zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to revise crop insurance provisions regarding approval of advance payments for a portion of specialty crop research and development costs.

Date: 2011-11-18
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include facilities that convert renewable biomass into renewable chemicals in the definitions of "biomass conversion facility" and "biorefinery." Defines "renewable chemical" as a monomer, polymer, plastic, or formulated product produced from renewable biomass. Amends the biobased markets program to: (1) require federal procuring agencies to issue a certain number of biobased-only contracts; and (2) require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to designate intermediate ingredients or feedstocks and assembled and finished biobased products in the program guidelines; (3) require the Secretary to issue criteria for determining which assembled and finished products may carry the USDA Certified Biobased Product label; (4) require the Secretary to assess the economic impact of the biobased products industry; (5) authorize the Secretary to carry out outreach, education, and promotion activities; and (6) authorize the Secretary to perform audits. Makes renewable chemicals and biobased product manufacturing eligible for grant and loan guarantee assistance. Eliminates feedstocks research, development, and demonstration activities from the Biomass Research and Development Initiative.

Date: 2012-03-05
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Rural Energy Savings Program Act - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), through the Rural Utilities Service, to make interest-free loans to eligible entities (public power districts, public utility districts, or specified electric cooperatives that borrowed and repaid, prepaid, or are paying an electric loan made or guaranteed by the Rural Utilities Service) for loans to consumers to implement energy efficient measures. Provides a special advance for start-up activities. Authorizes the Secretary to contract with a qualified entity to provide verification and measurement activities and employee technical assistance and training. Directs the Secretary to offer to enter into agreements with eligible entities, or groups of eligible entities, that have specified energy efficiency programs to establish energy efficiency loan demonstration projects.

Date: 2012-03-21
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Broadband Connections for Rural Opportunities Program Act of 2012 or the B-CROP Act of 2012 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to: (1) award grants to eligible entities for the deployment, identification, or adoption of broadband services within eligible rural communities; and (2) reduce the paperwork required of rural broadband program applicants. Authorizes the Secretary to use specified funds for a national competition to create an Internet-accessible rural broadband clearinghouse.

Date: 2012-03-29
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Supplemental Agricultural Disaster Assistance Extension Act of 2012 - Extends through FY2012: (1) the supplemental agricultural disaster assistance program; (2) the supplemental revenue assistance payments (SURE) program; (3) the livestock indemnity program; (4) the livestock forage disaster program; (5) the emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish; (6) the tree assistance program; and (7) the Agricultural Disaster Relief Trust Fund.

Date: 2012-07-12
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Wildfire and Drought Relief for Ranchers and Farmers Act of 2012 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use Commodity Credit Corporation funds in FY2012 for the following supplemental agricultural disaster programs: (1) the livestock indemnity program; (2) the livestock forage disaster program; (3) the emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish program; and (4) the tree assistance program.

Date: 2012-07-17
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Kosher and Halal Food Act of 2012 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to provide for the increased purchase of Kosher and Halal food and to modify the labeling of the commodities list under the emergency food assistance program to enable Kosher and Halal food bank operators to identify which commodities to obtain from local food banks.

Date: 2012-11-15
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Protect our Prairies Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce crop insurance assistance and noninsured crop disaster assistance for crops grown on native sod acreage converted to cropland for the first four years.

Date: 2013-02-14
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Sugar Reform Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to make loans available to processors of domestically grown sugarcane (18 cents per pound) and sugar beet processors through FY2017.

Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to make specified sugarcane and sugar beet quantity estimates through crop year 2017.

Requires that sugar allotments be appropriate to maintain adequate supplies at reasonable prices, taking into account all domestic supply sources, including imports.

Authorizes the Secretary to suspend or modify marketing allotments, taking into account: (1) the interests of consumers, food industry workers, businesses, and agricultural producers; and (2) the competitiveness of domestically produced and imported foods containing sugar.

