An original bill to provide disaster assistance to producers who suffered certain losses in the quantity of the 1989 crop of a commodity harvested as the result of excess moisture, freeze, storm, or related condition occurring in 1989 or drought or related condition occurring in 1988 or 1989, and for other purposes.
Disaster Assistance Act of 1989 - Title I: Emergency Crop Loss Assistance - Subtitle A: Annual Crops - Extends disaster crop loss assistance through the 1989 crop year for wheat, feed grains, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, soybeans, and other nonprogram crops.
Extends crop quality reduction disaster assistance through the 1989 crop year.
Reduces disaster assistance payments in relation to Federal crop insurance payments.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to announce within a specified time the conditions for establishing a 1989 farm yield for forage-use-crops.
Limits assistance under this Act to $100,000.
Authorizes the Secretary to determine a de minimis yield for each crop eligible for reduced yield disaster payments under this Act.
Reduces disaster payments by a replacement crop's value.
Authorizes the substitution of crop insurance program yields for assigned farm yields for 1989 disaster assistance eligibility purposes.
Subtitle B: Orchards - Provides disaster assistance (up to $25,000 or an equivalent value in seedlings) to orchardists who suffered tree losses as a result of 1989 freeze or related condition.
Expresses the sense of the Congress that Federal crop insurance should be made available to all orchard crops.
Subtitle C: Additional Assistance - Prohibits the Secretary from reducing rental payments to an owner or operator who hays or grazes livestock during the 1989 crop year on land subject to a conservation reserve program contract to the extent that such owner or operator carries out and pays for specified additional conservation practices.
Subtitle D: Administrative Provisions - Makes a person with qualifying annual gross income (as defined by this Act) in excess of $2,000,000 ineligible for assistance under this Act.
Requires assistance applications to be made by March 31, 1990, or such later date as the Secretary may prescribe.
Authorizes separate calculation of commodities produced on dry and irrigated lands for purposes of disaster assistance eligibility.
Title II: Emergency Livestock Assistance - Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to authorize the use of Commodity Credit Corporation stored grain for emergency livestock assistance.
Title III: Disaster Credit and Forbearance - Makes producers who suffered 1989 crop losses eligible for emergency loans even if they had crop insurance.
Directs the Secretary to make 1990 direct and guaranteed farm operating loans (including funds from the Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund) available to producers who suffered 1989 crop losses (1988 or 1989 for drought losses).
Authorizes unpaid principal reductions for certain agricultural loans made to Indian tribes.
Title IV: Rural Businesses - Directs the Secretary to provide loan guarantees through the Rural Development Insurance Fund to rural business enterprises (including Indian tribes) which have suffered disaster damage in 1988 or 1989.
Limits: (1) individual guarantees to the lesser of 90 percent of principal and interest or $500,000; and (2) aggregate guarantees to $200,000,000.
Title V: Water-Related Assistance - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to direct the Secretary to establish an emergency water assistance grant program for rural and small communities (less than 5,000 population, median household income not more than State nonmetropolitan level) with significant water shortages, or to enable such communities to comply with the requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act or the Safe Drinking Water Act. Obligates at least 75 percent of program funds for rural communities of less than 3,000 persons.
Limits grants to: (1) $75,000 for existing system repairs; and (2) $500,000 for water shortage areas. Authorizes FY 1990 and 1991 appropriations.
Amends the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 to authorize livestock water assistance activities.
Amends the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988 to authorize disaster assistance for watershed protection activities. Authorizes appropriations.
Title VI: General Provisions - Amends the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938 to reduce the obligation of a handler to export peanuts by a specified shrinkage value.
Amends the Disaster Assistance Act of 1988 to delay the 1988 crop advanced deficiency repayment deadline.
Amends the Agricultural Act of 1949 to extend authority for alternate crop planting on permitted acreage.
Amends the Federal Crop Insurance Act to authorize crop insurance underwriting rules that ensure that yield coverage is provided to participating producers. Sets forth yield coverage provisions.
Expresses the sense of the Congress regarding the achievement of free livestock trade between Mexico and the United States.
Became Public Law No: 101-82.
Committee on Agriculture ordered to be reported an original measure.
Introduced in Senate
Committee on Agriculture. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Leahy. With written report No. 101-93. Additional views filed.
Committee on Agriculture. Original measure reported to Senate by Senator Leahy. With written report No. 101-93. Additional views filed.
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 180.
Measure laid before Senate by unanimous consent.
Senate incorporated this measure in H.R. 2467 as an amendment.
Senate passed companion measure H.R. 2467 in lieu of this measure by Voice Vote.
Indefinitely postponed by Senate by Unanimous Consent.
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