Title: Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act or the AFFIRM Act
This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reduce federal crop insurance payments and disclose details regarding subsidies.
The bill prohibits premium subsidies: (1) for additional coverage for any person or legal entity that has an average adjusted gross income that is greater than $250,000, (2) that exceed $40,000 per year for any person or legal entity, or (3) for policies that are based on the actual market price of an agricultural commodity at the time of harvest.
The bill establishes an annual cap on total reimbursements for administrative and operating costs of crop insurance providers that begins at $900 million for 2018 and is adjusted for inflation in each subsequent year. The average rate of return for insurance providers is limited to 8.9% of retained premiums.
The bill eliminates a requirement that any renegotiated Standard Insurance Agreement (SRA) be budget-neutral. (The SRA is an agreement between USDA and the private companies that administer the federal crop insurance program that specifies details such as administrative and operating expense reimbursements and risk sharing. Eliminating the budget neutrality requirement permits USDA to use the renegotiation of the SRA to achieve savings.)
USDA must annually disclose to the public specified details regarding the recipients and amounts of federal crop insurance subsidies.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1025 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1025

To reform the Federal Crop Insurance Act and reduce Federal spending on 
                            crop insurance.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 3, 2017

Mr. Flake (for himself and Mrs. Shaheen) introduced the following bill; 
  which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, 
                        Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To reform the Federal Crop Insurance Act and reduce Federal spending on 
                            crop insurance.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Assisting Family 
Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act'' or the ``AFFIRM Act''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Adjusted gross income and per person limitations on share of 
                            insurance premiums paid by Corporation.
Sec. 3. Cap on reimbursements for administrative and operating expenses 
                            of crop insurance providers.
Sec. 4. Renegotiation of Standard Reinsurance Agreement.
Sec. 5. Cap on overall rate of return for crop insurance providers.
Sec. 6. Prohibition on premium subsidy for harvest price policies.
Sec. 7. Crop insurance premium subsidies disclosure in the public 
                            interest.

SEC. 2. ADJUSTED GROSS INCOME AND PER PERSON LIMITATIONS ON SHARE OF 
              INSURANCE PREMIUMS PAID BY CORPORATION.

    Section 508(e)(1) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 
1508(e)(1)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``For the purpose'' and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(A) Payment authority.--Subject to subparagraphs 
                (B) and (C), for the purpose''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Adjusted gross income limitation.--The 
                Corporation shall not pay a part of the premium for 
                additional coverage for any person or legal entity that 
                has an average adjusted gross income (as defined in 
                section 1001D(a) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (7 
                U.S.C. 1308-3a(a))) that is greater than $250,000.
                    ``(C) Per person limitation.--The Corporation shall 
                not pay more than $40,000 for any reinsurance year to 
                any person or legal entity for premiums under this 
                section.''.

SEC. 3. CAP ON REIMBURSEMENTS FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND OPERATING EXPENSES 
              OF CROP INSURANCE PROVIDERS.

    Section 508(k)(4) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 
1508(k)(4)) is amended by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(G) Additional cap on reimbursements.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Notwithstanding 
                        subparagraphs (A) through (F), the total amount 
                        of reimbursements for administrative and 
                        operating costs for the 2018 reinsurance year 
                        for all types of policies and plans of 
                        insurance shall not exceed $900,000,000.
                            ``(ii) Adjustment.--For the 2019 
                        reinsurance year and each subsequent 
                        reinsurance year, the dollar amount in effect 
                        pursuant to clause (i) shall be increased by 
                        the inflation factor established for the 
                        administrative and operating costs limitation 
                        in the 2011 Standard Reinsurance Agreement.''.

SEC. 4. RENEGOTIATION OF STANDARD REINSURANCE AGREEMENT.

    Section 508(k)(8) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 
1508(k)(8)) is amended by striking subparagraph (F).

SEC. 5. CAP ON OVERALL RATE OF RETURN FOR CROP INSURANCE PROVIDERS.

    Section 508(k)(3) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 
1508(k)(3)) is amended--
            (1) by striking ``(3) Share of risk.--The'' and inserting 
        the following:
            ``(3) Risk.--
                    ``(A) Share of risk.--The''; and
            (2) by adding at the end the following:
                    ``(B) Limitation on average rate of return.--The 
                target average rate of return for reinsured companies 
                for the 2018 reinsurance year and each subsequent 
                reinsurance year shall be 8.9 percent of retained 
                premiums.''.

SEC. 6. PROHIBITION ON PREMIUM SUBSIDY FOR HARVEST PRICE POLICIES.

    Section 508(e) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1508(e)) 
is amended by adding at the end the following:
            ``(9) Prohibition on premium subsidy for harvest price 
        policies.--Notwithstanding any other provision of law, 
        beginning with the 2018 reinsurance year, the Corporation shall 
        not pay any amount of premium subsidy in the case of a policy 
        or plan of insurance that is based on the actual market price 
        of an agricultural commodity on the date of harvest.''.

SEC. 7. CROP INSURANCE PREMIUM SUBSIDIES DISCLOSURE IN THE PUBLIC 
              INTEREST.

    Section 502(c)(2) of the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 
1502(c)(2)) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subparagraphs (A) and (B) as 
        subparagraphs (C) and (D) respectively; and
            (2) by inserting before subparagraph (C) (as so 
        redesignated) the following:
                    ``(A) Disclosure in the public interest.--
                Notwithstanding paragraph (1) or any other provision of 
                law, except as provided in subparagraph (B), the 
                Secretary shall on an annual basis make available to 
                the public--
                            ``(i)(I) the name of each individual or 
                        entity that obtained a federally subsidized 
                        crop insurance, livestock, or forage policy or 
                        plan of insurance during the previous 
                        reinsurance year;
                            ``(II) the amount of premium subsidy 
                        received by the individual or entity from the 
                        Corporation; and
                            ``(III) the amount of any Federal portion 
                        of indemnities paid in the event of a loss for 
                        that reinsurance year for each policy 
                        associated with that individual or entity; and
                            ``(ii) for each private insurance provider, 
                        a description by the name of the private 
                        insurance provider of--
                                    ``(I) the underwriting gains earned 
                                through participation in the federally 
                                subsidized crop insurance program; and
                                    ``(II) the amount paid under this 
                                subtitle for--
                                            ``(aa) administrative and 
                                        operating expenses;
                                            ``(bb) any Federal portion 
                                        of indemnities and reinsurance; 
                                        and
                                            ``(cc) any other purpose.
                    ``(B) Limitation.--The Secretary shall not disclose 
                under subparagraph (A) information relating to 
                individuals and entities covered by a catastrophic risk 
                protection plan offered under section 508(b).''.
                                 <all>