H. R. 2559—64
SEC. 244. ADJUSTMENTS TO WIC PROGRAM.
(a) DEFINITION.—Section 17(b) of the Child Nutrition Act of
1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(b)) is amended by adding at the end the
following:
‘‘(21) REMOTE
INDIAN
OR
NATIVE
VILLAGE.—The term
‘remote Indian or Native village’ means an Indian or Native
village that—
‘‘(A) is located in a rural area;
‘‘(B) has a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants;
and
‘‘(C) is not accessible year-around by means of a public
road (as defined in section 101 of title 23, United States
Code).’’.
(b) COST-OF-LIVING ALLOWANCES FOR MEMBERS OF UNIFORMED
SERVICES.—Section 17(d)(2)(B) of the Child Nutrition Act of 1966
(42 U.S.C. 1786(d)(2)(B)) is amended—
(1) by striking ‘‘income any’’ and inserting ‘‘income—
‘‘(i) any’’;
(2) by striking ‘‘quarters’’ and inserting ‘‘housing’’;
(3) by striking the period at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’;
and
(4) by adding at the end the following:
‘‘(ii) any cost-of-living allowance provided under section
405 of title 37, United States Code, to a member of a uniformed
service who is on duty outside the continental United States.’’.
(c) PROOF OF RESIDENCY.—Section 17(d)(3) of the Child Nutri-
tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(d)(3)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(F) PROOF OF RESIDENCY.—An individual residing in
a remote Indian or Native village or an individual served
by an Indian tribal organization and residing on a reserva-
tion or pueblo may, under standards established by the
Secretary, establish proof of residency under this section
by providing to the State agency the mailing address of
the individual and the name of the remote Indian or Native
village.’’.
(d) ADJUSTMENT OF GRANT.—Section 17(h)(1)(B) of the Child
Nutrition Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(h)(1)(B)) is amended—
(1) in clause (i), by striking ‘‘the fiscal year 1987’’ and
inserting ‘‘the preceding fiscal year’’; and
(2) in clause (ii)—
(A) by striking ‘‘the fiscal year 1987’’ and inserting
‘‘the preceding fiscal year’’; and
(B) by striking subclause (I) and inserting the fol-
lowing:
‘‘(I) the value of the index for State and local government
purchases, as published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis
of the Department of Commerce, for the 12-month period ending
June 30 of the second preceding fiscal year; and’’.
(e) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—Section 17(h)(5) of the Child Nutri-
tion Act of 1966 (42 U.S.C. 1786(h)(5)) is amended by adding at
the end the following:
‘‘(D) REMOTE INDIAN OR NATIVE VILLAGES.—For non-
contiguous States containing a significant number of
remote Indian or Native villages, a State agency may con-
vert amounts allocated for food benefits for a fiscal year
to the costs of nutrition services and administration to
H. R. 2559—65
the extent that the conversion is necessary to cover
expenditures incurred in providing services (including the
full cost of air transportation and other transportation)
to remote Indian or Native villages and to provide
breastfeeding support in remote Indian or Native villages.’’.
(f ) EFFECTIVE DATES.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Except as provided in paragraph (2), the
amendments made by this section take effect on the date of
the enactment of this Act.
(2) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—The amendments made by sub-
sections (d) and (e) take effect on October 1, 2000.
Subtitle F—Other Programs
SEC. 251. AUTHORITY TO PROVIDE LOAN IN CONNECTION WITH BOLL
WEEVIL ERADICATION.
(a) LOAN AUTHORITY.—Notwithstanding any other provision of
law, the Secretary, acting through the Farm Service Agency, shall
use $10,000,000 of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation
to make a loan to the Texas Boll Weevil Eradication Foundation,
Inc., to enable the Foundation to retire certain debt associated
with boll weevil eradication zones which have ended their participa-
tion, in whole or in part, in the federally funded boll weevil eradi-
cation program.
(b) REPAYMENT TERMS AND CONDITIONS.—The loan provided
under subsection (a) shall be subject to the following terms and
conditions:
(1) Repayment shall be scheduled to begin on January
1 of the year following the first year during which the boll
weevil eradication zone, or any part thereof, responsible for
the debt retired using the loan resumes participation in any
federally funded boll weevil eradication program.
(2) No interest shall be charged.
(c) LIMITATION.—The cost of the loan made under this section
shall not exceed the loan subsidy sufficient to make the loan.
SEC. 252. ANIMAL DISEASE CONTROL.
(a) PSEUDORABIES.—Of the amount made available under sec-
tion 261(a)(2), the Secretary shall use $7,000,000 to cover
pseudorabies vaccination costs incurred by pork producers.
(b) BOVINE TUBERCULOSIS.—Of the amount made available
under section 261(a)(2), the Secretary shall use $6,000,000 to
respond to bovine tuberculosis in the State of Michigan. The funds
shall be available for the following purposes:
(1) The surveillance and testing of cattle and wildlife.
(2) Research regarding bovine tuberculosis, to be conducted
by the Agricultural Research Service and Michigan State
University.
(3) The provision of increased indemnity payments to
encourage the depopulation of infected herds.
(4) The performance of diagnostic testing and treatment
of humans affected by bovine tuberculosis.
(5) Slaughter surveillance.
