S 598 IS

To amend the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to improve the farmland protection program.

To amend the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 to improve the farmland protection program.

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

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the `Farmland Protection Act of 1999'.

SEC. 2. FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM.

Section 388 of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (16 U.S.C. 3830 note; Public Law 104-127) is amended to read as follows:

`SEC. 388. FARMLAND PROTECTION PROGRAM.

`(a) DEFINITION OF ELIGIBLE ENTITY- In this section, the term `eligible entity' means--

`(1) any agency of any State or local government, or federally recognized Indian tribe; and

`(2) any organization that--

`(A) is organized for, and at all times since its formation has been operated principally for, 1 or more of the conservation purposes specified in clause (i), (ii), or (iii) of section 170(h)(4)(A) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;

`(B) is an organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Code that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of the Code; and

`(C)(i) is described in section 509(a)(2) of the Code; or

`(ii) is described in section 509(a)(3) of the Code and is controlled by an organization described in section 509(a)(2) of the Code.

`(b) AUTHORITY- The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish and carry out a farmland protection program under which the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible entities, to provide the Federal share of the cost of purchasing conservation easements or other interests in land with prime, unique, or other productive soil for the purpose of protecting topsoil by limiting nonagricultural uses of the land.

`(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES- The Secretary may provide a grant to an eligible entity described in subsection (a)(2) for the purchase of a conservation easement or other interest in land within the jurisdiction of a State or local government or federally recognized Indian tribe only if the appropriate agency of the State or local government or the federally recognized Indian tribe does not operate a farmland protection program.

`(d) FEDERAL SHARE- The Federal share of the cost of purchasing a conservation easement or other interest described in subsection (b) shall be not more than 50 percent.

`(e) CONSERVATION PLAN- Any land for which a conservation easement or other interest is purchased under this section shall be subject to the requirements of a conservation plan that requires, at the option of the Secretary, the conversion of the land to less intensive uses.

`(f) RANKING CRITERIA- The Secretary shall consult with appropriate agencies of States and local governments and federally recognized Indian tribes in developing criteria for ranking applications for grants under this section.

`(g) FUNDING- For each fiscal year, the Secretary shall use not more than $50,000,000 of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to carry out this section.'.