| S 667 IS
108th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 667
To amend the Food
Security Act of 1985 to strengthen payment limitations for commodity payments
and benefits.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED
STATES
March 19, 2003
Mr. GRASSLEY (for himself,
Mr. HAGEL, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. JOHNSON, and Mr. DASCHLE) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
A BILL
To amend the Food
Security Act of 1985 to strengthen payment limitations for commodity payments
and benefits.
Be it enacted by the
Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in
Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. PAYMENT LIMITATIONS.
Section 1001 of the Food
Security of 1985 (7 U.S.C. 1308) is amended--
(1) in subsection (b)(1),
by striking `$40,000' and inserting `$20,000';
(2) in subsection (c)(1),
by striking `$65,000' and inserting `$30,000';
(3) by striking `(d)' and
all that follows through the end of paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
`(d) LIMITATIONS ON MARKETING
LOAN GAINS, LOAN DEFICIENCY PAYMENTS, AND COMMODITY CERTIFICATE TRANSACTIONS-
`(1) LOAN COMMODITIES- The
total amount of the following gains and payments that a person may receive
during any crop year may not exceed $87,500:
`(A)(i) Any gain realized
by a producer from repaying a marketing assistance loan for 1 or more loan
commodities under subtitle B of title I of the Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 7931 et seq.) at a lower level than the
original loan rate established for the loan commodity under that subtitle.
`(ii) In the case of settlement
of a marketing assistance loan for 1 or more loan commodities under that
subtitle by forfeiture, the amount by which the loan amount exceeds the
repayment amount for the loan if the loan had been settled by repayment
instead of forfeiture.
`(B) Any loan deficiency
payments received for 1 or more loan commodities under that subtitle.
`(C) Any gain realized from
the use of a commodity certificate issued by the Commodity Credit Corporation
for 1 or more loan commodities, as determined by the Secretary, including
the use of a certificate for the settlement of a marketing assistance loan
made under that subtitle.'; and
(4) by adding at the end
the following:
`(h) SINGLE FARMING OPERATION-
`(1) IN GENERAL- Notwithstanding
subsections (b) through (d), subject to paragraph (2), if a person participates
only in a single farming operation and receives, directly or indirectly,
any payment or gain covered by this section through the operation, the
total amount of payments or gains (as applicable) covered by this section
that the person may receive during any crop year may not exceed twice the
applicable dollar amounts specified in subsections (b), (c), and (d).
`(2) INDIVIDUALS- The total
amount of payments or gains (as applicable) covered by this section that
an individual person may receive during any crop year may not exceed $275,000.
`(i) SPOUSE EQUITY- Notwithstanding
subsections (b) through (d), except as provided in subsection (e)(2)(C)(i),
if an individual and spouse are covered by subsection (e)(2)(C) and receive,
directly or indirectly, any payment or gain covered by this section, the
total amount of payments or gains (as applicable) covered by this section
that the individual and spouse may jointly receive during any crop year
may not exceed twice the applicable dollar amounts specified in subsections
(b), (c), and (d).
`(1) IN GENERAL- Not later
than July 1, 2003, the Secretary shall promulgate regulations--
`(A) to ensure that total
payments and gains described in this section made to or through joint operations
or multiple entities under the primary control of a person, in combination
with the payments and gains received directly by the person, shall not
exceed twice the applicable dollar amounts specified in subsections (b),
(c), and (d);
`(B) in the case of a person
that in the aggregate owns, conducts farming operations, or provides custom
farming services on land with respect to which the aggregate payments received
by the person exceed the applicable dollar amounts specified in subsections
(b), (c), and (d), to attribute all payments and gains made to the person
on crops produced on the land to--
`(i) a person that rents
land for a share of the crop that is less than the usual and customary
rate, as determined by the Secretary;
`(ii) a person that provides
custom farming services through arrangements under which--
`(I) all or part of the
compensation for the services is at risk;
`(II) farm management services
are provided by--
`(aa) the same person;
`(bb) an immediate
family member; or
`(cc) an entity or
individual that has a business relationship that is not an arm's length
relationship, as determined by the Secretary; or
`(III) more than 2/3 of
all payments received for custom farming services are received by--
`(aa) the same person;
`(bb) an immediate
family member; or
`(cc) an entity or
individual that has a business relationship that is not an arm's length
relationship, as determined by the Secretary; or
`(iii) a person under such
other arrangements as the Secretary determines are established to transfer
payments from persons that would otherwise exceed the applicable dollar
amounts specified in subsections (b), (c), and (d); and
`(C) to ensure that payments
attributed under this section to a person other than the direct recipient
shall also count toward the limit of the direct recipient.
`(2) PRIMARY CONTROL- The
regulations under paragraph (1) shall define `primary control' to include
a joint operation or multiple entity in which a person owns an interest
that is greater than the total interests held by other persons that materially
participate on a regular, substantial, and continuous basis in the management
of the operation or entity.'.
SEC. 2. REGULATIONS.
(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary
of Agriculture may promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement
this Act and the amendments made by this Act.
(b) PROCEDURE- The promulgation
of the regulations and administration of this Act and the amendments made
by this Act shall be made without regard to--
(1) the notice and comment
provisions of section 553 of title 5, United States Code;
(2) the Statement of Policy
of the Secretary of Agriculture effective July 24, 1971 (36 Fed. Reg. 13804),
relating to notices of proposed rulemaking and public participation in
rulemaking; and
(3) chapter 35 of title
44, United States Code (commonly known as the `Paperwork Reduction Act').
(c) CONGRESSIONAL REVIEW
OF AGENCY RULEMAKING- In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall
use the authority provided under section 808 of title 5, United States
Code.
END
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