(6) The control and prevention of the exposure of livestock
to infected wildlife, including the installation of fencing to mini-
mize contact between livestock and wildlife.
H. R. 2559—66
(7) The distribution of information regarding the risk and
control of bovine tuberculosis, including technological improve-
ments to enhance communication.
SEC. 253. EMERGENCY LOANS FOR SEED PRODUCERS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Of the amount made available under section
261(a)(2), the Secretary shall use $35,000,000, plus $200,000 for
payment of administrative costs, to make no-interest loans to pro-
ducers of the 1999 crop of grass, forage, vegetable, and sorghum
seed that have not received payments from AgriBiotech for the
seed as a result of bankruptcy proceedings involving AgriBiotech
(referred to in this section as the ‘‘bankruptcy proceedings’’).
(b) LOANS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The amount of the loan made to a seed
producer under this section shall be not more than 65 percent
of the amount owed by AgriBiotech to the seed producer for
the 1999 seed crop, as determined by the Secretary.
(2) ELIGIBILITY.—To be eligible for a loan under this section,
the claim of a seed producer in the bankruptcy proceedings
must have arisen from a contract to grow seeds in the United
States.
(3) CONTROL.—In determining the amount owed by
AgriBiotech to a seed producer under paragraph (1), the Sec-
retary shall consider whether the seed producer has relin-
quished control of the seed to AgriBiotech or has the seed
in inventory waiting to be sold.
(4) SECURITY.—A loan to a seed producer under this section
shall be secured in part by the claim of the seed producer
in the bankruptcy proceedings.
(5) REPAYMENT.—Each seed producer shall repay to the
Secretary, for deposit in the Treasury, the amount of the loan
made to the seed producer on the earlier of—
(A) the date of settlement of, completion of, or final
distribution of assets in the bankruptcy proceedings
involving AgriBiotech; or
(B) the date that is 18 months after the date on which
the loan was made to the seed producer.
(c) ADDITIONAL TERMS.—
(1) SHORTFALL
IN
AMOUNT
RECEIVED
FROM
BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS.—If the amount that the seed producer receives
as a result of the proceedings described in subsection (b)(5)(A)
is less than the amount of the loan made to the seed producer
under subsection (b)(1), the seed producer shall be eligible
to have the balance of the loan converted, but not refinanced,
to a loan that has the same terms and conditions as an oper-
ating loan under subtitle B of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1941 et seq.).
(2) LENGTHY
BANKRUPTCY
PROCEEDINGS.—If a seed pro-
ducer is required to repay a loan under subsection (b)(5)(B),
the seed producer shall be eligible to have the balance of
the loan converted, but not refinanced, to a loan that has
the same terms and conditions as an operating loan under
subtitle B of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 1941 et seq.).
(d) LIMITATION.—The cost of all loans made under this section
shall not exceed $15,000,000.
H. R. 2559—67
SEC. 254. TEMPORARY SUSPENSION OF AUTHORITY TO COMBINE CER-
TAIN OFFICES.
(a) SUSPENSION.—During the period beginning on the date of
the enactment of this Act and ending on June 1, 2001, the Secretary
may not combine or take any action to combine, at the State
level, offices of the agencies specified in subsection (b) unless the
offices are located in the same county as of the date of the enactment
of this Act.
(b) COVERED OFFICES.—Subsection (a) applies to an office of
any of the following agencies:
(1) The Farm Service Agency.
(2) The Natural Resources Conservation Service.
(3) The Rural Utilities Service.
(4) The Rural Housing Service.
(5) The Rural Business-Cooperative Service.
(c) REPORT.—Not later than April 1, 2001, the Secretary shall
submit to the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representa-
tives and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
of the Senate a report describing any proposed combination of
offices specified in subsection (b) that includes a certification that
the proposed combination would result in the lowest cost to the
Federal Government over the long term.
SEC. 255. FARM OPERATING LOAN ELIGIBILITY.
During the period beginning on the date of the enactment
of this Act and ending on December 31, 2002—
(1) sections 311(c) and 319 of the Consolidated Farm and
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1941(c), 1949) shall have
no force or effect; and
(2) in making direct loans under subtitle B of that Act
(7 U.S.C. 1941 et seq.), the Secretary shall give priority to
a qualified beginning farmer or rancher who has not operated
a farm or ranch, or who has operated a farm or ranch for
not more than 5 years.
SEC. 256. WATER SYSTEMS FOR RURAL AND NATIVE VILLAGES IN
ALASKA.
Section 306D of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development
Act (7 U.S.C. 1926d) is amended by striking subsection (d) and
inserting the following:
‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be appropriated
to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each of fiscal years
2001 and 2002.
‘‘(2) TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—Not more than
2 percent of the amount made available under paragraph (1)
for a fiscal year may be used by the State of Alaska for training
and technical assistance programs relating to the operation
and management of water and waste disposal services in rural
and Native villages.
‘‘(3) AVAILABILITY.—Funds appropriated pursuant to the
authorization of appropriations in paragraph (1) shall be avail-
able until expended.’’.
SEC. 257. CROP AND PASTURE FLOOD COMPENSATION PROGRAM.
(a) DEFINITION OF COVERED LAND.—In this section:
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The term ‘‘covered land’’ means land
that—