Union Calendar No. 53
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1342
[Report No. 105–80]
A BILL
To provide for a one-year enrollment in the con-
servation reserve of land covered by expiring con-
servation reserve program contracts.
APRIL 29, 1997
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Commit-
tee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, and
ordered to be printed
IB
Union Calendar No. 53
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1342
[Report No. 105–80]
To provide for a one-year enrollment in the conservation reserve of land
covered by expiring conservation reserve program contracts.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
APRIL 16, 1997
Mr. SMITH of Oregon introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Agriculture
APRIL 29, 1997
Additional sponsors: Mr. NETHERCUTT, Mr. HILL, Mr. MORAN of Kansas,
Mr. BARRETT of Nebraska, Mr. BOB SCHAFFER of Colorado, Mr.
CHAMBLISS, Mr. LUCAS of Oklahoma, Mr. THUNE, Mr. COMBEST, and
Mrs. CHENOWETH
APRIL 29, 1997
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic]
A BILL
To provide for a one-year enrollment in the conservation
reserve of land covered by expiring conservation reserve
program contracts.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. ONE-YEAR ENROLLMENT OF LAND COVERED
BY EXPIRING CONSERVATION RESERVE CON-
TRACTS.
(a) ELIGIBLE LANDS.—This section applies with re-
spect to land on a farm covered by a conservation reserve
program contract expiring during fiscal year 1997 if—
(1) the farm had a crop acreage base for wheat,
oats, or barley at the time the conservation reserve
program contract was executed or had a fall-seeded
crop during the 1996 crop year;
(2) the land covered by the expiring conserva-
tion reserve program contract is the subject of a bid
to reenroll the land in the conservation reserve; and
(3) the land satisfies eligibility criteria in effect
during fiscal year 1997 for the enrollment of the
land in the conservation reserve.
(b) ONE-YEAR ENROLLMENT AUTHORIZED.—The
owner of land described in subsection (a) (or the operator
of a farm containing such land, with the consent of the
owner) may enroll the land covered by the expiring con-
servation reserve program contract in the conservation re-
serve for a one-year period beginning on October 1, 1997,
if—
(1) the Secretary of Agriculture does not notify
the owner or operator, not later than May 2, 1997,
that the Secretary accepts or rejects the bid for re-
enrollment of the land in the conservation reserve;
and
(2) the owner or operator notifies the Secretary,
not later than May 16, 1997, that the owner or op-
erator desires to enroll the land in the conservation
reserve for one year under this subsection.
(c) RENTAL RATE.—The rental rate for a one-year
conservation reserve program contract under subsection
(b) shall be equal to the lesser of—
(1) the maximum county rental rate established
for the county in which the land covered by the con-
tract is located; or
(2) the amount of the bid referred to in sub-
section (a)(2) that was submitted by the owner or
operator to reenroll the land in the conservation re-
serve.
(d) EFFECT OF SUBSEQUENT LONG-TERM ENROLL-
MENT.—If, before a one-year conservation reserve pro-
gram contract entered into under subsection (b) takes ef-
fect on October 1, 1997, the Secretary accepts the bid of
the owner or operator of the land covered by the contract
to enroll the land in the conservation reserve under section
1231 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831),
the one-year contract shall be void. The existence of the
one-year contract shall not affect the duration or terms
servation reserve program contract expiring during fiscal
year 1997 if—
(1) the farm had a crop acreage base for wheat,
oats, or barley at the time the conservation reserve
program contract was executed;
(2) the farm is located in an area in which fall-
seeded crops are regularly planted, as determined by
the Secretary of Agriculture;
(3) the owner of the farm (or the operator with
the consent of the owner) submitted, during the enroll-
ment period that ended on March 28, 1997, an eligi-
ble bid to enroll all or part of the land covered by the
expiring contract in the conservation reserve estab-
lished under subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D
of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16
U.S.C. 3831 et seq.); and
(4) the land designated in the bid satisfies the
eligibility criteria in effect for enrollment of land in
the conservation reserve.