Revises sugar tariff-rate quota adjustment provisions to direct the Secretary to: (1) adjust tariff-rates to provide adequate domestic sugar supplies at reasonable prices, (2) establish and adjust tariff-rate quotas so that the ratio of sugar stocks to total sugar use at the end of the quota year will be approximately 15.5%, and (3) promulgate regulations that permit any country that has been allocated a quota share to temporarily transfer all or part of the share to any other country that has also been allocated a quota share.

Extends flexible marketing sugar allotment authority through crop year 2017.

Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to repeal the feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers.

Date: 2013-02-14
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Crop Insurance Subsidy Reduction Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce crop insurance premium subsidy rates.

Date: 2013-03-04
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Creating Reliability for Our Producers Act or CROP Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to revise crop insurance provisions regarding approval of advance payments for a portion of specialty crop research and development costs.

Date: 2013-03-19
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Agricultural Credit Expansion Act - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to expand eligibility for Farm Service Agency operating loans, farm ownership loans, conservation loans, and emergency loans.

Deems specified embedded entities (an entity owned wholly or in part by another entity) eligible for farm ownership and operating loans.

Deems specified operating-only entities eligible for farm ownership loans.

Deems an entity that is an owner-operator or operator to meet the direct ownership loan requirement if it is owned in whole or in part by other entities and each individual that is an owner of the family farm involved has an ownership interest in each of the other entities.

Date: 2013-03-20
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Flexibility to Farm Act - Permits the chief executive of a state to exempt farmers in the state from a requirement of a covered federal environmental law by determining that such requirement is unduly burdensome.

Requires the chief executive to solicit and accept public comments for at least 90 days before finalizing any such determination.

Defines "covered federal environmental law" to mean the Clean Air Act insofar as it applies to emissions of air pollutants other than those resulting from the combustion of fossil fuel and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (commonly known as the Clean Water Act).

Date: 2013-03-20
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Environmental protection
Containing Risk, Offering Protection Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide insurance coverage for losses to an insured commodity destroyed or otherwise unable to be marketed or utilized for its intended purpose as a result of a federally-imposed quarantine.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
California Federal Milk Marketing Order Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), upon the petition and approval of California dairy producers, to designate California as a separate federal milk marketing order.

Provides that if so designated, the order covering California shall have the right to reblend and distribute order receipts to recognize quota value.

Date: 2013-03-21
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Makes livestock indemnity payments (at 65% of an animal's market value) through FY2013 to eligible producers on farms that have incurred excess livestock death losses due to: (1) attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves; or (2) adverse weather, including hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold.

Establishes a livestock forage disaster program to provide one source for livestock forage disaster assistance for weather-related forage losses by combining: (1) the livestock forage assistance functions of the non insured crop disaster assistance program and the emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish program; and (2) the livestock forage disaster program.

Provides assistance through FY2013 for forage losses: (1) due to drought on land that is native or improved pasture land with permanent vegetative cover or is planted to a crop planted specifically for the purpose of providing grazing for covered livestock; (2) on federally-managed rangeland due to a fire; and (3) due to weather-related conditions other than drought or fire on land that is native or improved pasture land with permanent vegetative cover, or is planted to a crop planted specifically for the purpose of providing grazing for covered livestock.

Provides funds through FY2013 for: (1) emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires; and (2) assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that planted trees for commercial purposes but lost the trees as a result of a natural disaster, and to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that have a production history for commercial purposes on planted or existing trees but lost the trees as a result of a natural disaster (requires tree mortality to exceed 15%).

Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to provide coverages based on individual yields (other than for value-loss crops) under the non insured crop disaster assistance program equivalent to: (1) catastrophic risk protection, or (2) specified additional coverage.

Makes additional program coverage available at 50% to 65% of established yield and 100% of average market price. Reduces the premium for additional coverage by 50% for limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers.

