I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3073 
To provide a mechanism for the determination on the merits of the claims 
of claimants who met the class criteria in a civil action relating to 
racial discrimination by the Department of Agriculture but who were 
denied that determination. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JULY 18, 2007 
Mr. CONYERS (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mr. SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. NADLER, 
and Mr. DAVIS of Alabama) introduced the following bill; which was re-
ferred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within 
the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide a mechanism for the determination on the merits 
of the claims of claimants who met the class criteria 
in a civil action relating to racial discrimination by the 
Department of Agriculture but who were denied that 
determination. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Pigford Claims Rem-
edy Act of 2007’’. 
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SEC. 2. DETERMINATION ON MERITS OF PIGFORD CLAIMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Any Pigford claimant who has not 
previously obtained a determination on the merits of a 
Pigford claim may, in a civil action, obtain that determina-
tion. 
(b) INTENT OF CONGRESS AS TO REMEDIAL NATURE 
OF SECTION.—It is the intent of Congress that this sec-
tion be liberally construed so as to effectuate its remedial 
purpose of giving a full determination on the merits for 
each Pigford claim denied that determination. 
(c) LOAN DATA.— 
(1) REPORT
TO
PERSON
SUBMITTING
PETI-
TION.—Not later than 60 days after the Secretary 
of Agriculture receives notice of a complaint filed by 
a claimant under subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
provide to the claimant a report on farm credit loans 
made within the claimant’s county or adjacent coun-
ty by the Department during the period beginning 
on January 1 of the year preceding the year or years 
covered by the complaint and ending on December 
31 of year following such year or years. Such report 
shall contain information on all persons whose appli-
cation for a loan was accepted, including— 
(A) the race of the applicant; 
(B) the date of application; 
(C) the date of the loan decision; 
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(D) the location of the office making the 
loan decision; and 
(E) all data relevant to the process of de-
ciding on the loan. 
(2) NO PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMA-
TION.—The reports provided pursuant to paragraph 
(1) shall not contain any information that would 
identify any person that applied for a loan from the 
Department of Agriculture. 
(d) EXPEDITED RESOLUTIONS AUTHORIZED.—Any 
person filing a complaint under this Act for discrimination 
in the application for, or making or servicing of, a farm 
loan, at his or her discretion, may seek liquidated damages 
of $50,000, discharge of the debt that was incurred under, 
or affected by, the discrimination that is the subject of 
the person’s complaint, and a tax payment in the amount 
equal to 25 percent of the liquidated damages and loan 
principal discharged, in which case— 
(1) if only such damages, debt discharge, and 
tax payment are sought, the complainant shall be 
able to prove his or her case by substantial evidence; 
and 
(2) the court shall decide the case based on a 
review of documents submitted by the complainant 
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and defendant relevant to the issues of liability and 
damages. 
(e) 
LIMITATION
ON
FORECLOSURES.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, the Secretary of Agri-
culture may not begin acceleration on or foreclosure of a 
loan if the borrower is a Pigford claimant and, in an ap-
propriate administrative proceeding, makes a prima facie 
case that the foreclosure is related to a Pigford claim. 
(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act— 
(1) the term ‘‘Pigford claimant’’ means an indi-
vidual who previously submitted a late-filing request 
under section 5(g) of the consent decree in the case 
of Pigford v. Glickman, approved by the United 
States District Court for the District of Columbia on 
April 14, 1999; and 
(2) the term ‘‘Pigford claim’’ means a discrimi-
nation complaint, as defined by section 1(h) of that 
consent decree and documented under section 5(b) 
of that consent decree. 
Æ 
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