To provide emergency disaster assistance to agricultural producers.

January 9, 2003

Mr. NELSON of Nebraska introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

To provide emergency disaster assistance to agricultural producers.

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 `Emergency Agricultural Disaster Assistance Act of 2003'.

SEC. 2. CROP DISASTER ASSISTANCE.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this Act as the `Secretary') shall use such sums as are necessary of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation to make emergency financial assistance authorized under this section available to producers on a farm that have incurred qualifying crop losses for the 2001 or 2002 crop, or both, due to damaging weather or related condition, as determined by the Secretary.

(b) ADMINISTRATION- The Secretary shall make assistance available under this section in the same manner as provided under section 815 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-55), including using the same loss thresholds for the quantity and quality losses as were used in administering that section.

(c) CROP INSURANCE- In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall not discriminate against or penalize producers on a farm that have purchased crop insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act (7 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.).

SEC. 3. LIVESTOCK ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary of funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation as are necessary to make and administer payments for livestock losses to producers for 2001 or 2002 losses, or both, in a county that has received a corresponding emergency designation by the President or the Secretary, of which an amount determined by the Secretary shall be made available for the American Indian livestock program under section 806 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-51).

(b) ADMINISTRATION- The Secretary shall make assistance available under this section in the same manner as provided under section 806 of the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2001 (Public Law 106-387; 114 Stat. 1549A-51).

SEC. 4. FUNDING.

Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall--

(1) use such sums as are necessary to carry out this Act; and

(2) transfer to section 32 of the Act of August 24, 1935 (7 U.S.C. 612c), an amount equal to the amount of funds under section 32 of that Act that were made available before the date of enactment of this Act to provide disaster assistance to crop and livestock producers for losses suffered during 2001 and 2002, to remain available until expended.

SEC. 5. REGULATIONS.

(a) IN GENERAL- The Secretary may promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement this Act.

(b) PROCEDURE- The promulgation of the regulations and administration of 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.

SEC. 6. EMERGENCY DESIGNATION.

(a) IN GENERAL- The entire amount made available under this Act shall be available only to the extent that the President submits to Congress an official budget request for a specific dollar amount that includes designation of the entire amount of the request as an emergency requirement for the purposes of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 900 et seq.).

(b) DESIGNATION- The entire amount made available under this section is designated by Congress as an emergency requirement under sections 251(b)(2)(A) and 252(e) of that Act (2 U.S.C. 901(b)(2)(A), 902(e)).

SEC. 7. BUDGETARY TREATMENT.

Notwithstanding Rule 3 of the Budget Scorekeeping Guidelines set forth in the Joint Explanatory Statement of the Committee of Conference accompanying Conference Report No. 105-217, the provisions of this Act that would have been estimated by the Office of Management and Budget as changing direct spending or receipts under section 252 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 902) were it included in an Act other than an appropriation Act shall be treated as direct spending or receipts legislation, as appropriate, under section 252 of the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 (2 U.S.C. 902).

END