Makes assistance available as soon as practicable to producers with 2012 losses of certain fruit crops in counties declared a disaster due to freeze or frost.

Date: 2013-04-10
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Small Farm Insurance Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide coverages for eligible crops based on individual yields (other than for value-loss crops) under the noninsured crop disaster assistance program equivalent to: (1) catastrophic risk protection, or (2) specified additional coverage.

Provides reduced premiums for limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged producers.

Date: 2013-04-16
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Crop Risk Options Plan Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to make available to crop producers additional coverage to cover part of a crop insurance policy deductible based upon: (1) an individual or area yield and loss basis, (2) an individual yield and loss basis supplemented with coverage based on an area yield and loss basis (supplemental coverage option), or (3) a margin basis alone or in combination with the coverages available in (1) or (2).

Triggers the supplemental coverage option only if area losses exceed 10% of normal levels. Provides for: (1) 60% premium coverage plus operating and administrative costs paid by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC), and (2) coverage to begin no later than crop year 2014.

Provides that in the case of the supplemental coverage option, FCIC shall offer producers the opportunity to purchase coverage that pays indemnities on a county-wide level or on a larger geographical area level in counties that lack sufficient data.

Directs FCIC, in developing yield guarantees, to use county data collected by the Risk Management Agency and/or the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Date: 2013-04-17
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Livestock Disaster Protection Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to make FY2012-FY2018 livestock indemnity payments (at 75% of market value) to eligible producers on farms that have incurred livestock death losses in excess of the normal mortality due to: (1) attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves and avian predators; or (2) adverse weather, including losses due to hurricanes, floods, blizzards, extreme heat, disease, or wildfires.

Provides FY2012-FY2018 compensation for losses to eligible livestock producers for livestock grazing losses due to specified drought or fire circumstances. Excludes from coverage grazing losses on conservation reserve program land used for haying or grazing.

Provides FY2012-FY2018 emergency relief to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees, and farm-raised fish to reduce losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires.

Date: 2013-04-17
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Farming Flexibility Act of 2013 - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to consider mung beans and pulse crops as covered commodities whose planting on base acres is prohibited unless the commodity, if planted, is destroyed before harvest.

Provides that: (1) as of crop year 2014 producers on a farm may reduce the base acres for any covered commodity for a crop year by one acre for each acre used for the production of fruits or vegetables (other than potatoes) for processing; (2) such acres devoted to fruits or vegetables shall be included in base acres for the covered commodity for the subsequent crop year unless the producers on the farm make the election to produce fruits and vegetables for the subsequent crop year; and (3) if a farm's base acres are recalculated the production of fruits or vegetables shall be considered to be the same as the planting, prevented planting, or production of a covered commodity.

Date: 2013-04-17
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Farm Risk Abatement and Mitigation Election Act of 2013 or the FRAME Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish tax-exempt farm risk management accounts (FRAME Accounts) and allow taxpayers actively engaged in the business of farming or ranching to use distributions from such accounts to protect the solvency of the farm to which the FRAME Account relates and to procure revenue or crop insurance; (2) allow a deduction from gross income for cash contributions to such accounts; (3) specify minimum levels of contributions to, and maximum levels of distributions from, such accounts; (4) set forth tax rules relating to account distributions, excess contributions, and prohibited transactions; and (5) allow a variable business-related tax credit for contributions made to a FRAME Account in the first nine years after such Account is established.

Date: 2013-04-18
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to prohibit the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) from paying more than 70% of the premium for any coverage, policy, or plan of insurance.

Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to end agricultural direct payments. (Continues such payments through crop year 2013 for covered commodities and peanuts.)

Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) from making payments, either directly or through the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC), to the Brazilian Cotton Institute.

Date: 2013-04-18
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Great Lakes Assurance Program Verification Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), in consultation with the Great Lakes States, to establish a Great Lakes basin initiative for agricultural non-point source pollution prevention.

Gives funding priority to producers that participate in a state verification program.

