Food Security and Agricultural Development Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-2844
Sponsor: Rep. Lantos, Tom [D-CA-12]
Introduced: 2007-06-25 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Agricultural assistance
Agricultural subsidies
Agriculture in foreign trade
Authorization
Child nutrition
Congressional reporting requirements
Department of Agriculture
Developing countries
Economic assistance
Economics and Public Finance
Education
Emergency Management
Export finance
Families
Famines
Federal aid to education
Federally-guaranteed loans
Food relief
Food safety
Foreign Trade and International Finance
Foreign trade promotion
Government Operations and Politics
Government internships
Government procurement
Government trust funds
Higher education
Hispanic Americans
Hunger
International Affairs
International agencies
Minorities
Nontariff trade barriers
Organic farming

Summary:
action_date: 2007-06-25
text: 
Food Security and Agricultural Development Act of 2007 - Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to increase funds available to eligible organizations for agricultural commodity distribution.
 
Extends: (1) minimum assistance and minimum non-emergency assistance authority; (2) the John Ognowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program; (3) the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, and (4) the George McGovern-Robert Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
 
Provides for program oversight, monitoring, and evaluation.
 
Authorizes the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to make contributions to the World Food Program for indirect support costs. 
 
Extends authorization of appropriations for: (1) assistance for stockpiling and rapid transportation, delivery, and distribution of shelf-stable prepackaged foods; and (2) prepositioning of agricultural commodities. 
 
Extends authorization of appropriations to finance sales or provide assistance under this Act.
 
Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to extend authorization of appropriations for: (1) the export credit guarantee program; (2) the market access program; (3) the export enhancement program; and (4) the foreign market development cooperator program. 
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance to address international sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to U.S. agricultural commodities, including poultry, meat, and specialty crops.
 
Amends the Food, Agricultural, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to extend the emerging markets program.
 
Amends the Food for Progress Act of 1985 to extend the food for progress program.
 
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend authorization of appropriations for specialty crop export assistance.
 
Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) enhance U.S. support for specified international organizations that establish international standards regarding food, food safety, plants, and animals by funding additional positions to address U.S. sanitary and phytosanitary priorities within such organizations; and (2) provide technical assistance to limited resource agriculture persons and organizations to address unfair trade practices, property right violations, and to reduce trade barriers. 
 
Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should provide significant U.S. financial resources to the Global Crop Diversity Trust to ensure the conservation of crop diversity which can yield significant benefits to U.S. farmers.

action_date: 2007-07-23
text: 
Food Security and Agricultural Development Act of 2007 - 
Title I: United States Emergency and Non-Emergency Food and Other Assistance Programs - Subtitle A: Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 - 
(Sec. 103) Amends the Agricultural Trade Development and Assistance Act of 1954 to increase funds available to eligible organizations for agricultural commodity distribution.
 
(Sec. 105) Extends minimum assistance and minimum non-emergency assistance authority through FY2012.
 
(Sec. 106) Expresses the sense of Congress that the Food Aid Consultative Group should develop a strategy to achieve a more integrated and effective food assistance program.
 
Extends authority for the Group through December 31, 2012.
 
Directs the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to report annually to the appropriate congressional committees respecting United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Department of Agriculture efforts to develop a strategy to achieve an integrated and effective food assistance program.
 
(Sec. 107) Directs the Administrator to: (1) improve the monitoring of emergency and development food assistance effectiveness under title II of such Act; and (2) report to the appropriate congressional committees respecting such actions.
 
Authorizes the Administrator to make contributions to the World Food Program for indirect support costs that are in accordance with the World Food Program's rules and regulations for indirect cost rates. Directs the Administrator, before making a contribution, to report to the appropriate committees respecting such proposed contribution level.
 
(Sec. 108) Authorizes appropriations through FY2012 for stockpiling and rapid transportation, delivery, and distribution of shelf-stable prepackaged foods.
 
(Sec. 109) Extends authority to use funds through FY2012 to preposition agricultural commodities in foreign countries. Removes the $2 million limitation on funds that can be used for prepositioning. Authorizes creation of additional prepositioning sites. Revises annual reporting provisions.
 
Authorizes appropriations through FY2012 for prepositioning activities.
 
(Sec. 110) Extends authority to finance sales or provide assistance under this Act through December 31, 2012.
 
(Sec. 111) Extends authorization of appropriations through FY2012 for: (1) the concessional credit sales program under title I of such Act; (2) the emergency and non-emergency food assistance programs under title II of such Act; and (3) the government-to-government grant program for supporting economic development needs of least developed countries under title III of such Act.
 
