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Resolution· SRESS.Res. 512 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 21 October 1988
Expresses the sense of the Senate that: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture should continue to administer the Export Enhancement Program in order to maintain U.S. agricultural exports and encourage trade concessions by the European Community and other countries; and (2) commodities and/or funds should be made available in an amount sufficient to continue such program.
Bill· HRH.R. 5559 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 20 October 1988
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to permit a municipal corporation or utility to use eminent domain to acquire rural water or sewer associations under specified conditions.
Bill· SS. 2898 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 October 1988
Farm Conservation and Water Protection Act of 1988 - Title I: Low-Input Agriculture - Subtitle A: General Provisions - Sets forth the policy of the Congress and the United States regarding low-input agriculture. Defines low-input agriculture as agricultural production practices designed to improve farm profitability and minimize off-farm environmental and health risks by reducing the need for production inputs with known or potentially adverse impacts on human health and the environment. Subtitle B: Low-Input Program - Directs: (1) the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out a low-input farm program whereby producers are encouraged through low-interest loans, crop insurance premium reductions, and deficiency payment adjustments to use low-input farming methods. Directs the Soil Conservation Service (Service) to develop: (1) individual farm management plans; and (2) a technical guide for low-input agriculture. Subtitle C: Low-Input Transition Demonstration Program - Directs the Secretary to establish a low-input transition demonstration program to assist producers of the 1989 through 1992 crops in adopting such systems for their farms. Provides with regard to such program for: (1) five-year producer participation; (2) special low-interest transition loans to help defray participants' capital costs; (3) increased deficiency payments for participants; and (4) permitted adjustments in acreage limitation or set-asides for participants. Directs the Service to develop individual participant low-input transition plans. Title II: Conservation - Subtitle A: Wetland Restoration Program - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary to establish a wetland restoration program under which the Secretary may purchase permanent easements on eligible lands and place such lands in a wetland reserve. Sets forth program provisions. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle B: Amendments to Title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 and to the Water Bank Program - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend the conservation reserve program through crop year 1992 and increase program acreage. Requires at least one-half of program acreage for each of the 1989 through 1992 crop years to be devoted to trees. Authorizes contract modifications and additional compensation for program participants who agree to either permanent conservation easements or permanent retirement of cropland base and allotment history. Makes a person who produces agricultural commodities on a field that was cleared of trees ineligible for agricultural price supports and related benefits. Exempts: (1) land cleared prior to the enactment of this Act; (2) land with severely damaged tree cover; or (3) incremental clearing. Amends the Water Bank Act to provide for permanent easements under the water bank program. Subtitle C: Amendments to Agricultural Act of 1949 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to authorize payments to producers who devote wheat, feed, cotton, or rice conservation acreage to vegetative cover. Authorizes multiyear set-aside contracts under the production adjustment programs. Title III: Groundwater - Subtitle A: Contaminated Well Water - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to make a person who has a farm well or surface water contaminated by pesticides, or whose farm is in an area designated by the Secretary as a likely source of contamination, ineligible for agricultural price supports and related benefits. Exempts a person implementing a specified pesticide use plan. Requires a producer to permit well testing. Subtitle B: Sinkholes - Directs the Secretary to carry out through the 1990 crop year a sinkhole pilot program to retire cropland with naturally occurring sinkholes from crop production. Title IV: Extension Service - Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Extension Service: (1) must make low-input agricultural research a priority, including specified areas of related research; (2) should give special emphasis to pesticide and natural residue levels in food and water; and (3) should increase funding for agricultural technology transfers and for commodity marketing research. Establishes within the Extension Service the Farmers Conservation Service to provide farmers with low-input agricultural research, analysis, and assistance. Title V: Miscellaneous - Directs the Secretary to develop and carry out a program to provide official certification and labeling for organically grown commodities and products. Makes program participation voluntary. Authorizes appropriations. Authorizes appropriations to carry out the provisions of this Act.
Bill· SS. 2891 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 October 1988
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to permit a municipal corporation or utility to use eminent domain to acquire rural water or sewer associations under specified conditions.
Law· SS. 2885 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 12 October 1988
Amends the Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 to make the provisions regarding civil penalties against food stores for food stamp program abuse effective on October 1, 1988. (The effective date under current law is the earlier of July 1, 1989, or the date the Secretary of Agriculture issues implementing regulations.)
Bill· SS. 2875 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 October 1988
Food Safety Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) to revise the definition of "pesticide chemical" by including pesticide chemical residues in processed foods, inert ingredients of pesticide chemicals, and substances resulting from the metabolism or degradation of a pesticide chemical. Specifies that pesticide chemical residues in or on a raw agricultural commodity or processed food (defined as any food other than a raw agricultural commodity that has been subject to processing) and pesticide chemicals used in the production, storage, or transportation of processed food (currently, does not cover residues or apply to processed foods) are not food additives. Specifies that pesticide chemical residues in processed food, if within the tolerances set under this Act, do not make the food "adulterated" within the meaning of the FDCA. Establishes the general rule that any pesticide chemical residue in or on food, and any pesticide chemical added to food, requires either a tolerance or an exemption, and that the residue remaining on food must be within the tolerance limit or consistent with the exemption. Specifies that: (1) pesticide chemical residues in or on processed food which do not have a separate tolerance are lawful if those residues have been removed to the extent possible in good manufacturing practice and are within the tolerance for the raw agricultural commodity from which the processed food was made; and (2) raw agricultural commodities and processed food that contain pesticide chemicals or their residues pursuant to such a tolerance or exemption shall not be considered adulterated. Authorizes the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency to: (1) promulgate regulations that establish, modify or revoke tolerances either in response to a petition or on the Administrator's initiative; and (2) establish expiration dates for such tolerances. Provides that a tolerance may be established for a pesticide chemical or pesticide chemical residue only if the risk to human health, including the health of identifiable population groups with special food consumption patterns, from dietary exposure to the chemical or residue is negligible. Revokes or modifies such tolerance if such risk is greater than negligible. Creates an exception to such rule under certain circumstances. Sets forth the following criteria for determining negligible risk: (1) for pesticide chemicals which are not likely to have any adverse human health effect below an identifiable level, the level at which the chemical will not cause or contribute to any known or anticipated adverse human health effects (including an ample margin of safety); and (2) for pesticide chemicals for which there is no level at which such chemicals will not cause adverse human health effects, the level at which the chemical will not cause or contribute in the population exposed to such chemical to a cancer risk (using conservative models) which exceeds a rate of one in a million. Sets forth guidelines for determining dietary exposure to pesticide chemicals or their residues. Directs the Administrator to: (1) take into account all dietary exposure to the chemical, including exposure under the proposed tolerance (or the tolerance in effect in the case of a petition to modify and revoke an existing tolerance), all other sources of dietary exposure (including drinking water) to the same chemical; and (2) consider the level of exposure based on the assumption that residues are on all authorized raw agricultural commodities and processed food at tolerance levels and exposure occurs for a lifetime, with specified exceptions. Sets forth factors to consider when the Administrator is required by this Act to consider the benefits of a pesticide chemical, including the effect of the use of such chemical on the food supply, the availability of alternatives, the extent to which other pest control methods can be substituted for the chemicals, and costs and health risks. Directs the Administrator to: (1) publish the basis for his determination when acting on the tolerance petition; and (2) propose regulations within 90 days of enactment specifying how the analysis of benefits will be conducted, the data that will be relied upon, and the factors that will be considered. Specifies that: (1) the tolerance level for a pesticide chemical applied to food shall be no higher than the Administrator determines is necessary for such chemical to have its intended effect; and (2) where such a chemical leaves no detectable residue, the Administrator shall establish a tolerance at the most sensitive limit of detection of the analytical method for detecting residues that the Administrator approves under this Act. Precludes the establishment of a tolerance until the Administrator determines that there is a practical method for detecting and measuring residues. Specifies that such method must be the best available practical method and that it would be considered practical only if it could be performed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services on a routine basis with the personnel, equipment, and other resources available to the Secretary. Sets forth factors to be considered by the Administrator in determing whether to establish, modify, or revoke a tolerance for a pesticide chemical, including: (1) the probable consumption of treated food