Defines "Great Lakes State" as Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin.

Date: 2013-04-18
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Local School Foods Act of 2013 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a pilot program under which the Secretary will give up to five participating states the option of receiving a grant in an amount equal to the value of the USDA-provided commodities that the participating state would otherwise receive for each of FY2014-FY2018.

States that a grant shall be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables for distribution to schools and service institutions that participate in the food service programs under the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.

Date: 2013-04-24
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Education
Beginning Farmer and Rancher Opportunity Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend: (1) the conservation reserve and related programs, and (2) assistance to disadvantaged or beginning farmers or ranchers for access to the environmental quality incentives and the conservation stewardship programs.

Permits conservation reserve contract modification to facilitate transfers from retiring owners to limited resource farmers or ranchers.

Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to: (1) reduce the number of operating years required for a beginning farmer or rancher to qualify for a direct real estate loan; (2) extend conservation loan and loan guarantee authority, and reserve specified amounts for beginning farmers and ranchers; (3) extend the beginning farmer and rancher individual development accounts pilot program; (4) authorize micro loans for beginning farmers or ranchers; and (5) make the direct operating loan set-aside for beginning farmers and ranchers permanent.

Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to extend the value-added agricultural product market development grant program.

Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to extend the beginning farmer and rancher development program. Provides assistance for agricultural rehabilitation and vocational training for veterans.

Amends the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act to extend the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative. Provides priority assistance for new farming opportunities, including young, beginning, socially disadvantaged, and immigrant issues, as well as farm entry, transition, and transfer issues.

Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to provide for risk management programs targeted at beginning, socially disadvantaged, transitioning, or legal immigrant farmers and ranchers.

Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) the position of Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison.

Date: 2013-04-25
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Dairy Freedom Act - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a dairy producer margin insurance program to protect dairy producer income by paying participating dairy producers margin insurance payments when actual dairy producer margins are less than such payments' threshold levels.

Makes the program available to all U.S. dairy producers.

Sets forth program provisions.

Repeals: (1) the dairy product price support program, (2) the milk income loss contract program, and (3) the dairy export incentive program.

Date: 2013-04-25
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Creating Crop Insurance Certainty for Farmers Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to provide specified advanced public notice and a period for public comment before any modification to the terms or conditions of a crop insurance policy or plan may be made.

Authorizes the Secretary to waive such provision in an emergency situation.

Date: 2013-04-26
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Kosher and Halal Food Act of 2013 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to: (1) provide for the increased purchase of Kosher and Halal food if such food is cost neutral as compared to food that is not from food manufacturers with a Kosher or Halal certification, and (2) modify the labeling of the commodities list under the emergency food assistance program to enable Kosher and Halal food bank operators to identify which commodities to obtain from local food banks.

Date: 2013-04-26
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Farm Program Integrity Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to establish a per farm cap of $50,000 on commodity program benefits and $75,000 on marketing loan program benefits ($125,000 total). Increases such limit to $250,000 for married couples.

Revises the limitation of benefits eligibility to active producers to include farm managers.

Establishes criteria for determining whether a person acting as a farm manager is actively engaged in farming for such purposes. (Permits only one such eligibility per farm operation.)

Date: 2013-05-09
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Assisting Family Farmers through Insurance Reform Measures Act or AFFIRM Act - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to prohibit the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC) from paying a part of the crop insurance premium for additional coverage for any person or legal entity that has an average adjusted gross income in excess of $250,000.

Caps: (1) the rate of return for all crop insurance providers combined for the 2013 and subsequent reinsurance years at 12% of retained premium, and (2) total reimbursements for administrative and operating costs for the 2013 insurance year for all types of policies and plans of insurance at $900 million.

Requires that any renegotiated Standard Reinsurance Agreement, when compared to the immediately preceding Agreement, shall reduce FCIC obligations.

Requires annual disclosure to the public of specified crop insurance premium subsidy information.

