Title: RELIEF for Producers Act of 2020
Policy area: Agriculture and Food

Summary:
Responding to Epidemic Losses and Investing in the Economic Future for Producers Act of 2020 or the RELIEF for Producers Act of 2020
This bill establishes requirements and provides funding for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to make payments to livestock and poultry producers to offset losses related to the intentional depopulation of livestock and poultry due to insufficient access to meat or poultry processing during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The bill also provides additional funding to USDA for animal disease prevention and management programs.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4156 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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116th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4156

To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide relief from hardship 
 due to the COVID-19 pandemic to agricultural producers, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              July 2, 2020

 Mr. Inhofe (for himself, Ms. Ernst, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Tillis, and Mr. 
Burr) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 
        to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide relief from hardship 
 due to the COVID-19 pandemic to agricultural producers, 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 ``Responding to Epidemic Losses and 
Investing in the Economic Future for Producers Act of 2020'' or the 
``RELIEF for Producers Act of 2020''.

SEC. 2. EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE FOR LIVESTOCK AND POULTRY LOSSES.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered livestock or poultry.--The term ``covered 
        livestock or poultry'' means livestock or poultry that is--
                    (A) used only for breeding purposes;
                    (B) fattening; or
                    (C) market-ready.
            (2) Covered producer.--The term ``covered producer'' means 
        a person or legal entity that assumes the production and market 
        risks associated with the agricultural production of livestock 
        and poultry (as those terms are defined in section 2(a) of the 
        Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 182)).
            (3) COVID-19 public health emergency.--The term ``COVID-19 
        public health emergency'' means the public health emergency 
        declared by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 
        section 319 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 247d) 
        on January 31, 2020, with respect to COVID-19.
            (4) Intentional depopulation.--The term ``intentional 
        depopulation'' means--
                    (A) the destruction of covered livestock or 
                poultry; and
                    (B) the transfer of covered livestock or poultry 
                without compensation to a noncommercial interest.
            (5) Live poultry dealer.--The term ``live poultry dealer'' 
        has the meaning given the term in section 2(a) of the Packers 
        and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 U.S.C. 182(a)).
            (6) Packer.--The term ``packer'' has the meaning given the 
        term in section 201 of the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 (7 
        U.S.C. 191).
            (7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    (b) Payments for Covered Producers.--The Secretary shall make 
payments to covered producers to offset the actual loss of income 
related to the intentional depopulation of covered livestock and 
poultry due to insufficient regional access to meat or poultry 
processing related to the COVID-19 public health emergency, as 
determined by the Secretary.
    (c) Payment Rate for Covered Producers.--
            (1) Payments for first 30-day period.--For a period of 30 
        days beginning, with respect to a covered producer, on the 
        initial date of the intentional depopulation described in 
        subsection (b) of the covered livestock or poultry of the 
        covered producer, the Secretary shall reimburse the covered 
        producer for 85 percent of the value of actual losses as 
        determined under subsection (d).
            (2) Subsequent 30-day periods.--For each 30-day period 
        subsequent to the 30-day period described in paragraph (1), the 
        Secretary shall reduce the value of the actual losses 
        determined under subsection (d) with respect to a covered 
        producer by 10 percent.
            (3) Maximum aggregate payment.--In no case shall the amount 
        of payments received by a producer under this section exceed 
        100 percent of the actual loss of that producer.
    (d) Valuation.--
            (1) In general.--In calculating the amount of actual losses 
        for purposes of the payment rates under subsection (c), the 
        Secretary shall use the average fair market value, as 
        determined by the Secretary in collaboration with the Chief 
        Economist of the Department of Agriculture and the 
        Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service, for 
        covered livestock or poultry, as applicable, during the period 
        beginning March 1, 2020, and ending on the date of enactment of 
        this section.
            (2) Limitation.--In no case shall a payment made under 
        subsection (b) exceed the average market value of covered 
        livestock or poultry on the date of the depopulation described 
        in that subsection.
    (e) Excluded Animals.--The Secretary may not make payments under 
this section for actual losses associated with livestock owned by a 
packer or poultry owned by a live poultry dealer.
    (f) Funding.--There are appropriated, out of any amounts in the 
Treasury not otherwise appropriated, such sums as are necessary to 
carry out this section.

SEC. 3. ANIMAL DISEASE PREVENTION AND PREPAREDNESS.

    (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to offset the impact 
of the COVID-19 public health emergency (as defined in section 2(a)) by 
supporting prevention and preparedness activities conducted pursuant to 
section 10409A of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a).
    (b) Appropriations.--Out of any amounts in the Treasury not 
otherwise appropriated, there is appropriated to carry out section 
10409A of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 8308a) 
$300,000,000, to remain available until expended.
    (c) Effect.--Nothing in this section supersedes existing activities 
carried out under section 10409A of the Animal Health Protection Act (7 
U.S.C. 8308a).

SEC. 4. EMERGENCY AUTHORITY FOR THE COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION.

    Section 5 of the Commodity Credit Corporation Charter Act (15 
U.S.C. 714c) is amended--
            (1) by redesignating subsection (h) as subsection (j); and
            (2) by inserting after subsection (g) the following:
    ``(h) Remove and dispose of, or aid in the removal or disposition 
of, surplus livestock and poultry due to significant supply chain 
interruption during an emergency period.
    ``(i) Aid agricultural processing plants to ensure supply chain 
continuity during an emergency period.''.
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