S 1610 IS

To authorize additional emergency disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd.

To authorize additional emergency disaster relief for victims of Hurricane Dennis and Hurricane Floyd.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS OF ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2000 FOR DISASTER RELIEF FOR THE VICTIMS OF HURRICANE FLOYD.

(a) FINDINGS- Congress finds that--

(1) between August 29 and September 9, 1999, Hurricane Dennis hovered off the coast of North Carolina and eventually made landfall off Cape Hatteras;

(2) Hurricane Dennis brought 20 inches of rain to portions of North Carolina, wiped out significant portions of the highway network on the North Carolina Outer Banks, and flooded homes and businesses;

(3) Hurricane Dennis caused millions of dollars in damage to houses, businesses, farms, fishermen, roads, beaches and protective dunes;

(4) between September 14 and 16, 1999, Hurricane Floyd menaced most of the southeastern seaboard of the United States, provoking the largest peace time evacuation of eastern Florida, the Georgia coast, the South Carolina coast, and the North Carolina Coast;

(5) on September 16, 1999, in the early morning hours, Hurricane Floyd made landfall at the Cape Fear River, dumping up to 18 inches of rain on sections of North Carolina only days after the heavy rainfall from Hurricane Dennis;

(6) the result of the landfall of Hurricane Floyd was the worst recorded flooding in the history of North Carolina;

(7) after making landfall, Hurricane Floyd continued to move up the eastern seaboard, causing flooding and tornadoes in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut;

(8) Hurricane Floyd is responsible for the known deaths of 54 people, 35 of whom were confirmed dead in North Carolina, 3 in New Jersey, 2 in New York, 6 in Pennsylvania, 4 in Virginia, 2 in Delaware, 1 in Vermont, and 1 in Connecticut, with many people still missing;

(9) as the flood waters recede, the death toll from Hurricane Floyd is expected to grow;

(10) farmers and fishermen have been among the most drastically affected by Hurricane Floyd;

(11) in North Carolina alone, the agricultural loss estimates are already $1,300,000,000, and are likely to rise far higher;

(12) North Carolina is the third most agriculturally diverse State in the country, producing, among other products, tobacco, cotton, peanuts, soybeans, corn, sweet potatoes, livestock, dairy, and produce;

(13) last year in North Carolina, the total commodities sold from the State topped $7 billion, and in Virginia they generated $2.4 billion in cash receipts;

(14) in North Carolina, more than 100,000 hogs have drowned, and more than 3,000,000 poultry have been killed by the flooding;

(15) an estimated 120,000,000 gallons of hog waste have spilled into the environment, polluting rivers and ground water, and dozens of waste lagoons have been destroyed or flooded;

(16) millions of other animals in North Carolina are in danger of starving to death, trapped in areas where it is impossible to deliver feed;

(17) 80 percent of the North Carolina cotton crop, 25 percent of the Virginia cotton crop, 75 to 80 percent of the soybean crop, and 75 to 80 percent of the peanut crop (including 25 percent of the Virginia peanut crop) are expected to be lost;

(18) the North Carolina sweet potato crop may be a complete loss;

(19) seed crops in the area have been almost completely destroyed;

(20) farming equipment throughout the area has been destroyed;

(21) debris cleanup in affected areas will be overwhelming, and the possibility of soil contamination will have to be assessed on farms across the State; and

(22) hundreds of fishermen have lost their boats as a result of the force of Hurricane Floyd and Hurricane Dennis.

(b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS-

(1) AGRICULTURE- There is authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Agriculture for fiscal year 2000, $3,000,000,000, to remain available until expended, for expenses of the Department relating to the provision of disaster relief for agricultural producers affected by Hurricane Floyd and for other Hurricane Floyd-related relief under--

(A) the flooded land reserve program, in accordance with section 1124 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1998 (Public Law 105-277; 7 U.S.C. 1421 note);

(B) the Wetlands Reserve Program, authorized by subchapter C of chapter 1 of subtitle D of title XII of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3837);

(C) the Environmental Quality Incentives Program under chapter 4 of subtitle D of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3839aa et seq.);

(D) the Emergency Conservation Program under title IV of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2201 et seq.);

(E) the rural housing insurance fund under section 502 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1487);

(F) the program to provide low income housing repair grants under section 504 of the Housing Act of 1949 (42 U.S.C. 1474); and

(G) any other program that provides appropriate disaster relief, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.

(2) COMMERCE- There is authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Commerce for fiscal year 2000, $50,000,000 for expenses of the Department of Commerce to provide emergency disaster assistance to persons or entities that have incurred losses from a commercial fishery failure described in 308(b)(1) of the Interjurisdictional Fisheries Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 4107(b)) and due to Hurricane Floyd, to remain available until expended.

(3) FEMA- There is authorized to be appropriated for the Federal Emergency Management Agency for fiscal year 2000, $250,000,000 for emergency expenses resulting from Hurricane Floyd, to remain available until expended.

(c) CONSTRUCTION- The amounts authorized to be appropriated by subsection (b) are in addition to any other amounts authorized to be appropriated for the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Commerce or the Federal Emergency Management Agency for fiscal year 2000 for the expenses described in that subsection.

(d) DESIGNATION AS EMERGENCY SPENDING- The appropriation of any amount under an authorization of appropriations in subsection (b) shall be--

(1) designated as emergency spending in accordance with section 251(b)(2)(A) of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A)); and

(2) made available on an emergency basis.