Date: 2013-05-15
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to eliminate the 15-year limitation on the period for which borrowers of agricultural operating loans are eligible for guaranteed assistance.

Date: 2013-05-15
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Crop Insurance Subsidy Transparency Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to require annual disclosure to the public of specified crop insurance premium subsidy information.

Date: 2013-05-22
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Preserving Healthy Food for the Hungry Act - Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act of 2000 to provide agricultural product market development grants to assist persons in preserving the quality and shelf-life of fruit and vegetable crops produced by such persons on qualified land through the use of mobile and fixed flash freezing and quick freezing units.

Date: 2013-05-23
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Crop Insurance Accountability Act of 2013 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make a producer violating certain conservation requirements under the highly erodible land or wetland programs ineligible for insurance premiums paid by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC).

 Gives producers under the highly erodible land program who are: (1) affected by this change for the first time five reinsurance years to develop and comply with an approved conservation plan, and (2) in violation two reinsurance years to develop and comply with an approved conservation plan.

Gives producers under the wetland conservation program who are: (1) affected by this change for the first time two reinsurance years to remedy a violation, and (2) in violation one reinsurance year to initiate an approved conservation plan.

Requires producers to file a conservation plan with the Department of Agriculture (USDA) in order to receive federal subsidies for their crop insurance premiums.

Provides for: (1) all appeal processes to be exhausted before producers are found to be out of compliance, and (2) a one-year good faith compliance extension.

Date: 2013-06-05
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Capital Gains Easement Act of 2013 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exclude from gross income, for income tax purposes, any gain from the sale or grant of a qualified real property interest to a tax-exempt organization made exclusively for conservation purposes. Defines "qualified real property interest" as any interest in real property which is: (1) the entire interest of the taxpayer, (2) a remainder interest, or (3) a restriction (granted in perpetuity) on the use which may be made of the real property. Exempts such a sale or grant of a qualified real property interest from the application of estate tax property valuation rules.

Date: 2013-07-17
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Taxation
Local Food for Healthy Families Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the local food for healthy families program to make grants to specified entities to provide low-income families receiving supplemental nutrition assistance program benefits (SNAP, formerly known as the food stamp program) with incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables.

Date: 2013-09-09
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Timber Revitalization and Economic Enhancement Act of 2014 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the reduced tax rate on the net timber gains of corporations, to: (1) adjust the formula for calculating such rate, and (2) make such reduced rate permanent.

Date: 2014-05-13
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Taxation
Farm Protection Act of 2014 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 2014 to require the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to extend: (1) the term and any due date of a marketing assistance loan, and (2) the due date for repayment of farm ownership, operating, or emergency loans. Requires the extensions in cases where a farmer has sold, transferred, or delivered the commodity subject to the loan to a purchaser who has filed for bankruptcy prior to payment. Provides that the extensions shall last until after the bankruptcy case is closed or dismissed. Suspends the accrual of interest on the loans during the extension period.

Date: 2014-09-18
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
(This measure has not been amended since it was introduced. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Amends the United States Cotton Futures Act to exclude cotton future contracts involving cotton that is grown outside of the United States and tendered for delivery from coverage under the Act, including the requirement that the cotton be classified by the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Date: 2014-12-08
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Makes livestock indemnity payments (at 65% of an animal's market value) through FY2013 to eligible producers on farms that have incurred excess livestock death losses due to: (1) attacks by animals reintroduced into the wild by the federal government or protected by federal law, including wolves; or (2) adverse weather, including hurricanes, floods, blizzards, disease, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme cold.

Establishes a livestock forage disaster program to provide one source for livestock forage disaster assistance for weather-related forage losses by combining: (1) the livestock forage assistance functions of the non insured crop disaster assistance program and the emergency assistance for livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish program; and (2) the livestock forage disaster program.

