Title: Donations in Rough Years (DRY) Act
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Donations in Rough Years (DRY) Act
This bill amends the Food Security Act of 1985, with respect to the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), to permit hay that is harvested in the course of an activity that is authorized under CRP and complies with the program's requirements to be donated to the owners or operators of certain farms or ranches that are in disaster areas or are experiencing a drought.
(CRP provides payments to farmers who agree to remove environmentally sensitive land from agricultural production and plant species that will improve environmental health and quality.)
The hay may be donated to the owner or operator of a farm or ranch that is located in: (1) the state in which the hay is harvested, and (2) a county that is either experiencing a drought with a specified intensity or with respect to which the President has issued a declaration under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act that a major disaster exists due to a fire.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3610 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 3610

 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to permit the donation of hay 
 harvested under the conservation reserve program to certain disaster 
                     areas, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 28, 2017

  Mrs. Noem introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
                        Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the Food Security Act of 1985 to permit the donation of hay 
 harvested under the conservation reserve program to certain disaster 
                     areas, and for other purposes.

    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 ``Donations in Rough Years (DRY) 
Act''.

SEC. 2. DONATION OF HAY TO CERTAIN AREAS.

    Section 1233 of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3833) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(e) Donation of Hay to Certain Areas.--The Secretary shall permit 
the donation of hay harvested in the course of an activity authorized 
under, and conducted in accordance with the requirements of, this 
section, to the owner or operator of a farm or ranch that is located 
in--
            ``(1) the State in which the hay was harvested; and
            ``(2) a county--
                    ``(A) that, as determined by the United States 
                Drought Monitor, is experiencing a drought--
                            ``(i) of an intensity classified as D2 that 
                        has existed for a period of 8 weeks or more; or
                            ``(ii) of an intensity classified as D3 or 
                        higher; or
                    ``(B) with respect to which the President has 
                issued a declaration under the Robert T. Stafford 
                Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act that a 
                major disaster exists due to a fire.''.
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