by the population group which consumes the greatest amounts of the food or which is most sensitive to the chemical; (2) the cumulative effect of the chemical, taking into account related chemicals and non-dietary routes of exposure; and (3) safety factors that are appropriate for animal experiments. Authorizes the Administrator to establish, modify, or revoke an exemption from the requirement for a tolerance in response to a petition or on the Administrator's own initiative. Specifies that an exemption may have an expiration date. Authorizes an exemption to be established, or left in effect, only if the pesticide chemical residue presents no risk to human health, including the health of identifiable population groups with special food consumption patterns, from dietary exposure at any level of residue that could result from use of the chemical on food. Directs the Administrator, in determining dietary exposure, to take into account: (1) all dietary exposure to the pesticide chemical, including exposure under the proposed exemption, all other tolerances or exemptions in effect for the same chemical, and all other sources of dietary exposure (including drinking water) to the same chemical; and (2) the maximum amount of residue that could reasonably be expected to occur if the instructions for use of the pesticide were not followed. Prohibits the Administrator from establishing an exemption: (1) unless the Administrator determines that there is a practical method for detecting and measuring the levels of such chemical or residue and that such method is the best available practical method; and (2) for those inert ingredients of a pesticide chemical which are essential for an active ingredient of a pesticide chemical to have its intended effect, causing or contributing to adverse biological effects in any organism which may have an adverse effect on human health, and meet any other requirement established by the Administrator. Allows any person to file a petition for the issuance of a regulation that establishes, modifies, or revokes a tolerance, or establishes or revokes an exemption. Specifies the information and data that must be contained in a petition to establish a new tolerance or new exemption, including: (1) a summary of the scientific reports respecting the safety of, and exposure to, the pesticide chemical; and (2) a statement that the petitioner authorizes the publication of such summary by the Administrator. Authorizes the Administrator to establish requirements for petitions to modify or revoke tolerances or exemptions. Directs the Administrator to publish a notice of the filing of a complete petition within 30 days of such filing, announcing the availability of a complete description of the analytical methods for the detection and measurement of the pesticide chemical in food and including the summary required in the petition to establish a tolerance or exemption. Specifies the actions that the Administrator may take after considering the petition and other available information, including publication of a final regulation approving or disapproving the petition, or proposing a regulation that is different from that requested in the petition. Makes a final regulation issued under this section effective upon the date of publication. Sets forth procedures for filing and considering objections to the final regulation. Provides for judicial review for any person adversely affected (including a person without an economic interest) by the Administrator's decision. Specifies that such review would not operate to stay the Administrator's decision unless specifically ordered by the court. Authorizes the Administrator to establish, modify, or revoke a tolerance or to establish or revoke an exemption on his own initiative. Requires the Administrator to issue a notice of any proposed rule and provide for at least a 30 day period for public comment on the proposed regulation (unless the public interest requires a shorter period or the Administrator is acting to revoke or suspend a tolerance or exemption). Authorizes the Administrator to revoke an exemption, or to revoke or modify a tolerance, without following the required procedure if such action is necessary to prevent an imminent hazard. Directs the Administrator, in such case, to provide notice of the action and to hold a public hearing within five days of a request (which request was made within five days of the Administrator's action) for a hearing. Specifies that the effective date of the action shall not be delayed because of the hearing and the order may not be judicially reviewed until after the hearing or set aside while the order is being judicially reviewed. Requires the Administrator to request additional data, or initiate an action to modify or revoke the exemption, if the data contained in a petition (including a petition submitted before the date of enactment) to establish a tolerance or exemption is inadequate to support the continuation of such tolerance or exemption. Specifies that: (1) when the Administrator requires the submission of data, the Administrator shall publish an order in the Federal Register that establishes deadlines for the identification of the persons who will submit the data and the submission of necessary data and reports; (2) if such deadlines are not met, the tolerance or exemption would be automatically revoked (but allows the Administrator to delay the effective date of the revocation for up to 12 months for food containing residues which are within the tolerance or exemption or for such other period as necessary if extraordinary circumstances prevented the submission within the deadline); and (3) an order issued under this section shall be subject to administrative and judicial review. Provides for the confidentiality of data contained in a petition (upon request of the petitioner) until publication of a regulation or order unless disclosure has been made previously, or is allowed under this Act or otherwise required by law. Specifies the persons to whom confidential data may be disclosed, including the Congress and certain U.S. employees and authorized contractors of the Administrator. Authorizes the Administrator to publish the informative summary required in the petition and other summaries of the data relating to the proposed or final regulation or order. Sets forth procedures by which the public may obtain access to the health and safety data submitted or cited in support of a petition. Sets forth conforming provisions with respect to actions on the registration of pesticide chemicals under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Requires the Administrator, within 90 days of the enactment of this Act, to establish deadlines (and publish such deadlines and related information in the Federal Register) for the submission of necessary health and safety data to establish tolerances for inert ingredients which do not have tolerances as of the date of the enactment of this Act and for which an exemption may not be established under the FDCA. Provides that if the deadlines are not met, the pesticide chemicals containing the inert ingredients shall be considered unsafe, except that the Administrator could delay the effective date of the determination under specified circumstances. Subjects the order of the Administrator requiring the submission of data to administrative and judicial review. Requires the Administrator, within 90 days of enactment, to establish deadlines for the submission of necessary health and safety data to establish tolerances or exemptions for any pesticide chemicals which, on the date of enactment, do not have tolerances or exemptions because they are generally recognized as safe. Authorizes the Administrator to issue an order declaring such chemicals to be unsafe if such deadlines are not met. Provides for administrative and judicial review of such order. Specifies that such chemicals shall not be considered unsafe solely because they do not have a tolerance or exemption. Revises existing exemptions by requiring the Administrator, within 90 days of enactment, to establish deadlines for the submission of necessary health and safety data to establish tolerances or to continue the exemptions. Provides that if such deadlines are not met the exemptions would be automatically revoked. Authorizes the Administrator to delay the effective date of the revocation under specified conditions. Provides for administrative and judicial review.
Bill· SS. 2858 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 4 October 1988
Title I: Capacity Building - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to make grants to public and private nonprofit organizations to stimulate rural economic growth and diversification. Limits grants to 75 percent of project costs, with exceptions for small, poor, or minority communities. Title II: State Incentive Grants - Authorizes the Secretary to make grants to States and State departments of agriculture to promote rural development and agricultural diversification. Limits fiscal year assistance to any one State or department of agriculture to not more than ten percent of total fiscal year assistance. Title III: Rural Development Loan Fund - Includes agricultural diversification among the purposes of the Rural Development Loan Fund. Title IV: Definitions - Defines "agricultural diversification" for purposes of this Act. Title V: Programs to Promote Agricultural Diversification - Subtitle A: Agricultural Diversification Loan Fund - Authorizes the Secretary to make and insure loans to States and State departments of agriculture to establish revolving loan funds to promote agricultural diversification. Directs States and departments of agriculture to make loans to private business ventures, including family farms, to diversify the local agricultural economy. Authorizes specified appropriations. Subtitle B: Guaranteed Loans for Alternative Crops - Authorizes the Secretary to guarantee loans for alternative crop production. Authorizes FY 1989 through 1991 appropriations.
Bill· SS. 2850 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 30 September 1988
Egg Research and Consumer Information Act Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to limit fiscal year assessment collection and administrative costs incurred by the Egg Board. Eliminates egg producer assessment refunds subject to the following stipulations: (1) an 18-month delay of any refund referendum; (2) creation by the Egg Board of a ten percent assessment refund escrow account; and (3) assessment refund (prorated if necessary) to an eligible requesting producer upon (refund elimination) referendum disapproval.
Bill· SS. 2837 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1988
Declares as nonmailable matter any plant, fruit, vegetable, root, bulb, seed, or other plant product subject to interstate quarantine under the Plant Quarantine Act. Directs the Postal Service to prescribe rules and regulations permitting the mailing of such plants consistent with procedures relating to the inspection, disinfection, and certification of, and other conditions for, the delivery and shipment of plants otherwise subject to quarantine. Sets forth criminal penalties for: (1) whoever knowingly mails or causes to be mailed a nonmailable plant; or (2) whoever forges or counterfeits agricultural certifications. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Postal Service and the Department of Agriculture should engage in a joint effort to educate the public to the types of harm which can result from the transmission to different parts of the country of plants, fruits, vegetables, and other matter which may be carrying dangerous plant diseases or pests.