Provides assistance through FY2013 for forage losses: (1) due to drought on land that is native or improved pasture land with permanent vegetative cover or is planted to a crop planted specifically for the purpose of providing grazing for covered livestock; (2) on federally-managed rangeland due to a fire; and (3) due to weather-related conditions other than drought or fire on land that is native or improved pasture land with permanent vegetative cover, or is planted to a crop planted specifically for the purpose of providing grazing for covered livestock.

Provides funds through FY2013 for: (1) emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honey bees, and farm-raised fish to aid in the reduction of losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires; and (2) assistance to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that planted trees for commercial purposes but lost the trees as a result of a natural disaster, and to eligible orchardists and nursery tree growers that have a production history for commercial purposes on planted or existing trees but lost the trees as a result of a natural disaster (requires tree mortality to exceed 15%).

Amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to provide coverages based on individual yields (other than for value-loss crops) under the non insured crop disaster assistance program equivalent to: (1) catastrophic risk protection, or (2) specified additional coverage.

Makes additional program coverage available at 50% to 65% of established yield and 100% of average market price. Reduces the premium for additional coverage by 50% for limited resource, beginning, and socially disadvantaged farmers.

Makes assistance available as soon as practicable to producers with 2012 losses of certain fruit crops in counties declared a disaster due to freeze or frost.

Date: 2013-01-24
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to end agricultural direct payments beginning with the 2013 crop year.

Date: 2013-02-14
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Crop Insurance Subsidy Reduction Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce crop insurance premium subsidy rates.

Date: 2013-03-05
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Forest Products Fairness Act of 2013 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to include in the definition of "biobased product" forest products that meet biobased content requirements, notwithstanding the market share the product holds, the product's age, or whether the market for the product is new or emerging.

Defines "forest product" as a product made from materials derived from the practice of forestry or the management of growing timber, including: (1) pulp, paper, paperboard, pellets, and wood products; and (2) any recycled products derived from forest materials.

Date: 2013-03-05
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Dairy Augmentation for Increased Retail in Yogurt products (DAIRY) Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) establish tax-exempt dairy farm savings accounts to allow taxpayers engaged in the trade or business of dairy farming to use distributions from such accounts to pay business expenses; (2) allow a deduction from gross income for cash contributions to such accounts; and (3) set forth tax rules relating to, and penalties for, account distributions, excess contributions, and prohibited transactions.

Date: 2013-03-07
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Taxation
Dairy Income Fairness Act of 2013 - Establishes a dairy production margin protection program under which participating dairy operations are paid: (1) basic production margin protection program payments when production margins are less than threshold levels, and (2) supplemental production margin protection program payments if purchased by a participating dairy operation.

Provides for a transition period under which the dairy production margin protection program and the milk income loss program shall both be in existence and producers may participate in either program.

Establishes a dairy market stabilization program to assist in balancing the supply of milk with demand when participating dairy operations are experiencing low or negative operating margins.

Terminates the production margin protection and stabilization programs on December 31, 2017.

Repeals: (1) the dairy products price support program, (2) the milk income loss contract program, and (3) the dairy export incentive program.

Extends: (1) the dairy indemnity program, (2) the dairy forward pricing program, and (3) the dairy promotion and research program.

Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use a pre-hearing public information session to determine whether to conduct a formal hearing to consider alternative formulas for Class III milk product pricing.

Directs the Secretary to conduct hearings to: (1) analyze the implications of transitioning from a four-class system for milk products to a two-class system, (2) explore methods to improve signals for price discovery to allow dairy producers to better use risk management tools, and (3) assess whether a two-class competitive pay pricing system for milk products would be more or less transparent than the existing system.

Date: 2013-03-19
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
California Milk Marketing Order Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA), upon the petition and approval of California dairy producers, to designate California as a separate federal milk marketing order.

Provides that if so designated, the order covering California shall have the right to reblend and distribute order receipts to recognize quota value.