Obligates funds for each of FY2008-FY2012 for non-emergency food assistance.
 
Authorizes FY2008-FY2012 appropriations for Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) reimbursement.
 
(Sec. 112) Provides for the coordination and integration of title III assistance with other U.S. development assistance for a country. 
 
(Sec. 113) Extends micronutrient fortification program authority through September 30, 2012.
 
(Sec. 114) Extends authorization of appropriations, and minimum funding requirements, through FY2012 for the John Ognowski and Doug Bereuter Farmer-to-Farmer Program.
 

Subtitle B: Related Statutes and Other Provisions 
- (Sec. 121) Extends authority for the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust through September 30, 2012. Increases the amount of reimbursed funds that can be held in the Trust to $60 million per fiscal year.
 
(Sec. 122) Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to authorize appropriations through FY2012 for the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program.
 
Authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture, rather than the President, to carry out the Program.
 
(Sec. 123) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President, through USAID, should exercise specified authority to purchase and distribute to a recipient country agricultural commodities produced in such country, or in developing countries in the region of the recipient country, for famine prevention and relief.
 
Obligates FY2008-FY2012 funds for famine prevention and relief.
 
(Sec. 124) Directs the Administrator and the Secretary to report to the appropriate congressional committees respecting efforts taken to improve planning for food and transportation procurement, including efforts to eliminate bunching of food purchases. 
 

Title II: United States Agricultural Export Programs - 
(Sec. 201) Amends the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978 to eliminate the supplier credit guarantee program and the intermediate export credit guarantee program.
 
Extends funding through FY2012 for: (1) processed and high-value products; and (2) export credit guarantee programs.
 
(Sec. 202) Extends additional funding through FY2012 for the market access program. Includes organic products in the program. 
 
(Sec. 203) Extends funding through FY2012 for the export enhancement program.
 
(Sec. 204) Authorizes the Secretary to enter into contracts with technical experts and scientists or provide grants to appropriate entities to address sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers to U.S. agricultural exports (including meat, poultry, and specialty crops). Provides FY2008-FY2012 funding.
 
(Sec. 205) Extends funding through FY2012 for the foreign market development cooperator program.
 
(Sec. 206) Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 to extend through FY2012: (1) the E (Kika) de la Garza Agricultural Fellowship Program; and (2) funding for promotion of agricultural exports to emerging markets.
 
Revises the facility guarantee loan program to: (1) authorize the Secretary to require an initial down payment by the recipient; (2) limit CCC liability to 98% of principle and interest; and (3) provide that the guarantee term shall be the lesser of the depreciation term or a maximum period determined by the Secretary. 
 
(Sec. 207) Amends the Food for Progress Act of 1985 to extend the food for progress program through December 31, 2012 (extends funding through FY2012). Increases minimum program tonnage to 500,000 metric tons per fiscal year.
 

Title III: Miscellaneous Provisions 
- (Sec. 301) Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend funding for technical assistance specialty crop exports through FY2015. Establishes a $500,000 project assistance cap. Authorizes project extensions.
 
(Sec. 302) Authorizes the Secretary to enhance U.S. support for specified international organizations that establish international standards regarding food, food safety, plants, and animals to address U.S. sanitary and phytosanitary priorities within the applicable organizations.
 
(Sec. 303) Authorizes the Secretary to provide monitoring and other technical assistance to limited-resource persons and organizations associated with agricultural trade to address unfair foreign trade practices (including intellectual property right violations) and to reduce trade barriers. 
 
Authorizes FY2008-FY2012 appropriations.
 
(Sec. 304) Expresses the sense of Congress that the President should provide significant U.S. financial resources to the Global Crop Diversity Trust to ensure conservation of crop diversity which can yield significant benefits to U.S. farmers. 
 
(Sec. 306) States that nothing in this Act shall be construed to supersede the provisions of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. 


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2007-07-23
text: Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 165.
action_date: 2007-07-23
text: Committee on Agriculture discharged.
action_date: 2007-07-23
text: Committee on Agriculture discharged.
action_date: 2007-07-23
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Rept. 110-257, Part I.
action_date: 2007-07-23
text: Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. H. Rept. 110-257, Part I.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 38 - 9.
action_date: 2007-06-26
text: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
action_date: 2007-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-25
text: Referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on Agriculture, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-25
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-06-25
text: Introduced in House