(b) ONE-YEAR ENROLLMENT AUTHORIZED.—
(1) AUTHORITY OF OWNER OR OPERATOR.—Ex-
cept as provided in subsection (g), the owner or oper-
ator of a farm described in subsection (a) may enroll
in the conservation reserve for a one-year term to
begin on October 1, 1997, the land covered by the ex-
piring conservation reserve program contract and in-
cluded in the owner’s or operator’s enrollment bid (as
described in subsection (a)(3)) if—
(A) the owner or operator notifies the Sec-
retary in writing, during the special notification
period required under paragraph (2), that the
owner or operator desires to enroll the land in
the conservation reserve for one year under this
section; and
(B) the Secretary does not accept, before Oc-
tober 1, 1997, the owner’s or operator’s enroll-
ment bid (as described in subsection (a)(3)) to
enroll the land in a long-term conservation re-
serve program contract.
(2) SPECIAL NOTIFICATION PERIOD.—Promptly
upon the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
provide a special period for owners and operators of
farms described in subsection (a) to permit the owners
and operators to provide the notification required
under paragraph (1)(A) to enter into one-year con-
servation reserve program contracts under this sec-
tion.
(c) RENTAL RATE.—The rental rate for a one-year
conservation reserve program contract under subsection (b)
shall be equal to the amount of the bid (as described in sub-
section (a)(3)) that the owner or operator submitted with
respect to the land to be covered by the one-year contract.
(d) EFFECT OF ONE-YEAR CONTRACT ON SUBSEQUENT
ENROLLMENT.—If an owner or operator who enrolls eligible
farm land in a one-year conservation reserve program con-
tract under subsection (b) submits a bid to enroll the same
land in the conservation reserve under a long-term con-
servation reserve program contract that would commence
on October 1, 1998, and the Secretary accepts the bid and
enters into a long-term conservation reserve program con-
tract with the owner or operator, then the one-year contract
shall be considered to be the first year of that long-term
conservation reserve program contract.
(e) MAXIMUM ENROLLMENT.—The maximum number
of acres in the conservation reserve during fiscal year 1998,
including land enrolled by the Secretary under one-year
conservation reserve program contracts under subsection
(b), may not exceed 30,000,000 acres.
(f) 
APPLICATION
OF
CONSERVATION
RESERVE
LAWS.—Except as specifically provided in this section, the
terms and conditions of subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle
D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3831 et seq.) shall apply with respect to one-year conserva-
tion reserve program contracts authorized by this section.
(g) EFFECT
OF COMPLETION
OF 15TH ENROLL-
MENT.—If, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Secretary has already acted on the bids submitted during
the enrollment period that ended on March 28, 1997, to en-
roll land in the conservation reserve, either by accepting
or rejecting the bids, then the authority provided by this
section for special one-year conservation reserve program
contracts shall not take effect.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL EARLY TERMINATION AUTHORITY FOR
CERTAIN CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM
CONTRACTS EXPIRING IN 1997.
(a) EARLY TERMINATION AUTHORITY.—A farm owner
or operator described in subsection (b) who is a party to
a conservation reserve program contract expiring during
fiscal year 1997 may terminate the contract at any time
after June 30, 1997. Notwithstanding section 1235(e) of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3835(e)), the termi-
nation shall take effect immediately upon submission of no-
tice of the termination to the Secretary of Agriculture and
shall not result in a reduction in the amount of the rental
payment due under the conservation reserve program con-
tract for fiscal year 1997.
(b) ELIGIBLE OWNERS
AND OPERATORS.—A farm
owner or operator referred to in subsection (a) is a farm
owner or operator with respect to whom one of the following
circumstances apply:
(1) Neither the owner, operator, nor any other el-
igible person submitted, during the enrollment period
that ended on March 28, 1997, an eligible bid to en-
roll all or part of the land covered by the expiring
conservation reserve program contract in the con-
servation reserve established under subchapter B of
chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Secu-
rity Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.).
(2) An eligible bid was submitted during the en-
rollment period to enroll all or part of the land cov-
ered by the expiring contract in the conservation re-
serve, but the Secretary of Agriculture rejected the bid
and the owner or operator did not notify the Sec-
retary, in the manner provided in section 1(b), that
the owner or operator desired a one-year contract
under section 1.
(c) CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM CONTRACT
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘conservation reserve
program contract’’ means a contract entered into under
subchapter B of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII of the
Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3831 et seq.) for en-
rollment of farm acreage in the conservation reserve estab-
lished under such subchapter.