Bill· HRH.R. 5402 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1988
Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act, as amended by the Agricultural Marketing Agreement Act of 1937, to: (1) repeal the existing minimum price adjustments of fluid milk under Federal marketing orders; and (2) direct the Secretary of Agriculture to submit a proposal to the House of Representatives and the Senate to establish geographic basing points for purposes of determining prices to be paid to milk producers under such orders.
Bill· HRH.R. 5403 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to revise the procedure for determining farm payment yields.
Bill· HRH.R. 5404 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 27 September 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to permit producers to rotate program acreage base crops with specified substitute crops. Requires such producers to notify the appropriate county committee at least 30 days prior to planting. States that a substitute crop shall be considered as program crop for farm acreage base or crop acreage base determinations.
Bill· SS. 2830 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 26 September 1988
Federal Crop Insurance Commission Act of 1988 - States that the purpose of this Act is: (1) to ensure the review of the Federal crop insurance program; and (2) to recommend changes necessary to lessen or eliminate the need for additional disaster payment programs in order to reduce Federal costs and provide farmers with equitable and predictable natural disaster protection. Establishes the Commission for the Improvement of the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Sets forth membership and operating provisions. Directs the Commission to: (1) determine why crop insurance program participation is lower than anticipated; (2) identify States and commodities with low participation; and (3) recommend program improvements. Sets forth particular areas to be examined, including: (1) program insurance coverage; (2) use of crop field information; (3) related government subsidies; (4) sales commission rates; (5) claims adjustment services; (6) information collection; (7) compliance efforts; and (8) premium pools. Requires the Commission to submit: (1) an interim report to the appropriate congressional committees by April 1, 1989; (2) a final report to such committees by July 1, 1989; and (3) monthly reports to such committees from the period beginning July 1, 1989, through December 31, 1990. Terminates the Commission as of December 31, 1990, except that the Secretary of Agriculture may extend the Commission's life beyond such date. Directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to make specified FY 1989 funds available to the Commission.
Law· HRH.R. 5325 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 16 September 1988
Federal Crop Insurance Commission Act of 1988 - States that the purpose of this Act is to: (1) ensure the review of the Federal crop insurance program; and (2) recommend changes necessary to lessen or eliminate the need for additional disaster payment programs in order to reduce Federal costs and provide farmers with equitable and predictable natural disaster protection. Establishes the Commission for the Improvement of the Federal Crop Insurance Program. Sets forth membership and operating provisions. Directs the Commission to: (1) determine why crop insurance program participation is lower than anticipated; (2) identify States and commodities with low participation; and (3) recommend program improvements. Sets forth particular areas to be examined, including: (1) program insurance coverage; (2) use of crop field information; (3)related government subsidies; (4) sales commission rates; (5) claims adjustment services; (6) information collection; (7) compliance efforts; and (8) premium pools. Requires the Commission to submit: (1) an interim report to the appropriate congressional committees by April 1, 1989; (2) a final report to such committees by July 1, 1989; and (3) monthly reports to such committees from the period beginning July 1, 1989, through December 31, 1990. Terminates the Commission as of December 31, 1990, except that the Secretary of Agriculture may extend the Commission's life beyond such date. Directs the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation to make specified FY 1989 funds available to the Commission.
Law· HRH.R. 5318 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1988
Egg Research and Consumer Information Act Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Egg Research and Consumer Information Act Amendments of 1988 to authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to limit fiscal year assessment collection and administrative cost incurred by the Egg Board. Eliminates egg producer assessment refunds subject to a two-year delay of any refund referendum.
Bill· HRH.R. 5316 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 15 September 1988
Amends the Farmland Protection Policy Act to: (1) permit the chief executive officer of a State (currently the Governor) to bring an action in Federal district court to challenge a proposed Federal program which would convert farmland to nonagricultural use; (2) permit such an action in a State with a local or State farmland protection policy or program (currently limited to State policy or program); and (3) limit the Department of Defense exemption to war or national emergency.
Bill· HRH.R. 5285 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 September 1988
Prohibits the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of the Interior from increasing rental fees in effect on January 1, 1988, for electronic communication uses of certain Federal lands.
Bill· HRH.R. 5265 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 8 September 1988
Commodity Exchange Option Reform Amendments of 1988 - Amends the Commodity Exchange Act to state that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission shall have exclusive jurisdiction to designate a board of trade for any put, call, or option. Repeals the provision regarding Commission submission of certain contract market designation applications for Securities and Exchange Commission review.
Bill· HRH.R. 5238 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an eight-million acre strategic forage (grass and legumes) reserve comprising set-aside acreage.
Bill· HRH.R. 5208 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 11 August 1988
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to repeal the limitation on the eligibility of, and benefits available to, households that include a member who is on strike.
Law· HRH.R. 5199 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 10 August 1988
Declares as nonmailable matter any plant, fruit, vegetable, root, bulb, seed, or other plant product subject to interstate quarantine under the Plant Quarantine Act. Directs the Postal Service to prescribe rules and regulations permitting the mailing of such plants consistent with procedures relating to the inspection, disinfection, and certification of, and other conditions for, the delivery and shipment of plants otherwise subject to quarantine. Imposes criminal penalties upon: (1) whoever knowingly mails or causes to be mailed a nonmailable plant; or (2) whoever forges or counterfeits agricultural certifications. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Postal Service and the Department of Agriculture should engage in a joint effort to educate the public to the types of harm which can result from the transmission to different parts of the country of plants, fruits, vegetables, and other matter which may be carrying dangerous plant diseases or pests.
Resolution· HCONRESH.Con.Res. 345 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 3 August 1988
Expresses the sense of the Congress that federally funded school lunch programs should provide nutritious meatless meals for students who conscientiously believe such meals to be best for themselves.
Bill· HRH.R. 5118 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1988
Amends the Older Americans Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide assistance for two meals served daily per person under the surplus commodities program if the aggregate nutritional value of such meals satisfies two-thirds of the dietary allowance established by the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Academy of Sciences.
Bill· HRH.R. 5103 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 28 July 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to permit wheat, feed grain, rice, and cotton producers to use certain diverted acreage for irrigation water storage.
Bill· HRH.R. 5086 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Egg Producers' Financial Protection Act of 1988 - Amends the Packers and Stockyards Act, 1921 to establish a statutory trust for the benefit of unpaid egg producers or egg handlers from the inventories of, and proceeds from, such eggs or egg products held by egg purchasers with an average annual value of eggs (by purchase or production arrangement) greater than $50,000. States that a dishonored payment instrument shall not be considered as payment. Provides that an unpaid producer or handler shall lose such trust benefit if he or she fails to give written notice of nonpayment or dishonored payment to the purchaser within specified time periods and by filing such notice with the Secretary of Agriculture. Includes egg purchase and production activities under the enforcement provisions of such Act. Includes egg purchasers under the recordkeeping provisions of such Act. States that the Secretary may only exercise jurisdiction over egg producers in prompt payment or unreasonable or discriminatory practices proceedings in order to avoid impairment of the Secretary's jurisdiction. Authorizes the Secretary to seek injunctive relief in egg payment disputes. Provides administrative enforcement authority for egg trust and prompt payment provisions under such Act. Requires a purchaser to pay a producer or handler in full within 14 days of the transfer of possession of such eggs. States that a payment delay or attempted delay shall be considered an "unfair practice" violation under such Act. States that the amendments made by this Act shall not be construed to: (1) affect the Secretary's authority with respect to live poultry or poultry products; or (2) affect the Federal Trade Commission's authority to prevent unfair competition or practices in commerce.
Bill· HRH.R. 5071 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Burley Tobacco Disaster Act of 1988 - Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to provide that in counties with two consecutive years of burley tobacco quota underproduction, the third year's marketing quota shall be adjusted for such accumulated undermarketing.
