee under this paragraph may 

5 not exceed the percentage specified for the principal 

6 amount of the loan in the following table: 

‘‘Principal Amount 

More Than 

Principal Amount 

Equal To Or 

Less Than 

Maximum 

Percent 

$0 ......................................... $2,500,000 ....................................... 95%

$2,500,000 ........................... $2,600,000 ....................................... 94%

$2,600,000 ........................... $2,700,000 ....................................... 93%

$2,700,000 ........................... $2,800,000 ....................................... 92%

$2,800,000 ........................... $2,900,000 ....................................... 91%

$2,900,000 ........................... $3,000,000 ....................................... 90%

$3,000,000 ........................... $3,100,000 ....................................... 89%

$3,100,000 ........................... $3,200,000 ....................................... 88%

$3,200,000 ........................... $3,300,000 ....................................... 87%

$3,300,000 ........................... $3,400,000 ....................................... 86%

$3,400,000 ........................... $3,500,000 ....................................... 85%. 

7 ‘‘(3) MAXIMUM AMOUNT.—The Secretary may 

8 not guarantee a loan under this section in an 

9 amount that exceeds $3,500,000. 

10 ‘‘(4) ANNUAL INFLATION ADJUSTMENT.—The 

11 Secretary shall annually adjust the dollar figures 

12 under paragraphs (1), (2), and (3) to reflect the 

13 change in the Prices Paid By Farmers Index (as 

14 compiled by the National Agricultural Statistics 

15 Service of the Department of Agriculture).’’; and 

16 (2) in section 305(a) of such Act (7 U.S.C. 

17 1925(a))— 


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1 (A) by striking ‘‘$300,000, or, in the case 

2 of a loan guaranteed by the Secretary, 

3 $700,000’’ and inserting ‘‘$600,000’’; and 

4 (B) by striking ‘‘2000’’ and inserting 

5 ‘‘2023’’. 

6 (b) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 

7 section shall apply with respect to qualified conservation 

8 loans entered into by the Secretary of Agriculture under 

9 section 304 of the Agricultural Act of 1961 (7 U.S.C. 

10 1924) on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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