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ity, the Specialty Crops Coordinator shall act as the Cor-
poration’s liaison with representatives of specialty crop
producers and provide the Corporation with the producers’
knowledge, expertise, and familiarity with risk manage-
ment and production issues pertaining to specialty crops.
The Specialty Crops Coordinator shall also use informa-
tion collected from Corporation field office directors in
States in which specialty crops have a significant economic
effect and from other sources, including the extension
service and colleges and universities.’’.
SEC. 5. GENERAL AUTHORITY TO OFFER CROP INSURANCE.
(a) GENERAL AUTHORITY TO OFFER INSURANCE.—
Subsection (a) of section 508 of the Federal Crop Insur-
ance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508) is amended to read as follows:
‘‘(a) AUTHORITY TO OFFER INSURANCE.—
‘‘(1) GENERAL AUTHORITY AND LOSSES COV-
ERED.—If sufficient actuarial data are available, as
determined by the Board, the Corporation may in-
sure (or provide reinsurance for insurers of) produc-
ers of agricultural commodities grown in the United
States under any plan or plans of insurance deter-
mined by the Board to be adapted to the agricul-
tural commodity involved. To qualify for coverage
under these plans of insurance, the losses of the in-
sured commodity shall be due to drought, flood, or
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other natural disaster, as determined by the Sec-
retary.
‘‘(2) PERIOD
OF
COVERAGE.—Except in the
case of tobacco, insurance shall not extend beyond
the period the insured commodity is in the field. For
the purpose of the foregoing sentence, in the case of
aquacultural species, the term ‘field’ means the envi-
ronment in which the commodity is produced.
‘‘(3) EXCLUSIONS.—Insurance provided under
this section shall not cover losses—
‘‘(A) due to the neglect or malfeasance of
the producer;
‘‘(B) due to the failure of the producer to
reseed to the same crop in those areas and
under such circumstances where it is customary
to reseed; or
‘‘(C) due to the failure of the producer to
follow good farming practices, as determined by
the Corporation.
‘‘(4) EXPANSION TO OTHER AREAS OR SINGLE
PRODUCERS.—
‘‘(A) AREA EXPANSION.—The Corporation
may offer plans of insurance or reinsurance for
production of agricultural commodities in the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Is-
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lands of the United States, Guam, American
Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands, and the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands in the same manner as provided
in this section for production of agricultural
commodities in the United States.
‘‘(B) PRODUCER EXPANSION.—In areas in
the United States or specified in subparagraph
(A) where crop insurance is not available for a
particular agricultural commodity, the Corpora-
tion may offer to enter into a written agree-
ment with an individual producer operating in
that area for insurance coverage under this title
if the producer has actuarially sound data relat-
ing to the producer’s production of that com-
modity and such data is acceptable to the Cor-
poration.
‘‘(5) DISSEMINATION OF CROP INSURANCE IN-
FORMATION.—The Corporation shall make available
to producers through local offices of the Department
of Agriculture—
‘‘(A) current and complete information on
all aspects of Federal crop insurance; and
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‘‘(B) a listing of insurance agents and
companies offering to sell crop insurance in
their area.
‘‘(6) ADDITION
OF
NEW
AND
SPECIALTY
CROPS.—
‘‘(A) DATA COLLECTION.—Not later than
6 months after the date of the enactment of
this paragraph, the Secretary shall issue guide-
lines for publication in the Federal Register for
data collection to assist the Corporation in for-
mulating crop insurance policies for new and
specialty crops.
‘‘(B) ADDITION OF NEW CROPS.—Not later
than 1 year after the date of the enactment of
this paragraph, and annually thereafter, the
Corporation shall report to Congress on the
progress and expected timetable for expanding
crop insurance coverage under this title to new
and specialty crops.
‘‘(C) ADDITION OF DIRECT SALE PERISH-
ABLE CROPS.—Not later than 1 year after the
date of the enactment of this paragraph, the
Corporation shall report to Congress on the fea-
sibility of offering a crop insurance program de-
signed to meet the needs of specialized produc-
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ers of vegetables and other perishable crops who
market through direct marketing channels.’’.
(b) REPORT
ON IMPROVING DISSEMINATION
OF
CROP
INSURANCE
INFORMATION.—Not later than 6
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation shall submit a report
to Congress containing a plan to implement a sound pro-
gram for producer education regarding the crop insurance
program and for the dissemination of crop insurance infor-
mation to producers, as required by section 508(a)(5) of
the Federal Crop Insurance Act. Subsequent reports on
the progress of the implementation of the program shall
be submitted to Congress in 1996 and 1997.
SEC. 6. CATASTROPHIC RISK PROTECTION, BUY-UP COV-
ERAGE, PREMIUMS, AND YIELD DETERMINA-
TIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 508 of the Federal Crop
Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508) is amended—
(1) by striking subsections (c), (e), (f), (g), (h),
(i), (l), (m), and (n);
(2) by redesignating subsections (b) and (d) as
subsections (h) and (i), respectively; and
(3) by inserting after subsection (a) the follow-
ing new subsections:
‘‘(b) CATASTROPHIC RISK PROTECTION.—