Bill· HRH.R. 5077 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Applies specified Commodity Credit Corporation funds: (1) against outstanding Farmers Home Loan Administration direct and guaranteed loans; (2) for drought-resistant plant and livestock research and development; (3) for long term weather forecasting; and (4) to determine animal feed nutritional content.
Bill· HRH.R. 5056 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Agricultural Research Act of 1988 - Title I: Alternative Agricultural Production Systems Research - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to carry out through the Cooperative State Research Service a competitive grants research program to improve the diversity of production methods available to agricultural producers. Sets forth program criteria and grant priorities. Directs the Secretary to submit annual program reports to the appropriate congressional committees. Authorizes appropriations. Title II: National Institute For Alternative Agricultural Products - Alternative Agricultural Products Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretary to establish a National Institute for Alternative Agricultural Products as an independent entity within the Department of Agriculture under the general supervision of the National Alternative Agricultural Products Board. Authorizes the Institute to: (1) make grants and enter into cooperative agreements or contracts for research and demonstration projects; (2) provide technology transfer, information collection, and information dissemination; (3) research for new industrial materials that may be produced from agricultural commodities and for processes to produce such materials; and (4) administer the Alternative Agricultural Products Technology Revolving Fund (established by this Act). Directs the Secretary to establish the National Alternative Agricultural Products Board to: (1) supervise the Institute; (2) determine priority research areas; (3) review and approve the annual Institute report; and (4) review and approve Institute grants, contracts, and agreements. States that all projects shall have at least 50 percent matching funds. Reserves at least two-thirds of obligated funds for projects in which a U.S.-domiciled company: (1) provides at least 20 percent of the project's funds; and (2) engages in commercial production and sale of the project's products, technologies, or uses. Provides private companies and research institutions with an exception to certain information disclosure requirements. Directs the Institute to select those projects that will create or improve economically viable commercial products or technologies that involve the use of agricultural commodities. Sets forth the following funding restrictions: (1) not more than five percent for administrative expenses; (2) not more than five percent for information services and technology transfer; (3) not less than five percent for projects at the 1890 land-grant institutions, including Tuskegee University; (4) not less than 20 percent for projects at the 1862 land-grant colleges and institutions eligible for Federal funding under the Hatch Act of 1887; and (5) not less than 65 percent for project funding. States that uncommitted funds shall be credited to the Revolving Fund established by this Act. Establishes in the Treasury the Alternative Agricultural Products Technology Revolving Fund. Authorizes appropriations to carry out this title. Terminates the provisions of this title on September 30, 2000. Title III: Agricultural Commodity Production and Processing Research - Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a research grant program through FY 1993 to establish a statistical framework to measure, identify, and control microbiological and chemical agents affecting agricultural products; (2) establish a committee to set research priorities; and (3) submit program reports to the appropriate congressional committees within one year of enactment of this Act and upon completion of all research projects. Authorizes FY 1989 through 1993 appropriations. Limits administrative expenses to not more than four percent of appropriations. Title IV: National Agricultural Library - Establishes the National Agricultural Library in the Department of Agriculture. (This makes its authorization statutory. The Library already exists in fact.) Authorizes the Library to: (1) acquire, manage, and make available information and services in all phases of agriculture and allied sciences; and (2) cooperate with and coordinate efforts among libraries and industry to develop an agricultural information network. Authorizes the making and selling of library products and services. Authorizes appropriations. Title V: Aquacultural Research - Amends the National Aquaculture Act of 1980 to authorize FY 1988 through 1990 appropriations to the Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, and Interior for acquaculture activities.
Bill· HRH.R. 5076 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
Requires the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to inform the Secretary of Agriculture of the number of bushels of specified crops available from its inventory. Directs the Secretary to make such commodities available through a voucher system to 1988 drought-affected farmers for animal feed use. Makes such vouchers freely transferable. Applies specified CCC funds: (1) against outstanding Farmers Home Loan Administration direct and guaranteed loans; (2) for drought-resistant plant and livestock research and development; (3) for long term weather forecasting; and (4) to determine animal feed nutritional content.
Bill· HRH.R. 5072 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 14 July 1988
National Crop Insurance Commission Act of 1988 - Establishes the National Crop Insurance Commission to study the Federal crop insurance program. Sets forth operating and administrative provisions. Requires a Commission report to the President and to each House of the Congress. Terminates the Commission 30 days after submission of such report.
Bill· HRH.R. 5031 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 13 July 1988
Rural Electrification Administration Lending Assistance Improvements Act of 1988 - Amends the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 to limit after September 30, 1988, the Rural Electrification Administration's (REA) authority to guarantee loans to 70 percent for electric distribution and subtransmission facilities and telephone facilities and 80 percent for electric generation and transmission facilities. Prohibits REA guarantees of loans from any Federal lending agency after such date. Revises guaranteed loan and direct or insured loan prepayment provisions. Reduces the maximum amount of funds that a borrower may invest. Prohibits the REA from insuring loans after such date unless specified findings are made. Bases interest rates on comparable U.S. obligations, with a minimum rate of five percent. Prohibits the REA from guaranteeing loans after such date to certain metropolitan area borrowers for: (1) recreation purposes; or (2) telephone service improvement if the borrower's gross revenues exceed specified amounts. Prohibits the issuance of class A stock after September 30, 1988. Requires 51 percent of such stock to be redeemed on September 30, 1995, with the remaining stock redeemed and retired by September 30, 2005. Repeals the provision creating a telephone bank reserve for losses due to interest rate changes. Requires the telephone bank to retire all Treasury-held debentures by September 30, 1995. Prohibits the further issuance of such debentures. Provides for the privatization of the telephone bank.
Bill· SS. 2631 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
Drought Assistance Act of 1988 - Title I: Emergency Livestock Assistance - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to add a new title VI which may be cited as the "Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988." Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency feed assistance in any State, county, or area of a State where disease, weather, or other natural disaster has created a livestock emergency. States that the Governor of a State or a county committee may request the Secretary to make a livestock emergency determination and to provide assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to make such determination on his own initiative. Requires the Secretary to make such determination within 30 days of the request and to notify the requesting party of any proposed action. States that producers in counties eligible for the emergency feed or emergency feed assistance programs in 1988 shall maintain such eligibility and be eligible for assistance under this title. Directs the Secretary to determine such counties' eligibility for assistance under this title. States that an eligible producer may receive assistance as follows: (1) assistance to offset inadequate feed stocks resulting from on-farm feed production losses; and (2) assistance to maintain foundation herds if the producer does not have, and is unable to obtain through normal channels without undue cost, necessary feed stocks. Sets forth the following assistance programs available under this title: (1) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) feed donations and reduced price sales; (2) partial reimbursement of feed purchase expenses; and (3) partial reimbursement of transportation and handling costs for such CCC feed, for hay, and for transporting livestock to and from available grazing areas (not to exceed $24 a head). Permits the Secretary to: (1) make in-kind payments; and (2) provide assistance through feed dealers or manufacturers. Authorizes the Secretary to provide the following additional assistance if necessary: (1) CCC feed donations for stranded and unidentified livestock, including transportation costs; (2) water assistance; and (3) CCC catalog commodities in lots appropriate to family farmers. Limits total assistance under this title for each livestock disaster to any one person to $50,000. Subjects each person (including individual members of a cooperative producer association) to the overall payment limitation ($100,000) under this Act. Prohibits a person from receiving assistance under this title for lost feed production due to the 1988 drought to the extent that such person receives production disaster payments under this Act. Subjects persons who misuse such assistance to a civil penalty equal to the market value of the involved feed, and a fine of up to $1,000 or imprisonment for up to one year, or both. