CRP Flexibility Act
Bill: H.R.4710 | Sponsor: Rep. Johnson, Dusty (R-SD)
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
CRP Flexibility Act
This bill modifies the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to permit emergency haying during the primary nesting season to respond to drought or other emergencies. (Under current law, emergency haying is only permitted outside of the primary nesting season.)
Under CRP, the Department of Agriculture provides annual payments to agricultural producers to take highly erodible and environmentally sensitive land out of production and install resource-conserving practices.

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to allow emergency haying under 
  the conservation reserve program during the primary nesting season.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``CRP Flexibility Act''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY HAYING DURING THE PRIMARY NESTING SEASON.

    Section 1233(b)(1) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3833(b)(1)) is amended--
            (1) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by inserting ``subject to 
        subclauses (I) and (III) of clause (i), and subclauses (I) and 
        (II) of clause (ii), of subparagraph (B),'' before ``are 
        subject to''; and
            (2) in subparagraph (B)(i)--
                    (A) by redesignating subclauses (I) through (VI) as 
                subclauses (II) through (VII), respectively;
                    (B) by inserting before subclause (II) (as so 
                redesignated) the following:
                                    ``(I) emergency haying in response 
                                to a localized or regional drought, 
                                flooding, wildfire, or other emergency, 
                                on all practices, during or outside the 
                                primary nesting season, when--
                                            ``(aa) the county is 
                                        designated as D2 (severe 
                                        drought) or greater according 
                                        to the United States Drought 
                                        Monitor;
                                            ``(bb) there is at least a 
                                        40 percent loss in forage 
                                        production in the county; or
                                            ``(cc) the Secretary, in 
                                        coordination with the State 
                                        technical committee, determines 
                                        that the program can assist in 
                                        the response to a natural 
                                        disaster event without 
                                        permanent damage to the 
                                        established cover;'';
                    (C) in subclause (II) (as so redesignated), in the 
                matter preceding item (aa), by striking ``emergency 
                haying, emergency grazing, or other emergency use'' and 
                inserting ``emergency grazing or other emergency use''; 
                and
                    (D) in subclause (IV) (as so redesignated), by 
                striking ``outside the primary nesting season'' and 
                inserting ``during or outside the primary nesting 
                season''.
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