Date: 2013-03-22
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Dairy Pricing Reform Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to use a pre-hearing public information session to determine whether to conduct a formal hearing to consider alternative formulas for Class III milk product pricing.

Directs the Secretary to conduct hearings to: (1) analyze the implications of transitioning from a four-class system for milk products to a two-class system, (2) explore methods to improve signals for price discovery to allow dairy producers to better use risk management tools, and (3) assess whether a two-class competitive pay pricing system for milk products would be more or less transparent than the existing system.

Date: 2013-04-09
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Growing Opportunities for Agriculture and Responding to Markets Act of 2013 - Amends the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a local farm business and market garden loan program to make available to eligible lending entities loans to develop revolving loan funds to assist: (1) producers in establishing local farm business projects or market garden projects that will produce fresh foods locally, and (2) local farm business projects and market garden projects to create local employment opportunities.

Sets forth program provisions.

Date: 2013-04-09
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Agricultural Opportunities for Military Veterans Act - Amends the Agricultural Risk Protection Act regarding the value-added agricultural product market development grants program to: (1) include farmers and ranchers who are veterans among priority recipients, and (2) authorize program appropriations through FY2017.

Amends the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 regarding the outreach and assistance to socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers program to: (1) include farmers and ranchers who are veterans, and (2) extend mandatory funding and authorization of appropriations through FY2017.

Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 regarding the beginning farmer and rancher development program to: (1) provide set-asides for beginning farmers and ranchers who are veterans, and (2) extend mandatory funding and authorization of appropriations through FY2017.

Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish the position of Military Veterans Agricultural Liaison to: (1) provide returning veterans with information about beginning farmer training and agricultural vocational and rehabilitation programs; (2) provide veterans with information concerning the availability of, and eligibility requirements for, agricultural programs; and (3) advocate on behalf of veterans with USDA.

Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 regarding the conservation reserve transition incentive program to: (1) include farmers and ranchers who are veterans, and (2) authorize appropriations through FY2017.

Makes farmers and ranchers who are veterans eligible for increased payments under the environmental quality incentives program.

 Gives priority to beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers who are veterans for assistance set-asides under the environmental quality incentives program and the conservation stewardship program.

Date: 2013-04-23
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Prairie Protection Act of 2013 - Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to reduce crop insurance assistance and noninsured crop disaster assistance for crops grown on native sod acreage converted to cropland for the first four years.

Date: 2013-04-24
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Kosher and Halal Food Act of 2013 - Amends the Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to: (1) provide for the increased purchase of Kosher and Halal food if such food is cost neutral as compared to food that is not from food manufacturers with a Kosher or Halal certification, and (2) modify the labeling of the commodities list under the emergency food assistance program to enable Kosher and Halal food bank operators to identify which commodities to obtain from local food banks.

Date: 2013-04-25
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Healthy Food Financing Initiative - Amends the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 to establish in the Department of Agriculture (USDA) a Healthy Food Financing Initiative to provide assistance in order to: (1) improve access to healthy foods in underserved areas; (2) create and preserve quality jobs; and (3) revitalize low-income communities by providing loans and grants to eligible food retailers to overcome the higher costs and initial barriers to entry in underserved, urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Date: 2013-04-25
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Rural Energy Investment Act of 2013 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 regarding the biobased markets program to: (1) extend program funding through FY2018, (2) increase the number of categories of biobased products designated and individual biobased products eligible for preferred purchasing, and (3) provide for a program of biobased product education and promotion activities.

Amends the Rural Energy for America Program to: (1) extend Program funding through FY2018; (2) make nonprofit organizations eligible for assistance; (3) provide loan guarantees and grants to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for renewable energy system purchases, with a tiered loan and grant application process that reflects project cost; and (4) permit the combined amount of a grant and a loan guarantee to cover all eligible activity costs.