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal the Secretary's authority to reduce 1989 milk price supports (50-cents per hundredweight). Title II: Disaster Payment - Provides that, for producers of the 1988 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, extra long staple cotton, or rice who participated in the production adjustment program under the Agricultural Act of 1949, the Secretary shall make disaster payments to those producers who have suffered at least 35 percent production losses due to the 1988 drought or related condition. States that such payments shall be made at a rate equal to 65 percent of the established price for deficiencies below 65 percent. Exempts such producers from advance deficiency repayments for up to 35 percent of crop losses. Permits eligible producers who had elected not to receive such payments prior to enactment of this Act to change their decision. Provides similar disaster payments to producers who did not participate in such production adjustment program. Bases payments on the basic county loan rate (or comparable price). Provides similar disaster payments to producers of the 1988 crops of peanuts, tobacco, sugar beets, and sugarcane. Bases payments for peanuts and tobacco on the basic county loan rate (or comparable price), and for sugar beets and sugarcane on 1988 price support levels. Provides for prevented planting credit. Sets forth special payment provisions for peanuts, including deficiency payments based on quota and additional peanuts. Provides similar disaster payments to producers of the 1988 soybean and nonprogram crops. Bases payments on a specified percentage of the average market price received in three of the last five years (excluding high and low years). Provides for prevented planting credit. Reduces payments to producers with Federal crop insurance under a specified crop-type determination. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer CCC funds during FY 1988 to the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service to carry out the provisions of this title. Directs the Secretary, within 15 days after enactment of this Act, to announce the terms by which producers may prove their yield on crops harvested for silage or other forage uses. Directs the Secretary to make disaster payments under this title in the form of cash, commodities, or commodity certificates. Limits individuals to $100,000 in disaster payments. Limits a person to $100,000 of combined assistance for crop disaster assistance and livestock disaster assistance. Permits a person to elect which form of assistance to receive. Prohibits a person from receiving disaster payments attributable to 1988 drought-caused crop losses to the extent that such person receives livestock emergency benefits for such lost production under the Agricultural Act of 1949. Title III: General Provisoins - Subtitle A: Commodity Stock Adjustment - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary, if an acreage limitation program is in effect for 1989 and 1990, to permit producers to plant soybeans or sunflowers on between ten percent and 35 percent of permitted crop acreage. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should provide export assistance for cottonseeds and sunflower seeds if such crop prices are adversely affected by soybean and sunflower plantings under this title. Directs the Secretary to permit producers to designate any portion of their 1989 or 1990 farm acreage base for oats if the feed grain acreage base for such years is less than 12.5 percent. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, with respect to the 1989 and 1990 feed grain crops, if such crops' acreage limitation percentage exceeds 12.5 percent the Secretary should establish the lowest possible oats acreage limitation if market imbalances for barley and oats exist. Provides that, effective for the 1988 marketing year for wheat and feed grains, producers may repay specified commodity loans without additional interest or other specified charges if the producer reserve program trigger level has been met. Provides that, if during the 1988 marketing year the Secretary permits producers to place wheat and feed grains into the producer reserve, no storage payments nor interest forgiveness shall be permitted on such stored commodities during the marketing year. Subtitle B: Disaster Credit and Forbearance - Directs the Secretary to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that Farmers Home Administration direct operating loans for 1989 crop production are made available to producers suffering major losses resulting from the 1988 drought or related condition. Directs the Secretary to make available in FY 1989 specified operating loan guarantees, in addition to existing purposes for such guarantees, to refinance and reamoritize 1988 operating debt resulting from major farming or ranching losses resulting from the drought or related condition. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should exercise forbearance in debt collection (and encourage similar actions by commercial lenders) and expedited loan restructuring with respect to producers suffering major drought losses. Subtitle C: Conservation and Water Assistance - Provides that with respect to a producer who harvested hay during the 1988 crop year on conservation reserve program acreage, such producer's rental payments shall not be reduced to the extent that he or she shares the cost of carrying out practices designed to enhance soil, water, and wildlife conservation on such land (or in the vicinity of such land) in accordance with a Soil Conservation Service approved plan. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) undertake water-problem related projects, including research, grants, technical assistance, loans, and extension services; (2) cooperate with other Federal agencies, State or local units, or public or private entities; and (3) accept funds from non-Federal sources to carry out such activities. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: Rural Businesses - Directs the Secretary to make rural industrialization loans or loan guarantees during FY 1989 to assist rural businesses (including cooperatives) adversely affected by the 1988 drought or related condition. Requires any such loan to meet applicable Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act eligibility requirements. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, to conduct a survey of agriculture-related rural businesses to determine the adverse effects of the 1988 drought and report to the appropriate congressional committees.
Law· HRH.R. 5015 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 12 July 1988
Drought Assistance Act of 1988 - Title I: Emergency Livestock Assistance - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to add a new title VI which may be cited as the "Emergency Livestock Feed Assistance Act of 1988." Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide emergency feed assistance in any State, county, or area of a State where disease or other natural disaster has created a livestock emergency. States that the Governor of a State or a county committee may request the Secretary to make a livestock emergency determination and to provide assistance. Authorizes the Secretary to make such determination on his own initiative. Requires the Secretary to make such determination within 30 days of request and to notify the requesting party of any proposed action. States that producers in counties eligible for the emergency feed or emergency feed assistance programs in 1988 shall maintain such eligibility and be eligible for assistance under this title. Directs the Secretary to determine such counties' eligibility for assistance under this title. States that an eligible producer may receive assistance as follows: (1) assistance to offset inadequate feed stocks resulting from on-farm losses; and (2) assistance to maintain foundation herds if the producer does not have, and is unable to obtain through normal channels without undue cost, necessary feed stocks. Sets forth the following assistance programs available under this title: (1) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) feed donations and reduced price sales; (2) partial reimbursement of feed purchase expenses; and (3) partial reimbursement of transportation and handling costs for such CCC feed, for hay, and for transporting livestock to and from available grazing areas (not to exceed $24 a head). Permits the Secretary to: (1) make in-kind payments; and (2) provide assistance through feed dealers or manufacturers. Authorizes the Secretary to provide the following additional assistance if necessary: (1) CCC feed donations for stranded and unidentified livestock, including transportation costs; (2) water assistance; and (3) CCC catalog commodities in lots appropriate to family farmers. Limits total assistance under this title for each livestock disaster to any one person to $50,000. Subjects each person (including individual members of a cooperative producer association) to the overall payment limitation ($100,000) under this Act. Prohibits a person from receiving assistance under this title for lost feed production due to the 1988 drought to the extent that such person receives production disaster payments under this Act. Subjects persons who misuse such assistance to a civil penalty equal to the market value of the involved fee, and a fine of up to $1000 or imprisonment for up to one year, or both. Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal the Secretary's authority to reduce 1989 milk price supports (50-cents per hundredweight). Title II: Disaster Payment - Provides that, for producers of the 1988 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, extra long staple cotton, or rice who participated in the production adjustment program under the Agricultural Act of 1949, the Secretary shall make disaster payments to those producers who have suffered at least 35 percent production losses due to the 1988 drought or related condition. States that such payments shall be made at a rate equal to 65 percent of the established price for deficiencies below 65 percent. Exempts such producers from advance deficiency repayments for up to 35 percent of crop losses. Permits eligible producers who had elected not to receive such payments prior to enactment of this Act to change their decision. Provides similar disaster payments to producers who did not participate in such production adjustment program. Bases payments on the basic county loan rate (or comparable price). Provides similar disaster payments to producers of the 1988 crops of peanuts, tobacco, sugar beets, and sugarcane. Bases payments for peanuts and tobacco on the basic county loan rate (or comparable price), and for sugar beets and sugarcane on 1988 price support levels. Provides for prevented planting credit. Sets forth special payment provisions for peanuts, including deficiency payments based on quota and additional peanuts. Provides similar disaster payments to producers of the 1988 soybean and nonprogram crops. Bases payments on a specified percentage of the average market price received in three of the last five years (excluding high and low years). Provides for prevented planting credit. Reduces payments to producers with Federal crop insurance under a specified crop-type determination. Authorizes the Secretary to transfer CCC funds during FY 1988 to the Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service to carry out the provisions of this title. Directs the Secretary, within 15 days after enactment of this Act, to announce the terms by which producers may prove their yield on crops harvested for silage or other forage uses. Directs the Secretary to make disaster payments under this title in the form of cash, commodities, or commodity certificates. Limits individuals to $100,000 in disaster payments. Limits a person to $100,000 of combined assistance for crop disaster assistance and livestock disaster assistance. Permits a person to elect which form of assistance to receive. Prohibits a person from receiving disaster payments attributable to 1988 drought-caused crop losses to the extent that such person receives livestock emergency benefits for such lost production under the Agricultural Act of 1949. Title III: General Provisions - Subtitle A: Commodity Stock Adjustment - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary, if an acreage limitation program is in effect for 1989 and 1990, to permit producers to plant soybeans or sunflowers on between ten percent and 35 percent of permitted crop acreage. