IIA
105TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. R. 1342
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
APRIL 30, 1997
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition,
and Forestry
AN ACT
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,
(f) APPLICATION
OF
CONSERVATION
RESERVE
LAWS.—Except as specifically provided in this section, the
terms and conditions of subchapter B of chapter 1 of sub-
title 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
conservation 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 dur-
ing the enrollment period that ended on March 28, 1997,
to enroll land in the conservation reserve, either by accept-
ing or rejecting the bids, then the authority provided by
this section for special one-year conservation reserve pro-
gram contracts shall not take effect.
SEC. 2. SPECIAL EARLY TERMINATION AUTHORITY FOR
CERTAIN 
CONSERVATION 
RESERVE 
PRO-
GRAM 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 termination shall take effect immediately
upon submission of notice of the termination to the Sec-
retary of Agriculture and shall not result in a reduction
in the amount of the rental payment due under the con-
servation reserve program contract 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 follow-
ing circumstances apply:
(1) Neither the owner, operator, nor any other
eligible person submitted, during the enrollment pe-
riod that ended on March 28, 1997, an eligible bid
to enroll all or part of the land covered by the expir-
ing conservation reserve program contract in the
conservation reserve established 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.).
(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
Secretary, in the manner provided in section 1(b),
that the owner or operator desired a one-year con-
tract under section 1.
(c) CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM CONTRACT
DEFINED.—In this section, the term ‘‘conservation re-
serve 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 enrollment of farm acreage in the conservation reserve
established under such subchapter.
Passed the House of Representatives April 29, 1997.
Attest:
ROBIN H. CARLE,
Clerk.