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Managing America: Appropriations

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Week Ending July 27, 2007

S.1716 A bill to amend the U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007, to strike a requirement relating to forage producers.

This bill is the companion bill to the House-passed HR 2206 of the same title. The provision to be struck is found in Title IX of the bill and has to do with the agricultural disaster relief provisions in the bill. The section to be struck reads as follows:

"In carrying out crop disaster and livestock assistance in this title, the Secretary shall require forage producers to have participated in a crop insurance pilot program or the Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program during the crop year for which compensation is received."

Forage crops include alfalfa, hay, rye grass, sorghum, feed corn and several other crops that animals graze on. Forage producers are often farmers who raise a crop such as hay and then sell it to other farmers who need it to feed cattle, for example, when growing the crops themselves is too expensive or requires specialty equipment.

Forage crops are typically not eligible for crop insurance but can find insurance under the USDA Non-Insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program and under a crop insurance pilot program at the USDA.

This bill appears to be modifying the law to allow disaster relief payments made to forage producers impacted by Katrina or some other disaster who did not meet the requirement of being insured under the NICDA or a crop insurance pilot program. The bill may also be providing for payment now to those who did not qualify.

Sponsor:  Senator John Thune (R-SD)

Vote: Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent July 25, 2007

Cost to the taxpayers: Not discernible

Earmark Certification:  

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SECTION 1. CONTRACT WAIVER.

The U.S. Troop Readiness, Veterans' Care, Katrina Recovery, and Iraq Accountability Appropriations Act, 2007 (Public Law 110-28; 121 Stat. 112) is amended by striking section 9012.