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should provide export assistance for cottonseeds and sunflower seeds if such crop prices are adversely affected by soybean and sunflower plantings under this title. Directs the Secretary to permit producers to designate any portion of their 1989 or 1990 farm acreage base for oats if the feed grain acreage base for such years is less than 12.5 percent. Expresses the sense of the Congress that, with respect to the 1989 and 1990 feed grain crops, if such crops' acreage limitation percentage exceeds 12.5 percent the Secretary should establish the lowest possible oats acreage limitation if market imbalances for barley and oats exist. Provides that, effective for the 1988 marketing year for wheat and feed grains, producers may repay specified commodity loans without additional interest or other specified charges if the producer reserve program trigger level has been met. Provides that, if during the 1988 marketing year the Secretary permits producers to place wheat and feed grains into the producer reserve, no storage payments nor interest forgiveness shall be permitted on such stored commodities during the marketing year. Subtitle B: Disaster Credit and Forbearance - Directs the Secretary to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that Farmers Home Administration direct operating loans for 1989 crop production are made available to producers suffering major losses resulting from the 1988 drought or related condition. Directs the Secretary to make available in FY 1989 specified operating loan guarantees, in addition to existing purposes for such guarantees, to refinance and reamortize 1988 operating debt resulting from major farming or ranching losses resulting from the drought or related condition. Expresses the sense of the Congress that the Secretary should exercise forbearance in debt collection and encourage similar actions by commercial lenders and expedited loan restructuring with respect to producers suffering major drought losses. Subtitle C: Conservation and Water Assistance - Provides that with respect to a producer who harvested hay during the 1988 crop year on conservation reserve program acreage, such producer's rental payments shall not be reduced to the extent that he or she shares the cost of carrying out practices designed to enhance soil, water, and wildlife conservation on such land (or in the vicinity of such land) in accordance with a Soil Conservation Service approved plan. Authorizes the Secretary to: (1) undertake water-problem related projects, including research, grants, technical assistance, loans, and extension services; (2) cooperate with other Federal agencies, State or local units, or public or private entities; and (3) accept funds from non-Federal sources to carry out such activities. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle D: Rural Businesses - Directs the Secretary to make rural industrialization loans or loan guarantees during FY 1989 to assist rural businesses (including cooperatives) adversely affected by the 1988 drought or related condition. Requires any such loan to meet applicable Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act eligibility requirements. Directs the Secretary, within 90 days of enactment of this Act, to conduct a survey of agriculture-related rural businesses to determine the adverse effects of the 1988 drought and report to the appropriate congressional committees.
Law· HRH.R. 4998 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977, regarding the Washington State family independence demonstration project, to provide that family members participating in such project shall receive separate benefits in food coupons under the food stamp plan at least equal to the food stamp benefits they would have received if they were not project participants.
Bill· HRH.R. 4985 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Emergency Agricultural Relief Act of 1988 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to provide disaster payments for wheat, feed grains, rice, and upland cotton lost in 1988 to drought and other natural disasters. Provides disaster payments to nonprogram producers in specified drought or natural disaster-affected areas. Limits producer payments to not more than $100,000. Provides feed assistance (including transportation) for producers of livestock, poultry, and swine affected by drought or other natural disasters. Provides assistance to orchard owners who have lost trees as a result of the drought. Extends disaster payments to 1988 producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice who are located in counties eligible to receive disaster emergency loans and who did not purchase reduced crop yield insurance. Increases milk price support levels. Revises support level reduction provisions. Provides disaster emergency assistance to counties contiguous to a disaster-affected county under specified conditions. Permits haying and grazing on conservation reserve acreage during periods of drought. Provides for 1988 rural agribusiness disaster assistance. Makes food assistance available for Indian farmers and ranchers affected by drought. States that the chief executive officer of a State shall request the Secretary of Agriculture to make specified agricultural emergency determinations. Requires the Secretary to make such a determination within 25 days of receiving the request. Directs the Secretary to take into consideration the effects of the 1988 drought on a borrower's income when making specified agricultural loan restructuring determinations. Directs the Secretary to provide grain to alcohol fuel producers in times of shortage at prices and in quantities that will ensure the economic vitality of such industry. Directs the Secretary to prepare and submit to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) a drought relief contingency plan; and (2) a forward contracting report. Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding the importance of foreign trade to the domestic agricultural industry and the need to continue to expand such trade. Declares there should be no embargo on domestic agricultural commodities and no reduction in export promotion programs, except in the case of an extreme national emergency. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to exclude payments under a special conservation reserve enhancement program from specified payment limitations.
Bill· HRH.R. 4995 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal authority for certain milk price support reductions in 1989 and 1990. Increases the amount of estimated purchases necessary to trigger such price reductions for 1988.
Bill· HRH.R. 4993 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Makes farmers suffering crop losses eligible for (natural disaster) emergency loans even if Federal crop insurance was available to them.
Bill· HRH.R. 5004 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to make certain milk price support reductions in 1989.
Bill· HRH.R. 4996 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 7 July 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal authority for certain milk price support reductions in 1989 and 1990.
Bill· SS. 2612 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 6 July 1988
Dairy Farm Maintenance Act of 1988 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to increase milk price support levels by 50 cents. Authorizes for 1989 and 1990: (1) 50 cent reductions if estimated milk and milk product purchases exceed 8,000,000,000 pounds; and (2) 25 cent reductions if such estimates exceed 5,000,000,000 pounds. (Current law required 50 cent reductions if estimated purchases exceed 5,000,000,000 pounds.)
Bill· HRH.R. 4954 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 30 June 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to permit haying and grazing on wheat or feed grain set-aside acreage in disaster-designated areas.
Bill· SS. 2603 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1988
Emergency Agricultural Relief Act of 1988 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to provide disaster payments for wheat, feed grains, rice, and upland cotton lost in 1988 to drought and other natural disasters. Provides disaster payments to nonprogram producers in specified drought or natural disaster-affected areas. Limits producer payments to not more than $100,000. Provides feed assistance (including transportation) for producers of livestock, poultry, and swine affected by drought or other natural disasters. Provides assistance to orchard owners who have lost trees as a result of the drought. Extends disaster payments to 1988 producers of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice who are located in counties eligible to receive disaster emergency loans and who did not purchase reduced crop yield insurance. Repeals a specified 50 cent milk price support reduction. Provides disaster emergency assistance to counties contiguous to a disaster-affected county under specified conditions. Authorizes water-related projects, including research, technical assistance, grants, and extension services. Permits haying and grazing on conservation reserve acreage during periods of drought. Provides for 1988 rural agribusiness disaster assistance. Makes food assistance available for Indian farmers and ranchers affected by drought. States that the chief executive officer of a State shall request the Secretary of Agriculture to make specified agricultural emergency determinations. Requires the Secretary to make such a determination within 25 days of receiving the request. Directs the Secretary to take into consideration the effects of the 1988 drought on a borrower's income when making specified agricultural loan restructuring determinations. Directs the Secretary to provide grain to alcohol fuel producers in times of shortage at prices and in quantities that will ensure the economic vitality of such industry. Directs the Secretary to prepare and submit to the appropriate congressional committees: (1) a drought relief contingency plan; and (2) a forward contracting report. Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding the importance of foreign trade to the domestic agricultural industry and the need to continue to expand such trade. Expresses the sense of the Senate that there should be no embargo on domestic agricultural commodities and no reduction in export promotion programs, except in the case of an extreme national emergency.
Bill· SS. 2591 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1988
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to provide producers of the 1988 crops of wheat, feed grains, upland cotton, and rice in disaster-designated counties with 92 percent of the deficiency payments projected at the beginning of the crop year.