Extends funding through FY2018 for: (1) biorefinery assistance, (2) the biodiesel fuel education program, (3) biomass research and development, (4) the Rural Energy Self-Sufficiency Initiative, (5) the biomass crop assistance program, (6) the forest biomass for energy program, (7) the community wood energy program, and (8) the feedstock flexibility program for bioenergy producers.

Date: 2013-05-06
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Suspends specified agricultural price support authorities under: (1) the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 with regard to covered commodities, peanuts, sugar, and milk; (2) the Agricultural Act of 1949 with regard to covered commodities, peanuts, sugar, and milk; and (3) a certain quota resolution with regard to wheat.

Date: 2013-05-15
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Traditional Foods Nourishment Act of 2013 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to allow the donation to and serving of traditional food through a food service program at a public or nonprofit facility that primarily services Indians if the food service program operator takes specified measures to ensure the safe preparation, processing, and labeling of such food.

Includes wild game meat, fish, seafood, marine mammals, plants, and berries as traditional food.

States that the United States and an Indian tribe or tribal organization shall not be liable in any civil action for any damage, injury, or death caused to any person by the donation to or serving of traditional foods through a food service program.

Date: 2013-07-25
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Native Americans
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to limit the total amount of premium subsidy paid by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to a person or legal entity to $70,000 per crop year.

Date: 2014-04-02
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Amends the United States Cotton Futures Act to exclude cotton future contracts involving cotton that is grown outside of the United States and tendered for delivery from coverage under the Act, including the requirement that the cotton be classified by the Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Date: 2014-12-04
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Harvest Price Subsidy Reduction Act 

This bill amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to prohibit the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation from paying a premium subsidy for a crop insurance policy that is based on the actual market price of an agricultural commodity at the time of harvest.

Date: 2015-02-11
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Farmer Flexibility Act 

This bill extends the final planting date established by the Risk Management Agency for certain federal crop insurance policies covering grain sorghum. To account for extreme weather conditions, the final planting date for policies with an existing date of April 5, 2015, is extended to April 26, 2015.

Date: 2015-03-24
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Sugar Reform Act of 2015 

This bill revises the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sugar program to decrease price support levels and make other modifications.

The bill amends the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to decrease the rate for price support loans to processors of domestically grown sugarcane and sugar beets. The loan rate is the price level at which processors can take out loans.

The bill amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to require USDA to set the marketing allotments at a level appropriate to maintain adequate domestic supplies at reasonable prices. The allotments limit the amount of sugar that each processor may sell. The allotments may be suspended or modified based on: (1) the interests of consumers, workers, businesses, and agricultural producers; and (2) the relative competitiveness of domestically produced and imported foods containing sugar.

In setting import quotas necessary to comply with trade agreements, USDA must:

 set the quotas at no less than the minimum level necessary for compliance, adjust the quotas to provide adequate domestic supplies at reasonable prices, establish and adjust quotas so that the ratio of sugar stocks to total sugar use at the end of the year will be approximately 15.5% or the target necessary to prevent unreasonably high prices or forfeitures, and permit the temporary transfer of quotas between countries. The bill amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to repeal the Feedstock Flexibility Program for Bioenergy Producers, which requires USDA to purchase sugar from domestic processors and sell it to bioenergy producers for biofuel production.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the House on May 29. 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

Country of Origin Labeling Amendments Act of 2015

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946 to repeal country of origin labeling requirements for beef, pork, and chicken. Country of origin labeling requirements are administered by the Department of Agriculture and require a retailer to inform consumers of the country of origin of a covered commodity.

Date: 2015-05-18
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food
(This measure has not been amended since it was passed by the House on June 23, 2015. The summary of that version is repeated here.)

(Sec. 1) This bill amends the United States Cotton Futures Act to exclude cotton future contracts involving cotton that is grown outside of the United States and tendered for delivery from coverage under the Act, including the requirement that the cotton be classified by the Department of Agriculture.

Date: 2015-06-02
Topic: Agriculture (Subsidies to Farmers)
Subject: Agriculture and food