Bill· SS. 2606 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1988
Provides assistance to program and nonprogram agricultural producers who have experienced crop losses in 1988 to drought or other natural disasters in areas designated by the Secretary of Agriculture. Limits producer assistance to $100,000. Requires payments to be made to eligible producers within 45 days of application. Provides for feed assistance (including transportation) for producers of livestock, poultry, and swine affected by drought or other natural disasters. Authorizes water-problem related projects, including research, technical assistance, grants, and extension services. Permits haying and grazing on conservation reserve acreage during periods of drought. Provides for 1988 rural agribusiness disaster assistance.
Bill· SS. 2587 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1988
Noxious Weed Control Act of 1988 - Directs the Secretaries of Agriculture and the Interior to establish a noxious weed control program. Authorizes appropriations.
Bill· HRH.R. 4946 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 29 June 1988
Dairy Drought Relief Act of 1988 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to authorize (current law requires) the Secretary of Agriculture to make certain milk price support reductions. Permits price support increases based on increases in the cost of feed.
Bill· HRH.R. 4937 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1988
Pesticide Food Safety Act of 1988 - Title I: Pesticide Registration - Amends the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) to make it the responsibility of each registrant to apply for the reregistration of such registrant's pesticides within a specified time frame. Directs the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): (1) to review the data and either reregister the pesticide or notify the registrant that the data is insufficient; (2) to permit sufficient time for applicants to obtain any requested information; and (3) in reviewing an application for reregistration, to consider the adequacy of regulations promulgated for such pesticide under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA). Permits the prior registration of a pesticide to remain in effect until the Administrator makes a final decision, in the event a hearing is requested following issuance of a notice of denial (but allows the Administrator to initiate action to suspend such registration). Makes failure to meet hearing and final decision time limits grounds for a civil action. Establishes schedules for reregistration of pesticides initially registered or reregistered post-1978 and pre-1978. Makes reregistration the functional equivalent of registration. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1995. Directs the Administrator, in making determinations under FIFRA concerning unreasonable adverse effects on the environment of a pesticide that results in a post-harvest residue in or on food, feed crops, or processed food, to consider ways in which the consumer may be affected by such residues and by such pesticide. Revises procedures governing cancellation of pesticide registration after expiration of the period for registration. Prohibits the continued sale of a pesticide for more than a year after the effective date of a cancellation or denial notice or order, except that, in extraordinary circumstances, the period may be extended if in the public interest. Title II: Pesticide Residues - Amends the FFDCA to include in the definition of "pesticide chemical": (1) any substance used in the production, storage, or transportation of processed food; and (2) as the Administrator deems appropriate, any active or inert ingredient of a pesticide or substance present in or on a raw agricultural commodity or processed food as a result of the metabolism or other degradation of a pesticide. Revises the definition of "food additive" to exclude pesticide chemicals in or on, or used in the production, storage, or transportation of, any processed food. Revises what is deemed "adulterated food": (1) as it relates to pesticide chemicals; and (2) to include a new animal drug (or conversion product thereof) which is unsafe. Makes the FFDCA provisions relating to tolerances for pesticide chemicals applicable to chemicals in processed food (currently, such provisions only apply to those in or on raw agricultural commodities). Precludes the Administrator from establishing or leaving in effect a tolerance above a level deemed to be associated with a negligible risk to human health for pesticide chemicals which raise prudent concerns of oncogenic risks on the basis of a validated test and other evidence, unless the Administrator: (1) finds clear and convincing evidence that the benefits to consumers associated with such a tolerance in terms of an adequate, wholesome, and economical food supply outweigh the risks; or (2) takes appropriate action under the FFDCA or FIFRA to substantially reduce the dietary risks associated with the use of an alternative pesticide chemical for control of the same pest on the same crop, where such alternative poses greater risks than the first. Requires relative risk determinations to be based on actual usage of such pesticide chemicals and on residue levels anticipated routinely in or on raw agricultural commodities or processed foods. Provides that where a pesticide chemical has been used on a raw agricultural commodity in conformity with a granted exemption or a prescribed tolerance and such commodity has been processed, the residue of the chemical in the processed food shall not be deemed to be unsafe if it has been removed to the extent possible in good manufacturing practice and the residue concentration is not greater than the tolerance prescribed for the commodity. Directs the Administrator to modify or revoke any exemption from the requirement of a tolerance to the extent necessary to protect the public health. Title III: Integrated Pest Management - National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act Amendments of 1988 - Amends the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act Amendments of 1985 to establish within the office of the Administrator an interagency committee to oversee coordination between the Department of Agriculture's conservation, commodity, research, and education programs and the EPA's pesticide regulatory activities. States that the committee's mission is to design an integrated pest management (IPM) initiative, focusing on developing economical pest control techniques and the reduction of pesticide residues associated with traditional production practices for minor crops when such reduction may lessen dietary risk from pesticide residues. Directs the interagency committee to: (1) develop IPM research and education initiatives targeted toward principal pests of minor crops; (2) report to the Congress annually regarding the committee's activities and funding; (3) report on policy recommendations or other agricultural or regulatory programs which warrant congressional attention regarding on-farm use of safer, efficient pest control methods and technologies; and (4) advise the Administrator regarding the implications of genetic resistance to pesticides in pest populations and the viability and profitability of IPM systems with regard to registration, reregistration, and cancellation actions. Requires the Secretary of Agriculture and Administrator to develop and submit to the Congress studies of: (1) policy and programmatic barriers to the adoption of IPM systems and other management practices; and (2) the impact of extending coverage under the Federal Crop Insurance Program to cover pest losses suffered by farmers applying recommended IPM techniques when such losses are determined to result from unanticipated natural and biological events that unavoidably reduce the effectiveness of IPM practices. Authorizes appropriations for FY 1989 through 1994. Amends Federal provisions relating to competitive grants under the Department of Agriculture's agricultural research program to include research to develop and refine IPM techniques and other pest control technologies targeted toward major pests of minor use crops among the areas designated as high priority research.
Bill· HRH.R. 4931 (100th)open
United States · United States Congress · 28 June 1988
Provides assistance to program and nonprogram agricultural producers who have experienced at least 50 percent crop losses in 1988 due to drought or other natural disasters in areas designated by the Secretary of Agriculture. Limits producer assistance to $100,000. Requires payments to be made to eligible producers within 30 days of application. Provides for feed and water assistance (including transportation) for producers of livestock, poultry, and swine affected by drought or other natural disasters.
Law· SS. 2560 (100th)enacted
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Hunger Prevention Act of 1988 - Title I: Emergency Hunger Prevention - Subtitle A: Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Program - Amends the Temporary Emergency Food Assistance Act of 1983 to state that the dairy export incentive program and the export sales of dairy products program shall not be operated in a way that will reduce the dairy products available for the temporary emergency food assistance program (TEFAP) or any other domestic feeding program. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to establish procedures for non-Federal commodity contributions to Federal food assistance programs. Authorizes States and feeding organizations to use TEFAP funds, equipment, and facilities to store, handle, and distribute such commodity contributions. Permits States to use up to three percent of TEFAP funds for food assistance information programs. Directs State and local agencies to continue to use volunteers and donated food stuffs in food distribution programs. Extends TEFAP, including storage and distribution authorizations, through FY 1990. Increases the amount of TEFAP funds for emergency feeding organizations. Extends TEFAP commodity estimate requirements through FY 1990. Directs the Secretary, during each of FY 1989 and 1990, to purchase and makes available for food assistance at least $145,000,000 worth of high protein additional commodities. Establishes a State distribution formula based on 60 percent poverty level and 40 percent unemployment. Authorizes appropriations. Directs States to use TEFAP funds for the costs of distributing additional commodities to emergency feeding organizations, soup kitchens, and other meal sites and charitable organizations. Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to extend through FY 1991: (1) the dairy export incentive program; and (2) the export sales of dairy products program. Subtitle B: Soup Kitchens and Other Emergency Food Aid - Directs the Secretary, during each of FY 1989 through 1991, to purchase and make available to soup kitchens and other meal sites and charitable organizations $40,000,000 of additional commodities. Establishes a State distribution formula based on 60 percent poverty level and 40 percent unemployment. Authorizes appropriations. Subtitle C: Basic Food Stamp Benefit Levels - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to increase basic food stamp benefit levels as follows: (1) for the period of January 1, 1989, through September 30, 1989, basic benefits would be set at 79 percent of the Department of Agriculture's low-cost food plan; (2) for FY 1990 at 79.5 percent of such plan; and (3) for post-FY 1990 at 80 percent of such plan. Subtitle D: Commodity Supplemental Food Program - Directs the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to make 7,000,000 pounds of cheese available in each of FY 1989 and 1990 to the commodity supplemental food program. Title II: Nutrition Improvements - Subtitle A: Food Stamp Act of 1977 - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to prohibit parents living with their minor children from applying for food stamps as a "household" separate from their co-residents (even if meals are purchased and prepared separately). Makes permanent categorical food stamp program (program) eligibility based on eligibility for specified social security programs. Exempts households with an elderly or disabled member from monthly income tests. States that: (1) household not required to submit monthly income reports shall have their income calculated on a prospective basis; and (2) households required to submit monthly income reports shall have their income calculated on a retrospective basis, except under specified circumstances. Repeals the requirement of prior approval by the Secretary for less than monthly income reporting of certain households. Prohibits a state agency from requiring periodic reporting of households: (1) made up entirely of migrant or seasonal farm workers; (2) made up entirely of homeless persons; or (3) with no earned income and in which all adult members are elderly or disabled. Requires that households reporting monthly be provided with clear and understandable reporting forms. Provides full program benefits for breaks in certification of 30 days of less. Permits households subject to benefit prorating to receive an aggregate benefit allotment. Extends the scope of program information activities. Amends the Homeless Eligibility Clarification Act to make permanent the authority for homeless persons in shelters to receive food stamps. Subtitle B: Child Nutrition Act of 1966, and National School Lunch Act - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to increase the school breakfast program reimbursement rate by three cents per meal. Amends the National School Lunch Act to provide an additional meal or snack to children who attend day care centers which are open more than eight hours a day. Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to define "homeless individual" for purposes of the special supplemental food program (WIC) as an individual who: (1) lacks a fixed and regular nighttime residence; or (2) has a primary nighttime residence that is a publicly or privately operated temporary shelter, an institution providing temporary residence for persons intended to be institutionalized, temporary accommodation in another individual's residence, or a public or private place not normally used as a sleeping accommodation. Makes homeless individuals eligible for the special supplemental food program. Requires State WIC plans to include homeless outreach programs. Amends the National School Lunch Act to permit public or private nonprofit higher education institutions participating in the National Youth Sports program and certain private nonprofit organizations to participate in the summer food program. Title III: Administrative Improvements and Simplification - Subtitle A: Reducing Unnecessary Paperwork - Amends the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to require State agencies to attempt to conciliate a dispute with a program participant before terminating program benefits. Sets forth specified categories of program ineligibility (income, program violations, status) where such procedure shall not be required. Directs the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, to assist States to develop simple application forms for food stamps, aid to families with dependent children, and Medicaid. Requires State agencies to provide applicant households with a statement of required program verification. Bars program denial because of the failure of a person outside the household to cooperate in such verification. Requires State plans of operation to provide for opportunities to make reports (in person or by telephone) to food stamp offices. Subtitle B: Assuring Accurate Issuance of Benefits - Requires State agencies to promptly restore improperly denied, terminated, or underissued benefits when a household's loss is discovered through a review procedure. Authorizes State agencies to provide special training to: (1) certifying personnel relating to households that include members who are self-employed or engaged in farming; and (2) personnel working with volunteer or nonprofit organizations that offer program screening or information services. Requires the Secretary to annually publish instructional materials for such certifying personnel. Requires State agencies to provide households with a statement describing the household's reporting responsibilities at the time of each certification and recertification. Subtitle C: Reducing Barriers in rural America - Requires State plans of operation to include a procedure for designating rural project areas with transportation problems as appropriate for certification and coupon issuance by mail. Requires such plans to provide that a community of more than 5,000 persons that is more than 30 miles from its certification office be visited at least twice a month by a certification officer unless such community is otherwise served in a manner that provides reasonable program access. Requires the Secretary to set standards for food stamp office closings or relocations which shall seek to minimize the adverse impact on program access, with special emphasis on the needs of rural areas, the elderly, the disabled, and the homeless. Subtitle D: Eliminating Inequities for Farmers and Others - Continues program benefits to participants who receive pay-outs, including direct cash payments, from other Federal assistance programs. Permits households with self-employed farming income and irregular expenses to annualize income and expenses. Excludes from financial resources farm property (land, equipment, or supplies) for a one-year period after a self-employed farmer ceases farming. Prohibits making a household ineligible for program benefits due to its failure to dispose of a farming asset which would produce no funds in excess of any liens, mortgages, or other security interests, or be contrary to a legal duty. Subtitle E: Reducing Barriers for the Elderly and Disabled - Amends the definition of "disabled person" for program purposes to include the following benefits if such benefits are conditioned on criteria at least as stringent as those used under the Social Security Act: (1) interim supplemental security income-type benefits; (2) disability-related medical assistance under Medicaid; and (3) disability-based State assistance. Provides elderly and disabled persons with a simplified procedure for claiming excess medical deductions. Provides for a coordinated aid to families with dependent children-food stamp application. Title IV: Family Self-Sufficiency - Excludes from being considered as income for food stamp program purposes: (1) advance earned income tax credit payments; and (2) dependent care reimbursements under an employment and training program. Increases such maximum reimbursements from $160 per household per month to $160 per dependent per month. Increases the resource limit on automobiles from $4,500 to: (1) $4,700 in FY 1989; (2) $4,900 in FY 1990; (3) $5,150 in FY 1991; (4) $5,400 in FY 1992; and (5) $5,500 in FY 1993. Includes the following within the definition of "employment and training program": (1) high school or equivalent programs; (2) remedial literacy programs; (3) English-as-a-second-language instructional programs; (4) on-the-job training programs; and (5) job readiness programs. Provides, with regard to such employment and training programs, that: (1) the Secretary shall issue regulations under which State agencies shall establish conciliation procedures; (2) Federal funds shall not be used to supplant non-Federal funds for existing services; (3) State or local funds for such services shall be maintained at not less than FY 1987 levels; (4) transportation costs up to $100 per participant per month shall be covered; (5) the Secretary shall establish State performance standards based on employment and achievement of self-sufficiency; (6) Indian tribal organizations may conduct programs on reservations, with State program amounts of Federal assistance reduced as specified; and (7) the Secretary shall develop and transmit to the appropriate congressional committees incentive payment proposals. Title V: Demonstration Projects - Amends the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 to authorize three-year demonstration project grants in ten States to provide coupons (between ten and 20 dollars' worth) to WIC recipients for use at farmers' markets. Requires at least 30 percent State matching funds. Prohibits the use of funds to construct or operate a farmers' market. Limits the use of funds for administrative costs. Requires: (1) State recipients to make annual reports to the Secretary; and (2) the Secretary to provide the appropriation congressional committees with a project evaluation report within two years after the last grant award. Authorizes FY 1989 through 1991 appropriations. Authorizes the Secretary to carry out food bank commodity distribution projects. Requires the Secretary to submit a program report to the appropriate congressional committees by January 3, 1990. Terminates program authority on September 30, 1991. Authorizes FY 1989 through 1991 appropriations. Directs the Secretary, within 30 days after enactment of this Act but not earlier than October 1, 1988, to conduct a one-State demonstration project to reimburse family or group day care centers for providing an additional meal or supplement in order to determine: (1) if such additional meal or supplement increases child care food program participation; (2) the extent to which meal services increase in such homes; and (3) the nutritional impact of such meals and supplements. Requires the Secretary to submit a report to the appropriate congressional committees. Terminates the project not later than 12 months after its initiation. Title VI: Implementation - Sets forth specified effective dates for provisions of this Act.
Bill· SS. 2559 (100th)referred
United States · United States Congress · 23 June 1988
Dairy Industry Revitalization Act of 1988 - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to repeal the Secretary of Agriculture's authority to make 1989 and 1990 50-cent per hundredweight milk support price reductions if Government milk purchases exceed specified levels. Requires the Secretary to increase 1989 and 1990 milk support prices by 50 cents per hundredweight if estimated Government purchases will not exceed 5,000,000,000 pounds (currently 2,500,000,000 pounds).